IBM Brings WebSphere To Palm Platform

The two companies said the relationship will port IBM's WebSphere framework to the Palm M-class devices, including IBM's secure enterprise instant messaging solution, Domino e-mail and PIM, DB2e and Tivoli agents.

IBM previously announced its WebSphere mobile platform was available for PocketPC devices. Now developers can use that same solution on Palm handhelds without a lot of additional programming work, said Chris Morgan, director of strategic alliances at Palm.

"Previously developers would use WebSphere studio and then use a different tool-set to send it to the Palm," he said. Now WebSphere Everyplace Access will run natively on the Palm and often will have a front-end familiar to Palm users, he added.

While IBM and Palm promoted the Domino e-mail solution for the Palm platform, Morgan said the package provides a conduit to Exchange servers, although it will display information on devices using the Domino interface.

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As part of the agreement Palm said IBM has licensed the Reliable Transport technology, an interface that allows Palm devices to send and receive information over a variety of wireless networks, including 802.11, Bluetooth, CDMA, Mobitex and GRPS. IBM also offers its own wireless gateway that can be used as well, said Sunil Soares, director of product management for IBM Pervasive Computing.

The new solution is available to IBM's solution provider partners and will be also sold direct to enterprise and SBM accounts by IBM, an IBM spokesman said. Terms of the agreement call for Palm to allow IBM's direct sales force to resell the Palm handheld devices.

The agreement with IBM is the third enterprise-class strategic alliance for the struggling maker of handheld devices. Eric Benhamou, Palm chairman and chief executive officer, has promised the financial community that four such agreements will be completed by the end of the summer.

Palm also announced agreements with Siebel Systems and McKesson, a supplier of IT and care management products and services for the medical community.