Sling Media, Inc. has announced the first official release of SlingPlayer Mobile for Slingbox owners. SlingPlayer Mobile is a new software package that gives Slingbox owners the ability to watch and control their home TV from any network-enabled mobile phone or handheld computer (PDA) powered by Windows Mobile.
The SlingPlayer Mobile software is compatible with devices that run Windows Mobile Pocket PC 5.0 and Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition.
Sling Media will deliver a version for non-touchscreen devices based on Windows Mobile Smartphone later this quarter.
The software is available now from Sling Media's website and includes a free 30-day trial. The retail price of the application is US$29.99. Slingbox owners who purchased and registered their Slingbox on or before 26 April 2006 will receive a free license for SlingPlayer Mobile. There are no monthly or recurring charges for the use of the software.
SlingPlayer Mobile gives consumers their entire home TV experience, including local channels, local sports teams, video on demand, pay per view, etc. Any program that a user can watch from the sofa back home, can now be watched via a Windows Mobile-based device through a standard network connection (3G, WiFi, Bluetooth or even USB).
In addition, SlingPlayer Mobile users can also control their home digital video recorder (DVR) to watch recorded shows, pause, rewind, and fast forward live TV, or even queue new recordings while on the road.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Increased demand for mobile software
Buying mobile software on the go is a booming business. According to a recent survey, more and more people are buying applications for their smartphones – and developers have been quick to respond.
"We are excited to see the way mobile software delivered over-the-air has taken hold worldwide," said Laura Rippy, chief executive officer of Handango, the leading platform and publisher for mobile software. "As this quarter's report indicates, the case for software developers is really compelling. We're seeing tremendous user interest as well as a developer base that is responding to that interest by producing a record number of new applications in the first quarter."
Smartphone users, with data-centric devices such as the Sony Ericsson P800, Orange SPV, Handspring Treo or T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, on average purchase 291% more software and digital media per purchase (in USD) than data-capable phone users and 5.39% more than PDA users.
Web browsers and e-mail applications are the most popular types of software purchased over the air. The average selling price of mobile applications continued to fall to $16.25, down $1.40 from last quarter, due largely to the lower price points of phone applications. However, compensating for this fall, the average number of applications purchased each time increased by 0.04 to 2.14.
"We are excited to see the way mobile software delivered over-the-air has taken hold worldwide," said Laura Rippy, chief executive officer of Handango, the leading platform and publisher for mobile software. "As this quarter's report indicates, the case for software developers is really compelling. We're seeing tremendous user interest as well as a developer base that is responding to that interest by producing a record number of new applications in the first quarter."
Smartphone users, with data-centric devices such as the Sony Ericsson P800, Orange SPV, Handspring Treo or T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, on average purchase 291% more software and digital media per purchase (in USD) than data-capable phone users and 5.39% more than PDA users.
Web browsers and e-mail applications are the most popular types of software purchased over the air. The average selling price of mobile applications continued to fall to $16.25, down $1.40 from last quarter, due largely to the lower price points of phone applications. However, compensating for this fall, the average number of applications purchased each time increased by 0.04 to 2.14.
Do you have a critical mobile software development project on your hands
Bachmann Handheld Solutions specializes in the development of mobile and wireless software projects for Pocket PC, Palm OS, Symbian and Blackberry platforms. Having participated in close to 100 mobile computing software projects since 1996, including the development of some of the most well-known products in the mobile computing industry, Bachmann understands the unique requirements of mobile users, and assists its clients in designing user-centric applications that make the best use of their handheld investment. To put it simply, we are passionate about creating great mobile applications.
Our client list includes companies ranging from small startups to the Fortune 500, and we have completed successful projects of all shapes and sizes for industry leaders like Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Kodak, The Weather Channel, Polaroid and Aetna. Why risk your critical project on an unknown and inexperienced developer? Hiring Bachmann for your mobile software project means you benefit, and draw from our vast experience of over 10 years and 100 mobile application projects.
