By Dan Jones
New Jersey-based Bluestone Software Inc is looking to propagate the use of eXtensible Markup Language (XML) in the mobile computing environment with the release of XML software that synchronizes data between Palmpilots and corporate databases. Those big notebook computers aren’t always going be the way we communicate, said John Capobianco, Bluestone’s senior VP of marketing. The company is looking to small mobile wireless devices which link to the internet or a corporate intranet as a fast expanding market, Capobianco explained. Bluestone settled on Palmpilot as its initial platform because there are an estimated 2.6 million units in active operation today. However, Capobianco claimed that it would be a simple task to port the software to Windows CE-based devices. The company is also looking at devising a version for the EPOC operating system, which is used by Psion handhelds and will be used by the Symbian Consortium.
The XML Contact software will link Palm devices through the web, synchronizing data between the PDAs and corporate databases by way of a dynamic XML server. Data can be uploaded or downloaded through the Palmpilot’s modem, or transferred from the Palmpilot to a desktop via the cradle connection. Data is then passed to an XML dynamic server, such as Bluestone’s own, and updated on the corporate database via a connector which translates the information into a format that the back-end system can understand. Capobianco says that Bluestone has built connectors for SAP, Peoplesoft, and CICS so far. However, acknowledging that companies may be using a specialized back-end system, Capobianco says that the firm’s Sapphire web application has tools to enable firms to build their own connectors for in-house systems.
Bluestone envisages the software being used by sales teams to remotely update figures while on the road or customer. The firm has integrated its XML client software with the internal Palmpilot contact manager system, so that XML data downloaded from the corporate database can be translated into a regular format can be readily mapped by the PDA. The software can also select specific sets of data to be updated on the client or server side, so, for instance, if a user only wanted sales figures for specific region, these alone could be updated.
Capobianco contrasted XML-based synchronization with the proprietary methods used today. He said that the company’s aim in launching the software was to promote XML as a transport mechanism to allow any device to talk to another. The mobile synchronization methods used today for aligning corporate data tied firms into used a specific device and database, Capobianco claimed. Whereas, with the proliferation of XML synchronization – any device should be able to upload and download information from corporate systems. Capobianco said that any XML server would suffice, but admitted that the company is hoping that sales of its server would increase with its XML synchronization push. The software is now available for free download from the Bluestone web site.
