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Handheld Topics
- Unique
Application Integration Issues -
PDAs and smart phones (PalmOS variety,
Symbian-Based or Pocket PC based) present
unique challenges to the enterprise application development staff. You should understand
these issues, debate them, and evaluate them in terms of their impact on your overall
development strategy and your desire to give these applications to your business
units. Here they are:
Unique client OS
environment, distinct from traditional client-server or web-based architecture
Limited processor memory. lower processor
speed, and lack of hard disk
Resorting to a low-function browser for
internet access
Limited wireless network support
Retraining (minor) of application
development staff - essentially make them conscious of the limitations of PDAs as compared
to full function PCs. We always find it hard to conserve after living in an environment
where we did not compare for hardware resources.
Lack of support in Web servers and
application servers
Different set of application development
tools which may lack maturity and the sophistication that we may be used to
Deciding which applications and functions
you should offer to your users - keep it simple.
Opportunities
As against these challenges, we are presented
with a tremendous opportunity to exploit an inexpensive and nimble device which we may be
able to carry anywhere. Cost of deploying these applications gets lower and the benefits
can be very substantial.
Finally our
advice
to the PDA Application planners and architects
Do not fear these challenges - all these
obstacles are but natural with an emerging technology and can be managed effectively.
If you have a good business application to implement on PDAs, do it
now. Do not expect the same operating system on PDAs as you do on full-function
notebooks. Remember PDAs address a few, fixed-function and low-function
applications. With thin client approach and browser-based application development,
tomorrow's PDA Mobile application servers will give you more functionality in the future.
Use the same principles of software and systems engineering in mind as you would do with
e-commerce and web technology.
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