News
Issue #2003 - 26 (October 2003)
(Updated Oct. 1, 2003)

APPLICATION SOLUTIONS & APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT

Mobile Application Development News This Week

1. PalmSource Previews Palm OS 6
PalmSource yesterday gave a sneak of Palm OS 6, with improved multitasking and graphics features. PalmSource will officially launch OS 6 at the end of December 29 at the PalmSource Developer Conference in Munich. The new operating system will continue to be marketed alongside the current OS 5, but OS 6 will be aimed at higher-end devices. 

2. Comverse and Angel.Com Offer Voice-Activated Application platform to Carriers
Comverse, a unit of Comverse Technology, Inc. - the world's leading supplier of software and systems enabling network-based multimedia enhanced communication services, and Angel.com today announced their joint engagement to offer a voice-driven suite of business productivity services to network service providers. This carrier-grade solution is available today for network deployment using the Comverse Media Server. Visitors to SpeechTEK, in New York (during september 2003), saw the Comverse and Angel.com team compete in the Speech Solutions Challenge, where teams had just a few hours to build and run a speech application, to be determined at the start of the competition. 

Today's Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) face a variety of challenges in managing and growing their business, from creating a polished, professional image to streamlining costs and improving customer service. Voice-driven business productivity applications enable SMEs to automate routine operations using the human voice as a natural and intuitive interface for customers. Callers can access a variety of simply constructed services, from auto attendants to store locators to full voice-controlled order processing systems. All applications can be configured by the SME to address its specific business and customer needs. 

The voice-driven interface to the Angel.com business productivity suite is powered by the network-based Comverse Media Server. The Comverse Media Server is a modular, standards-based VoiceXML gateway that is designed to provide a massively scalable platform for hosting voice-activated and interactive voice response (IVR) services in wireline and wireless networks. The Comverse Media Server enables multiple applications to share common platform resources, such as speech recognition and text-to-speech engines, providing a cost-effective means for network operators to deploy large numbers of enhanced voice services. The Comverse Media Server is part of the InSight solution, Comverse's open, value-added services environment for Total Communication and Infotainment Services. 

3. Symbian Limited announces that it has signed an Operator Technology Integrator agreement with NTT DoCoMo, Inc. This agreement gives NTT DoCoMo access to Symbian OS source code and the right to deliver extended versions of this code to phone manufacturers that are Symbian OS licensees. Above shows David Levin, Chief Executive Officer of Symbian Ltd who is quoted below.

Under the terms of the Operator Technology Integrator agreement, Symbian enables NTT DoCoMo to integrate reference implementations of the specific technologies that are required to deliver NTT DoCoMo FOMA 3G network services on phones based on Symbian OS, including user interface and service-level functionality. By this agreement, it is possible for NTT DoCoMo to use Symbian OS as one of the platforms for consistent, optimised and tested implementation of its FOMA technologies to enhance the customer experience of NTT DoCoMo’s networked content and services across a range of handsets from multiple handset vendors.

MobileInfo Comments and Advisory: Enhanced functionality of PalmOS 6.0 will bring it closer to its competitors - Windows Pocket PC Windows CE. However different application development environment will always bias the Windows developers to choose corresponding devices. Symbian will continue to present serious competition to PalmOS for voice-centric devices.

Comverse's VoiceXML media server will provide an additional opportunity to carriers to speech-enable customer query applications. This is not to say that that VoiceGenie did not have a solution earlier in this space. 

Note: This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of Securities Exchange act of 1934 in USA. Similar provisions exist in other countries. There is no assurance that the stipulated plans of vendors will be implemented. MobileInfo does not warrant the authenticity of the information. 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.