Case Studies

 

Sling
Vodafone’s Wireless Office enables mobile contacts, messages and calls to be managed from a PC or laptop. EMCC created the client software compatible for S60 devices.

The challenge

Vodafone had developed an application that enabled a PC to communicate with the telephony, contacts and SMS functionality on mobile devices. Originally this was implemented solely as an enterprise package for use with Sony Ericsson handsets.

Experience quickly showed that power users within organisations were installing the software onto their laptops and managing their mobile calls via their PC. On the basis of this experience it was decided to extend the availability of the software to S60 based handsets as the major platform in the smartphone market. This updated version of the product is known as the Vodafone Wireless Office.

Our role & achievements

Having been told by another Symbian OS development house that Vodafone’s requirements could not be fulfilled on Symbian OS devices, EMCC Software were invited to perform a feasibility study to see if the Vodafone Wireless Office (then called Mobile Attendant) could be extended to Symbian phones. An in-depth analysis was performed that identified the options available to Vodafone in terms of how to access the functionality required and what communications protocols to use.

The report produced by EMCC confirmed the preferred option of using Bluetooth to handle the AT commands for accessing the device functionality and EMCC also provided proof of concept applications to demonstrate that contacts management, SMS messaging and telephony functionality could be managed this way. On completion of this work EMCC successfully tendered for the subsequent development project and created solutions for a variety of Nokia handsets based on S60 2nd Edition.

As part of the solution, EMCC provided the Autostart product that allows applications to be started on boot-up or scheduled to start at a specific time interval. The initial development was based on the Nokia 7610 device which, when completed, meant a minimum of testing and changes before being available on the Nokia 6670 and Nokia 6260. The solution was then ported to other Nokia devices.

EMCC Software demonstrated the ability to investigate what can (and cannot) be achieved and how best to do it on Symbian OS through extensive knowledge and experience. Some of the investigation work involved undocumented APIs. Our solution was thorough and proved our capabilities to Vodafone. The final product is being ported to an ever-growing list of devices and matches everything that was required by Vodafone.

Key features and benefits

Vodafone Wireless Office can be used as a PC-based “smart” switchboard across an enterprise, providing secretarial or reception staff with the ability to manage company wide contacts and mobile calls from their desktop or laptop computer. It is primarily targeted at SMEs that have chosen to predominantly use mobile devices. However it is also recommended for individual power users (often executive level personnel) who need to manage their own communications due to the demands of dynamic schedules. The client provides an intuitive and user-friendly interface to handle calls, SMS messages and manage contacts.

Technologies

  • Bluetooth
  • Telephony
  • AT commands
  • SMS-PDU
  • Contact synchronisation
  • Symbian OS
  • S60 2nd Edition
  • Vodafone Wireless Office solutions have been created for the following Nokia handsets: 6600, 6620, 6260, 6630, 7610, 6670, 6680

If you would like any further information on any aspects of this case study please contact technology@emccsoft.com

 

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