Having real-time access to enterprise applications on a Pocket PC is exciting. For people on the go, it is a way to increase productivity, to stay in closer touch with important information and events, and to react quickly to various business or customer needs.
This capability is much like what we have with mobile phones. It quickly becomes something we rely on and can’t imagine not having.
To date, these tools have been slow in coming to corporations. Why? I think I know the answer.
I have spent a lot of time in the enterprise application space. From personal experience, I know that the development of mobile interfaces for desktop software is not an easy task. The limitations of mobile devices—small screens, input constraints, and lower bandwidth—are factors that must be dealt with when extending applications to Pocket PCs.
Another challenge of building mobile interfaces is software maintenance. It is not enough just to build it once. The mobile interface must be modified whenever the underlying application is modified.
Recently I have been hearing rumblings from the development community. Interest has been growing in some products from Macromedia that help address these issues.
“Macromedia? Aren’t they the Web guys? Aren’t their focus and product suite centered on the artistic community rather than the enterprise?” I went off seeking answers from my friend Troy Evans, Senior Manager in Mobile and Devices at Macromedia. He agreed to field my questions about whether, and how, Macromedia has become a serious value-added player in the mobile application development space. He also offered a heads-up about the latest Macromedia initiative, code-named “Royale.”
Fig. 1: The new Royale integrated development environment
Talking to Macromedia
Troy, one of the hot three areas of enterprise mobility is enhanced personal communications—things like instant messaging, video conferencing, and group chat. How does Macromedia play in this area?
Macromedia provides the rich user experience, enabling the content and rich mobile business applications. Rich experiences are delivered in compact, scalable files that encapsulate animation, video, sound, and interactivity. These assets are brought together to create unique, deep experiences.
Macromedia Flash files are small, scale to any screen resolution, and download quickly so users can enjoy animation, sound, and interactivity. Faster-loading content also improves customer experience and increases content viewed by users.
Fig. 2: Built-in mobile templates for fast multi-device deployment
Through a more approachable rich-client Flash interface, application, or service, developers can deliver a broadband experience through a narrowband connection for networked devices.
Next, I would like to discuss database interaction. Interactive forms and the retrieval of information from databases are a big part of staying connected. Has Macromedia done anything to make development easier, faster, or richer?
The Flash MX Professional 2004 authoring tool enables the easy integration of data- and forms-based development for delivery of rich experiences on mobile phones and devices by leveraging the familiar Macromedia Flash development environment.
Our products enable developers to create applications and user interfaces for phones, PDAs, and other devices, such as NTT DoCoMo 505i Series mobile phones, Microsoft Pocket PCs, and Sony CLIEs, without learning specialized skills for each platform.
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