The business challenges that we hear most often from entrepreneurs and product developers are:

Development Cost: "I don't have a detailed functional specification, but I need to have some idea how much this is going to cost to develop"   Market Potential: "How do I get a sense for the market potential for my idea, before I invest in a complete production system?"   Technology Choices: "There are so many competing devices and networks, and more on the way ... which one(s) are best for my product?"   Which Developer: "How do I select a partner that will help me most efficiently develop my idea, possibly across different devices, and protect my intellectual property?"

Do you agree, or do you have other challenges? We would to hear your feedback on this - please tell us!

Solutions

This is probably the most exciting sector within the wireless industry - we are constantly amazed by the creativity of the entrepreneurs that come to us for help.

Occasionally, the product has already been developed on an existing platform, and Outr.Net is asked to render it on a new platform ...

Example: A Fortune 500 company developed an innovative application for remote document handling, but on a device which was targetted for the European market. A major device manufacturer in the U.S. offered to port this product to their U.S. devices at no charge, but Outr.Net was engaged instead, to achieve faster time to market, and to minimize any potential conflicts of intellectual property.

... but in most cases, the idea is still in the concept stage. The choice of device(s) and network(s) for the product is a complex and important one for both technical and business reasons. The characteristics of the device and network can have a fundamental influence on the product design and features, and the co-marketing opportunities vary widely amongst device and network providers.

Example: Many entrepreneurs have engaged Outr.Net to help select the best device and network for their product. In our discussions with the client, we review technical aspects like user interface, network performance, future devices on the same OS, market potential for the device or network, portability to other platforms, marketing and co-marketing strategies, and so on. In some cases, some research is required to determine the feasibility of the new application on upcoming products, or interfaces to local peripherals such as printers, bar code readers, cameras, sensors or monitoring devices - and our internal contacts at the device manufactures are invaluable.

Once the target device(s) and network(s) have been selected, it's time to develop the idea in more detail. Outr.Net usually starts with 'Storyboards' and functional prototypes, to help iron out the details of the user interface with our client. These are quick, inexpensive ways to help visualize the user experience, and are generally very useful in generating excitement for the idea within the organization, with investors, and with potential clients. These are also a significant first step in co-developing a detailed functional specification, from which realistic development budgets and schedules can be determined.

Example: A medical information provider engaged Outr.Net to develop their wireless system on a two-way messaging device, but in the next revision wished to make their product available on a popular wireless PDA. Outr.Net developed storyboards and prototypes for both platforms to help define a user interface that was consistent, yet familiar and intuitive for existing users. Outr.Net also used it's contacts within the PDA manufacturer to help open the door for co-marketing discussions.

Of course, once any project is underway, it's all about executing - arriving at real-world, maintenance-free solutions as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Example: A wireless ASP engaged Outr.Net to develop email clients on two platforms. A logical application design was used for development of the product on the first platform, so the application was ready for deployment on the second platform much more quickly.

In short, Outr.Net does much more than just develop software. We provide technical and business support at every stage of the product conceptualization, development and deployment process.


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