BroadVision Adds Mobile Capabilities

BroadVision

BroadVision's Multi-TouchPoint Services leverage XML and XSL to present business logic across different channels, from PDAs, to WAP phones, to point-of-sale terminals and kiosks, said Troy Foster, product manager at BroadVision. The software also supports voice capabilities through the VoiceXML protocol, so users can navigate a Web site with voice commands, he said.

The added feature replaces an existing deal with Brience to provide mobile capabilities. Foster said BroadVision began developing its mobile extensions last year to improve costs and performance over what was available from Brience, a San Francisco-based provider of mobile middleware software.

"We can get much better performance and tighter integration from our extensions," he said. In addition, BroadVision's implementation will be at a much lower cost than available through Brience, he added.

Brience executives were not immediately available for comment.

Although he declined to provide pricing information, Foster said the added functionality is designed as an enhanced feature set rather than a revenue-generating add-on.

The product, available now, works with the 6.0 versions of BroadVision's enterprise self-service applications, including Business Commerce, Retail Commerce and InfoExchangePortal, as well as the forthcoming updates to BroadVision's application suite.