Let the experts at Bachmann Handheld Solutions help you in the following areas:
* Design and development of BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm or Symbian mobile software products
* Application porting from one computing platform to another (ex. Palm OS to Pocket PC, or Windows to Palm OS)
* Application Design and Project Requirements
* Field force automation (route accounting, delivery, transportation, warehouse)
* Wireless communications (Infrared, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, TCP/IP, and GSM/GPRS wireless data)
* Mobile Web technologies (http, xml and html)
* Mobile Printing and Printer Drivers
* User Interface Design
* Database technologies
* Security and Encryption
* Synchronization of handheld applications with PC- and host-based data
* Custom software development services
Our client list includes companies ranging from small startups to the Fortune 500, and we have completed successful projects of all shapes and sizes for industry leaders like Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Kodak, The Weather Channel, Polaroid and Aetna. Why risk your critical project on an unknown and inexperienced developer? Hiring Bachmann for your mobile software project means you benefit, and draw from our vast experience of over 10 years and 100 mobile application projects.
Let the experts at Bachmann Handheld Solutions help you in the following areas:
* Design and development of BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm or Symbian mobile software products
* Application porting from one computing platform to another (ex. Palm OS to Pocket PC, or Windows to Palm OS)
* Application Design and Project Requirements
* Field force automation (route accounting, delivery, transportation, warehouse)
* Wireless communications (Infrared, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, TCP/IP, and GSM/GPRS wireless data)
* Mobile Web technologies (http, xml and html)
* Mobile Printing and Printer Drivers
* User Interface Design
* Database technologies
* Security and Encryption
* Synchronization of handheld applications with PC- and host-based data
* Custom software development services
Microsoft Wins Mobile Software Contract from US Census Bureau
Microsoft Corp. has just won its biggest ever mobile software contract, in the form of an order from the US Census Bureau for 500,000 Windows Mobile-equipped handheld devices.
This deal alone will put Microsoft well on the way to its goal of outdoing BlackBerry in the wireless email market, and achieving annual sales of $1 billion for its mobile software division.
“Up until now, BlackBerry had the market for themselves,” said Microsoft vice president, Peter Knook in an interview. “That landscape has changed.”
The software giant wouldn’t release the exact value of the Census Bureau contract, but did say that Windows-based devices would be used to collect information in the 2010 US census. Windows-equipped smartphones are build by such manufacturers as Palm and Motorola, and include functions to surf the internet, receive email, listen to music, and use MS Office software applications.
Research firm, IDC, is optimistic about Microsoft’s future in mobile software, especially given the climate of growth in the market for cell phone operating systems. IDC analysts expect the number of Windows Mobile users to double annually for the next two years, but don’t yet see Microsoft-powered devices as a true alternative to the RIM BlackBerry.
“They’re nowhere right now,” commented IDC analyst Kevin Burden. “RIM is still the mobile enterprise solution that all others should be measured against.”
If it hopes to truly revolutionize the market, Microsoft still has a lot of work to do in winning the trust of corporate wireless email users. This latest contract is an encouraging sign, but only time will tell if other public and private sector organizations will follow the Census Bureau’s lead, and flock to Windows Mobile.
This deal alone will put Microsoft well on the way to its goal of outdoing BlackBerry in the wireless email market, and achieving annual sales of $1 billion for its mobile software division.
“Up until now, BlackBerry had the market for themselves,” said Microsoft vice president, Peter Knook in an interview. “That landscape has changed.”
The software giant wouldn’t release the exact value of the Census Bureau contract, but did say that Windows-based devices would be used to collect information in the 2010 US census. Windows-equipped smartphones are build by such manufacturers as Palm and Motorola, and include functions to surf the internet, receive email, listen to music, and use MS Office software applications.
Research firm, IDC, is optimistic about Microsoft’s future in mobile software, especially given the climate of growth in the market for cell phone operating systems. IDC analysts expect the number of Windows Mobile users to double annually for the next two years, but don’t yet see Microsoft-powered devices as a true alternative to the RIM BlackBerry.
“They’re nowhere right now,” commented IDC analyst Kevin Burden. “RIM is still the mobile enterprise solution that all others should be measured against.”
If it hopes to truly revolutionize the market, Microsoft still has a lot of work to do in winning the trust of corporate wireless email users. This latest contract is an encouraging sign, but only time will tell if other public and private sector organizations will follow the Census Bureau’s lead, and flock to Windows Mobile.
Mobile software
Mobile software is designed to run on handheld computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones and cellphones. Since the first handheld computers of the 1980s, the popularity of these platforms has risen considerably. Recent model cellphones have included the ability to run user-installed software
Platforms
Windows Mobile,Palm OS and Symbian OS support typical application binaries as found on personal computers with code which executes in the native machine format of the processor (the ARM architecture is used on many current models). Windows Mobile also supports the Portable Executable (PE) format associated with the .NET Framework. Both Windows Mobile and Palm OS offer free SDKs and Integrated Development Environments to developers. Machine language executables offer considerable performance advantages over Java.
