You’re on a commuter train heading to work when all of a sudden you hear a beep. You realize it’s your pager going off, and as you look at the screen, you see the words, “Call Bob at work.” Of course, Bob didn’t leave a number for you to call, so you have to pull out your PDA and look for Bob’s work number in your contact list. After you finally find Bob’s number, you call him on your cell phone. Feeling confident that all the time and effort you just put in trying to contact Bob was worth it, you reach him on the phone, and he tells you he already found the file he was going to ask you about. “Thanks for calling, anyway,” he says.

Sound familiar? Well, you’re not alone. Many of us now travel with several devices just to keep up with today’s high-paced world. This age of instant information not only affects us in the workplace, but it can affect us in our personal lives, as well. Keeping tabs on the children, and scheduling PTA meetings with baseball coaches and teachers can be hard work without some easy solution to keep track of it.

Times have definitely changed. At one point, all we needed to keep in touch while on the road were a few coins for a public phone, a pen, and a good paper-based personal planner. Today, you would be hard pressed to find someone on the street without a cellular phone, a pager, or a PDA. But a conundrum has emerged from all of this convenience: How do we access and use the devices and the information we need conveniently? We’ll try to answer this question by taking a look at several solutions that solve the problem by connecting the data we need to several devices--all in a seamless, effortless fashion.

Being able to access your information using a mobile device is absolutely critical. According to AMI Partners, Inc, an information-technology consulting firm, over half of the entire U.S. domestic workforce will be mobile by 2006, with a total reaching about 67 million workers across the country. And, you’re not alone in your penchant for carrying more than one mobile device with you. Analysts at Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner, Inc. are predicting that by the year 2004, 60 percent of office workers will carry or own at least three mobile devices. That’s quite a lot to carry around.

An Organized Past

So, how did all of this begin? Before computers began to dominate the mainstream, people kept organized the old-fashioned way: with pen and paper. Personal organizers can be traced backed to the 1950s, when an organizer was developed to help lawyers keep track of their time. The concept was so popular it was used by 20 percent of the country’s lawyers soon after it was introduced. This method worked well, and there were not many other options available at the time.

As the availability of personal computers increased, so did the availability of personal electronic organizers. The year 1984 was significant for both computers and organizers. At this juncture, both the Apple Macintosh personal computer and the Psion Organiser were introduced to the world. The Organiser was the first electronic organizer of its kind. Dubbed “the world’s first practical pocket computer,” it weighed about half a pound and had 8K of memory. The Organiser was able to show only about 16 characters at a time on its display, yet it was considered a great advancement in portable computing.

The next step in the PDA revolution also came from the creators of the Macintosh. In 1992, Apple Computer, Inc. introduced the Newton, the first type of digital appliance that we now refer to as a PDA. In fact, it was John Sculley, the former chairman of Apple, who coined the phrase “personal digital assistant,” and turned the idea of an electronic organizer into a tool that would change the computer industry forever. Unfortunately, for the Newton itself the future was not that bright. Apple struggled with sales of the Newton for a few years due to several reasons, including its price (the product retailed for $799 to $949, depending on the model). The company finally discontinued the Newton in 1998. However, by this time, due largely to Apple’s groundbreaking leap into the marketplace, other types of PDAs were being developed and marketed. One in particular, manufactured by U.S. Robotics at the time, raised some serious eyebrows.

The product line, released in March 1996, was known as the PalmPilot, and it was the first widely accepted and most successful line of PDAs on the market. Not only did the devices have the ability to recognize handwriting (via its Graffiti application) and store data, the prices were more reasonable than the Newton ($299 and $369 for the Pilot 1000 and 5000, respectfully). The PalmPilot brand took the industry by storm and ignited a whole new way of staying organized. In the meantime, advancements were being made with other devices. With the introduction of the Windows CE operating system, more manufacturers were able to deliver products that resembled the Windows desktop on a PC, and that offered more functions than an organizer, making it more appealing to consumers who heretofore were hesitant to purchase such devices.

