.KEYWORD peadvertorial0202
.FLYINGHEAD FROM OUR SPONSOR
.TITLE What the heck is wireless data conferencing?
.SPONSOR
.SUMMARY As evidenced by the release of the Palm i705, a new breed of connected devices is about to change the Palm OS landscape and lead to both new users and new software. Customers are beginning to seek applications that include a different level of connectivity. In this article from our sponsor, you’ll learn how Cutting Edge Software is taking the lead in developing the next generation of business-focused applications, starting with Quickoffice Conference Edition, which enables wireless data conference session participants to exchange information and share files between multiple users and even connect to data-logging machines or databases in real-time.
.AUTHOR Paul Moreton and Michael Compeau
On the eve of the fifth annual PalmSource conference, the question that’s on everyone’s mind is: "What’s next for handhelds?"
The answer is, without a doubt, wireless connectivity. On January 28, Palm, Inc. released the Palm i705, an update of its popular line of wireless Palm VII handhelds. In a January 15, 2002 press interview, Handspring’s Donna Dubinsky made their wireless intentions clear. "We are a company that is transitioning out of the organizer business and into the communicator business," Dubinsky said. "At some point, we will have transitioned out of the organizer business."
.CALLOUT Professionals away from the office require as much or even more information than when they’re in the office.
Palm, HandEra, and Sony are pushing wireless connectivity with Bluetooth and WiFi (802.11b wireless LAN) wireless accessories and software. Prices are falling, and the technology is becoming more common. The hybrid devices, such as the Handspring Treo and the Samsung I300, are hot. The new products and Handspring’s new direction are evidence of a clear shift in the market.
.H1 In the beginning
Five years ago, Cutting Edge Software introduced Quicksheet, one of the first commercial Palm OS applications. At that time, during the wee hours of the Palm computer’s infancy, most people thought the concept of squeezing spreadsheets onto a 2 3/8" square screen was one of sheer lunacy, and that it would never sell enough copies to pay for a copy of CodeWarrior. My, have we come a long way! Since then, office-style applications have consistently been the largest selling segment of the Palm OS applications market.
.H1 The connected organizer grows up
A new breed of connected devices is about to change the Palm OS landscape and lead to both new users and new software blood coursing through the devices’ circuits. Customers are beginning to seek applications that include a different level of connectivity. Why? Professionals away from the office require as much or even more information than when they’re in the office. For instance, consultants often need input from an office peer to review a spreadsheet model, to make refinements to a presentation, or to "leverage" a previous document.
It’s no longer enough to get email through a HotSync operation; new mobile device users need their email with attachments regardless of whether they are at the office or in a taxicab on the way to the airport. It’s also just as important for these mobile workers to be able to send those attachments directly from their wireless device as it is to receive them.
Long gone are the days of reviewing and marking up reams of documents during a flight. Now, it’s possible to transport a briefcase-load of documents in your shirt pocket. It’s also possible to be able to make your edits directly on those documents. It’s no longer enough to carry files with you to simply read; professional customers need to be able to edit their documents using any of the accessory keyboards available in order to pass changes on to colleagues and keep work progressing while away from their desks. Mobile professionals in any industry have data needs that can be fulfilled with the new devices and new, "smarter" connected applications.
.H1 So, what’s next?
Again, Cutting Edge Software is taking the lead in developing the next generation of business-focused applications. And some folks will again probably think we’re crazy. With the introduction of our wireless handheld application conferencing technology, we have tried to look beyond today’s market to create solutions to meet the needs of tomorrow’s mobile knowledge workers. When a peak at this future was demonstrated at Fall Comdex in Las Vegas last October, Quickoffice Conference Edition was selected as a Best of COMDEX Finalist in the mobile/handheld software category, as you can see in Figure B.
.FIGPAIR A Quickoffice Conference Edition was selected as a Best of COMDEX Finalist in the mobile/handheld software category.
Our patent-pending technology enables handheld users to exchange information in ways never before possible–even at their Windows PCs. By taking advantage of the power of Quickoffice, combined with our wireless collaboration engine, data conference session participants can exchange information and share files between multiple users and even connect to data-logging machines or databases in real-time.
