Despite some new reports [1] about security issues with smart phones, big enterprises, such as the U.S. Census Bureau and Bloomberg News, are gobbling up smart phones based on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 technology. Experts say it reflects a watershed moment in the evolution of smart phone technology and may be a sign that the devices are finally gaining ground within the public sector and commercial business arena. The question for most IT leaders, though, is how to determine whether smart phones are needed, the return-on-investment in terms of mobility productivity and what technology they need to hook into current systems.

Lately, Microsoft has been plugging in stability upgrades and support for running complex applications on the devices in ways that differ from competitors in the marketplace. For example, some smart phone makers force users to be connected to access and run applications, but Windows Mobile doesn't require such connectivity. Microsoft is also working hard to bring down the costs of smart phones--no small news given the costs mobility is bringing into play these days. Article [2]