Meanwhile, the mobile phone was also making some headway. Believe it or not, the first cellular phone call was made in 1946. At this time, however, the customer base consisted of only about 5,000 subscribers (mostly truckers, reporters, and utilities). The device was far from being portable and inexpensive; it weighed in at about 80 pounds, and cost $15 a month, not including a per-call fee of 30 to 40 cents.

Things did not really get going with mobile phones until much later, when in 1983, the first commercial cellular phone license was given to AT&T in the Chicago area. By 1987, there were over a million mobile-phone service subscribers. Advances in the industry were quickly introduced commercially, leading up to the host of standard features common in these phones today, including digital cellular service, instant messaging, and Web browsing.

Pagers have been in use since 1974, when Motorola introduced the Pageboy I. Although the Pageboy had no display and no capability to store messages, it was considered a huge advancement, since you could use it to reach anyone away from the office. Displays were added to the devices in the early 1980s, allowing numeric digits to show a telephone number or a coded message. By 1994, there were 61 million pagers in use, and additional developments soon followed.          Alphanumeric paging was the next breakthrough, providing users an easy way to receive text messages without having to call someone back. Motorola continued innovating paging devices with the release of the PageWriter in 1996. This device introduced users to two-way paging, not only allowing messages to be received, but also allowing a response to be sent directly from the pager. Today, paging functions continue to expand, with such features as news, weather, and sports updates, contact lists, and e-mail capabilities.

With all of this technology available to us, why is it becoming increasingly difficult to work with mobile devices? For one thing, since these various devices were designed with different goals in mind, they haven’t been designed to work together. This lack of compatibility across platforms forces users to carry different devices to achieve the same goal--to stay in touch with others.

Another reason it’s hard to deal with mobile devices is that they are still relatively expensive. While the price has decreased significantly on many products, incorporating mobile technology into your daily routine can run up quite a tab. In addition, whenever a new advancement in mobile hardware is introduced to the public, you have to decide if the advancement is worth giving up on the investment you already made with another device.

Something else to consider is your company’s infrastructure. Will all of the devices you currently own work correctly with your company’s network and hardware? You won’t be much of a mobile worker if you can’t get any of your data while on the road. If your company is not supporting mobile devices or only supporting certain types, it can make things difficult for you to work remotely.

Throw in the burden of deciding which brand or type of device to purchase; the vast variety of choices available to consumers can be overwhelming for some. Not only are there separate devices to consider, but now there are convergence devices that combine several functions into one unit, leaving you with another decision to make.

Regardless of the possible setbacks, with all of the opportunities that mobile technology provides, millions of people take good advantage of it. No matter what your particular situation may be, there’s a solution available to help you become “mobilized”.

Getting It together:
How Synchronization Works

When a mobile user first hears the words, “mobile synchronization,” the first product that usually comes to mind is a PDA. However, synchronizing data is not exclusive to PDAs. In fact, you can share information with virtually any mobile device, including your mobile phone and pager. Basically, synchronization for all the devices works the same way; the process takes a set of information from a source (generally your desktop) and compares it to a file structure found on the target (your mobile device). If the data is not found on the target, it is automatically downloaded to the target. If a version of the file exists on the target, the data is handled depending on rules set by the user.

As an example, let’s take a look at how a Palm-based PDA and a Pocket PC device transfer data. There are basically four components to Palm synchronization: the desktop PC, the synchronization software (HotSync), the cradle or sync cable, and the Palm device itself. In order to sync up data between the PC and the PDA, the HotSync software needs to be installed and the cable must be strung between the devices. The software is basically an application that manages what gets transferred and how it is accomplished.

The software configures which port the data is going to use for synchronization (USB, serial, etc.), and determines which data located on your desktop PC you are going to synchronize, such as your address book or calendar. You can also select which information takes priority in case there is a conflict between the two sources of information (handheld overwrites desktop, desktop overwrites handheld, etc.).

In addition to the software, the computer needs a method to send the data to and from the Palm. Most users use a cradle, a device that’s included when you purchase the PDA. It generally serves two functions: as a base to hold the Palm device while it is physically connected and sending and receiving information to and from the PDA, and as a recharger for those models with rechargeable batteries.

