Rich client redux - Action Engine bolsters the wireless experience by bringing Web services to mobile devices.(Action Engine Mobile Web Services Platform 2.5)(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)

CONVINCING THE PUBLIC of the value proposition of wireless applications has been an uphill battle for telecom carriers. Enterprises also have found difficulty in rolling out meaningful wireless apps in all but the simplest deployments due to the impediments of wireless and dumb devices.

Although bandwidth improvements may not be making a dramatic staging anytime soon, wireless devices are getting smarter. And it is on this front that Action Engine aims to seize the advantage.

Action Engine Mobile Web Services Platform 2.5 is a standards-based infrastructure for wireless Web services deployment that is following in the path of rich Internet applications. (See "Building a better browser".)

The platform comprises a comprehensive server-side framework for aggregating and managing Web services-derived content and applications. In addition, a number of utilities and applications perform functions such as mobile device backup, usage accounting, and remote application management to enable better administration of devices in the field.

On the user-side, Action Engine …