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News
Issue #2002 - 29
(July 2002)
(Updated July
31, 2002)
INFRASTRUCTURE, PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Xara Introduces Group SMS for Consumer & Small Business Use
Xara Online, a company specializing in website development and improving ways of communication, announced today that it had added two more SMS messaging applications to its ready-made web applications range. The web applications can be up and running in minutes, and will enable business and personal users to communicate via SMS easily and efficiently through their own private website.
The Group SMS Personal enables a private user to maintain a database of friends, family and colleagues, with up to 100 contacts within these groups. Then, through their private online admin web page, they can send SMS text messages to individuals or groups at the touch of a button. This has the advantage that only one message needs to be typed, and there's no need to tediously type it out on a mobile phone keypad.
The Group SMS Business works in the same manner, but offers increased functionality and flexibility to suit a business. Up to 1,000 employees, customers or suppliers can be added to the database, and sorted into categories. The Group SMS also allows for an SMS to be sent from a mobile phone into the database which then triggers an SMS to a group or individual. This has many uses, for example, staff can be alerted to meeting changes, company news or even of an emergency quickly and easily, without needing an Internet connection.
The Group SMS has been created using Xara Modules, the modular Web Services that allows non-programmers to incorporate database, email and SMS functionality into custom web applications to enable their website as a business tool. The ready-to-go Group SMS will function from a private admin web page so no public website is required. All you need is Internet connection and web browser.
"These latest Web Service applications from Xara Online offer new and exciting ways to communicate, both for personal and business users," says Nova Fisher, VP Marketing. "That a business owner can now send just one text message to communicate with his entire company at once, demonstrates our commitment to providing cost effective ways of communication using the power of SMS and the Internet."
For further details lookup our new website at www.xaraonline.com.
SMS
SMS stands for Short Messaging Service, and is the ability to send and receive short text messages from mobile cell phones. A text message can be up to 160 characters, comprising of words or numbers or an alphanumeric combination. The growth of SMS is rapid, with over 1 billion messages being sent a month in Europe alone. Xara Online's Modules harness the power of SMS, and allow for the integration of SMS into various web applications for the purposes of communication and content management.
About Xara Online
Xara Online has developed an innovative rapid application development system for non-programmers. It enables anyone, from business owners to experienced webmasters, to add a wide range of page components and data functionality to any website. These components, known as Xara Modules are modular Web Services that can be connected together by non-technical webmasters to create a range of rich, powerful database, mail, SMS and content applications for their website.
Xara Online is a subsidiary of The Xara Group and a sister company to Xara (www.xara.com). The Xara Group has been developing software since 1981 and is one of the oldest continuously trading independent software developers in the business today. The Xara Group is privately funded.
The New Xara Online Connectable Web Service Technology:
The Xara Online revolutionary system of connectable modules is based upon the new Web Service industry standards such as XML, SOAP and .NET. We believe they are the world's first connectable Web Services aimed at the non-technical, non-programmer market. The first connectable modules include Form, Mailer, Database, Query, Reporter and SMS modules enabling non-programmers to create a wide variety of data driven applications, from simple polls and feedback forms to online sales databases and content management to a full eCRM application.
Web Services
SOAP Web Services are a new industry standard for calling programs over the Internet. Instead of a web page at a given URL, there is a program that can be called by other programs. There are SOAP compatible clients for just about all platforms meaning it's easy to use Web Services from just about any operating system or platform. The 'big 5' IT companies, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Sun and HP have all backed the new SOAP Web Services standard, and it's expected there will be a flood of new Web Services as a result. For more information about Xara Online's commitment to Web Services standards, visit www.xaraonline.com.
MobileInfo Advisory & Comments: Xara is very active in
SMS application development. This should be of interest to small
groups and SOHO (Small office home office).
Note: This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Readers should take appropriate caution in
developing plans utilizing these products, services and technology
architectures. All trademarks used in this summary are
the property of their respective owners.
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