BREW is another format which gives complete control of the handset and access to all its functionality. However this unchecked power could be dangerous, and for this reason BREW development process is tailored mainly towards recognised software vendors. While the BREW SDK (Software Development Kit) is freely available, running software on real mobile hardware (as opposed to the provided emulator) requires a digital signature which can only be generated with tools issued by a handful of parties, namely mobile content providers and Qualcomm themselves. Even then, the game will only work on test enabled devices. To be downloadable on regular phones the software must be checked, tested and given approval by Qualcomm via their TRUE BREW Testing programme.
Java (in its incarnation as "J2ME" / "Java ME" / "Java 2 Micro Edition") runs atop a Virtual Machine (called the KVM) which allows reasonable, but not complete, access to the functionality of the underlying phone. This extra layer of software provides a solid barrier of protection which seeks to limit damage from erroneous or malicious software. It also allows Java software to move freely between different types of phone (and other mobile device) containing radically different electronic components, without modification. The price that is paid is a modest decrease in the potential speed of the game and the inability to utilise the entire functionality of a phone (as Java software can only do what this middle-man layer supports.)
Because of this extra security and compatibility, it is usually a quite simple process to write and distribute Java mobile applications (including games) to a wide range of phones. Usually all that is needed is a freely available JDK (Java Development Kit) for creating Java software itself, the accompanying Java ME tools (known as the Java Wireless Toolkit) for packaging and testing mobile software, and space on a web server (web site) to host the resulting application once it is ready for public release.
Platforms
Windows Mobile,Palm OS and Symbian OS support typical application binaries as found on personal computers with code which executes in the native machine format of the processor (the ARM architecture is used on many current models). Windows Mobile also supports the Portable Executable (PE) format associated with the .NET Framework. Both Windows Mobile and Palm OS offer free SDKs and Integrated Development Environments to developers. Machine language executables offer considerable performance advantages over Java.
BREW is another format which gives complete control of the handset and access to all its functionality. However this unchecked power could be dangerous, and for this reason BREW development process is tailored mainly towards recognised software vendors. While the BREW SDK (Software Development Kit) is freely available, running software on real mobile hardware (as opposed to the provided emulator) requires a digital signature which can only be generated with tools issued by a handful of parties, namely mobile content providers and Qualcomm themselves. Even then, the game will only work on test enabled devices. To be downloadable on regular phones the software must be checked, tested and given approval by Qualcomm via their TRUE BREW Testing programme.
Java (in its incarnation as "J2ME" / "Java ME" / "Java 2 Micro Edition") runs atop a Virtual Machine (called the KVM) which allows reasonable, but not complete, access to the functionality of the underlying phone. This extra layer of software provides a solid barrier of protection which seeks to limit damage from erroneous or malicious software. It also allows Java software to move freely between different types of phone (and other mobile device) containing radically different electronic components, without modification. The price that is paid is a modest decrease in the potential speed of the game and the inability to utilise the entire functionality of a phone (as Java software can only do what this middle-man layer supports.)
Because of this extra security and compatibility, it is usually a quite simple process to write and distribute Java mobile applications (including games) to a wide range of phones. Usually all that is needed is a freely available JDK (Java Development Kit) for creating Java software itself, the accompanying Java ME tools (known as the Java Wireless Toolkit) for packaging and testing mobile software, and space on a web server (web site) to host the resulting application once it is ready for public release.
Wireless enterprise networking with mobile software
Mobile software applications: When designing mobile software applications, is it worthwhile to have continuous online connections? Take a look at standards and implementation options for creating a successful and effective corporate mobile application.
Mobile software enables enterprise users to work more efficiently when they are away from their desks. But, when designing mobile software applications, developers need to consider whether it's worthwhile to have continuous online connections for users.
With an offline application, mobile software stores data on the client device, a configuration that doesn't permit the movement of information between the client device and a server while the user is moving around a facility. A person making use of an asset management application, for example, scans item bar codes that the application software stores on the memory card within the user device. At some point, the user connects the mobile device to a PC and uploads the corresponding data to a server. Of course this process doesn't involve wireless connectivity, except for the possibility of using a short-range wireless Bluetooth or Infra-Red (IrDA) connection when synchronizing the data.
