Progress on Application Delivery Over 802.11b

Intel and Swedish application-provisioning company Appear Networks today announced the showcasing of their joint technology enabling media-rich applications to be implemented over a WLAN. The technology, which includes messaging applications, navigation applications, and rich-media games, will be demonstrated over a wireless LAN at the Intel Wireless Competence Center in Kista, Sweden.

The demonstration is designed to illustrate wireless delivery of location-specific and stand-alone applications. It uses the Appear Provisioning Sever 2.0 and Intel’s wireless LAN technology to deliver applications that can be downloaded and executed locally, connected, or offline – over an Intel Pro/Wireless LAN 802.11b network. Per Stein, Manager of Intel Wireless Competence Center, comments: “Mobile users want to run applications locally, connected to the WLAN as well as offline. By using the Appear Provisioning Server, applications can be provisioned to a whole range of mobile devices over IP based networks, whether it is Wireless LAN 802.11a or b, Bluetooth, GPRS or UMTS. Intel PCA [Personal Internet Client Architecture] provides an architecture for mobile devices where applications can be downloaded and executed locally, connected or offline.”

Appear Networks described its Appear Provisioning Server as enabling automatic delivery, single-click download, and automatic discard of location-specific applications. It is intended for use in markets like healthcare, hospitality, transportation, travel
and work force coordination.

The companies stated that the ongoing demonstration of application provisioning over WLANs at the Intel Wireless Competence Center in Stockholm will also be shown at wireless events in 2002.

Matthew Peretz is Managing Editor of 802.11-Planet.com