New solutions for wireless enterprise

Most analysts anticipate a wireless middleware boom over the next five years. According to a recent IDC (www.idc.com) report, worldwide market for software that enables enterprises to send out key information from computer systems to employees’ wireless devices will increase 61% each year, and the number of wireless professionals is expected to reach 27 million in the next three years.

This week at the CTIA Wireless I.T. show in San Diego, IBM (www.ibm.com) announced that it will deliver business-critical Lotus (www.lotus.com) messaging and collaboration software solutions to Compaq’s (www.compaq.com) iPAQ Pocket PC users. Wireless workers will be able to use Lotus Mobile Notes to access their information management systems, including mail, calendars and address books from their Compaq iPAQ.

“To extend our rich collaborative platform to support other devices and the ultimate mobile user, we are teaming with industry leaders like Compaq to ensure that our mutual corporate customers can leverage their current investments and realize a fast, significant ROI on their new ones,” said Blair Hankins, Lotus Software, IBM Software Group, director of messaging and wireless.

Pricing, purchasing information and technical support will be announced by the end of 2001, when the product becomes available. In other Wireless I.T. enterprise news, Onset Technology (www.onsettechnology.com) introduced a new downloadable applet for BlackBerry (www.blackberry.net) hand-held device users. The new applet optimizes the BlackBerry user experience by making it easier to use METAmessage to read and print email attachments, specifically Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint slides, and adds one-click attachment retrieval.

Onset's new applet makes it just as easy to read a spreadsheet or slide on the BlackBerry as it is on a PC. The applet enables users view Excel and PowerPoint files in their original format on the BlackBerry screen, displaying spreadsheet data in adjustable-width, ruled columns and allowing users to move horizontally and vertically through any size spreadsheet.

Other features enable users to read and print attachments and Web pages and retrieve corporate contact information with one-click via a METAmessage menu. Previously, BlackBerry owners needed to use a series of menus and clicks to retrieve an attachment. “The introduction of this new ease-of-use applet further increases mobile productivity for BlackBerry handheld users,” said Gadi Mazor, Onset president and CEO.

The applet will be available this month as a free download from Onset Technology’s Web site and from (www.metamessage.com)