An online wireless network solution automatically transmits data over a wireless network to the server, which eliminates the need to perform the manual data synchronization step. This enables the storing of data centrally on the server instead of on the handheld, making the data readily available to the application software and other users.
Offline solutions are effective for many applications, but think about how your application works and then decide whether it's sensible to go wireless. For example, consider the tolerance of time delays when moving data back and forth between the user devices and the server. In some cases, such as web browsing, wireless may be an easy choice because users need the ability to continuously surf from site to site. Most control applications, such as sending guidance information to roving robots in a hospital, also require immediate updates sent over a wireless network. If the movement of data is needed quickly, then wireless is probably the way to go.
Wireless network standards
The most common wireless network technology for supporting online applications in enterprises is IEEE 802.11, also known as Wi-Fi. A typical Wi-Fi wireless LAN consists of multiple access points throughout a facility that creates an interwoven collection of radio cells. Each access point provides wireless communications to users within its cell area and connects via a cable to a wired switch infrastructure. Each mobile user device has a radio interface card that associates with the nearest access point and is able to communicate wirelessly to any other wireless device or other resources connected to the wired infrastructure, such as the Internet.
Mobile software enables enterprise users to work more efficiently when they are away from their desks. But, when designing mobile software applications, developers need to consider whether it's worthwhile to have continuous online connections for users.
With an offline application, mobile software stores data on the client device, a configuration that doesn't permit the movement of information between the client device and a server while the user is moving around a facility. A person making use of an asset management application, for example, scans item bar codes that the application software stores on the memory card within the user device. At some point, the user connects the mobile device to a PC and uploads the corresponding data to a server. Of course this process doesn't involve wireless connectivity, except for the possibility of using a short-range wireless Bluetooth or Infra-Red (IrDA) connection when synchronizing the data.
An online wireless network solution automatically transmits data over a wireless network to the server, which eliminates the need to perform the manual data synchronization step. This enables the storing of data centrally on the server instead of on the handheld, making the data readily available to the application software and other users.
Offline solutions are effective for many applications, but think about how your application works and then decide whether it's sensible to go wireless. For example, consider the tolerance of time delays when moving data back and forth between the user devices and the server. In some cases, such as web browsing, wireless may be an easy choice because users need the ability to continuously surf from site to site. Most control applications, such as sending guidance information to roving robots in a hospital, also require immediate updates sent over a wireless network. If the movement of data is needed quickly, then wireless is probably the way to go.
Wireless network standards
The most common wireless network technology for supporting online applications in enterprises is IEEE 802.11, also known as Wi-Fi. A typical Wi-Fi wireless LAN consists of multiple access points throughout a facility that creates an interwoven collection of radio cells. Each access point provides wireless communications to users within its cell area and connects via a cable to a wired switch infrastructure. Each mobile user device has a radio interface card that associates with the nearest access point and is able to communicate wirelessly to any other wireless device or other resources connected to the wired infrastructure, such as the Internet.
Motorola Buys Mobile Software Maker
Motorola said today it is buying Good Technology Inc., which provides computing software and services for smartphones and other handheld devices.
Good Technology, based in Santa Clara, is a strategic addition to Motorola's Mobile Devices business. Good Technology's GoodLink software provides handheld devices with wireless access to Microsoft's Outlook application. Its software also provides access to information stored in corporate databases. The acquisition will extend Motorola's mobile computing capabilities and increase the company's enterprise client base. Good Technology's wireless messaging, data access and handheld security offerings provide intuitive and advanced productivity solutions for mobile professionals with enterprise-level device security and management.
Motorola will build upon Good Technology's customer and carrier relationships by maintaining its multi-device strategy. Good Technology's software and service offerings have been chosen by more than 12,000 enterprises around the world. In addition, Good Technology's highly reliable, secure connectivity platform offers the potential to power applications beyond email while extending to customers beyond the enterprise.
Motorola has an existing business relationship with Good Technology using Good Mobile Messaging on the Motorola Q.
Good Technology, based in Santa Clara, is a strategic addition to Motorola's Mobile Devices business. Good Technology's GoodLink software provides handheld devices with wireless access to Microsoft's Outlook application. Its software also provides access to information stored in corporate databases. The acquisition will extend Motorola's mobile computing capabilities and increase the company's enterprise client base. Good Technology's wireless messaging, data access and handheld security offerings provide intuitive and advanced productivity solutions for mobile professionals with enterprise-level device security and management.
