August 23, 1999
Applications are where the rubber hits the road for mobile computers. It is the applications that determine how useful these platforms are. The focus in this chapter is on connectivity. So, we'll ignore the standalone applications, such as editors, word processors, spreadsheets and organizers. Of interest is how we can make applications on these platforms communicate with services located elsewhere.
There are two fundamental issues for these smaller platforms. One is that availability of client software is limited compared to more established platforms. Second, is that the networks we would really like to use, such as wireless WANs, operate at speeds that cause problems for many client/server types of applications. As a result, we often need to consider specialized mobile versions of applications, the use of middleware, the installation of additional gateways, or service bureaus that outsource the gateway. Let's look at different categories of applications.
E-Mail and Messaging
We all want our e-mail wherever we go, but today's volume of e-mail with large attachments is not always well-suited for smartphones or handheld computers. With some e-mail clients, you may be able to configure the application to limit the amount of information that is downloaded. For example, with Qualcomm's Eudora, you can tell the mail client to skip over messages of a certain size. See Figure 9. If the message is larger than the designated size, the user receives just the first screen of the message with an option to download the rest of the message later.
Figure 9: Configuring an e-mail client to limit the size of message downloads
Beyond configuring your existing e-mail clients to work better over slower links, a number of other approaches are available. Using the RIM Inter@ctive Pager with the BellSouth Wireless Data network (http://www.bellsouthips.com/), you get a second e-mail address. With the Blackberry Service (http://www.blackberry.net) you can set up filters where selected e-mails sent to your main mailbox are then forwarded on to you.
Major e-mail vendors such as Microsoft and Lotus continue to improve the remote-access capabilities of their products. Find out what your options are. You might also consider accelerator products that speed up mail downloads. These are available from Traveling Software (http://www.laplink.com) and Infowave (http://www.infowave.com).
As we list in the Services section, an increasing number of companies are providing specialized gateway services to interface between mobile devices in the field and private networks.
Calendar
A popular use of handhelds is for managing calendars. Wouldn't it be nice if your calendar was kept synchronized with your organizational calendar? This is easy when you are in your office because all the calendar programs provide some form of synchronization. But what about when you are on the road? Here too there are an increasing number of options. Check to see if your enterprise calendar product supports remote clients. If not, third-party providers can offer tools or services to bridge the gap. Las Vegas Digital Communications (http://www.SyncThis.com/) is an example of such a service.
Database Applications
Though wireless messaging and mobile Web content may get us personally excited, it is database applications that in many cases get the real work done. Major vendors are developing specialized versions of their databases to target new mobile platforms. For example, IBM (http://www.ibm.com) has introduced DB2 Everywhere, a version of its DB2 database software that is aimed at handheld devices operating Windows CE and Palm OS. Meanwhile, Oracle (http://www.oracle.com/mobile/) has a lightweight database client, Oracle8I Lite that supports Windows 95/98/NT, Windows CE, Palm OS, EPOC32 and Chorus.
Productivity
An increasing number of companies are targeting small mobile computers for specialized applications. For examples, you can actively trade stocks with Fidelity Investments (http://www.fidelity.com) using a handheld-wireless messaging devices. Companies such as Ameranth Technology Systems (http://www.ameranth.com/) working in conjunction with Symbol Technologies (http://www.symbol.com) have developed wireless systems to improve the efficiency of restaurants. See Figure 10. Expect to see an increasing number of turn-key systems to improve productivity in any number of areas.
Figure 10: Ameranth UltraPad 2700
Query-Oriented and Web-Access Applications
This is one of the fastest growing application areas with an increasing number of Internet portals offering specialized content for mobile devices, whether handheld, smartphones or pagers. Expect an increasing wealth of content that includes news, reference, directories, travel, financial information and entertainment. For instance, see Palm.Net at http://www.palm.net/ for a list of query based applications for the PalmPilot.
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