The Californian database giant says the small-footprint offering – called Oracle Database Lite 10g – extends many of the benefits and features of grid computing to mobile computing devices like laptops and PDAs.
Oracle introduced its Database Lite offering in 1996. Over 3,000 customers worldwide now use the product.
Lite 10g includes a new feature that lets mobile users update both data and applications while synchronizing with back-end database servers. Previously, this could only be achieved using separate applications. Now all the applications are part of the core database, just like data.
Oracle says the software can also work in a disconnected offline mode as well.
Other new features of Lite 10g include a web-based management console called Mobile Manager, which is used for setting security schemes and configuring mobile device clients, and support for Microsoft Corp’s ADO.NET development interfaces.
Oracle also supports Java tools (like JDeveloper 10g) as well.
Oracle Lite will compete directly against similar small-footprint database offerings from Sybase Inc (SQL Anywhere Studio) and IBM Corp (DB2 Everyplace Database).
Oracle says Lite 10g’s dual synchronization capabilities for both data and applications will give it an edge over rival offerings.
Oracle Database Lite 10g is priced at $100 per named user license and requires an Oracle database to run as a back-end server. The database runs on all major mobile platforms including Windows CE, Palm OS, Pocket PC and Linux.
