Enterprise & operator mobile software roundup: April 10 - 28, 2006

- Gary Thayer, editor

U.S. wireless carrier Alltel has launched Office Sync, which allows users to send and receive e-mail or view their calendars and contacts in real time from their Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices. Office Sync is initially available on the Palm Treo 650 and the UTStarcom PPC-6700, a Windows Mobile 5.0 Wi-Fi-enabled Pocket PC device. There are two versions of Office Sync: one targeted at individuals and small businesses, the other targeted at larger enterprises. The latter integrates Office Sync with a corporate server operating behind a secure firewall to deliver the information to customers' devices. Both editions cost US $39.99 per month, including unlimited data. Office Sync is powered by SEVEN. For more information on Office Sync see alltel.com.

Everdream, a provider of on-demand desktop management services, announced its Theft Recovery Managed Service, which enables companies to retain control over misplaced or stolen PCs and laptops by encrypting or deleting data contained on the computer. When the lost or stolen computer connects to the Internet, the Everdream software agent residing on the computer automatically communicates with the Everdream Control Center, a web-based management console, triggering the release of a software package that works with the agent to instantly encrypt or delete data on the computer based on customer preference. At the same time, a collection of network information is communicated to the ECC which can be used by law enforcement to locate and recover the PC. Everdream augments the Theft Recovery Managed Service with its Online Backup software service and its Data Restoration managed service that enables customers to preserve valuable information and files. For details, see everdream.com.

Good Technology has released version 4.8 of GoodLink, its mobile device management software. New features include: group administration and handheld family filtering; flexible device provisioning
(either via a secure over-the-air method or via pre-loaded removable storage); compliance management and remediation; vCard beaming (the ability for users to exchange electronic business cards); and access to company-wide contacts via a Global Address List. For details, see good.com. For quick information on Good, see the company's summary page on MobileVillage.

Grapevine introduced Surveys-to-Go, a mobile version of its Web based survey (polling) software. Surveys-to-Go offers many of the features available in the Web version, including color images, logo insertion for survey branding, skip logic/branching, and multiple question types. Surveys-to-Go also offers distribution of surveys and enables administrators to limit devices to one questionnaire only and even include interviewer identity to the data file. Once respondents complete a survey, the data is automatically collected and transferred to Grapevine's SQL Database through wireless or wire-based connectivity, and data is displayed in tables or graphs. Users are able to deploy the same survey on multiple handhelds or even desktop computers. They can then analyze all the results in real time, according to Grapevine. Survey-to-Go works on Palm, Windows Mobile Pocket PC, BlackBerry and many mobile phones with SMS capabilities. A limited time free trial is available at grapevinesurveys.com.

iAnywhere, a subsidiary of Sybase, announced beta availability of version 10 of SQL Anywhere, its database and synchronization software. For details, see click here.

Idera released SQL mobile manager version 2.3, a remote management and administration software for Microsoft SQL Server environments. SQL mobile manager enables database administrators to securely monitor and manage their SQL Server infrastructures anytime, anywhere from a Windows Mobile Device such as a cell phone or a PDA. The software enables database administrators to get immediate access to SQL Server performance metrics and alerts and be actively and instantly alerted to problems and outages. SQL mobile manager version 2.3 is priced at US $795 per SQL Server instance. SQL mobile manager is compatible with SQL Server 2000 and 2005 databases. For more information or download a free evaluation copy, see idera.com.

Serialio and WakefieldSoft have released a mobile application and hardware offering for asset tracking and inventory management. This bundled offering includes DoInventory Plus software for Windows PCs and Palm OS handhelds, and the LaserChamp Bluetooth barcode scanner hardware for scanning directly into a Palm OS handheld with Bluetooth. Options allow the user to scan items and view the item's details, auto-add a new record, or auto increment or decrement the quantity. Information is automatically synced from the Palm device to a Windows PC.

The companion PC software allows inventory reports to be printed, photos of items to be attached, data backups to be made, and more. Users can organize scanned items by defining categories, locations and custom fields. The software can be purchased separately for US $30, and the software and hardware bundle is $299.95. For details, see serialio.com.

Sybase released version 10.5 of its PowerBuilder rapid application development tool. PowerBuilder 10.5 features functionality enhancements and improvements to the DataWindow, a presentation and manipulation tool. For details, see click here.

Enterprise software news, March 21 - April 7, 2006

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