Extending desktop personal computer information to mobile phones has become a point of differentiation for several wireless companies of late, and Paragon Software plans to introduce a new application to do just that this week at PCS ’98 in Orlando, Fla.
In conjunction with Nokia Corp., Paragon announced the FoneSync application, which allows users to share address-book information between a PC’s personal information manager and a wireless phone. The two companies will co-market the product.
With FoneSync, those who use Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Organizer or Symantec ACT! will be able to load their address-book functions from their PCs onto their phones without needing to retype each entry. The application also can drop electronic business cards from e-mail, the Internet and PC desktop-up to 250 names and numbers in all.
Colin Calder, managing director of Paragon Software, said such applications will have great ramifications for the industry.
“Linking the features and functionality of PCs and wireless phones will revolutionize communication in the next millennium,” he said.
There are many different solutions to accomplish this, such as allowing users to access remotely from their phones data that is on their PCs. But Calder said he believes moving the data directly to the phone is a better solution.
“We understand as a company that phones [are] going to have more and more capabilities in them,” he said. “People buy phones for voice, and the data industry saw this as a pipe (for data) … The step they missed is that the phone itself is an organizer … FoneSync allows you to drag and drop contacts from your Personal Information Manager to your phone. The simplicity of it is exactly what users are looking for.”
Most phones already have address-book and contact-list applications, but the difficulty and frustration of the phone keypad user interface is a barrier to taking full advantage of the address-book function, Calder said, and most users have entered only about 10 names because of this.
“We believe the desktop is the primary source of information where most people enter data,” he said. “We saw this opportunity to provide synchronization software for the desktop or corporate (local area network) and given the voice user the ability to share information.”
FoneSync updates any new names, new or added numbers for old names, and changed names or numbers from the PC to the phone. It works both ways, so any new information added to the phone will be updated on the PC’s PIM. FoneSync also reconfigures the address book for international dialing before calling overseas.
The FoneSync software is loaded onto the PC. Synchronization is accomplished by hooking the phone up to the PC via a cable, activating the software program on the PC and selecting “synchronize” from the menu bar to drag and drop the numbers.
FoneSync is being released in conjunction with Nokia, but branded as Paragon and available to all handset vendors. Calder said it is compatible with all wireless standards from various vendors.
