IBM WorkPad and 3Com PalmPilot Users Gain Wireless Access to Lotus Domino
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 29 — September 29, 1998 — Lotus Development Corp. today announced new wireless communications solutions for Lotus Domino customers who use market-leading personal digital assistants (PDAs) from IBM and 3Com Corporation. Through Wireless Domino Access, a server-based offering that provides wireless connectivity to Domino, users of IBM WorkPad, and 3Com PalmPilot and Palm III connected organizers equipped with Novatel Wireless' Minstrel Wireless IP Modem and Unwired Planet's microbrowser can directly and instantly access their existing Domino-based Notes Mail, Directory and Calendar. With this combination, Lotus is extending the reach of Domino to the millions of IBM and 3Com PDA users, allowing mobile professionals to act more quickly to customer and business needs and make better decisions faster. Wireless services from AT&T provide the link from the PDA to the Domino server.
"This new combination of Wireless Domino Access and the PDA solution provided in conjunction with our partners greatly increases the productivity of mobile professionals by linking them to the power of Domino," said Eileen Rudden, senior vice president, Lotus' Communications Products Division. "This is consistent with our strategy to extend the Domino platform by expanding our leadership in supporting mobile professionals. By providing our customers more options for accessing e-mail and important business process data from virtually anywhere and at anytime we are further enabling organizations to be more competitive, more responsive to their customers and more connected to their colleagues and business partners."
Convenient Access to Business-Critical Applications for the Mobile Professional
With this new combination, today's 25 million Notes users now have the ability to gain access to their Domino-based enterprise data virtually anytime, anywhere from their PDAs. At Fall Internet World in New York, October 7-9, Lotus will demonstrate how these wireless communications solutions are helping companies and mobile professionals to be more connected and responsive.
Through Wireless Domino Access, connectivity to Domino-based data is available from any IBM WorkPad, 3Com PalmPilot or Palm III organizer when equipped with Novatel Wireless' Minstrel or Minstrel Plus Wireless IP Modem running Unwired Planet's UP.Browser and coupled with wireless services from AT&T. Wireless Domino Access is a server-based solution that is part of Lotus' Pager Gateway package and provides several capabilities to users of these PDA devices. With Wireless Domino Access, users can access their Domino servers directly from their PDA devices or suitably equipped mobile phones, such as those available through AT&T PocketNet service and running UP.Browser, to view their inboxes, read and forward messages, compose and send responses, search for messages according to the sender, subject and date fields, and send messages to a fax machine for printing.
Users also can check their calendars, read entries for that day or a specified date, and create new calendar entries. Access to the Domino Directory allows users to search for a contact by first and last name, as well as send an e-mail to a contact directly from an individual's Person Record in the Domino Directory.
The IBM WorkPad PC Companion provides corporate mobile professionals with a powerful productivity tool that provides seamless access to desktop applications such as e-mail, date books, address books and to do lists.
The Minstrel and Minstrel Plus Wireless IP Modems are lightweight modem cradles custom designed for the IBM WorkPad, PalmPilot and Palm III organizers. Using Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) technology and the standard Internet Protocol, Minstrel extends the functionality of IBM WorkPad, PalmPilot and Palm III organizers with two-way wireless data capability, including access to the Internet and e-mail. The modems supports data rates up to 19.2K bps and can be powered by both alkaline and NiMH rechargeable batteries.
Unwired Planet's UP.Browser is an interactive microbrowser optimized for wireless transport that runs on small-screen handheld wireless devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, and handheld computing devices. By coupling the low-latency performance of the CDPD network and optimized protocols, the overall solution will be uniquely suited for high-performance, interactive applications on the IBM WorkPad, PalmPilot and Palm III devices.
AT&T PocketNet service is the first service to offer people wireless access to their e-mail, office calendar, contact manager and an array of other online information. AT&T PocketNet service is available in more than 70 of the nation's top 100 cellular markets. A flat monthly rate of $29.99 gives subscribers unlimited access to PocketNet data services, including many content sites such as InfoSpace, ABCNews.com, Bloomberg Financial, ESPN SportsZone, and Travelocity.
New Opportunities for Business Partners
The new WDA solution also creates additional opportunities for Lotus Business Partners to offer services and solutions to companies seeking to leverage the market leading messaging and applications server for wireless access. WorkGroup Consulting Services is a Lotus Business Partner that is providing customer solutions that extend the power of Notes and Domino to the IBM WorkPad and 3Com PalmPilot and Palm III organizers.
"Our customers see the tremendous value that these types of solutions bring to their Domino applications and messaging strategy," says Andrew Velez, Managing Partner, WorkGroup Consulting Services. "We are focusing on assisting our customers with 'Wireless enabling' their Domino applications, allowing them to provide their mobile workforce with important information through WDA solutions."
Pricing, Availability and System Requirements
Wireless Domino Access is available as part of a package with Lotus Pager Gateway Release 2.03. Pager Gateway Release 2.03 with Wireless Domino Access is available immediately from Lotus Business Partners for an estimated retail price of $3,000.
Pager Gateway 2.03 with Wireless Domino Access requires a Pentium or faster PC with at least 64 MB of RAM, Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 or later, Domino Server Release 4.54 or later. Systems running Pager Gateway 2.03 require 60 MB of free disk space (in addition to the Domino Server requirements), at least one dedicated communications port, at least one Hayes-compatible modem, at least one wireline analog phone line, and one alphanumeric or numeric pager and access to a commercial paging service. Wireless Domino Access requires 4 MB free disk space (in addition to Domino Server requirements), access to a commercial wireless IP service such as AT&T PocketNet service, an HTTP server installed and running on the Domino server, and an Directory available on the Domino server running Wireless Domino Access.
WDA-enabled Domino servers may be accessed by 3Com's PalmPilot or Palm III, and IBM's WorkPad or WorkPad II, equipped with Novatel Wireless' Minstrel or Minstrel Plus Wireless IP Modem running Unwired Planet's UP.Browser.
Fall Internet World '98 conference attendees can see these solutions at the Lotus booth #1421 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York, October 7-9, 1998.
For more information on Notes and Domino, call Lotus at 1-800-346-1305 or visit http://www.lotus.com.For more information about PocketNet service and coverage areas, call AT&T Wireless Services toll free at 1-888-328-2288 or visit http://www.att.com/pocketnet/ or a local retailer.
All prices and terms are for the USA only. Lotus, Lotus Notes and Notes Mail are registered trademarks and Domino, Notes and EasySync are trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation. IBM and WorkPad are registered trademarks of International Business Machines. PalmPilot and Palm III are trademarks of 3Com Corporation. AT&T is a registered trademark and PocketNet is a trademark of AT&T Corporation. Unwired Planet and UP.Browser are trademarks of Unwired Planet, Inc. All other company names and products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
NOTE: All Lotus news releases are available on the Internet, via the Lotus Development Corp. Home Page at http://www.lotus.com.The Lotus Home Page is an easy way to find information about Lotus and its business partners' products and services.
A copy of this release and other company information is also available via fax by dialing 1-800-57-LOTUS within the U.S. and Canada or 201-946-2336 outside the U.S. and Canada
SOURCE Lotus Development Corp.
CONTACT:
Ted Weismann, ted_weismann@lpp.com
or
Kate Monaghan, kate_monaghan@lpp.com of Lois Paul & Partners, 781-238-5700
or
Steve Hopley of Lotus Development Corp., 617-693-0133, steve_hopley@lotus.com