Mobile apps gain agility
Idesta 2.0 lets companies build applications using Java and the Extensible Markup Language (XML) that can be delivered to any mobile client device. This avoids the expense of creating vertical applications for each specific handheld, protocol and operating system, according to the firm.
Idesta chairman Peter Dixon said, "Enterprises need vertical market solutions that run on a variety of handhelds, using a choice of communication protocols." He added that Web-enabled, always-on connectivity was also desirable. Analyst group Gartner has previously found that enterprises needed mobile solutions for a variety of roles.
Idesta 2.0 uses standardised Java and XML protocols in its Mobile Office Builder (MOB) application developer tools. They allow the creation of device-independent applications and provide a drag-and-drop facility for pulling in appropriate drivers and protocols from a pool, covering virtually every type of mobile device.
An application for a new client target can be quickly created, the firm said. Idesta's Vertical Market Templates (VMTs) assist application creation for sectors ranging from consumer goods to engineering.
But Duncan Brown, consulting director at analyst firm Ovum, expressed caution over Idesta's approach to mobile client development. "There are a whole bunch of companies doing clever things with mobile devices at the moment," he said. "While Idesta is in the right space, it has to make sure it isn't so out of step with everyone else that it engineers a cul-de-sac for itself."
Idesta's Dixon said a new application can typically be downloaded to a mobile device in 33 seconds, making it practical to change applications during the working day. Loss of signal during a transaction should not have a dramatic effect, he added, as the resulting applications continue where they left off when the connection is re-established. This approach should encourage GPRS and 3G applications because migration is simple.
Without online real-time working, data downloads are typically made once a day. This leads to problems with out-of-date information on, for example, stock levels.