Once the software is configured correctly and the hardware is in place, the user puts the device in the cradle and can either press a HotSync button located on the cradle, or select the HotSync option on the device. Once HotSync has begun, the transfer and replication of data begins.

The PDAs that use Microsoft’s Pocket PC operating system work in a similar fashion. The process of synchronization is the same, using similar components. This time, the software used is Microsoft’s ActiveSync. The software and cradle are installed and configured, and the Pocket PC device is placed in the cradle to be synchronized. ActiveSync is more device-aware than HotSync, though, and can detect when a Pocket PC device is placed in the cradle. The software automatically begins the synchronization process when this is detected, saving some time and effort on the user’s part.

Many paging devices and mobile phones handle synchronization in a similar way, using a transfer method and software to help share data efficiently.

With any mobile device, the key to productivity is deciding what information you need to have available to you. Fortunately, you have the option of making practically any type of data available via a mobile device, including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. The hard part is keeping it straight in your head which devices has the latest version of the file.

Let’s discuss what the basics are regarding data synchronization. As mobile applications were being developed, it’s clear that the software architects took a lesson from the paper-based personal planners and included a place to keep business contact information and phone numbers, an appointment book, a note pad, a financial record keeper, and a project planner. You will find that the software available for mobile devices will have the capability to store all of this information, as well as a new key component found only on personal computers: e-mail. With the inclusion of e-mail messages, mobile devices grew from simply a paper organizer replacement into a true accessory for today’s communication needs. As e-mail messages became a central part of our daily lives, so did our mobile devices. This is why most devices available today are centered around this e-mail feature.

Syncing Solutions

Now that we’ve discussed how it works, it’s time to consider which of the following methods would be right for you. Keep in mind that not all of the solutions are for everyone--you should examine what you need and how much time, money, and effort you’re willing to spend in order to get your info synchronized. With that said, let’s start by taking a look at the most convenient methods available.

As previously mentioned, the easiest way to make your data available while you’re away from the office is by using the included software supplied with your device. Since these applications were made with synchronization in mind, they provide the simplest route to making your data mobile. However, there are some situations where this process may not work for you. For example, what if you receive an important e-mail message, but you’re not at the office to move it to your mobile device? The following solutions offer alternatives to conventional information management.

It Starts With the Software

One of the first changes that can be made is with the synchronization software you’re using. If you’re planning on adding a document to your mobile device, you may be out of luck. While documents and spreadsheets can transfer onto a Pocket PC device from your desktop without a problem, Palm’s software does not have the capability for it. To accomplish this on a Palm-based device, you need to install third-party software, such as Documents to Go Professional Edition by DataViz. This software will let you review PowerPoint files and edit Word and Excel files from your Palm-based handheld, all compatible with MS-Office files. It sells for $69.95 for Windows-based desktops and Macintosh systems.

Advanced pagers, such as the RIM BlackBerry, have a similar problem when it comes to e-mail attachments sent from the desktop. To solve this, you can use a program like Visilogic’s WordWave Desktop to let you read these files on your device. The software is part of the Handango Essentials Suite for the RIM BlackBerry, and lists on the Handango site for $49.95 or can be purchased alone for $25 from Visilogic.

Software publishers have tried to address the mobile phone market, too. For example, Oxygen Software has developed a program titled Oxygen Phone Manager ($39 for Nokia GSM phones). This application allows you to communicate with your phone using your PC. It lets you store and edit your Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes phonebook and calendar, as well as export data to these applications. The products are available via download on the company’s Web site, which lists them for $39.

Another option available to you as a total software solution is PDAsync by LapLink. What makes this software unique is that it allows you to work with applications like ACT!, Lotus Notes, and Outlook to synchronize multiple mobile devices with the same software. It supports Palm-based, Pocket PC, and Casio Pocket View devices, and has built-in support for several smart phones, including those made by Kyocera, Samsung, and Ericsson. You can synchronize your e-mail, contacts, tasks and calendar. PDAsync sells for $29.95.

Syncing Without Wires

Loading your data onto your various mobile devices is relatively easy and straightforward. The real challenge is transferring that information between devices and maintaining synchronicity. There are a couple of ways to accomplish this. One method available to mobile users is the Infrared Data Association port (IrDA), which many people simply refer to as the infrared port. This port, which is standard on many handhelds and mobile phones, allows you to connect two devices without wires, and send and receive data.