Motorola will build upon Good Technology's customer and carrier relationships by maintaining its multi-device strategy. Good Technology's software and service offerings have been chosen by more than 12,000 enterprises around the world. In addition, Good Technology's highly reliable, secure connectivity platform offers the potential to power applications beyond email while extending to customers beyond the enterprise.
Motorola has an existing business relationship with Good Technology using Good Mobile Messaging on the Motorola Q.
What s Hot In Mobile Software
Enterprise Tools Are Migrating To The Mobile Market Palms. Treos. iPAQs. And let’s not forget the BlackBerry, that little gadget that’s sweet as sugar to roving executives.
All told, handhelds of every shape, size, and flavor have entered the enterprise, often in force, and supporting them is now a standard part of the IT expert’s day. But do they truly add to office efficiency?
By definition, PDAs and handhelds are good for personal data—the contacts, emails, and calendars that most of us rely on to get things done. But with the right software, they can be used for enterprise apps as well, the kind of high-end, large-scale software that sales teams, warehouse staff, and more and more mobile users are starting to clamor for.Here’s a look at some of the best mobile apps on the market, including apps for Web browsing, file sharing, network management, CRM, and more.
GoodAccess
If you’re like most IT managers, you’ve spent a good deal of time and money on custom software, such as CRM, ERP, and other database systems, all of it meant to keep your workforce humming. Some of those apps run on remote notebooks with VPNs. But very few run on PDAs, until now.
GoodAccess lets you connect mobile workers to enterprise software behind a firewall. How? It relies largely on a secure AES transport layer, which means that roving users can tap into Oracle, Siebel, and other high-end software from a range of handhelds, including Palms and Pocket PCs.
The software even has a number of sought-after features to please end users and IT staff. Among these is offline use. (Users can save data to their PDAs to read and edit when they’re not connected to your network.) The software can also multitask, letting users respond to email or fiddle with Pocket Word while their CRM app crunches data. And a fairly advanced push feature lets you transfer urgent data, such as sales reports, new leads, or trouble tickets, to your mobile workers from a single, centralized location. GoodAccess also ties in with bar code scanners to read part and inventory numbers, a must for employees who roam a warehouse, scanning boxes.
GoodLink
Trends come and go, but email is (and will most likely remain) the Internet’s killer app. That’s where GoodLink Enterprise Edition 4.5, a GoodAccess companion piece, comes in. It lets mobile workers tap in to Exchange, so they can stop using the simple POP accounts most PDAs support. It also has a host of security features and claims to have the lowest TCO of any enterprise wireless messaging system, as well as seven of the Fortune 10 and roughly half of the Fortune 100 among its users.
For Pocket PCs and Palms, GoodLink boasts an array of impressive security perks, such as remote, policy-based control of handheld passwords and remote-controlled data erasure on any device. Its interface apes Microsoft Outlook—a boon for most users familiar with it already—and comes in English, Italian, German, Spanish, and French versions, for those of us who roam across borders and time zones.
Perhaps most impressive is the optional GoodLink Compliance Manager. It lets admins and IT managers build and enforce tough security policies on users’ handhelds. For instance, you can stipulate that an antivirus package of your choice is running and fully updated before GoodLink can be installed, or even while a user is tapping out email.
2CRM
In the early days of handhelds, warehouse and medical apps drove PDA adoption. But times have changed. Today it’s roving sales apps that have IT managers scrambling to give their users handhelds.
Enter Air2Web’s 2CRM, a suite that gives an enterprise sales force access to data from existing Sales Force Automation, Field Force Automation, and call center systems. It lets you open Siebel, Sales-Force.com, and other software to field users, whether they’re using a Palm, RIM (BlackBerry), or Windows CE device. Even better, it’s driven by xHTML and forms, so it can deliver and even update remote applications with ease because the XML API lets you grab data from existing apps with little fuss. And even if your users pay Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, or one of a dozen other networks to give them access, don’t worry: 2CRM, like other high-end tools in this list, can be used independently of the network vendor.
Blazer
Pocket PCs come equipped with Pocket IE, and for most users it’s more than enough to surf the Web, make bookmarks, and read the news on the run. But Palm-based browsers have rarely matched IE’s feature set and ease of use—that is, until Blazer arrived.
