ONLINE ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS
The focus of this issue is Enterprise Computing, and the Pocket PC is aimed squarely at that market with the inclusion of Microsoft Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Pocket Internet Explorer and the ease of synchronization of the Contacts, Inbox and Calendar with Microsoft Outlook. Inbox even allows for IMAP 4 connectivity to a Microsoft Exchange server, allowing the mobile user to receive not only Inbox messages but also to have the other folders that the user has on his desktop.
While all of these built-in features are a big improvement over
previous Palm-size versions of Windows Powered devices, someone has to put
them together, fill in the gaps and make it work for the mobile user, IT
department and the management team. There aren't many web sites out there
that will do this, at least not in a broad sense. Here are the ones I
found.
Handango Business Solutions Center
www.handango.com/bsc_home.shtml
This is where I work, so I'm kind of partial. As far as I know,
Handango Business Solutions Center is the only place you can go to get a
total solution for a wide variety of different vertical markets. At the
present time, it only offers Windows CE and Palm OS solutions, but as soon
as there are reliable sources of hardware, they will be rolling out the
Pocket PC section of the site. Businesses can setup their own private
portal pages from which they can package, stage and deploy handheld
software to a team of end-users who are invited to the secure area through
e-mail broadcast. The page lets administrators restrict access to software
titles, monitor download history, and track licenses and standard
configurations.
Search as I may, I have not found any other sites that are doing this
function for Enterprise. However, there are some sites that give examples
of Enterprise solutions.
Microsoft Mobile Devices
www.microsoft.com/mobile/enterprise/default.asp
This is the home page for Microsoft's Mobile Enterprise section. Here
you will find a lot of information about Enterprise solutions for Pocket
PCs and Windows CE. Microsoft has case studies for such verticals as
Professional Sports with a case study of the Seattle Mariners, Healthcare
with studies of Avera McKennan Home & Community Services and Rensimer
Enterprises and many other vertical markets like Hospitality, Retail and
more.
There are some sites that have specific Enterprise solutions for e-mail
and database connectivity. I've listed a few below. You should also want
to check out the article titled "Windows
CE Enterprise Solution Providers."
bSQUARE
www.bsquare.com
bSquare has a few enterprise applications, such as CE Remote Updater, a
software and file update utility enabling remote Windows CE-based devices
to call back to a server and receive updates in software applications,
data, and device and operating system configuration. bSquare also offers a
variety of developer tools.
Extended systems
www.extendedsystems.com
Extended Systems has XTNDConnect Server that provides synchronization
directly between mobile devices and corporate servers, such as Microsoft
Exchange and Lotus Domino or custom ODBC-compliant databases.
Syware
www.syware.com/wce/vce.htm
Visual CE lets you build database applications for Windows CE in
minutes. Decide what information you'll need and drag and drop custom
controls to create a custom electronic form. After your data is collected,
plug your Windows CE device into your desktop PC and use popular
ODBC-enabled software like MS Access, Lotus Approach, or Visual Basic to
upload, download, or update the data.
Oracle
www.oracle.com/ip/deploy/database/8i/8ilite/index.html
Oracle8i Lite lets you build, deploy, and centrally manage mobile
applications that synchronize with central database servers.
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