Press Release
May 17, 2004
Onset Expands METAmessage ASP Service for BlackBerry - More Features, Easier Carrier Integration
Onset Launches Pilot with j2 Global’s Internet Fax (eFax™) and Voice Capabilities; Send and Receive Fax, Instant Conference Call, Listen to Voicemail Added to Rich Feature Set That Includes Spell Checking; Carriers Can Offer METAmessage® Services to Customers Wanting to Take BlackBerry® Beyond Email
Wireless Enterprise Symposium (WES), Chicago - Onset Technology, a leading developer of enterprise access software for wireless handheld devices, announced today a new pilot offering with j2 Global Communications, Inc., the provider of outsourced, value-added messaging and communications services, that add j2 Global-hosted fax capabilities to Onset’s METAmessage ASP service through its eFax™ service offering. In addition, Onset announced a variety of implementation strategies that let carriers easily offer METAmessage ASP services as an add-on when selling the BlackBerry® wireless solution from Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM; TSX:RIM). Onset is showing its diverse product offerings for BlackBerry in booth 105 at RIM’s Wireless Enterprise Symposium 2004 conference in Chicago on May 18-19.
Utilizing j2 Global’s service, Onset’s METAmessage ASP customers worldwide will receive a free eFax telephone number and 100 free fax pages. A fax sent to the eFax telephone number will be forwarded to the customer’s BlackBerry handheld, where it can be viewed either as converted text or printed on a convenient fax machine. eFax numbers are available in more than 1,300 cities in 20 countries on 5 continents.
With the addition of j2 Global’s Internet fax and voice services, the METAmessage ASP service will enable users of BlackBerry handhelds to:
- Print anywhere
- Send and receive faxes directly from their BlackBerry handheld
- Spell check outgoing messages
- Set up conference calls
- Listen to voicemail
- Save roaming charges
- Get quick information such as driving directions, flight info, Google searches, and more.
And, with voicemail systems such as Cisco Unity™ and Nortel CallPilot™ that attach sound files to email messages, METAmessage can call users and playback the sound files.
"The METAmessage ASP subscription service has been a vital tool for individual and small-workgroup mobile professionals. They’ve heard about our enterprise features, such as instant call conferencing and spell checking, and they also want these features," said Eyran Blumberg, Onset’s vice president of products. "For example, we learned that many of our customers use the eFax service as their ‘fax on the road.’ Now, with the availability of j2 Global’s services, we plan on making fax capabilities available to all our ASP users. This is another example of why BlackBerry users worldwide increasingly demand METAmessage services — whether they are via a hosted ASP service or via METAmessage enterprise software."
METAmessage ASP Implementation Options
Carriers selling BlackBerry handhelds can differentiate and broaden their offerings by implementing METAmessage ASP services. TELUS, the largest telecommunications company in Western Canada, provides handheld customers with a direct link to METAmessage.com. The site automatically offers TELUS-specific pricing, with the carrier netting revenue from each transaction. Carriers can also implement both hosted and rebranded solutions.
Availability
Expanded METAmessage ASP services will be available by the end of May.
METAmessage for Wireless
METAmessage, used by over 1000 enterprise customers with over 100,000 users, is a complete, out-of-the-box solution for BlackBerry customers. In conjunction with the BlackBerry platform, users can interact directly with a range of enterprise data systems including document management/time-and-billing programs, enterprise applications, and internally developed databases. The user simply opens a form on the handheld and either requests information from or adds information to the data source. Users can also print anywhere, including network printers; spell check outgoing messages; and, get network documents to send, read, or print. METAmessage also provides advanced Legal, Field Service, Data, COOP/ER, and Voice solutions. METAmessage supports both BlackBerry Mobile Data Service and email transport.
About Onset Technology
Founded in 1997, Onset Technology is the developer of METAmessage® for Wireless – a unique software solution that gives business users access to virtually any data on their enterprise network using just a wireless email device such as BlackBerry® handhelds from Research In Motion. The software is broadly compatible with virtually all wireless devices and servers including those from strategic partners AT&T, Ericsson, Microsoft, and RIM. Since its introduction, METAmessage has been widely adopted by Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies, and a range of large service organizations. For more information, visit www.onsettechnology.com.
METAmessage® is a trademark of Onset Technology. The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.
