In press releases yesterday, RIM introduced the BlackBerry Mobile Voice System that allows a BlackBerry Smartphone to become a secure mobile extension of a user’s desk phone. A plug-in for Visual Studio developers which provides system integrators and in-house corporate developers with the ability to create BlackBerry applications that seamlessly integrate with back-end systems through .NET Web Services was also introduced.

BlackBerry Mobile Voice System

This is the first integrated enterprise solution to enable the seamless convergence of a BlackBerry smartphone with an office desk phone.

The new BlackBerry Mobile Voice System encompasses:

- BlackBerry(R) MVS Client (a component of BlackBerry(R) Device Software)
- BlackBerry(R) MVS Connectors (a component of BlackBerry(R) Enterprise Server)
- Ascendent Voice Mobility Suite (a software suite that interfaces with heterogeneous PBXs)

BlackBerry(R) MVS enables access to PBX functions directly from the menu interface of the BlackBerry phone application and makes it easy for enterprise users to use their BlackBerry smartphone as a secure mobile extension of their desk phone.

With a new intuitive menu interface, BlackBerry smartphone users can place, receive and manage enterprise calls from their handset with ease. The user’s corporate identity (caller ID) is extended to the handset and allows users to give out one “Reach Me Anywhere” phone number that simultaneously rings their desk phone and BlackBerry smartphone. Mobile users are also able to access desk phone functions such as transfer, park, and extension dialing directly from the BlackBerry phone menu.

BlackBerry MVS also leverages the standard security features, IT policies and system management functionality provided within the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution, extending the administrative tools and services of the BlackBerry platform to the Ascendent Voice Mobility Suite. Among key security benefits is the ability to automatically authenticate mobile users to the PBX to help ensure that only authorized users and devices are accessing the corporate telephony system. Further, since calls are routed through the corporate PBX, any calls placed from a BlackBerry smartphone can now be logged or recorded for compliance with applicable corporate and regulatory requirements.

Key features of BlackBerry MVS include:

- Seamless convergence of BlackBerry smartphones with office desk phones – uses existing corporate phone number, and maintains one “Reach Me Anywhere” phone number for the user.
- Office desk phone functionality while mobile – supports extension dialing, transfer, park and consolidated voicemail.
- Intuitive menu-driven interface – makes placing and receiving enterprise calls and accessing desk phone functionality amazingly simple.
- Secure mobile desk phone – authenticates callers with the telephony system.
- IT controls – allows an organization to route all calls through the telephony system for billing / audit purposes.
- Works in heterogeneous PBX environments – supports IP, TDM or mixed vendor environments.

BlackBerry MVS will be previewed at the Wireless Enterprise Symposium 2007 in Orlando, Florida this week and is expected to be available from RIM and Ascendent Systems later this month.

BlackBerry Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio

The BlackBerry Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio will leverage the BlackBerry(R) Mobile Data System (BlackBerry(R) MDS) to simplify wireless application development, deployment and management for the enterprise.

BlackBerry MDS is a robust and widely deployed platform that enables wireless access to enterprise systems, and applications developed with the BlackBerry Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio will benefit from its advanced security, manageability, network efficiency and push capabilities. The BlackBerry Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio extends the Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 rapid development environment to enable the creation of rich BlackBerry MDS Runtime applications for BlackBerry smartphones.

Key benefits of the BlackBerry Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio include:

- Familiar Development Experience – The plug-in integrates within the familiar Visual Studio development environment, and allows developers to visually design, implement and debug applications for BlackBerry smartphones.
- Leverages Developer Skill Sets – Customers and system integrators can leverage their developer skill sets in order to reduce costs and accelerate the development of applications for the BlackBerry platform.
- Seamless Wireless Connectivity – Leverages the inherent security, manageability and efficient wireless connectivity of the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution.
- Platform Interoperability – Allows enterprises to create rich client applications for BlackBerry smartphones that interoperate with .NET-based systems via Web Services.
- Rich Client Application Functionality – Provides the ability to create rich client applications with a flexible user interface, offline data storage, asynchronous push, and secure data access.
- Enterprise-Class Security and Manageability – Applications developed will leverage the same security architecture of BlackBerry Enterprise Server. IT departments will benefit from simplified management and centralized control of their wireless deployments with reduced administrative overhead and a lower total cost of ownership.

The BlackBerry Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio will be previewed at the Wireless Enterprise Symposium 2007 in Orlando, Florida this week and is expected to be available later this year as a free download at www.blackberrydeveloper.com.

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