Here’s an example of how this port can become handy. Let’s say you’re at a meeting where you’re introduced to several people who also use the same handheld as you. Want to share contact information? By using the infrared port, you can send and receive this data without having to write anything manually. You could then transfer the telephone numbers of your new contacts into the phonebook of your mobile phone, via the infrared ports on your handheld and mobile phone. Later, if you wanted to contact these people to ask some additional questions, you wouldn’t have to pull out your handheld. Simply make the call instead of fumbling with two devices.

Another great use of the infrared port is for connecting your handheld to the Internet via your mobile phone.

In addition to infrared, the Bluetooth wireless protocol can connect your devices to each other. Bluetooth has generated a buzz since its inception. It uses radio frequency, and so doesn’t need a line of sight to work, and it has an operating range of up to 30 feet.

You don’t need to have the two connected devices facing each other in order for the connection to work. This means that you can synchronize your devices without even having to remove them from your briefcase or pocket. In fact, the devices don’t even have to be in the same room. Another nice feature of the protocol is that you can transfer data to multiple devices simultaneously, while at the same time providing security for the data.

There are drawbacks to the standard. One of the major problems with Bluetooth right now is that it’s still relatively new and not globally accepted; so while there are some products with the technology built-in, many products that may one day make use of the technology currently don’t have it as an option. 

However, there is one way to get around this--buy a convergence device. This new type of device merges two or more conventional mobile devices, such as a phone and a pager, or a handheld and a phone. Good examples of these are the Motorola Accompli 009, the Samsung SPH-I300, and the Handspring Treo 180. These convergence devices offer many of the same features found on separate devices, while allowing you to use the same data on all of the device’s options. This can save time and effort. So, what’s the downside? Since these products do more than conventional devices, their price tags reflect this: You can expect to pay at least $399 for the least expensive model and as much as $649 for the most expensive.

The Web Works

You don’t have to depend solelton software to get your data synchronized: you can also use the Web. One great advantage to Web-based organizers is that you can access your data from any Internet-connected computer. Here are a couple of services that keep your data up to date by using your Web browser.

The Yahoo! Web portal (www.yahoo.com) offers the Yahoo! Calendar, Messenger, and Address Book, all of which allow users to enter information on the company’s Web site and have it synchronize with several devices, including Palm-based handhelds and Motorola, Ericsson, and Nokia phones.

One of the more advanced Web-based services is called ReadySyncGo! from Synchrologic. This service not only allows you to set up your information and synchronize it from a Web-based interface, it also works with Microsoft Outlook to help push this data to all of your devices, including pagers, phones, and handhelds. You can sign up for the service at www.readysyncgo.com.

Servers to the Rescue

Having to work out of the office doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use the company’s network infrastructure to help you stay connected. In fact, there are some pretty good solutions available to those companies willing to put the time and effort into integrating some of the following applications into its networks.

For example, one solution comes from Synchrologic. The company’s iMobile Suite allows corporate employees to stay in touch with workers and files no matter where they are located, using any Internet-capable device. Not only can you access e-mail messages and contact lists, but also documents and spreadsheets, intranet pages, enterprise applications, and more.

The solution supports Palm-based and Pocket PC handheld devices, digital phones with Internet capability, and RIM BlackBerry pagers. The iMobile Suite consists of four different server-based solutions; the RealSync Server, iMobile Data Synchronization, iMobile Systems Management, and iMobile File and Web Distribution.

Each of these components can be managed by using iMobile Admin Console, which is included in the suite, as well. The Admin Console allows administrators to manage which employees can receive which service and also lets them see the status of data requests placed on the network. Each user also has an administration tool, called iMobile Connect. This program, which can be accessed using a Web browser, allows users to decide what information should be delivered to their mobile devices and provides an interface to initiate a synchronization session.

