RadioMail API Lets Software Developers for Envoy Personal Communicators Bring Wireless Applications to Market Fast
SAN JOSE, Calif. — March 7, 1994 — Software developers working on applications for Motorola's new Envoy personal wireless communicator can dramatically reduce product time-to-market using RadioMail Corporation's ready-made interface for creating wireless applications.
The RadioMail Application Programming Interface for Developers (RAPID) provides an interface to the wireless transport infrastructure upon which developers can build applications for Envoy communicators that send and receive information: electronic messaging, peer-to-peer communication (calendaring), transactions (remote sales order entry, stock trading) and database inquiry (inventory, news).
RAPID supports message store-and- forward and guaranteed information delivery over two-way, nationwide wireless networks. Official Airline Guides will use RAPID to wirelessly enable its OAG FlightLine Service on the Envoy personal wireless communicator.
RadioMail Chairman and Founder Geoffrey S. Goodfellow said, "Developers want to wirelessly enable their applications as quickly as possible. RAPID minimizes the development effort because it completely masks the underlying radio technology, letting developers focus on the application itself rather than on the inherent complexities of wireless networks and radio-frequency modems. RAPID was developed specifically for wireless use, and features a 'bandwidth-friendly' algorithm that optimizes the use of precious wireless network resources."
In addition to the Envoy device, RAPID is available on DOS, Macintosh, and the HP 100LX Palmtop PC platforms. RAPID for Windows and Newton are planned for release in the coming months. A RAPID Developers' Kit is available for a one-time license fee of $250. The kit contains the RadioMail protocol engine, a Messaging Reference Guide, wireless network connection tools, sample source code and validation routines. Developer technical support is available for a nominal fee.
An application based on RAPID need be developed only once to support multiple wireless networks. The architecture of the RAPID transport engine allows new connection modules to be issued as new transports become available.
In addition to the existing connection modules for ARDIS and RAM wireless transport, developers can drop in new modules in the future to support CDPD, Metricom, PCS or the PCCA standard without modifying their applications. This modular approach ensures rapid market expansion as new two-way wireless networks become commercially available.
RAPID provides compatibility with a complete set of operational public gateway services, including gateways between wireless networks, to the Internet, to public mail systems such as CompuServe, MCI Mail, and Sprint Mail, to corporate LAN mail systems such as Lotus cc:Mail, to facsimile machines and to local and nationwide paging networks.
Billing services and customer support are also provided as part of the public gateway service, which helps to expedite market introduction of new wireless applications.
RadioMail Corp. is a leading supplier of two-way wireless messaging and information services for portable computer and personal communicating device users. Only RadioMail wireless services guarantee messages delivery without any intervention on the part of the subscriber. RadioMail offers development tools to enable independent software vendors to create wireless applications that access the RadioMail public gateway.
The RadioMail public gateway provides seamless connectivity between users on incompatible wireless networks such as RAM and ARDIS; to corporate LAN email systems such as Lotus cc:Mail; to public access systems such as MCI Mail, ATT Mail, America Online, Prodigy and CompuServe; and to the worldwide Internet. The gateway also offers connections to facsimile machines, paging networks, public and private databases, and information services.
Note to Editors: RadioMail is a registered trademark of RadioMail Corp. All other trademarks belong to their respective companies.
CONTACT:
RadioMail Corp., San Jose
Ed Forman, 415/286-7800
or
Ulevich & Orrange Inc.
William Orrange or Janis Ulevich, 415/329-1590