Pocket LOOX handhelds with Click & Run software keeping
Stockholm subway employees connected
Joint solution from Fujitsu Siemens Computers and Appear
Networks ideally suited for security and information applications
Munich/Stockholm, January 22, 2004 —Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Europe’s leading IT company,
and software vendor Appear Networks have jointly presented an
innovative hardware and software solution for wireless LAN (WLAN)
networks. The system uses localized information and applications to
determine the user’s current position via WLAN networks,
saving time while keeping the user well informed. This platform
makes tasks like establishing a secure connection to the
users’ IT infrastructure extremely simple.
One of the system’s first customers, the Stockholm
Public Transit Authority (SL) in cooperation with private passenger
transport operator Connex, uses the Pocket LOOX handheld from
Fujitsu Siemens Computers with Click & Run software from Appear
Networks. The platform allows SL and Connex employees to rapidly
convey up-to-date information in Stockholm’s subway system
and therefore not only improve customer service, but also increase
the safety of both passengers and personnel.
Professional IT users who are on the go want small and
easy-to-carry devices, like the Pocket LOOX personal digital
assistant, which can be easily integrated into their corporate IT
infrastructure via WLAN. Another item at the top of their wish list
is context-aware services that take individual preferences, local
conditions and the user’s physical location into account.
Users, for example, can access local information after arriving in
a location unfamiliar to them. The joint solution from Fujitsu
Siemens Computers and Appear Networks was designed to meet these
user needs.
“The Stockholm Public Transit Authority is now
operating at the forefront of wireless technologies with the
successful test deployment of context-aware Wi-Fi (WLAN)
services,” explained Åke Lindström, Project Manager
at SL. “For the first time ever, an underground Wi-Fi network
enables subway personnel to send alerts and receive real-time
traffic information on their handhelds. Wi-Fi services are
important for staff because they help them deliver better
information to our customers and provide higher levels of security.
I am certain that in a near future similar services will also be
available to the public. More important that the system itself, be
it 3G, Wi-Fi or others, however, are the value-added services
available on the network. What will you do with the five minutes
wait before the next train? Quickly check the services available in
that station, or perhaps download the latest news report or your
favourite magazine to read offline while onboard the train. Upon
arrival at your destination, and before leaving the hotspot
coverage, you can then download a map of the area to quickly find
the location of your next meeting.”
This new system uses Appear Networks’ unique
positioning and provisioning technology to offer contextual
wireless services through “hotspots” in places such as
in airports, subway stations and conference centers. Downloading
applications is as easy as receiving e-mail messages. These
services, offered based on the user’s present location, time
of day and authorization, can then be started with a single click.
Depending on the circumstances, the applications are either
retained or automatically deleted when the user leaves the area.
The platform is particularly suited to security and
information applications. Connex information hosts, for example,
use the Pocket LOOX as a centrally administered platform in the
Stockholm Underground. Employees are connected to a security
application (via WLAN) and receive constant updates about train
delays, for example. The application recognizes the device, who is
carrying it and where the person is located. When an employee
triggers the Pocket LOOX alarm feature, the system notifies the
control center as well as all other personnel in the vicinity,
allowing them to provide fast assistance. The same networked device
can also be used for many other applications.
“Together with our partner Appear Networks, we provide
our customers with a highly user-focused solution,” commented
Peter Eßer, Executive Vice President Volume Products and
Supply Operations at Fujitsu Siemens Computers. “We are proud
to have gained SL and Connex as a top-notch customer for our
platform, developed together with Appear Networks.”
“We are very pleased with the results and the future
outlook for our cooperation with Fujitsu Siemens Computers,”
added Ann-Louise Palm, CEO at Appear Networks. “The solutions
that have come out of this partnership bring real added value to
our customers.”
“The ‘Wireless Employee’ project is a
component in our long-term objective to improve customer services
for the passengers, and our employees are our most valuable
resource in these efforts,” said Torborg Chetkovich, Division
Manager at Connex. “The project will not only improve service
quality, but also significantly increase employee safety.”
- end -
About Fujitsu Siemens Computers:
Fujitsu Siemens Computers is Europe’s leading IT
company with a strategic focus on next-generation Mobility and
Business Critical Computing products, services and solutions. With
a portfolio of exceptional depth, its offering extends from
handhelds through desktops to enterprise-class infrastructure
solutions. The company has a strong presence in all key markets
across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Leveraging the
strengths, innovative drive and global reach of its joint
shareholders, Fujitsu Limited and Siemens AG, Fujitsu Siemens
Computers meets the needs of large corporations, small and medium
enterprises and private users.
For further information about Fujitsu Siemens Computers,
please visit:
www.fujitsu-siemens.com
About Appear Networks:
Appear Networks is a Franco-Swedish company specializing in
innovative software platforms for wireless networks, with a
particular emphasis on WLAN (Wi-Fi) applications and human machine
interfaces. Appear Provisioning Server is a software platform
currently used in wireless “hotspot” networks, such as
European airports, subway stations, or conference venues, to deploy
contextual wireless services. The “Click &
Run™” software technology enables any communicating
mobile device to discover, load and run applications available
locally in one simple click. Appear Networks’ technology is
ideal for local mobile workers as well as for visitors to public
hotspots. Appear Networks has successfully partnered with leading
IT companies such as Cisco, Intel and Fujitsu Siemens Computers.
Its current customers are large corporations such as RATP (French
Subway), SNCF (French Railway), SL (Stockholm Public Transportation
Authority), CGEA-Connex (Veolia Environment group), FMV (Swedish
Defence), Sagem Defence & Security and European WLAN operators.
For more information on Appear Networks, please visit:
www.appearnetworks.com
PR Contacts Fujitsu Siemens Computers:
Amy M.K. Flécher
Director Communications
Tel.: + 49 (0) 89 636 47255
Mobile: +49 (0) 171 86 50 101
Fax: + 49 (0) 89 636 57555
amy.flecher@fujitsu-siemens.com
Lothar Lechtenberg
PR Manager
Tel.: + 49 (0) 211 6178 2828
Mobile:+ 49 (0) 171 86 50 022
Fax: + 49 (0) 211 6178 1168
lothar.lechtenberg@fujitsu-siemens.com
PR Contacts Appear Networks:
Angela Hepburn
Open2Europe – PR Division
Tel: + 33 1 55 02 14 51
a.hepburn@open2europe.com
Johan Magnusson
Appear Networks
Tel: + 46 8 545 91 370
johan@jalara.se
|
