Windows Mobile Messaging (Microsoft Exchange) vs. BlackBerry BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server)

In the enterprise infrastructure, 2 hand held messaging platforms are dominant: Microsoft Exchange and BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES).  Windows Mobile phones and the iPhone use the ActiveSync MS Exchange Server information to sync up with your mailbox, whereas BlackBerry phones use a BES server.

In the current infrastructure I manage, our enterprise phones are BlackBerry devices.  The BES links up with MS Exchange.  When emails are received, they route to both servers.  The main benefit here is if the MS Exchange network account is locked out, the BES continues to be able to send and receive messages.

In terms of being a user, I still preferred the iPhone over BlackBerry as I like the iPhone's OS.  However, from an enterprise point of view, the decision makers seem to be more comfortable with a BES as it has a reputation of being more secure (whether this is true or not is a different story).

What are you experiences and thoughts on this?

AT&T Debuts HTC Surround, LG Quantum, & Samsung Focus as Windows 7 Smartphones... Cellular VoIP to be mainstream in 2011?

Today, AT&T and Microsoft unveiled 3 new devices to run the new Windows 7 mobile operating system.  The 3 include the HTC Surround, the LG Quantum, and the Samsung Focus; and the planned release date is during the 2010 holiday season. 

With Windows Phone 7 devices hitting the marketplace, will cellular VoIP become more mainstream in 2011?  We already saw Skype's ability to work over 3G on Android phones (albeit with a hack), and it's safe to say this capability will be uncovered with the Windows 7 phones.

On an Enterprise level, will the Windows 7 smartphones encroach on the territory currently shared by BlackBerry and the iPhone?  The Windows 7 smartphones will obviously work with MS Exchange and could offer ease of use with an existing infrastructure.  Time will only tell. 

Cloud Computing and the Future

"The Cloud"

Cloud computing is one of the hot topics in terms of the next evolution of the operating system and how we're going to use computers in the future. In short, cloud computer is Internet-based computing where the accessible data is stored on a server and accessed via the Internet and a secure connection. 

From an enterprise perspective, cloud computing makes sense because all information is stored on company servers, and this information can be accessed by using ANY enterprise computer, logging into your account, and working away without saving anything on the local computer in use.  Deploying such technology is costly, and it's tough for companies to justify this expense especially with a traditional infrastructure in place. 

From a personal computing perspective, one could argue that cloud computing might not be too practical.  Personal computers have privacy (of course, to a certain extent), and you can store your personal information locally.

What are your thoughts on this?