Sept/Oct 2004

Developers looking for ways to transfer desktop applications to the BlackBerry handheld portable range now have a new option - the WAP and Java Solutions suite from Navara, a software and integration specialist based in Atlanta, Georgia and Shannon in Ireland.

It offers two approaches. The simpler is the Navara WAP Solution, which uses either the built-in BlackBerry browser or WAP browser on the BlackBerry handheld. This solution requires the user to have wireless access while they read and update their data. The company says this solution is best deployed in plant-wide, campus-wide and urban situations where wireless coverage is very high.

The Java Solution is more powerful, but also more complex. It allows users to operate without wireless coverage, using a specially-written Navara client (written in Java using the J2ME standard). This enables the user to work on more complex forms and records, even if they do not have a wireless connection, and synchronise the data with the server when the user has coverage.

The company is offering a range of resources within the suite, including Navara ODBC Adapter, Navara Remedy Action Request Adapter, Navara XML Adapter and Navara HTTP Adapter.

Development is said to be speeded up by means of 'mobility wizards', which can allow rapid project implementations and customisation of work flows for end users.

Navara's adapters manage the extraction of data from enterprise applications via relational database tables, XML documents or simple flat files. They are said to integrate with industry standard applications such as Remedy, Oracle, SAP, JD Edwards, Sage and Exchequer.