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WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
New IBM Technologies Ease Wireless Deployment
SOMERS, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 09/24/2003 -- IBM today announced a range of product enhancements and partnerships designed to transform the way enterprise applications are delivered to wireless devices.
Central to today's announcements is new mobile middleware technology, Extension Services for WebSphere Everyplace, aimed at enabling new and existing applications and services to be extended to pervasive devices more easily. New offerings also include device management applications from partners and new speech and multimodal enhancements that can provide more natural ways to access technology.
Following closely on the heels of an agreement with Research in Motion (RIM) to extend BlackBerry devices' reach into the enterprise, today's announcements build on growing industry support for IBM's open standards- based mobile middleware portfolio.
This month, developers will be able to make use of extended Java functions on Palm devices via IBM's WebSphere Micro Environment. Optimized for Palm's Tungsten line of handhelds, this is the result of an ongoing relationship with Palm. With today's announcement, IBM now supports more of the handheld operating systems worldwide than any other vendor -- including support for RIM, Palm, Linux, Symbian and Pocket PC. Together, these handheld operating systems make up at least 90% of the worldwide market, according to Gartner.
Part of a wide portfolio of technology and services that cuts across the company, IBM's offerings are designed to optimize interoperability of key components of the pervasive computing ecosystem. These include mobile extensions of IBM's enterprise software including e-mail and instant messaging from Lotus, DB2 database software, device management software from Tivoli and software development solutions from Rational.
"This goes beyond enhancing what is already one of the industry's most complete mobile middleware portfolios," said Rod Adkins, general manager of IBM's pervasive computing division. "It expands what is increasingly becoming a louder industry call-to-arms for the creation of an ecosystem that can allow on demand access to any content, from any device, on any network."
IBM's new Extension Services for WebSphere Everyplace technology is embedded middleware that enables partners, device manufacturers and enterprise customers to extend the WebSphere platform and Java-based applications to devices. Rather than rewriting applications for mobile devices or requiring a connected micro-browser to access information, this technology provides a services-oriented runtime environment that enables connection-independent deployment and lifecycle management of applications and network services. With Extension Services technology, end users can remotely download only portions of applications and data they need to complete secure transactions -- whether or not they are connected to the network.
IBM partner Blue Martini Software has integrated Extension Services technology, along with WebSphere MQ Everyplace, into Blue Martini Interactive Selling -- a sales enablement application that can help salespeople across the entire sales process from assessing customer needs and designing and configuring solutions to generating quotes and proposals and taking orders.
"Companies need to empower their sales teams with tools that actively support the entire sales process, rather than simply track pipeline status and contact information," said Monte Zweben, Chairman and CEO, Blue Martini Software. "IBM's Extension Services technology has enabled us to extend our solution to cost-effectively reach 'sometimes connected' sales teams and channel partners wherever they are working, extending the value of our solution."
Independent Software Vendors are also integrating IBM's WebSphere Device Management software, based on IBM Tivoli technology, into their solutions. These include:
-- SupportSoft, a leading service and support automation software vendor,
has integrated the technology into its Mobile Device Management Suite.
Aimed at helping service providers improve customer care for wireless
device users, the solution can enable them to wirelessly diagnose customer
problems as well as implement automated self-service or assisted service
solutions.
-- X Point, managed recovery vendors, will be using IBM WebSphere Device
Management software to provide carrier-grade back and restore solutions to
wireless service providers.
-- Bitfone, an industry leader in over-the-air software updates, will
integrate their mProve solution with IBM's WebSphere Device Management
software. This solution will allow wireless service providers to deliver
embedded software updates for mobile devices over the air, saving end users
from physically bringing or mailing the phone to a service center. Aimed at
reducing time-to-market for device manufacturers by allowing them to deploy
firmware upgrades remotely, it can also help carriers reduce customer
support costs.
In the speech technology arena, IBM announced:
-- VoiceXML 2.0-compliant environments in WebSphere Voice Server
4.2,WebSphere Voice Application Access 4.2 and WebSphere Voice Response
3.1.5. Using these new versions of speech products, companies such as
Viecore Inc. can update IVR applications and integrate speech into existing
Web and IT solutions.
-- WebSphere Everyplace Multimodal Environment for Pocket PC. Based on
IBM's Embedded ViaVoice engine and ACCESS Software's NetFront browser, this
software supports the XHTML+Voice specification and can allow for speech
and graphics to be used in the same interaction. This adds to IBM's
previously announced, Opera-based, multimodal browser aimed at the Sharp
Zaurus Linux PDA.
-- Natural Language Extensions to WebSphere Voice Server and WebSphere
Voice Application Access for more natural, conversational interactions with
automated voice response call centers. For example, a customer might ask
for the price of a certain stock, receive a response and then ask to
purchase a number of shares without referring specifically back to the
stock, because the system understands the context of the request.
-- Support for new languages (Dutch and Korean) on WebSphere Voice
Server, bringing the total number of supported languages to 18.
-- VoiceGenie plans to integrate its voice platform with IBM's WebSphere
Voice Application Access and WebSphere Voice Server software to leverage
the WebSphere portal infrastructure and programming model for speech
solutions.
-- VoiceObjects' Factory has integrated its software platform with IBM's
WebSphere Voice Application Access, WebSphere Voice Server, WebSphere Voice
Response and WebSphere Application Server to enable carriers, enterprises,
and voice service providers to integrate dynamic voice solutions into their
existing IT infrastructure.
-- Fluency has integrated its VoiceRunner platform with IBM's WebSphere
Voice Application Access, WebSphere Voice Server and WebSphere Voice
Response, providing a series of applications and products for automating
call center operations.
-- Support for partner offerings including ScanSoft's Realspeak on
WebSphere Voice Server and Nuance Voice Platform on WebSphere Voice
Application Access. This means that enterprises will be able to mix and
match speech offerings from various industry players - allowing them to
select technologies that best suit them.
"IBM and Nuance are both strong supporters of open standards -- such as VoiceXML. This is why both companies are working together to deliver scalable, accurate speech solutions powered by both Nuance and IBM technology," said Chuck Berger, president and CEO, Nuance. "Today, our relationship remains strong, and we are pleased that IBM's WebSphere Voice Application Access will support the Nuance Voice Platform, providing customers with even greater flexibility in their choice of speech solutions."
About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. Drawing on resources from across IBM and key business partners, IBM offers a wide range of services, solutions and technologies that enable customers, large and small, to take full advantage of the new era of e-business. For more information about IBM, visit www.ibm.com.
The following are either trademarks or registered of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States or other countries or both: IBM, the IBM e-business logo, and WebSphere. All others are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Statements concerning IBM's future development plans and schedules are made for planning purposes only, and are subject to change or withdrawal without notice.
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