The growth of handheld computing has skyrocketed. The corporate culture is transforming into an increasingly mobile, geographically dispersed workforce. They require fast and easy access to networked resources and electronic communications. The emergence of corporate data infrastructures that easily supports remote data access further supports the growth of the handheld computing market.
Palm Computing continues to provide solutions to address this growing demand with products that are simple, easy-to-use and extremely portable. By the year 2001 palm computing will have exceeded 15 million units. Currently there are over 3 million units in use.
Currently, approximately 15,000 developers are creating software solutions for the Palm Computing® platform, while several thousand software titles and dozens of developer tools and services are already available. Developers are writing Palm Computing platform applications in a extensive reach of categories, including contact and schedule management, e-mail and Internet communications, sales force , personal productivity, groupware, financial management, and games. In addition, several major software developers have incorporated Palm Computing platform with leading tabletop applications.
Some Current Applications Available
Lotus Organizer-looks and works like a manual planner - with tabs and pages that turn. You have an all-in-one tool to schedule appointments, manage contacts, make to do lists, keep notes, and share calendars. Organizer works with the Internet and popular hand-held devices.
Lotus Notes - gives the user place to write thoughts, ideas, expenses and revenue ideas. Financial Consultant is the financial problem solver for the Palm Computing platform. Quickly solve for PV, PMT, FV, PV, I%, n. Convert between nominal and effective interest rates. Generate amortization schedules. Evaluate investment opportunities involving multiple cash flows with NPV and IRR functions. All at your fingertips, using your Palm Computing platform device.
Actioneeer for PalmPilot™-creates a single point of entry for capturing action messages with your Palm Computing® platform device. Actioneer intelligently interprets and classifies what you write, links it to your calendar, contact, to do, or memo and distributes it into your existing Palm Computing platform applications
T.E.A.K.-simplifies tracking your time, expenses and distance travelled and allows you to easily select your clients, projects and tasks. T.E.A.K. works the same on your desktop as on your Palm Computing platform device, so entries can also be added directly from your desktop. And with the click of a button, T.E.A.K.'s comprehensive selection of time, expense and distance reports can be quickly generated.
Financial Consultant-is the financial problem solver for the Palm Computing platform. Quickly solve for PV, PMT, FV, PV, I%, n. Convert between nominal and effective interest rates. Generate amortization schedules. Evaluate investment opportunities involving multiple cash flows with NPV and IRR functions.
Palm Map–find directions if lost, or find the most direct route, the most scenic or what town you are in.
Restaurant Finder–Hungary? Find the best Italian restaurant in town. Make reservations to impress that important client. Get reviews menus, and hours and days of operation.
Alarm Clock–Need a reminder? This software will beep, play music or play a familiar sound effect when you are scheduled for next appointment.
REAL WORLD EXAMPLES
Executives Extend Lotus Notes To Every Corner of the World
With 70 locations in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Europe and the Far East, executives at Mitel Corp. are constantly on the go, overseeing telecommunications and semiconductor projects around the globe. Executives must reconcile appointment calendars and contact lists from both sites while making their own changes from the road. They also need to keep a running tab on the expenses they accrue in the course of their travels.
To meet these business-critical demands more effectively, Mitel's Emerging IT Solutions group considered various standalone organizers. However, none of these systems was able to provide the up-to-date information Mitel executives required. Then EITS discovered the Palm Computing. Coupled with wireless modems, turns Palm Computing platform devices into portable extensions of Mitel's corporate Lotus Notes network, where most of Mitel's critical information resides. Using this solution, Mitel executives now more rapidly and efficiently update vital business data--from phone lists to expense account spreadsheets--by inputting it into Lotus Notes where fellow executives, administrators, accountants and others can easily retrieve it. Managers employing the Palm Computing solution now upload their own schedule changes and download those made by their multiple geographically dispersed assistants, knowing the data will be instantly replicated and synchronized on Mitel's corporate Notes servers. This new solution not only eliminates any potential scheduling confusion, but also increases executives' productivity, enabling them to focus more on account service, project management and other revenue-generating endeavors. Traveling executives can accelerate their ability to submit expense reports-and most importantly, they get reimbursed faster. Using the handheld device, they can now quickly track a year's worth of expense data by type, location, category and currency.
