Enabling Technologies And Development
November 2001

 
Chris Donner

Left To Their Own Devices

BY CHRIS DONNER

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Being a child of the PC revolution, I think of the Internet and the PC as being joined at the hip. But by many accounts the PC revolution is over and a new one is coming that of the Internet-enabled device. Be it refrigerator, portable bar code scanner, or PDA, task-specific devices threaten to overtake the more generic PC in utilizing the Internet to access services.

One problem that stands in the way of IP-enabling your toaster is the ability to make services available to non-PC devices without cumbersome interfaces or network alterations. After all, consumers want their own devices: thats part of the beauty of the model. With PCs, you can have it in any color you want, but it must function as a word processor, address book, LAN terminal, graphic design tool, spreadsheet, MP3 player, etc. With a more task-specific device, the user is free to buy only an MP3 player, for example. But a service provider looking to sell MP3s online would really like to be able to sell them to this end user. How do they do this?

Embrace Networks addresses this issue through their platform, which allows any device to connect to a server and execute custom applications. I had a chance to speak with John Morris, VP of marketing for Embrace, about their platform, and he said that the real opportunity here for developers is in the services. Embrace is pursuing partnerships with manufacturers of chipsets and RTOSs to get devices connected, and the port for the device itself is basic and rather lightweight. On the server side of things is where the action is, as thats where Embrace and service providers will be looking for developers to design applications that drive traffic.

The Embrace development package is built on published APIs and XML. Applications will need to be able to recognize an Embrace-enabled device, negotiate a session, and determine what should happen based on limited input from the device. As an example, John talked about a digital photo service, which might query a digital camera to determine how many of the photos in the memory are new and then upload those photos for viewing over the Web. At the same time, this service might allow a local store to offer photo printing, a value-add for the end user and another possible source of revenue for the service provider.

The Embrace platform is scalable, and is built using two server platforms. The first server verifies the nature of the device and what application it is looking for, and can even offer firmware upgrades if necessary. The second server (or set of servers) hosts the application itself.

Embrace hasnt officially launched yet. John tells me this will be around February 2002. However, they are looking for Beta developers. So its up to you. What do you think people would do... if left to their own devices?

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Enabling Technologies And Development News

UNL To Distribute Ennovate Service Platform
Ennovate Networks announced a distribution agreement with United Networks Ltd (UNL) to distribute Ennovates MPLS and IP VPN Service Creation Platform. UNL is an integrator of systems and solutions throughout Europe for telecommunication equipment, access network systems, and associated services. Ennovates Service Creation Platform is designed to enable network service providers to rapidly deploy and easily provision network-based IP VPNs to their business customers.
978-263-2002; 
United Networks +44(0)-20-8939-5555

Sylantro Expands Support For Wholesale Service Providers
Sylantro Systems announced significant new capabilities in support of service providers who are focused on wholesaling and customizing high-end PBX replacement services for a growing reseller community. Sylantro has expanded its core product infrastructure to provide wholesalers with a new level of enabling interfaces to deliver a complete virtual infrastructure from front-end Web portal interfaces to back-end billing and revenue-tracking mechanisms on a secure and separate partitioned basis to their carrier/service provider customers. Using Sylantros proven distributed product architecture, these wholesaler-type service providers can further partition their service offerings to include unlimited customized portal interfaces, unique service bundles, integrated third-party applications, and other differentiated features and packages for their resellers, who in turn can offer unique Web portals and packages to their own customers.
www.sylantro.com, 408-626-2300

Digiquant Completes Key Integrations To Expand VoIP Offerings
Digiquant announced the successful completion of the integration of its Internet Management System (IMS) with the Lucent MultiVoice Access Manager. In parallel, the company has also implemented its IMS for VoIP with the Lucent Softswitch for delivery of VoIP services at a Malaysian telco giant, Telekom Malaysia. Digiquants IMS is a solution for the creation, management, rating, billing, and customer care of multiple services including both prepaid and postpaid VoIP. Digiquant has integrated its IMS product with Lucents MultiVoice Access Manager to create a real-time interface for handling prepaid and postpaid VoIP services. The MultiVoice Access Manager offers software-based gatekeeper functionality and communicates with Lucents MAX, TNT, and APX boxes.
www.digiquant.com, 770-206-4600

MGE UPS Intros Power Source Transfer Switch
MGE UPS Systems introduced its new Pulsar Source Transfer Switch (STS). The switch will automatically and instantaneously transfer up to 1400VA (12A of 120V 50-60 Hz AC current) of load power from a preferred source to an alternate, in the event of a primary power source failure. Using an STS is a simple and effective way of adding a second input power source to a single-input-sourced piece of equipment. That makes the STS an interesting option in any power-sourcing scheme which must be fail-safe and redundant. Whether a user is adding a second UPS to extend the backup time of an existing UPS or an alternate primary source of power to a single-sourced piece of equipment, the Pulsar STS is a very economical way of buying power insurance for mission-critical network or telecommunications applications.
www.mgeups.com, 800-523-0142

