The holidays are one of the best times to purchase new mobile field service devices for your guys. There are sales and deals every other week, and you can usually get a steal on many newer items. With more and more field service management businesses leaning towards smartphones and away from PDA’s, now is the perfect time to do some research and find the right device for you!
We decided to do a comparison of two of the most popular devices on the market right now: the iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S3.
|
Features: |
Phone 5 |
Galaxy S3 |
|
Price* |
$199 |
$199 |
|
Storage/Memory |
16, 32, 64 GB |
16 or 32 GB** |
|
Operating system |
iOS 6 |
Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 |
|
Service Providers |
Verizon, AT&T, Sprint |
Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile |
|
Screen Size |
4in |
4.8in |
|
Weight |
112 Grams |
133 Grams |
|
Battery Life |
10 hours |
12 hours |
|
Mapping/GPS*** |
Apple Maps |
Google Maps |
|
Camera (Rear) |
8-megapixel |
8-megapixel |
*Based off of AT&T’s website with a 2 year contract.
**The GS3 has a microSD slot, which allows up to 64GB
*** Many reviews, and even Apple themselves (see here), feel Apple Maps is not as good as it could be. It has been found that most people are skipping over Apple’s “Maps” button and going directly to Google Maps through their web browser.
For mobile field service, HindSite’s personal recommendation for our customers is to go with the Samsung Galaxy S3. It provides a more reliable map for your techs to get from point A to point B with, has a longer battery life, and is available at more service providers.
However, these features may not be as crucial to you as a business owner and operator and you may find the iPhone fits your needs best. We suggest that you look at your company’s needs and decide on a mobile field device based on what makes the most sense for your business. Remember to ask around as well to find out what your friends in the field service industry are also using. No one knows the field better than those in the industry and your buddies using their devices in the field will have good insight for your transition from PDA to smartphone.