Financial Executives Leave Their Desktop PCs Without Missing a Market Uptick
In today's uncertain bull market, every minute counts. With stock prices and portfolio values rising and falling with unprecedented speed, it's understandable that executives at Bankers Trust were finding it difficult to leave their desktop PCs, even for lunch. When they did leave, they were out of touch with the market--not a desirable situation for investment bankers whose clients' fortunes may turn on a market twitch.
Bankers Trust looked at alpha-numeric pagers with streaming stock quotes, but the pagers didn't deliver enough information or any interactive capability. What the company needed was a constant link to a real-time desktop and the activities of the market.
Bankers Trust found the mobile solution it was looking for in handheld Palm Computing® platform devices with Reuters MarketClip software from Reuters America and Aether Technologies, and a Minstrel Wireless IP Modem. The combination of Palm Computing device, MarketClip software and wireless modem gives them an interactive wireless financial system that delivers Reuters real-time U.S. equities data on a shirt pocket-sized device. Now, executives and customers can call up detailed information like quotes, headlines, market alerts, 15-minute intra-day and 20-day historical charts, and summaries. Two-way data exchange lets them input the specific stock quotes or portfolio values they need.
The Palm Computing platform solution has given Bankers Trust executives and clients a new mobility. They can go to lunch, visit industry conferences, vacation, get into a taxi or meet clients without losing touch with the market.
Consultants Communicate Billable Time and Project Status from Client Sites
Longview was capturing new clients and enjoying real success for its integrated financial management and decision support solutions based on its Khalix software. Ironically, it was having less success capturing billable hours and project management data from its field consultants and getting that information back to company headquarters in a timely manner. This was costing the client administrator hours of time ensuring the records were up to date.
Given the complex nature of its software solutions, the company maintains consultants at client company sites to help implement the solutions. In fact, consultants spend most of their time at client sites. The problem was how to keep employees who seldom visited company offices in touch. And how to keep the company informed on project status. But it was the slow-moving billable hours data that sparked Longview to action.
With limited access to the systems in the corporate office, it was a constant challenge for Longview consultants to submit time sheets and expenses. They were using myriad methods including phonemail, faxes, and rushed visits to the office between flights to enter their time into the time keeping system. Periodically, the timekeeping administrator had to gather all this information and enter it to produce invoices in a timely manner. The system was cumbersome and time-consuming. Clearly, it was a situation that had to be fixed.
The company decided that equipping consultants with laptops was too costly to justify since consultants spent most of their time on client systems. Then Longview discovered Changepoint Corporation's REMIND software for the Palm Computing® platform. REMIND, an ERP solution for IT consultants, was specifically designed to help mobile users status projects, and enter time and expenses. The solution had immediate appeal to Longview consultants. The inexpensive handheld device allows them to capture their time and expenses, and synchronize the information with the central system via laptop or modem when it's convenient.
Capturing consultants' billable hours now works like clockwork. Hours logged on the Palm Computing platform device are automatically directed to managers for approval, then to the corporate database where information is delivered to an invoicing module. The information is updated every time the consultants synchronize.
Beyond billing information, such mission-critical project data as hours spent, project status, and time and resources needed to complete the project is captured by the consultants and communicated back to company managers. With this information in hand, managers can be more in touch with status on the company's core business-client IT projects.
Since Longview implemented the new Palm Computing platform solution, they've cut administrative costs, saved time and increased communication. The time involved for consultants has been cut dramatically and they appreciate the convenience of the Palm Computing platform devices. The administrator no longer has to manually input time sheets--a job that took hours every week-so she can focus on other aspects of her job. Longview was able to outfit all the consultants with the handhelds instead of laptops at a fraction of the cost, with similar results.
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