New Mobile Web Services for Blackberry Announced

March 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sun Microsystems, the creator and leading advocate of Java technology, today announced that it is working with Research In Motion (RIM)to extend mobile Java Web services technology to the more than one million customers currently using BlackBerry. Sun and RIM will enable the end-to-end secure delivery of enterprise data via BlackBerry based on Sun's Java Enterprise System, Java technology for mobile devices, and Web Services technologies.

"Web Services will enable IT departments to fully and securely extend their existing applications and systems to BlackBerry users," said David Yach, Senior Vice President of Software at Research In Motion. "Together with Sun Microsystems, we are leveraging the power of Java Web services and BlackBerry to enable secure electronic business using wireless."

"There is an immediate need for today's companies to connect corporate networks to mobile devices to increase productivity, value-chain efficiency, sales and, most importantly, help to establish and strengthen personalized customer relationships," said Alan Brenner, Vice President of Consumer and Mobile Systems Group at Sun Microsystems. "Our alliance with a leading mobile enterprise solution provider like RIM demonstrates the potential of Java technology to help enterprises massively improve productivity and customer loyalty with BlackBerry."

The Sun-RIM relationship is expected to greatly expand mobile data services in networked applications and extend their reach into enterprise markets. Sun will work closely with RIM to help developers, software vendors and solution providers to simplify the development and deployment of mobile enterprise applications based on Web services with Java technology.

The Java technology and Web services platform (JSR 172) is poised to propel a new generation of networked data services for mobile devices. This latest addition to the J2ME platform is WS-I compliant and allows mobile devices to access Web services using XML and SOAP protocols. It is interoperable and available through Java technology for Smartphones HotSpot Implementation (HI) and the award-winning J2ME Wireless Toolkit.

BlackBerry goes beyond e-mail with eAgency
Wireless sales force automation and CRM provider eAgency has already benefited from the Sun-RIM relationship in its drive to develop and implement advanced communication and customer support systems for the insurance industry.

Lisa Brumfield, CEO, Agent Builders Company said, "eAgency's Nice Office Wireless has extended our ability to be in communication with our mobile field force and increased their productivity substantially. This is a remarkable accomplishment!"

eAgency Systems has extended its web-based information exchange platform to the wireless mobile user. BlackBerry with eAgency's wireless service, an ISP-class e-mail infrastructure, uses Sun hardware and the Solaris 9 operating system for scalability and performance. The initial implementation of the eAgency platform will be a customized insurance application for the Financial Health Research Institute (www.fhrimember.org).

Built on top of the J2ME Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) and a suite of Application Programming Interfaces (API), eAgency and RIM have enhanced their content delivery with a comprehensive suite of CRM/SFA business applications for the remote mobile user. These APIs built on the thin footprint of Sun's J2ME (TM technology have enabled eAgency to build customized user interfaces and persistent storage on a variety of BlackBerry Wireless Handhelds . Business-specific information is tightly integrated with the existing BlackBerry user interface to offer a seamless transition from contacts and calendar to detailed sales and status information. This confidential information is encapsulated in an end-to-end AES encrypted data packet.

"Java for mobility platforms was designed for flexible wireless applications. This made it easier for us to concentrate on the application, which resulted in a greater depth of utility for the end user," said Karen Jaffe, CTO, eAgency.

Source: Sun Microsystems, Inc.