Palm’s Blazer is perhaps the leading browser for the Palm market, as any product that supports HTML, xHTML, cHTML, WML, SSL, JavaScript, CSS, and most graphics formats (even PNG) should be. Like Pocket IE, it can tweak the layout of a Web page to minimize scrolling, shifting the graphics and text around to make them fit your screen. (But like IE’s similar feature, this one often leads to odd results.)
Blazer also has all the standard browser features you’d expect, such as Back, Forward, Home, and Refresh buttons, as well as a solid bookmarks function and a History list. But it’s the horizontal view feature that makes most users smile: With it, you can rotate a Web page 90 degrees for optimal viewing, a feature that was missing in IE until the most recent versions of Windows Mobile.
Blazer also has a decent search feature and a way to let users navigate a page with only one hand, selecting radio buttons, pull-down menus, and checkboxes without a stylus. An offline browsing feature will please users without Web access, but admins and IT directors will find more value in the SSL encryption and other security features that make Blazer a real option for corporate Web surfing.
Migo
If you’re a handheld addict and wish you could transfer your desktop to your Palm or Pocket PC, you’ll like Migo. It lets you quickly sync your handheld and desktop machines.
In fact, Migo can be used on more than Palms, Pocket PCs, and BlackBerrys. It runs on nearly any mobile storage device, such as a USB drive, smartcard, and even an MP3 player, iPod, or PlayStation Portable.
Migo relies on a user profile, in which you choose the documents you want to synchronize between your handheld and desktop machines. You can choose recent documents (within the last month), older documents, or even all your documents, provided you have the storage to do so. Migo will also synchronize your email settings, including user accounts and passwords, for convenience. It can be a boon for help desk agents who hate to configure handheld email.
Infrastructure Command and Control
Thanks to remote management tools, networks no longer need to be run onsite. In theory, a data center director can test router settings from a laptop in Bali, even if his data center and the rest of his luckless colleagues find themselves in Detroit in midwinter. But only a few apps will let you control your network from a handheld, and Ecutel’s Infrastructure Command and Control, or IC2, is on the short list.
IC2 lets you configure, tweak, and talk with servers, workstations, storage systems, and appliances from a handheld device. You’ll need to install the IC2 server behind your firewall to do so. (As you can guess, it’s the server that talks to your infrastructure; the client software on your handheld merely instructs the server.) But an admin with IC2 on his Palm or PocketPC can run most of the network transactions he needs to, as IC2 supports any Windows or Unix server, router, firewall, printer, UPS, or appliance that can run WMI, SNMP, Telnet, or SSH. It also boasts an audit feature and runs on Pocket PCs, Palms, smartphones, and BlackBerrys.
The end result? Your users won’t be the only ones who can work on the go, and you’ll be a step closer to that beach in Bali—or wherever your travels take you
All told, handhelds of every shape, size, and flavor have entered the enterprise, often in force, and supporting them is now a standard part of the IT expert’s day. But do they truly add to office efficiency?
By definition, PDAs and handhelds are good for personal data—the contacts, emails, and calendars that most of us rely on to get things done. But with the right software, they can be used for enterprise apps as well, the kind of high-end, large-scale software that sales teams, warehouse staff, and more and more mobile users are starting to clamor for.Here’s a look at some of the best mobile apps on the market, including apps for Web browsing, file sharing, network management, CRM, and more.
GoodAccess
If you’re like most IT managers, you’ve spent a good deal of time and money on custom software, such as CRM, ERP, and other database systems, all of it meant to keep your workforce humming. Some of those apps run on remote notebooks with VPNs. But very few run on PDAs, until now.
GoodAccess lets you connect mobile workers to enterprise software behind a firewall. How? It relies largely on a secure AES transport layer, which means that roving users can tap into Oracle, Siebel, and other high-end software from a range of handhelds, including Palms and Pocket PCs.
The software even has a number of sought-after features to please end users and IT staff. Among these is offline use. (Users can save data to their PDAs to read and edit when they’re not connected to your network.) The software can also multitask, letting users respond to email or fiddle with Pocket Word while their CRM app crunches data. And a fairly advanced push feature lets you transfer urgent data, such as sales reports, new leads, or trouble tickets, to your mobile workers from a single, centralized location. GoodAccess also ties in with bar code scanners to read part and inventory numbers, a must for employees who roam a warehouse, scanning boxes.
