TORONTO, Canada, May 31, 2007 – Version 1.1 of StyleTap Platform for Windows Mobile supports the barcode scanner hardware integrated into the leading industrial handheld devices from Intermec and Motorola-Symbol.
StyleTap Platform enables the world's largest base of mobile applications – the estimated 30,000 applications written to run on Palm OS – to run on Windows Mobile devices. In addition to these commercial applications, there are many thousands of specialized applications used by companies to run on handheld devices in stores, in delivery vehicles, in warehouses and everywhere in between. Virtually all of those applications use barcode scanners to gather and track information.
"Until now, many companies have been forced to continue using older Palm OS-based devices because of the prohibitive risk and high cost of re-writing proven, working applications just to get the advantages of new Windows Mobile-based devices" said Gregory Sokoloff, CEO of StyleTap Inc. "With this new version of StyleTap Platform, organizations can continue to run, without modification, most existing scanner applications on the new hardware. They get all of the benefits of the new devices, without the time, expense and risk of developing a new application just to do the same things the existing applications are already doing."
StyleTap Platform for Windows Mobile creates a virtual Palm OS environment that will run most Palm OS applications, unmodified, on Windows Mobile PDA and Smartphone devices. While the Palm OS did not define a standard application program interface for barcode scanners, this version adds support for the widely-used barcode scanner interface introduced and promoted by Symbol Technologies (now part of Motorola). Most barcode scanner applications written for older Symbol devices such as the SPT1500 or SPT1800, will run unmodified on the newer Windows Mobile-based devices from Intermec (700, CN2B, CN3) or Symbol (MC50 and MC70).
"The capabilities of StyleTap Platform allow Intermec to offer its customers an attractive migration from their older generation of handheld devices," said Chris Krasinkiewicz, Country Manager, Intermec Canada, "Being able to run their existing applications means that customers can be buying devices today that offer them real benefits today as well as additional capabilities for the future."
Doug Scott, VP Information Technology for TST Overland Express, added "As a customer, it is definitely a bonus that we don't have to invest development time and effort in rewriting our mobile application just to support new hardware. However, the bigger benefit for us is that StyleTap Platform makes the deployment of the new hardware so much easier. Being able to keep using the same mobile application means there is no impact on end users and we avoid another round of user training, which frees our people and resources to invest in new capabilities that will enhance our business."
While this new release adds support for integrated barcode scanners, many customers are also successfully using barcode scanners (and GPS units, and other specialized hardware) that communicate with the handheld device via serial or Bluetooth connections.
About StyleTap Inc.
StyleTap Inc. is a privately-held Canadian software company founded in 2000 to liberate mobile device users from the scarcity of application choices by empowering handheld devices to run thousands more applications. In April 2005, StyleTap released a preview version of StyleTap Platform for Windows Mobile – a robust, high performance software platform that enables Windows Mobile devices to run the thousands of software applications written for Palm OS devices. In October 2006, version 1.0 was released, for Pocket PC phones and PDAs. StyleTap is actively extending its unique technology to run on additional devices and operating systems.
