Broncos vs Vandals and Using Mobile Handheld PDAs

Our office in Boise, Idaho is nicely decorated today in two different color sets. One is black and gold - representing the University of Idaho Vandals football team, and the other color scheme is blue and orange for the Boise State University Broncos football team. This week the two interstate rivals will be playing each other.

Nick Martin, a Boise State University graduate and technical support guru, arrived at his office to an unpleasant surprise this morning. His desk was fully decorated in his rival's colors. I am sure revenge and conspiracy course through the halls.

How does this relate to mobile handheld computers? I took this picture with my Palm Treo 750 PDA phone running on Windows Mobile 6.0. I synced the image back to my desktop where I am writing this blog. Using the software solution PointSync Mobility Platform I can do the exact same thing with any business application - work orders, inspections, asset tracking, proof-of-delivery and more. The world is now ready for mobilized business applications of all kinds. If you would like to discuss your thoughts on mobilizing business applications please contact us.

MobileDataforce Announces FieldSync Automotive™ for Paintless Dent Repair

Mobile software solution provides VIN scanning and decoding, automotive inspections and work order applications for use on Windows Mobile handheld devices

Boise, Idaho— November 15, 2007 – MobileDataforce® a leading provider of business critical mobile software applications today announced a new mobile software solution called FieldSync Automotive which was designed and developed using the popular PointSync Mobility Platform for mobile handheld PDAs. This application is specifically designed for companies involved in the mobile automotive services market such as Paintless Dent Repair, Smart repair, windshield repair, bumper repair and other mobile services that require automotive inspections, work orders, VIN scanning and decoding, mobile invoices and reports.

“We are excited about offering a new category of mobile business software solutions,” says Kevin Benedict, CEO MobileDataforce. “FieldSync Automotive is the first in a series of mobile business solutions that we will be releasing on the PointSync Mobility Platform to run on Windows Mobile devices.”

iPAQ Handheld PDAs Everywhere

Our office is covered with many HP iPAQ handheld PDAs today. They are getting installed with a mobile supply chain logistics application that is being used to track supplies heading to various clinics in Africa that treat Aids patients. My PSO (professional services organization) team developed this custom mobile application to our customer's specifications and is now helping install all of the mobile applications on the PDAs in preparation for use in the field.

Our customer selected the iPAQ 694o with an Otterbox as a protective cover.

xTablet T8600 Rugged Tablet PCs Compete with Handheld PDAs

My team is working with an xTablet T8600 rugged Tablet PC in the office today. It is being considered by a number of our customers and competing against handheld PDAs. Our customers need a rugged Tablet PC to view either map details or to conduct in-depth equipment inspections. It has a barcode scanner on the top, a credit card swipe on the right side and a great strap on the back to slip your arm through to hold it.

For more information click here. Here are some statements from their website:

Flexibility: MobileDemand's Rugged Tablet PC's are created to be as flexible as your workforce needs - regardless of the industry you are in.
Total Cost of Ownership: For markets such as Direct Store Delivery (DSD), Field Service, Transportation and Logistics, Healthcare, and Manufacturing and Distribution the right choice is a mobile computer..
Durable, Rugged Tablet PC: Nowhere is a failure more recognizable to the customer. It is critical that your field personnel are equipped with the best mobile solution.
Superior Customer Service From MobileDemand: MobileDemand's goal is to provide the best total experience before, during, and most importantly after the sale.
Customer Focused Engineering: MobileDemand takes pride in listening to our customers and using their input in the product design of our products and accessories.

MobileDataforce often works with both rugged handheld computers and rugged Tablet PCs. The majority of our customers have projects that involve data collection out-of-doors in wet, muddy and dusty environments so durability is an important component.

Application Enablement for Mobile Software Solutions, PDAs and Handhelds

I have read about a dozen reports over the last month on the subject of mobile software, handheld and PDA applications. Many companies have synchronization technologies for email, calendars, tasks and messaging, but one of the biggest needs right now is "application enablement." The definition of application enablement, as I understand it, is the ability for a company with a defined need for a mobile application to find a way to cost effectively develop and deploy it.

Here is a scenario - The Business Manager walks down the long row of cubicles to the IT manager's desk and says, "I need a field service work order management system on rugged PDA phones for my service technicians."

The IT manager closes down his My Space page and slowly turns and faces the Business Manager. "We have a custom Work Order Dispatch application written by your cousin Pete. There are no mobile applications that plug into it off-the-shelf."

"Just develop it then."

"How? Do you have a large budget and 12 months?"

This is the question that comes up in companies across the globe. The big unknown is how do you cost effectively create mobile applications. The answer is you need a RAD tool (rapid application development tool) that is designed for mobile applications. The following link covers this subject in more detail.

The PointSync Mobility Platform is the RAD tool created by MobileDataforce to address this need.