Bluestone Ships XML-based Application for Palm Computing Platform Devices
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. — April 27, 1999 — Bluestone(R) Software, Inc., the independent leader in Enterprise Interaction Management, today began shipping Bluestone XML-Contact(tm) for the Palm Computing(R) platform, an XML (Extensible Markup Language) application for 3Com Corporation's Palm Computing devices. Bluestone XML-Contact lets Palm Computing device users exchange contact information with any corporate database, turning personal productivity tools into corporate information resources.
Available today, Bluestone XML-Contact for the Palm Computing platform is provided free-of-charge by Bluestone and can be downloaded at http://www.bluestone.com and http://www.intraware.com. 3Com has shipped over 2.6 million handheld computers worldwide in 1997 and 1998, according to preliminary estimates reported in February of this year by Dataquest, Inc., a unit of Gartner Group, Inc.(a) "Palm Computing platform devices are quickly becoming important tools for accessing corporate data," said Gabriel Acosta-Lopez, director of platform development services for Palm Computing. "Bluestone's XML-Contact for the Palm Computing platform enables companies to leverage the information stored in Palm Computing devices by deploying this information to users throughout the company."
Leveraging its XML expertise, Bluestone is leading the efforts to make Palm Computing platform devices a critical part of the enterprise information exchange by using XML to unite the handheld organizers with corporate databases. The release of Bluestone XML-Contact as open, standards-based, community source software means anyone can download the application for free and use the source code to make desired modifications. "Palm Computing devices are emerging as serious corporate tools, so the ability to move XML data in and out of the device is a tremendous asset," said David Linthicum, respected industry authority on Enterprise Application Integration.
"The XML standard's openness, ease of use, and flexibility make it suitable for larger applications, traditional computing and PC networks as well as the thriving device marketplace."
Using XML to Communicate Corporate Information
"Bluestone XML-Contact is one of the first in a new breed of applications that recognizes the untapped potential of device-based information for the company at large," said John Capobianco, senior vice president of marketing at Bluestone Software. "As the open communications standard for data interchange, XML is the ideal application for the Palm Computing platform. Today, Bluestone is enabling these devices to exchange contact information with corporate databases. Soon, we'll use XML to open up Sales Force Automation systems, Customer Relationship Management systems and other key data repositories to handheld devices." Bluestone XML-Contact for the Palm Computing platform comprises two distinct components — the client application and the server application:
— Bluestone XML-Contact:Client runs on the Palm Computing platform device, letting users select information to upload or download and translating that information into XML documents.
— Bluestone XML-Contact:Server runs on Bluestone XML-Server(tm), the industry's first dynamic XML server, or on any standard XML server. The server application processes the XML documents being sent from the Palm Computing device, interacts with the target database, and sends back the appropriate information as an XML document.
For users not yet running a dynamic XML server, Bluestone is hosting a demo site for Bluestone XML-Contact. In addition to hosting a public forum for the advancement of the Bluestone XML-Contact, Bluestone plans to release additional software in the community source format for Palm Computing platform devices. Future applications will include Bluestone XML-Expense(tm) for the Palm Computing platform and Bluestone XML-Calendar(tm) for the Palm Computing platform.
About Bluestone Software
Bluestone Software Inc. is a leading supplier of Enterprise Interaction Management software. Companies like ARI Fleet Management, Conexant, Dreyfus Corp., Eli Lilly, MCI, Reliance National, and Time Inc. depend on Bluestone's Sapphire/Web(R) and XML Suite application server frameworks to integrate business applications into Web-enabled environments, manage information interactions, and exchange data with employees, partners, and customers. For more information about Bluestone, please call 609/727-4600 or visit http://www.bluestone.com.
Editors' Notes: Additional documents available from Bluestone's PR contacts – — Backgrounder – "Enabling Thin Client Networked Devices with XML" — Graphic – "XML – Tie Palm Computing Platform to the Enterprise" — Data Sheet – "Bluestone XML-Contact for the Palm Computing Platform"
(a) "GartnerGroup's Dataquest Says Worldwide Handheld Market Grew 61 Percent in 1998," February 1999 press release.
Bluestone and Sapphire/Web are registered trademarks, and Bluestone XML-Server, Bluestone XML-Contact, Bluestone XML-Expense, and Bluestone XML-Calendar are trademarks of Bluestone Software, Inc. 3Com and Palm Computing are registered trademarks of Palm Computing, Inc., 3Com Corporation, or its subsidiaries. All other names, brands or products may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
CONTACT:
Bluestone Software, Inc., Mount Laurel
Anastasia Bullinger, 609/727-4600 x1001
[email protected]
or
Bluestone Software, Inc., San Francisco
Susan D'Elia, 650/344-1260
[email protected]