Stuck in the Middleware

For all its conveniences, getting e-mail on the go only goes so far. What wireless-friendly corporate enterprises and their mobile employees really need is a way to use all their corporate applications — everything from Internet resources to custom IT apps — on mobile devices without losing anything in the translation.

Yet while the market has been flooded with a bevy of handheld devices to attract corporate enterprises and encourage them to go wireless, the development of content to push from corporate enterprise servers through these devices has not been pursued with as much zeal.

Novarra, a software developer based in Arlington Heights, Ill., is looking to rectify that situation. But rather than developing any specialized content for wireless Web users, Novarra wants to solve the problem of too little wireless-specific Web content by circumventing it with software that translates and formats existing Web content. “The lack of available mobile Web content plagues the industry,” said Jayanthi Rangarajan, president and CEO of Novarra. “We are like a Web server that translates applications for mobile devices. Whether it is a Web site or a specialized corporate application, we can port it over or work with the application so it can be done.”

Novarra's Engine For Wireless Data software allows automatic adaptation and customization for Web-to-wireless and desktop-to-PDA software applications, Jayanthi said. Web sites are formatted to fit mobile device screens so that important information isn't omitted, and corporate IT applications are translated rather than having to be completely reworked.

The company's software can be run over a broad range of devices that include Palm m515, i705 and Tungsten devices; RIM BlackBerry and other units; WAP phones; PocketPC; Sony Clie; and Handspring. And it supports network protocols such as GSM/GPRS, CDMA/1XRTT, 802.11a/b, Bluetooth, Mobitex, CDPD and others.

Novarra originally developed its software with WAP phones in mind but broadened its strategy when WAP turned out to be less successful than hoped. Now the Novarra team — which was founded by a former Motorola executive and includes several Motorola vets, including Rangarajan — knows its flexibility to support multiple devices, networks and carrier partners is key. In fact, it allows it partners to re-brand Novarra's software as their own.

Because so many wireless data devices already exist, and yet none has claimed dominant market share, complementing a wide range of devices and networks is also important to Novarra's strategy, Rangarajan said. Part of the reason is that corporate enterprises are fraught by indecision as they consider which next-gen mobile device should be standardized for employee use. Should it be the good old BlackBerry or that sleek new Palm Tungsten? Which one has the best capabilities and which will be better suited for upgrades?

Carriers suffer from the same kind of paralysis. They desperately want to offer their enterprise customers the devices and related services they need most, but they are afraid of how quickly the market could change. “We're seeing enterprise hesitancy and carrier uncertainty,” Rangarajan said. “But no one should have to decide today what device to commit to.”