I’m pretty neutral on this, our smartphones have become such a critical part of our daily lives that they have to work for our individual needs. Like a favorite pair of jeans, each is unique and we create odd connections to them. Amongst the devices themselves there is much conjecture, and it’s really just a matter of personal preference. From a company standpoint, it makes sense to standardize and use a common platform. Like anything else it will work better for some than others and we just need to decide what will work best overall. As such, I wouldn’t set expectations of any device being more reliable than another as there isn’t data supporting that.
Having mobility apps that are compatible with the corporate mobile platform is key. What is the factory software that you’ve been looking at? We can research the apps and development roadmap. Properly selected and implemented core infrastructure will support all mobile platforms equally. ActiveSync works with iPhone, Android, and Windows for email, calendar & contacts. Windows has released a free Remote Desktop App that will connect to IVDesk for the full Windows desktop. Surprisingly, Microsoft has not released that App for their own Windows mobile platform, citing that the need and usability of a Windows desktop on a phone is not that great. There are 3rd party Remote Desktop apps for Windows mobile, and Microsoft does publish an App for RT – the Surface Tablet operating system that works very well with IVDesk’s remote gateway.
For the ‘enabled road warrior’ mentality, I’ve seen good results from the Galaxy Note 3. It’s huge, 5.7” and comes with a stylus. It has a steel frame construction with a leatherish back. http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-note-3-1178226/review