Starfish (www.starfish.com), the company that provides Nokia with over-the-air Personal Information Management synchronization, provides the same capabilities to private companies via its TrueSync data synchronization, device management and simplify connectivity management platforms. These servers allow employees to synchronize virtually any type of data available with virtually any type of mobile device available. Supported devices include Palm-based and Pocket PC handhelds, Motorola, Ericsson, and Nokia phones, as well as Motorola pagers.

The TrueSync servers allow you to link up data from your network, and from the Yahoo! Calendar and Address Book. In addition, the TrueSync Internet Planner can be used as a Web-based organizer for corporations looking to provide employees with an easy-to-use interface to manage data. Employees can also use the TrueSync Plus software on their desktops to help facilitate synchronization sessions and make sure their data is replicated across all requested platforms.

The Infinite Mobile Delivery Server solution by Captaris works with an organization’s mail servers and corporate databases to provide workers with information they can use, regardless of the device it is received on. Employees not only have the ability to read and compose e-mail messages, but also, since the solution is integrated with the mail server, they can access functions normally only found on the desktop. For example, users can accept and decline meeting invitations, update calendars and tasks, and access the global address list using virtually any wireless device. This includes Internet-capable phones, pagers, and handhelds. In addition, no software is required on the mobile devices to access the Mobile Delivery Server. Users can simply enter an Internet address on their device and enter their network user name and password to access their information.

Wireless Knowledge, a subsidiary of Qualcomm and co-formed by Microsoft, offers corporate customers its Workstyle mobile groupware, allowing companies to offer e-mail, contacts, and calendar data to their employees. Wireless Knowledge makes its Workstyle server solution for both Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino servers, making it easy for administrators to incorporate mobile functionality without any disruption of workflow. The Workstyle servers also take advantage of the browsing capability included with Internet-ready mobile devices by supplying a URL for remote connections. This allows mobile device users to receive and respond to messages, meeting requests, and appointments in real time. Workstyle works for virtually any Internet-based device, including WebTV boxes, remote desktops, and laptops. The price is $70 per seat per year.

You may be wondering how all of these applications are able to talk to so many different devices at the same time. Well, most of the applications use a language called SyncML. The SyncML standard was co-developed by Ericsson, IBM, Lotus, Matsushita, Motorola, Nokia, Openwave, Starfish Software, and Symbian--all major players in the mobile technology industry. This consortium agreed that in order for mobile devices to work together, they all must speak one common language, and that’s how SyncML was born. The language is currently supported by hundreds of wireless companies and, if it lives up to its hype, may possibly be the next significant breakthrough in mobile communication.

Looking Ahead

With all of this technology currently available, what could possibly be in line for the future? To be honest, we are still expecting to see quite a bit. Indeed, a lot of improvements are needed when it comes to universally synchronizing data to mobile devices.

One of the major culprits is compatibility. Until every mobile device can read and write using one common language, such as SyncML, there are going to be some mistakes made in synchronization. Another significant issue is security. While some synchronization methods offer security of some sort, others don’t. You want to share your data only with your other devices, not with everyone else.

Still another concern is speed. Until faster speeds are available on mobile devices, you’re not going to be able to work as quickly and efficiently away from the office--which may defeat the purpose of working remotely in the first place.

Regardless of what bumps lie in the road ahead, the path for data synchronization is crystal clear. So hit the road, get your data in sync, and get going already.n

Captaris Inc.
(425) 820-6000
www.captaris.com

 
DataViz, Inc.
(800) 733-0030
www.dataviz.com

 
Handango
(817) 280-0129
www.handango.com

 
Handspring, Inc.
(888) 565-9393
www.handspring.com

 
LapLink, Inc.
(425) 483-8088
www.laplink.com

 
Motorola, Inc.
(800) 331-6456
www.motorola.com

 
Oxygen Software
www.oxygensoftware.com

 
Pumatech, Inc.
(408) 321-7650
www.pumatech.com

 
Samsung Telecommunications America
(800) SAMSUNG
www.samsungusa.com

 
Synchrologic, Inc.
(888) 345-SYNC
www.synchrologic.com

 
Visilogic Systems, Ltd.


www.visiologic.com

 
Wireless Knowledge, Inc.
(800) 656-6400
www.wirelessknowledge.com