IBM Enhances Eclipse-based Tools for Mobile Access to Enterprise Applications

IBM today announced the availability of three new pervasive computing technologies for download via its alphaWorks emerging technology web site. The new software solutions -- IBM Voice Toolkit, Forms for Mobile Devices and Multimodal Toolkit Plus -- make it easier for companies to access enterprise applications via wireless data devices virtually anytime, anywhere. The three independent offerings also help to simplify the development and deployment of pervasive computing software using open, standards-based technology.

"The mobile workforce is predicted to grow in double digits between now and 2008, which will create a high dependence on wireless mobile devices and alternative input methods such as speech and multimodality," said Marc Goubert, senior manager, IBM alphaWorks. "With these pervasive computing toolkits, IBM empowers customers to drive internal field and sales efficiencies by harnessing open standards-based technologies to access enterprise applications."

The Voice Toolkit Preview now offers voice application development capabilities to developers leveraging the IBM Software Development Platform. It provides an integrated development environment, enhanced Natural Language Understanding tools, and support for VoiceXML and the new Open Source Reusable Dialog components. These new features and functions help to simplify and speed the software development process and open it up to a larger group of people rather than limiting it to specialized speech application programmers.

The second offering, Multimodal Tools Plus, is an Eclipse-based tool designed to speed the development of browser-based applications on embedded devices requiring visual and speech interaction. This comprehensive software tools package provides an easy to use interface for testing voice-enabled Web applications on the desktop prior to deployment on handheld devices. It leverages the IBM Embedded ViaVoice speech engine and the V V (xHMTML and Voice) multimodal specification.

Finally, IBM Forms for Mobile Devices is a Java-based distributed software solution comprising a set of Eclipse-based wizards. It enables developers to create applications rapidly for accessing and completing business forms, such as an expense approval sheet, stored locally on mobile devices. When a mobile device user completes and submits a form, it is queued for delivery to the server when connectivity is available. When the server receives a completed form, it dispatches it to the back-end application for final processing.

Developers can download these software tools via IBM alphaWorks, the leading resource for emerging technology www.alphaworks.ibm.com.

About IBM alphaWorks

IBM alphaWorks (www.ibm.com/alphaWorks), the destination for IBM emerging technology, provides early adopters and innovators direct access to IBM's "alpha" technologies straight from IBM Research through free download and commercial licenses. alphaWorks is a part of developerWorks (www.ibm.com/developerWorks), which is committed to responding to the needs of developers through free tools, code and education.

Contact: Holly Burkhardt IBM 408-463-2685