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AIA

Connect Anywhere promises painless mobile networking

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25th Dec 2005
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The possibilities for mobile computing continue to expand as Vodafone, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Hugh Symons have upgraded their Connect Anywhere service.

The project is a step on from the first phase Outlook Anywhere implementation previously reported on AccountingWEB. Now, instead of just synchronising emails via handheld iPaq computers and Vodafone GPRS handsets, users can synchronise the files on their mobile devices with those held on central company networks.

The original project supported Microsoft Exchange 2000, but now encompasses Exchange 5.5 and 2003. As well as iPaqs, Connect Anywhere customers can now use tablet PCs and laptops.

The companies behind Connect Anywhere launched the service upgrade at the beginning of September drawing on feedback from around 1,000 people who now use the system.

Connect Anywhere pulls together different bits of technology that many companies already use, but are not able to integrate themselves. Vodafone lays on the airtime, Microsoft the backbone software and HP provides the hardware. The job of Poole-based Hugh Symons is to put the bits together and provide 24-hour support for users.

"Customers want a solution, not the pain," explained Hewlett Packard's David Smith and Connect Anywhere delivers instant on/instant off Net access for a typical cost of around £1 per user per day, he added.

Outlook Anywhere was a natural first stage, as it was the lowest common denominator between the project partners and the most likely users. "If we could identify people who use Outlook and suffer from a lack of instant response, that would be our target market," said Smith.

Construction has been a big market, since architects, engineers and project managers often have to work on sites that have no technology infrastructure. But Connect Anywhere resellers have been reporting strong interest from nomadic professional users such as accountants and lawyers.

In use, Connect Anywhere is one of those solutions that seem so obvious and simple that you forget about the clever bits that make it happen. A typical download takes less than a minute. The iPaq connects via Bluetooth wireless technology to a GPRS phone handset which dials into the internet. Communications middleware from Synchro Logic manages the network handshaking, security and download. The user can go for a preconfigured "express" download that will pick up mail and specified files - and perhaps limit the size of mail messages to reduce airtime. If users want, they can choose a full synchronisation over which they have more control.

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