The passengers on the wireless train include more than just fleet-footed start-ups, personal digital assistant (PDA) manufacturers and cellular household names. IBM`s software division Lotus is also on track to deliver client- and server-side mobile technology, and - according to the software vendor - the train is fast picking up speed.
Lotus` wireless division falls under the Horizon Two project brand, which encompasses incubator projects within the company that are expected to see fruition - and profit - within a year.
According to Jeremy Wray, Lotus` Europe, Middle East and Africa director of strategy and business development, the wireless project is expected to be complete by the middle of next year, when client software is released for PDAs and cellular devices. Wray sees this as the point where the project delivers "channel-driven, partner-led products".
The company already has its server software at numerous pilot sites in Europe, and hopes to get more customers onboard locally.
Wray singles out consulting houses as some of the primary early adopters of wireless, as they benefit from having information at their fingertips while at clients` sites, and are able to bill while on site. Another early adopter segment, he says, is the small and medium business market.
"There are a lot of early adopters, because we can see the wave coming," notes Wray. "We didn`t really see the Internet wave coming." He also believes an easy Domino migration path has prompted Lotus clients to join the party early.
Lotus` involvement in wireless technology represents an important piece in IBM`s wireless product offering, branded "Everyplace" by Big Blue. The company is already working on Websphere Everyplace, which will handle the high traffic volume segment of the market, while Lotus is going after the low volume, high worth segment. Customer interaction is what Lotus feels it does best.
Its Sametime product is one example of this focus, and Lotus hopes that Sametime will be the "killer app" for the GPRS cellular technology. Sametime is an instant messaging system that includes user states, such as "available" or "away".
Sametime Everyplace takes the technology to cellphones, using a combination of short message service and Wireless Application Protocol. The business users will be the mobile experts, such as technicians, to help with support en route to clients.
Another focus for the company is m-commerce, although Wray does not see this market segment growing for the next few years. However, once it does pick up, Wray predicts it will quickly overtake e-commerce.
"There is still a lot of nonsense being said about wireless. We are in danger of over-hyping the consumer boom, and under-hyping the business benefits."
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