GoodLink
Trends come and go, but email is (and will most likely remain) the Internet’s killer app. That’s where GoodLink Enterprise Edition 4.5, a GoodAccess companion piece, comes in. It lets mobile workers tap in to Exchange, so they can stop using the simple POP accounts most PDAs support. It also has a host of security features and claims to have the lowest TCO of any enterprise wireless messaging system, as well as seven of the Fortune 10 and roughly half of the Fortune 100 among its users.
For Pocket PCs and Palms, GoodLink boasts an array of impressive security perks, such as remote, policy-based control of handheld passwords and remote-controlled data erasure on any device. Its interface apes Microsoft Outlook—a boon for most users familiar with it already—and comes in English, Italian, German, Spanish, and French versions, for those of us who roam across borders and time zones.
Perhaps most impressive is the optional GoodLink Compliance Manager. It lets admins and IT managers build and enforce tough security policies on users’ handhelds. For instance, you can stipulate that an antivirus package of your choice is running and fully updated before GoodLink can be installed, or even while a user is tapping out email.
2CRM
In the early days of handhelds, warehouse and medical apps drove PDA adoption. But times have changed. Today it’s roving sales apps that have IT managers scrambling to give their users handhelds.
Enter Air2Web’s 2CRM, a suite that gives an enterprise sales force access to data from existing Sales Force Automation, Field Force Automation, and call center systems. It lets you open Siebel, Sales-Force.com, and other software to field users, whether they’re using a Palm, RIM (BlackBerry), or Windows CE device. Even better, it’s driven by xHTML and forms, so it can deliver and even update remote applications with ease because the XML API lets you grab data from existing apps with little fuss. And even if your users pay Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, or one of a dozen other networks to give them access, don’t worry: 2CRM, like other high-end tools in this list, can be used independently of the network vendor.
Blazer
Pocket PCs come equipped with Pocket IE, and for most users it’s more than enough to surf the Web, make bookmarks, and read the news on the run. But Palm-based browsers have rarely matched IE’s feature set and ease of use—that is, until Blazer arrived.
Palm’s Blazer is perhaps the leading browser for the Palm market, as any product that supports HTML, xHTML, cHTML, WML, SSL, JavaScript, CSS, and most graphics formats (even PNG) should be. Like Pocket IE, it can tweak the layout of a Web page to minimize scrolling, shifting the graphics and text around to make them fit your screen. (But like IE’s similar feature, this one often leads to odd results.)
Blazer also has all the standard browser features you’d expect, such as Back, Forward, Home, and Refresh buttons, as well as a solid bookmarks function and a History list. But it’s the horizontal view feature that makes most users smile: With it, you can rotate a Web page 90 degrees for optimal viewing, a feature that was missing in IE until the most recent versions of Windows Mobile.
Blazer also has a decent search feature and a way to let users navigate a page with only one hand, selecting radio buttons, pull-down menus, and checkboxes without a stylus. An offline browsing feature will please users without Web access, but admins and IT directors will find more value in the SSL encryption and other security features that make Blazer a real option for corporate Web surfing.
Migo
If you’re a handheld addict and wish you could transfer your desktop to your Palm or Pocket PC, you’ll like Migo. It lets you quickly sync your handheld and desktop machines.
In fact, Migo can be used on more than Palms, Pocket PCs, and BlackBerrys. It runs on nearly any mobile storage device, such as a USB drive, smartcard, and even an MP3 player, iPod, or PlayStation Portable.
Migo relies on a user profile, in which you choose the documents you want to synchronize between your handheld and desktop machines. You can choose recent documents (within the last month), older documents, or even all your documents, provided you have the storage to do so. Migo will also synchronize your email settings, including user accounts and passwords, for convenience. It can be a boon for help desk agents who hate to configure handheld email.
Infrastructure Command and Control
Thanks to remote management tools, networks no longer need to be run onsite. In theory, a data center director can test router settings from a laptop in Bali, even if his data center and the rest of his luckless colleagues find themselves in Detroit in midwinter. But only a few apps will let you control your network from a handheld, and Ecutel’s Infrastructure Command and Control, or IC2, is on the short list.
IC2 lets you configure, tweak, and talk with servers, workstations, storage systems, and appliances from a handheld device. You’ll need to install the IC2 server behind your firewall to do so. (As you can guess, it’s the server that talks to your infrastructure; the client software on your handheld merely instructs the server.) But an admin with IC2 on his Palm or PocketPC can run most of the network transactions he needs to, as IC2 supports any Windows or Unix server, router, firewall, printer, UPS, or appliance that can run WMI, SNMP, Telnet, or SSH. It also boasts an audit feature and runs on Pocket PCs, Palms, smartphones, and BlackBerrys.
