Stacey:
I think it depends on what your overall needs are.
Currently, Mobile BCM (or whatever they are calling it) allows you to view
and edit Business Contacts, and to *view* up to 10 of the most recent history
items for each contact. You can't *create* new linked history items like,
say, a phone log (attention Microsoft! - that would be handy!!). You don't
get an Account list or Opportunity list at all (except for the Opportunities
that are within the 10 most recent history items). You can dial from
contacts in Mobile BCM, but because the contact data is kept in its own
database, caller id won't work for BCM contacts that call you, and you can't
call BCM contacts from the default dialer application.
I think the main benefit, at this point, of Mobile BCM is that you can see
the recent history items linked to each contact, and that it is free.
Pocket Mirror from Chapura (which I have used, and will be using again
soon), or CompanionLink use ActiveSync to synchronize Business Contacts into
the existing Contacts application on the mobile device - PocketPC *or*
Smartphone. Chapura assigns them a customizable category to keep things
straight. As such, you can call them from the dialer application and caller
id works when they call you (Actually, another advantage of Pocket Mirror is
that it allows you to synchronize multiple additional Calendar, Task, and
Contact folders from Outlook to your device, if you need that).
So, at this point, I think the decision you need to make on a device in
terms of BCM support is whether you need access to recent history items or
not. If not, pick whichever device you like the best and get Pocket Mirror
or CompanionLink. If so, then for now at least you will have to get a
PocketPC-based device, like the Treo.
I hope that at some point Microsoft will boost the capabilities of Mobile
BCM to include support for Smartphones, Account and Opportunity and Project
lists, creation of linked items, etc...
John