.H1 Data conferencing is smart
The smart, connected applications Cutting Edge Software is building in preparation for this coming era enable a rich exchange of information between participants in real-time.
Smart wireless applications allow interaction never before possible with stand-alone applications and have three main advantages over commonly seen, browser-based, "thin client" solutions: 1) optimized speed over minimum bandwidth 2) multiple input sources, and 3) off-line functionality. We’ll say a bit more about those advantages in a minute. The bottom line is that this kind of rich experience is accomplished on even the tiniest bandwidth of today’s slow wireless networks precisely by avoiding the trap of browser-based, "thin client" applications.
The first two smart applications to incorporate this conferencing technology are Quicksheet and Quickword. Quicksheet conferencing allows multiple people to work on the same spreadsheet in real-time. Quickword conferences will let two or more users collaborate on contracts, reports, and other documents in real-time. Participants will have the same direct collaborative experience for their data conferences as they have in a typical telephone conference call. We think this voice-enriched-by-data approach will open up a whole new horizon in handheld possibilities.
.H1 Why thin ain’t in anymore
Speed. The thin client solutions that have become so prevalent in the past 16 months just don’t have it. Thin clients require high bandwidth to refresh all the data being fed to the screen of a browser or even a PQA (Palm Query Application, introduced with the Palm VII).
Suppose a mobile worker wanted to go from one worksheet to another sheet inside of a workbook and was using a WAP-based or browser-based tool? These types of thin clients would require the host to send a screen refresh over a 9800 connection. Though browser-based tools are great when sitting at a PC in your office on a T-1 Internet connection, adapting these tools to even the most powerful handhelds at the end of a 9600 kbps connection is folly. The smart client approach used in Quickoffice Conference reveals its lean performance agility by sending only the discrete command information across the conference to the peer applications operating in concert.
When typical thin client solutions are used, only a "host" can input and feed information. The other participants have view-only rights. Using smart clients, multiple inputs can be made simultaneously, enabling participants to collaborate as a team instead of "handing off the microphone" one at a time.
Off-line functionality remains the biggest advantage of smart clients. After completing a conference session, all of the users have the application and the file on their devices. Everyone can save the file, make additional changes, print, synchronize the file back to their desktop, etc. With thin clients, the functionality is gone as soon as the connection is broken.
It is our expectation–yes, perhaps hope–that with the proliferation of new devices, many developers will follow our lead in incorporating conferencing technology into their applications. Applications designed for data collection, graphics, complex algorithms and analytics, and multi-player games all benefit from this form of data-conferencing technology. Around the bend, look for dozens and then hundreds of new, smart connected applications to capitalize on the next wave of connected devices’ capabilities.
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Finally, please be aware that this product is not compatible with Palm.net. It requires a device or accessory that can maintain a TCP/IP connection.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on Quickoffice Conferencing, visit http://www.quickoffice.com/solutions/es_conference.html.
For more information on Quickoffice Conference in the Best of COMDEX competition, visit http://www.quickoffice.com/press/releases/pr_2001.11.15_comdexfinal.html.
For the article, "Handspring warns of Treo holdup," by Ian Fried on January 15, 2002 at CNET.com, visit http://news.com.com/2100-1040-814428.html.
For more information on the Sony CLIE, visit http://www.sonystyle.com/micros/clie/.
For more information on the HandEra 330, visit http://www.handera.com.
For more information on the Samsung SPH-I300, visit http://SAMSUNGelectronics.com/mobile_phone/ads_awards/trade_shows/cebit_2001_pdaphone.html.
For more information on the Handspring Treo, visit http://www.handspring.com/products/communicators/index.jhtml.
For more information on the Kyocera Smartphone, visit http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/kysmart/kysmart_series.htm.
For more information on Palm handhelds, visit http://www.palm.com.
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.BIO Paul Moreton is the Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Cutting Edge Software. Michael Compeau is a five year veteran Palm OS device geek sporting no less than 10 handhelds and cradles on his desk. He’s also the VP of Business Development and Planning for Cutting Edge Software, Inc.
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