This is a great time to be shopping for smartphones.

It was just last month that we blogged about how the iPhone is gaining a beachhead in business. Apple has started to get its enterprise story straight, with lots of details about mail and other business apps that really do work well on what some consider the smartest of smartphones.

At the same time, Apple launched its mid-year flurry of iPhone updates, presenting both more powerful models and cheaper models. The industry trade press took note. As eWeek put it:

It took three years and three generations for Apple to finally get it right, but it looks like the iPhone is finally ready to take on RIM in the enterprise. The iPhone software version 3.0 features some of the most enterprise-friendly features we've seen in any iPhone to-date. And its focus on design, apps, and a full-featured experience ensures it will continue to be a major player in the space going forward."

That's good news for Apple, but grumbling continues from smartphone users, many of whom disapprove of the company's exclusive deal with AT&T, a service provider which they say is unable to keep pace with Apple's innovation. How weird that some of the iPhone's coolest new features will be available in Switzerland before they're available here.

There's lots to evaluate as you help your company make smartphone decisions. Don't forget about the new Palm Pre, which is getting great reviews, even if the technogeeks are equally dismissive of Sprint as a service provider.

--Don Willmott