Sonexis Chooses SpeechWorks To Enhance Development Environment
Sonexis and SpeechWorks International announced that SpeechWorks 6.5 is fully integrated with Sonexiss Show N Tel software development environment for voice solutions. This integration enables Sonexiss customers to rapidly develop and deploy interactive voice applications such as speech-enabled consumer and enterprise voice portals, enhanced self-service, and CRM solutions. Sonexis will offer SpeechWorks 6.5 in SpeakIt, a module of Show N Tel, which is an open, standards-based software development environment that allows for the design, development, and deployment of interactive voice applications in a multi-vendor environment.
www.sonexis.com, 617-531-2100;
www.speechworks.com, 617-428-4444

APEX Voice Releases Next Generation Of OmniVox
APEX Voice Communications announced the release of its OmniVox Intelligent Call/Media Processor version 4.1 for enhanced services on TDM, IP, and bridged networks. The new release of the popular platform, which consists of the OmniView Service Creation Environment and the OmniVox call/media processing engine, allows service providers and developers to quickly create new revenue-generating services or to run APEX service-ready solutions, such as Announcers, Prepaid, or Messaging, on virtually any type of network. The OmniVox 4.1 platform has the flexibility to function as a standalone media server, a softswitch application server, or an enhanced media gateway, depending on the specific requirements of a particular deployment. Additionally, OmniVox 4.1 allows existing OmniVox users on circuit-based networks to cost-effectively migrate to packet-based services.
www.apexvoice.com, 800-727-3970

VMIC Announces Intel Celeron/PIII cPCI System Controller
VMIC has announced the VMICCPCI-7553, an Intel socket 370 Celeron and Pentium III cPCI bus system controller offering processor speeds of 566 MHz 866MHz with a flex motherboard that allows either processor to be supported. The VMICCPCI-7553 also features a 133 MHz front-side bus, up to 512 MB SDRAM, and Ultra DMA/100 IDE hard disk interface.
www.vimc.com, 800-322-3616

TeleGea Launches Next-Gen Self-Service Platform For Service Providers
TeleGea has announced the release of Emporium Enterprise, the companys next-gen software platform that improves the way businesses purchase and manage communications products and services. Emporium Enterprise leverages Communications Service Providers (CSPs) existing back-office systems to create Web-based, self-service environments for their subscribers and partners. Emporium Enterprises scalable, open architecture is XML-based and J2EE compliant, and features a unique adaptor framework that integrates with existing back-office and middleware systems to improve processes and leverage existing systems. Emporium Enterprise supports a broad range of communications products and services via multiple access media, including HTML, WML, XML, and VXML. Businesses can manage all aspects of accounts via a single interface, including ordering new products and services; adding, activating, changing or canceling services; as well as reviewing orders, purchases, and account activity.
www.telegea.com, 866-699-3874

net.com Brings New Revenue Opps For Service Providers
net.com announced the immediate availability of a major upgrade of the SHOUTIP Open Telephony Platform. The new feature-rich suite improves a service providers ability to monitor subscriber activity through an ODBC interface and collect incremental revenue with new time-of-day/day-of-week billing capabilities. The open database access feature allows a SHOUTIP operator to write simple scripts that can access any structured database that uses ODBC. As a result, a SHOUTIP system can now collect data from multiple existing databases in the service providers network, in addition to the built-in SHOUTgate database for authentication, authorization, and accounting and call detail record (CDR) collection and storage. The benefit to the service provider is the ability to quickly authenticate and bill for services delivered.
www.net.com, 510-713-7300

Green Hills Probe Speeds StarCore Development
Green Hills Software announced a hardware debug probe for Motorolas StarCore-based MSC810x DSPs and StarCore-based SOC embedded systems. This probe, together with Green Hills MULTI2000 source-level debugger and IDE, simplifies the debugging of embedded DSP programs by streamlining host-target communications and handling many debugging functions previously handled by the host. The probes built-in intelligence also enables it to provide advanced target read/write and control facilities, and to host a built-in Web server that simplified setup, status, and diagnostics.
www.ghs.com, 805-965-6044

CPLANE Software Combines Service Activation, Network Optimization
CPLANE launched its first set of service network control solutions for service providers. The CPLANE solution set includes IgnitionControl, the companys new flagship software platform for service network control, plus three new applications that automate service creation and activation. IgnitionControl offers comprehensive control of both service and network resources, enabling service providers to rapidly create and activate new revenue-generating services, while simultaneously optimizing the performance of the complex multi-vendor, multi-technology networks that drive their business and support all customers and services. The IgnitionControl solution includes Ignite service applications, the core IgnitionControl engine, and Network Ignition Adapters (NIAs) that provide intelligent connectivity and control of vendor-specific network elements.
www.cplane.com, 408-789-4000

App-Gen Resources
A list of app-gen companies, their products, and where to find them online.

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