|
The following is a sample of technical solutions that have proven to be useful across a variety of markets.
The Challenge: To optimize the user experience on each device.
Information can often be represented in ways that are much more intuitive than simple text. In addition, each wireless device has unique attributes of user-input and display performance.
The Solution: Outr.Netís has continuously developed a codebase comprising user-interface modules and database modules which efficiently retrieve data, display it, and provide for interactive user navigation. These code modules have been optimized for each device.
These solutions have already been applied to solutions for Outr.Netís clients in the Financial, Travel and Enterprise markets, and are applicable to many other types of applications.
The Challenge: The "browser" is an extremely powerful concept that was essential to the success of the World Wide Web. A key attribute is the ability to dynamically manage from the server both data and itís presentation.
In the Wireless internet, this concept is hindered by relatively limited bandwidth and UI, and does not effectively leverage wireless attributes such as offline usability and data "push" capabilities.
The Solution: By blending essential elements of browser technologies to a careful understanding of 1) wireless network and device characteristics, and 2) the essential requirements of a specific market, solutions are being developed with the flexibility of a browser-based solution, but the power and integration of a native application.
Outr.Netís clients in the Document Management, Financial and Dispatch markets are pioneers in these "Application-Specific Browsers"
The Challenge: To be successful, most new solutions for the Wireless Internet need to reach a variety of devices. In theory, "thin clients" or J2ME can provide a uniform window to a server-based solution.
In reality, the characteristics of each device and network are fundamentally different. Good user experiences and marketplace differentiation for any but the simplest applications depend upon the recognition of these characteristics.
The Solution: Outr.Net has years of experience in deploying solutions on a variety of devices. "Templates" have been developed for each device and network, to help encapsulate their unique characteristics in user-interface, database, message handling, installation, and so on. Thus, the code which is application-specific becomes much more portable, extensible and maintainable across devices and networks.
The Challenge: Data messages are extremely sensitive to inaccuracies of any kind. Even minor errors will corrupt data and databases on the device.
Each of todayís wireless networks has unique message handling characteristics, including truncation limits, special character substitutions, and so on.
The Solution: Outr.Net has developed a series of messaging "conditioning" filters to ensure that data messages arrive intact.
For example, application-level segmentation filters enable a message to be segmented within network truncation limits, and reconstructed properly at the device. Application-specific compression filters reduce airtime and increase reliability of message delivery. As much as 9-to-1 compression have been realized.
Outr.Netís clients in virtually all markets, including Travel, Medical, Finance, Enterprise, and Dispatch, have benefited from these robust solutions.
The Challenge: When devices are deployed to new users, typically a wide variety of learning curves must be accommodated.
The Solution: Outr.Net has developed an editable "Pilot" application template comprising:
- Frequently asked questions
- A user survey for real-time feedback
- A "help desk" section
- Periodic "Did You Know" pop-ups.
This application can be easily customized and branded for any wireless network, enterprise, etc.
The Challenge: Data may be sent to a device in response to a userís demand, or it may be pushed out based upon triggers or timers.
In some cases data may be collected piecewise and organized to provide historical information. A well-designed local cache allows the user to access and manipulate data even when they are disconnected from the wireless network.
This data must be collected and managed in such a way that it is stored and retrieved efficiently, and yet "cleans up" after itself when itís usefulness has expired.
The Solution: Outr.Net has years of experience in local datastore design.
Our design methodology and review process ensures that an applicationsí datastore will be compact, efficient and robust.
The Challenge: Over-the-air date messaging protocols have often been adapted from conventional Internet technologies, and tend to be "chatty". These cumbersome over-the-air data messages significantly affect the speed, reliability and cost of delivery.
The Solution: Outr.Net has years of experience in analyzing the application-specific nature of messaging, and in applying a variety of data conversion and compression techniques and open-protocol standards (such as XML). These techniques enable the over-the-air link to be far more efficient and reliable by as much as a factor of 10.
|
