Enterprise mobile software roundup: Nov. 7 - 18, 2005

- Gary Thayer, Editor

Nov. 16, 2005 -- (MobileVillage) -- Here is roundup to-date of noteworthy new or updated enterprise mobile software so far this week. Revisit this page over the week as we update it with more news.

AirTrac has developed a proprietary interactive voice response system called "VoicePDA Platform" that allows most existing wireless handsets and all landline telephones, including those used by the visually impaired, to send and receive e-mails, access contact phone numbers, place calls, schedule appointments and get real-time stock quotes all while on the move by using natural voice language instructions, and with no modifications to the handset.

Other applications include accessing databases, checking inventories, and placing and tracking sales orders while away from the office. These VoicePDA features can also be changed from communicating in English to Spanish "on-the-fly" simply by saying "switch to English or Spanish", without making a new phone call. AirTrac's VoicePDA service can be added starting at about US $20 per month.

Bluefire Security released Virtual Private Network (VPN) client software for use by Cisco networking customers with handhelds operating Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 5.0. Bluefire Mobile Security Suite 3.5 includes authentication, encryption, integrity monitoring, firewall, logging, and central management with Over-the-Air capability for security policy management. The Bluefire Mobile Security VPN 2.0 is a IPSec VPN client bundled with RSA's BSAFE Encryption, and compliant with Federal Information Processing Standards 140-2 (FIPS 140-2). The VPN operates across LAN, WLAN, GPRS/EDGE and 1xRTT/1EV-DO with no user intervention required. For more information on Bluefire, see the company's summary page on MobileVillage.

DataViz released version 8 of Documents To Go Premium Edition software for viewing Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on Palm OS devices. The latest version adds native support for Adobe PDF files and attachments without requiring any desktop conversion. Users can view PDFs with no desktop pre-processing required. Documents To Go Premium Edition retails for US $49.99 and is available for Windows users and Mac users from online stores including Handango, from retail stores, and directly from DataViz. Current users can upgrade for $29.99 directly from DataViz. The software also supports select Symbian handhelds. For more information, see the company's summary page on MobileVillage.

Flowfinity Wireless has launched Flowfinity Blackbird, an add-on to Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, released this week by Microsoft. Blackbird enables ASP.NET developers to create "wireless-ready" applications for BlackBerry handhelds. Because standard ASP.NET 2.0 controls are used for application development, no special developer training is required -- any Visual Basic or Visual C# developer can create their first BlackBerry application in minutes, says Flowfinity.

Flowfinity applications can be deployed "over-the-air", are optimized for over-the-air data transfer, and are resilient to loss of network coverage, according to the Flowfinity. Applications created also provide native BlackBerry look-and-feel and feature integration with BlackBerry email and address book.

Blackbird is available for download from Flowfinity's web site. Blackbird is available for developers at no charge, but it requires developers to use Visual Studio 2005. No licensing fees are required for users of custom applications that are deployed.

GiveMePower Corp. has released PowerCAD SiteMaster 2, the latest version of its software for creating AutoCAD-compatible floor plans, inspection drawings and area calculations. PowerCAD SiteMaster uses a "point and shoot" handheld laser such as the Leica DISTO Plus combined with a Bluetooth wireless desktop, laptop or XP tablet PC - or a Windows Mobile Pocket PC, HPC or Smartphone. PowerCAD SiteMaster 2 is on sale starting at US $995 until Dec. 31, 2005. A free 30-day trial version is also available. For more info, see givemepower.com.

Good Technology, Inc. announced Good Mobile Defense, its security system for handhelds running Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone, Palm OS, and Symbian.

Good Mobile Defense's Password Management feature aims to provide protective action after excessive failed password attempts, protection for standard and third party passwords, and the enablement of temporary administrative passwords. An Application Lockdown features lets managers set and manage application "white lists" and application launch approval. Also included is Handheld Feature Control, which lets managers disable data transfer ports such as Bluetooth, Wifi or HotSync, and lock down handheld features such as cameras, microphones and speakers.

Other features include Advanced Encryption Management, which provides options to control the encryption of native handheld memory, storage cards, and specific applications, using AES 256, Blowfish 64, 128 or 512; and Data Erase, which erases data on the device side after excessive failed password and authentication attempts, as well as remote wipe of all handheld applications.

Good's Secure Over The Air technology enables IT to set and enforce all of these policies wirelessly, without touching the handhelds. IT can also use Good Mobile Defense in conjunction with GoodLink Compliance Manager to ensure that prerequisite applications such as McAfee's Mobile VirusScan are present on handhelds before data is transmitted.

Good Mobile Defense will be available in January 2006 as a stand alone product and as an extension to GoodLink and GoodAccess. For more information on Good, see the company's summary page on MobileVillage.

PortWise released version 4.0 of its PortWise enterprise software that provides Identity and Access Management. PortWise offers proactive device assessment, user authentication, reduced sign-on, policy-based user authorization, secure clientless access, identity and access auditing, and session clean-up. PortWise says the software can provide secure access to information and applications for internal users, business-to-business customers, and external consumers from any device in any location.

For mobile users, PortWise 4.0 provides a security assessment of a user's device (laptops, PDA's, smart phones, etc.) before it is allowed to connect to a corporate network, ensuring that the device fully complies with centrally-defined corporate security policies. Security inspection may include checking for the existence of a personal firewall or anti-virus software, the installation of correct operating systems and security patches, spyware, and other criteria. Non-compliant devices may be refused entry, or referred to an appropriate software update site.

PortWise 4.0 audits and records the identity of individuals that gain access to different applications, as well as the time of access, type of application, and what information was downloaded. The software also abolishes all traces of access to the corporate network upon completion of the session, including cookies, URL history, cached pages, registry entries, and downloadable components.

PortWise has pre-installed PortWise 4.0 and the Solaris 10 OS on Sun Microsystems' AMD Opteron-based Sun Fire servers, and is able to integrate with the Sun Identity Management Suite and other third-party authentication solutions and directory services, such as Microsoft Active Directory, Novell eDirectory, and LDAP.

PortWise Enterprise Edition 4.0 is available immediately and pricing starts at $331 per concurrent user.

RealNetworks (NASDAQ:RNWK) unveiled its next generation Helix Server for mobile media streaming. The new version adds support for 3GPP technology. The Helix Server can also deliver RealAudio, RealVideo, Windows Media, QuickTime, and Mpeg-4. The server fits within existing operating system environments and supports Windows, Solaris, Linux and Unix-based operating systems for streaming. Other new features include support for SNMP v3 and next generation protocols such as IP v6, as well as improved firewall support and Helix Rate Adaptation for better utilization of network resources. For more information, see realnetworks.com.

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