The Nokia Lumia 900 is the only other Windows Phone developed so far to have LTE 4G support after the HTC Titan II, and is regarded by most reviewers as the best Windows Phone developed so far.

Many Windows Phone enthusiasts have been waiting with great anticipation for some time for the Nokia Lumia 900 not only to finally be available in Australia, but preferably to be available through Telstra, who apart from having considerably greater coverage than other carriers in Australia, are currently the only carrier to provide an LTE 4G network.

We have now found out, however, that Optus will be the primary carrier of the Nokia Lumia 900, with Telstra selling the HTC Titan II.  We have also found out that the version of the Nokia Lumia 900 sold in Australia will have dual channel HSDPA+ support but not LTE 4G support.

Telstra not caryying the Nokia Lumia 900 is a huge disappointment for most Windows Phone enthusiasts who have been waiting for this phone for some time – but I guess it makes sense if HTC have been silly enough to release the HSDPA+ rather than the LTE version of their flagship phone in Australia.

While there have been many reasons why Windows Phone enthusiasts in Austalia have been watching both of these phones with great interest for some time, I think that at the end of the day they are so closely matched in so many respects that 4G capability will become the over-riding attraction.

Personally I will be quite happy to put up with the slightly lower quality display of the HTC Titan II display to get the 4G capability on Telstra’s network, and get a larger display and higher resolution camera as part of the bargain.

This is a disappointment to some, since the Nokia Lumia 900 has been considered by many reviewers as a preferable Windows Phone to the HTC Titan II (mainly due to the better contrast of its AMOLED ClearBlack display compared to the Super LCD display of the HTC Titan II).

Both devices have been heavily promoted as the first (and so far only) Windows Phones to be 4G capable, and Telstra is currently the only carrier providing an LTE 4G network – hence the desire to see the Nokia Lumia 900 as a 4G Windows Phone on Telstra’s 4G network.

It turns out, however, that the Nokia Lumia 900′s being sold in Australia will be the HSPA+ version rather than the LTE true 4G version – whereas the HTC Titan II will provide LTE 4G capability on the Telstra 4G network, plus HSPA+ at 850 MHz on the Telstra NextG 3G network.

Those that have been waiting specifically for the Nokia Lumia 900 to be available on the Telstra network will be disappointed, but with these two phones almost kneck and kneck in reviews in most other aspects, I’m sure that many Windows Phone enthusiasts that have been waiting for these 2 phones to come to Australia will be happy to have the larger screen, higher resolution camera, and LTE 4G capability of the HTC Titan II on Telstra’s 4G network rather than 3G on Optus’ network which has less coverage than Telstra’s network.

• Centralisation of company documents and other data files
• Improved collaboration between staff working on the same business data
• The ability to use in-house email & other communications & collaboration services
• A platform for hosting databases and other business software
• Greater opportunities for staff mobilisation through remote access to business data
• Easier expansion of hardware resources & staff IT resources
• A centralised location for backing up data

Why is data centralisation important?

When documents are stored on individual PC’s within an organisation, collaboration between staff is much more difficult.  Multiple versions of the same document might exist on different PC’s, each with differences made by their respective authors.  Confusion arises when trying to work out which file has the latest or most important changes, and attempts to merge these changes are usually complicated and difficult.  Centralisation of data promotes collaboration, reduces confusion, makes management of information easier, and the backing up & recovery of data considerably easier.

How does a server improve collaboration?

Storing documents in a central, logically structured, and readily accessible location makes it easier for multiple users to collaborate on the same data. Access to shared calendars & contact information, and email distribution groups brought by server software such as Microsoft Exchange working in conjunction with Microsoft Outlook brings greater business efficiencies and more effective communication between staff.

What if I’m only a one-person business?

Even single-person businesses frequently use a portable device (typically a laptop) on the road as well as data stored at the office or home.  The principles of keeping documents well-organised by storing them in one central location where it is easier to locate them, make sure that multiple different and conflicting versions do not exist, and ensuring that documents are backed up, still apply.  This principle becomes even more important when a single-person business decides to utilise the services of a second person, particularly if that second person is working in a different location or on the road.

Aren’t servers too expensive?

Servers are certainly more expensive than most end user PC’s.  This expense needs to be viewed in the light of the advantages that a server brings to the business.  For a large or medium size business, these advantages clearly outweigh the expense.  Even small businesses should seriously consider the advantages of a server for their business operations, however.  There are different levels of server hardware & software to suit different types of business.  Servers based on Microsoft’s Small Business Server software, for example (I’ll cover this in another article), provide a very cost effective solution for meeting the needs of small businesses.

Qualities of a server:

Isn’t a server just a souped-up PC?  Yes & no.  A server requires the following qualities:

Responsiveness: Since multiple users access the server simultaneously, the server needs to have better specifications than most end user PC’s. Typically this means that it needs to have faster & multiple CPU’s, more RAM, and faster hard drives than the average PC.

High Data Capacity: Since the server stores data for the entire organisation as well as each individual, it needs to have far higher data capacity than individual PC’s.

Proper Server Software:  Servers fulfil quite different roles than end user PC’s, and therefore require specialised software for those roles.  Due to the greater range of functions provided by the server, the server’s operating system, for example, is usually more expensive than the operating system software on an end user’s PC.  In addition, specific server application software for providing services such as email, group collaboration, or access to data stored in databases is usually more expensive than typical software installed on end user PC’s.

Robustness & Reliability:  If a single PC fails, that’s bad news for the  person who uses that PC.  A server, however, is relied upon by many people simultaneously, so it needs to be robust and reliable, and therefore needs to utilise hardware components that are of higher quality than the average PC.

Longevity:  Users typically think in terms of replacing their PC or laptop every 3 years, but a server is often expected to last 4-5 years – usually because of the cost of purchase, the complexities involved in upgrading to new hardware & software, and reluctance to be out of action while an upgrade is taking place .  This longer service life gives even more reason to require the server to utilise higher quality and higher specification components.

Redundancy:  Many servers have additional components to enable them to keep operating in the event of a single component failure.  Typical examples of redundant components are hard drives and power supplies.  If one hard drive or one power supply should fail, the server will keep operating on the remaining components, providing time to arrange a replacement for the failed component.

Battery Backup:  Computers can be damaged, have their software corrupted, or lose data by sudden loss power or fluctuations in power.  This is bad enough for any PC, but a business certainly wouldn’t want the data on its server to become corrupted by power failures.  Servers should therefore be protected by what  is known as an Uninterruptible Power Supply, or UPS.  A UPS has batteries that it uses to keep the server running for a short while when a power interruption takes place – usually just long enough to begin shutting the server down in an orderly manner before the batteries run too low to keep operating the server, so that the server’s software and data don’t become corrupted.

About Mark Reynolds

Mark Reynolds is the principal of Mark Reynolds IT Consulting, and has over 30 years of continuous experience in the IT industry.  You can read more about Mark at http://www.markreynolds.com.au/about.