As it becomes increasingly clear that users will access the Internet from a variety of devices, wireless included, more and more companies are stepping forward with ideas on how to help manage all that data across various devices.
One, NetSanity Inc., began trials this week with Nokia Corp. to integrate Wireless Application Protocol technology with its data management system. NetSanity, funded primarily by Nokia Ventures L.P., has what it calls a preferences management platform-an Extensible Markup Language solution that allows Internet users to receive selected data on different devices.
The company’s SmartBar application collects information from various Web sites of the user’s choice and delivers it to one location on the user’s desktop. If a customer wants news from one source but stock quotes from another, NetSanity’s application retrieves only the information requested from each Web site and displays it in a small window on the SmartBar.
These bits of information are called “pebbles.” The trial between NetSanity and Nokia is to deliver these digital pebbles to a Nokia 7110 WAP phone.
Internet companies must publish their content in NetSanity’s version of Extensible Markup Language technology, which enables data to be rendered in forms other than the way it was created. SmartBar users then provision what content they’re interested in from the list of NetSanity content provider partners and direct where each bit of information is sent.
NetSanity now has agreements with about 70 Internet content providers, such as Fox.com, Go2Net, Individual Investor Group Inc., RedHerring.com, The Sporting News and SpringStreet.com.
Suppose a user chooses news from Fox.com, stock quotes from Individual Investor and more news from RedHerring.com. That user can say he wants the stock quotes and Fox news headlines only sent to his WAP device, but wants streaming video from Fox news and more detailed RedHerring.com content on his computer.
Soon the company expects to add support for a pre-WAP HDML solution, as well as for non-WAP text messaging services.
Going further, NetSanity wants to convince carriers to adopt the preferences management platform to allow subscribers the ability to provision this content organization from their wireless devices. It will first offer this ability on an application service provider basis and migrate to a carrier-hosted server solution in phases, the company said.
“There are two things going on-the receipt of information and the management of the information,” said Robert Blechman, NetSanity president. “We envision a world where the back end we provide extends to the carrier environment.”
This would allow wireless phone users to set up and change their deliver options from their phones, as well as customize the home page of their screen when they access the wireless Internet.
In this process, NetSanity is waging a two-front battle. On one end, it’s trying to get wireless carriers to adopt the preferences management system, and on the other, it’s working to convince Internet content providers to use its XML standard.
“It’s a big task, but we have identified significant interest with carriers. We are in the process of closing deals,” Blechman said. “We expect significant local and regional content to follow each carrier relationship.”
