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Simplify Mobile Solutions With Middleware
Discover how you can use middleware to deploy effective mobile applications in the enterprise.
by Tom Zacios

For This Solution: PDA, Middleware

You're thinking of mobilizing your enterprise; you want to extend business and identify areas of efficiency to give your organization a competitive edge. However, the options and decisions can be overwhelming. The mobile landscape is filled with at least a dozen devices spanning multiple operating systems and carriers. You're told you have a nationwide wireless network at your disposal, but you realize it's really just regional and coverage is less than desirable. What you need is a solution that can help you sidestep the wireless snafu without forsaking security. Middleware is the answer and if you're implementing .NET, you've made a step in the right direction. I'll discuss the variables you need to consider in any mobility solution, then explain how a middleware solution can reduce the complexity of those variables and help you implement a cost-effective mobile solution for your business.

Deploying a mobile solution presents some inherent challenges. Unlike Internet applications, which can be deployed without regard to the operating system, ISP, or computer brand, wireless applications involve a range of variables, such as the device, carrier, coverage, and application requirements. I'll first review the devices you can choose from. Because so many PDAs and Smartphones are available, it can be difficult to understand the nature and functionality of these devices and choose the best one for your organization. And to give you an overview of the landscape, I'll look at the three major platforms in the PDA market.

Select Your Device
Pocket PCs don't have the largest market share, but they've gained ground steadily. Devices with sleek forms and color screens, such as the iPaq, have caught the eye of the corporate user, although pricing concerns impede widespread use in the consumer market. Also, because the Pocket PC devices often provide 32 MB of memory, a Microsoft operating system, and the Compact .NET Framework, they're programmer friendly. And users have the tendency to favor the similarity to the Windows desktop environment. Features such as Personal Information Management (PIM), Pocket Word/Excel, and even a Terminal Services client make the Pocket PC a good product for many occasions. The handwriting recognition works well, but you can also use the onscreen character recognizer or keyboard. Updates to PIM information occurs when a synchronization is triggered, most often by placing the device in its cradle.

The Microsoft Smartphone, which was released recently to the public in Europe but is available only to Microsoft early adopters in the United States, is another option. In addition to offering similar features to the Pocket PC, the Smartphone includes always-on wireless access. As with a cell phone, you're able to receive phone calls and Short Message System (SMS) text messages. The Smartphone's most advantageous feature is it gives you access to new high-speed wireless networks, which opens up a new array of potential applications on the device (see Table 1). Smartphones should be on the general market soon. As a CIO or IT manager, you might feel that standardization on this class of product would be best, but be sure to survey all your options before making a final decision.

When evaluating your PDA options, you can't ignore that the Palm OS has approximately 50 percent of the PDA market. Palm has been around since 1996 and the devices are here to stay. This is due in part to their wide price range. Although their memory and processing power lag in comparison to the PocketPCs, there's a base of more than 140,000 Palm developers, making it an attractive platform for custom applications. You can use Palm's free C/C++ development environment to create custom applications. If you prefer to code in Visual Basic or Java, you'll need to purchase a third-party runtime.