Feb-March 2003

NetDespatch, the online job booking specialist for the courier and express market, has become the first company to integrate with the new Grapevine mobile data service launched by Transcomm (m.logistics, last issue). The company has been appointed an official reseller of the system, which will be offered along with its despatch packages.

NetDespatch users will be able to send emailed job bookings and confirmations to and from Grapevine's PDA-like handheld devices, and the company says it is also willing to develop bespoke applications for the devices, such as proof of delivery confirmation.

Integration with proprietary job booking applications such as Professional IT and CMS is said to take only "a matter of hours".

Grapevine transmits data on Transcomm's own narrow-band radio network. It is an always-on system, costing users a flat fee of £29.99 a month. Initially it is a "pull" service (the remote user has to request data downloads), but soon a "push" service will be added (data arrives automatically). The price of this capability has now been revealed as a modest extra £5 a month.

 

Although promoting Grapevine primarily as a corporate tool, Transcomm emphasises that it is also appropriate for individuals or very small businesses - for "anyone who is willing to leave their computer on all the time," as marketing director Adrian Noad puts it.

The PDA is seen as particularly secure. No transient data is stored on it once it is switched off, and it has no IP (Internet) address of its own. However, the batteries are said to last for four days before needing to be recharged, so users have plenty of time to read and respond to emails or instructions.

Transcomm says it plans to announce a range of partnership agreements in various market sectors. NetDespatch is likely to be the only such supplier in the courier sector for the foreseeable future.