Mobility specialist Synchronica is to demonstrate forthcoming products at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, including a way for entry-level phones to send and receive email using the SMS text message facility already in every handset.
Synchronica's Mobile Gateway server software already offers push email and over-the-air synchronisation using SyncML and Push Imap for smartphones and feature phones, but with version 3.5 available from March, the firm is seeking to expand its support to include even entry-level handsets.
"Our aim is to reach as many handsets as possible, especially in emerging markets," said Synchronica chief executive, Carsten Brinkschulte. "So we're expanding to support basic phones, adding the capability to convert mail to SMS to bring a push email experience to even the cheapest handsets."
This feature will only be available in the version of Mobile Gateway used by carriers, but allows users to reply to emails and compose new messages as well as receive them. Because SMS only supports up to 160 characters, emails may have to be split into more than one text message, with the user replying with "more" to get the next chunk. To compose a message from scratch, the user has to include the target address and subject line in the SMS ahead of the body text.
While this sounds clumsy, it allows any worker with even a basic mobile phone to get important emails and send a simple yes or no response, according to the firm.
"I don’t believe SMS Gateway will be the email solution of choice," Brinkschulte said. "If a handset supports Imap, the gateway will use that; but if not, it will convert messages to SMS." When installed behind a company firewall, Mobile Gateway also supports Microsoft Exchange, Sun Java Communications Suite and Lotus Domino.
Synchronica will also demonstrate at the Mobile World Congress its new backup and restore capability, which lets carriers offer the capability to backup calendar and contact information from users' handsets.
"We see big demand for this, because lots of users store contacts only on their phone, and if the handset is lost or stolen, you lose your contacts," Brinkschulte said. With the backup and restore function, users can download this information from the network to their new handset using SyncML.
Separately, web content providers and mobile workers could benefit from developments in the mobile space over the coming year, according to a leading industry expert.
Speaking exclusively to IT Week last week, Christian Lindholm, father of the Nokia S60 user interface and director at design consultancy Fjord, predicted the rapid rise in GPS-enabled phones.
"GPS will be the new camera on mobile phones in 2008, because of the strategic belief that lots of money can be made monetising location-based services and the clear end-user benefit," he explained.
This year is also likely to see more focus placed on user interface and design, with everything from the icons to iPhone-style touch screen imitators hitting the market. "Expect to see major announcements by most major handset manufacturers in 2008 – it will bleed into everything," said Lindholm.
The growth in touch screen handsets and content properly optimised for smaller screens will be good news for content providers as it should see the mobile net become more user-friendly, driving up usage, he added.