The end result? Your users won’t be the only ones who can work on the go, and you’ll be a step closer to that beach in Bali—or wherever your travels take you
Motorola i930 Nextels Smartphone
Nextel now has it’s very own Smartphone the Motorola i930! There has been online talk about Nextel and Motorola releasing a Smartphone for at least two years now.
But now it’s no longer talk, the Nextel i930 for Nextel is reality. Well, it’s almost the perfect Nextel phone. (not to be overly critical, but we got to remain objective, right!?) For sure, this is no ordinary cell phone.The Motorola i930 lacks two essential features that most leading PDA’s usually have like Bluetooth and a backlit QWERTY keyboard. Ok, call me spoiled (I love Bluetooth and my Treo 650 has a touch screen need I remind?)
One could make a strong case indeed that the Motorola i-930 for Nextel doesn’t require Bluetooth as a necessary component because I-930 has Nextel’s famous walkie-talkie features and supports Nextel Direct Connect and Direct Talk Services and that’s just for appetizers. This Smartphone (not PDA) from Nextel has a ton of great features going for it that will make it a very popular Nextel phone.
Anybody planning to travel soon? Well if you are, this cell phone could be a very useful companion because it’s designed for use in over 100 countries around the world (i930 has some real serious network compatibility as it works with iDEN 800, 900, GSM 800, and 1900 ! ) without changing the SIM card, now that’s a lot of convenience! Add to that, the fact that this Nextel Smartphone operates on Windows Mobile software, has near WiMax high speed downloads, plus includes Pocket Outlook, Pocket Explorer, ClearVue document viewing software and Windows Media Player software!
What more needs to be said, the majority of typical Nextel customers don’t need a QWERTY keyboard and Bluetooth. With a Windows Mobile SE operating system, a 180Mhz processor along with the Windows Media player to play MP3’s and a VGA Digital camera to boot it’s obvious that Motorola and Nextel pulled out all the stops on the i930.
Toshiba MP3 Players Gigabeat Portable Media Center and Mobile Audio Player
What exactly does something with a 60GB hard drive expect to do, with 10 days of video, thousands of photos, and over 40 days of CD music? With the exceptionally large hard drive with the 2-3/8" screen, Toshiba is doing well to pick up its name in regard to the MP3 players. Preloaded with Window's Mobile software, and the intuitive interface on the Media Center edition of Windows XP, any television show can be translated immediately onto the gigabeat. Many features are available, such as the WMV 7, WMV 8, and WMV 9 video files - and the JPEG display images. It plays MP3, WMA, protected WMA and WAV audio fields. Its 60GB holds up to 2,000 hours of home services, up to 240 hours of movies, built-in FM tuner with 30 preset stations, high-speed USB interface with cable. It offers up to 20 hours audio or 4.15 hours video, with a built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery.
With Toshiba's type of reputation, a person expects them to put out the same type of product. Nothing mind-blowing or earth shattering, but something that does exactly what you want it to. This is why the Toshiba Gigabeat Portable Media Center is so wonderful. But on the other hand, its Gigabeat Mobile Audio Player is less than wonderful. If you are wondering what customers are talking about, lets start with the screen. Toshiba produced a great 2.2" screen that views as well as any digital media player on the market today. Why is this bad? Because the Toshiba Gigabeat Mobile Audio Player is just that, an audio player. You can view photos, but no video. What a waste of a big time screen.
Next, a place where an MP3 player can be labeled great or horrible, is the navigation system. Toshiba has designed a PlusTouch system that forms a cross in the middle of the player. Like Apple, Creative, and everybody else, Toshiba believes in their system, but this one is weak to say the least. For starters, sometimes it reads your actions for something completely opposite of what you intended (pausing when you attempt to turn up the volume, etc.).
But worst of all, the quality of the software is less than desirable. It does offer the use of Windows Media, but this is almost impossible to do at times. Toshiba offers the Gigabeat Room Management Software that inexplicably attempts to reformat all MP3 files into a .SAT format. This format is almost unreadable by a computer which causes a major problem if you are looking to send your files back to your computer. But as its been said before, when it comes to electronics it is truly "to each their own". And each person may find that they enjoy what Toshiba has to offer in their player. However, Toshiba's Gigabeat Mobile Audio Player seems to be lagging behind quite significantly in the digital audio race.
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