Sync4j 2.3 review
DownloadSync4j is a mobile application server, and more
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Sync4j is a mobile application server, and more. Sync4j includes a suite of tools to develop, deploy and manage any mobile project. It is a certified implementation of the Open Mobile Alliance Data Synchronization and Device Management protocols (OMA DS and DM, formerly known as SyncML).
Sync4j reached more than 19,000 downloads in a single month and it is supported by one of the largest mobile developers community in the world.
Here are some key features of "Sync4j":
Sync4j Server: a mobile application server with connectors to SQL relational databases, Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino and SugarCRM.
Sync4j Clients: applications for Outlook, Windows Mobile PocketPC, BlackBerry, Palm and iPod that you can use to synchronize your PIM data (address book and calendar) with the server
Sync4j Email Gateway: a POP, IMAP and SMTP gateway, to support your mobile email needs.
Sync4j Software Development Kit: tools to develop sometimes-connected mobile applications on devices (in Java - J2SE and J2ME - and C++) and to add data sources to the server
Sync4j Device Management: an OMA DM server to remotely manage mobile devices
A wireless application needs data. The information must be available even when the device is off-line. Synchronization between multiple mobile devices and corporate servers is a fundamental component in every wireless project: data is supposed to be consistent when accessed by multiple users who are not always connected to the network.
Once a wireless application is developed, it needs to be transferred to a remote device, over-the-air. Then, it must be kept up-to-date. Application provisioning is pivotal for the success of any mobile project.
Developers of applications around the world have been looking for a platform that would make it easier to create mobile applications. IT Managers are struggling with PIM synchronization and mobile email deployments, locked by commercial vendors on a spiraling high cost structure and unable to manage a fast growing fleet of mobile devices. Sync4j is the solution they are looking for.
Open source means freedom from vendor lock-in and high quality software (thousand of eyes on the code, an enourmous community effort for testing). Sync4j is well supported by the community and the company behind it, Funambol.
Sync4j is an open source complete and unique mobile application server, addressing all the aspects of the equation:
data synchronization, including PIM and email
application provisioning
device management
Sync4j is multi-device and multi-platform, running both in Windows and Linux. It runs on Tomcat and on top of J2EE application servers. It has been designed for carrier-grade deployments.
Since day one, scalability and reliability have been a clear focus of the Sync4j architecture, Sync4j is built on the Open Mobile Alliance data synchronization and device management standards (OMA DS and DM, formerly known as SyncML), thus leveraging the availability of SyncML clients pre-installed on cellular phones (such as all Symbian, Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Siemens and others). For devices where a SyncML client is missing, Sync4j provides its own clients: Outlook, Windows Mobile PocketPC, BlackBerry, Palm and iPod.
Sync4j target market is everyone looking to build, deploy and manage a mobile project:
Developers who need to extend an existing product to the mobile world or are looking for an easy way to create new mobile applications, grabbing data from existing data sources (such as SQL databases, Exchange, Domino or SugarCRM) or adding new data sources.
IT Managers that want to deploy a PIM and mobile email solution or just need a way to manage a fleet of mobile devices.
Device Manufacturers, that are looking for an OMA DM or DS client.
Download includes:
Apache Tomcat 5.0, Sync4j Admin 1.2.4, Sync4j Java GUI Client 1.0.9, PIM Web Demo 1.1.7. Runs out-of-the-box.
What's New in This Release:
Major bugfixes
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