If the tech sector has slowed, no one told the hardware manufacturers and software developers that came out at the DigitalFocus and MobileFocus events here last week on the eve of the TechXNY conference.
Companies ranging from industry stalwarts such as Xerox Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. stood alongside smaller players such as Motion Computing Inc. and JP Mobile Inc. to demonstrate innovations in mobile and wireless computing and portable projection, among a host of other technologies.
Handheld software veteran JP Mobile is focusing on carrier partnerships, said Dayakar Puskoor, CEO of the Dallas company. JP Mobile demonstrated its SureWave Enterprise Server software at the event. The current version of the software requires a download on the client, but next month the company will release a version for carriers that requires only software on the server, saving memory on the client side.
“Its an issue with the small phones,” Puskoor said.
The downside is that the new version means a user has to connect to the server to get the information, rather than having the information sent to the device immediately.
JP Mobile also plans to release a behind-the-firewall server product for small businesses next quarter.
While there werent many new-device announcements at TechXNY, several companies at MobileFocus were showing off new accessories.
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB introduced several products for the bored executive set. In addition to several wireless headsets, the company debuted the CAR-100, a small race car that can be controlled remotely with the keypad on a mobile phone via a Bluetooth connection.
Also on the portable front, HP will announce a notebook called the Pavilion ZT3000 on Sept. 30, said Mike Hockey, a spokesman for HP, in the companys Houston offices. The company also has plans for new enterprise notebooks later this fall, Hockey said.
Moving to the peripheral big iron, Xerox introduced a trio of printer/copier devices for the small-business and single user. The Phaser 3450 is a 25-ppm (pages-per-minute) monochrome laser printer that replaces the Stamford, Conn., companys 3400 model. Designed for single users and workgroups, the unit retails for $549.
Moving up the scale, the new WorkCentre PE16 is a multifunction printer for the single user. At $599, the machine offers printing, copying, faxing and scanning.
The company is positioning its new Phaser 6250 for larger workgroups. Though the unit features the same engine as its predecessor, the 6200, it includes a new laser, fuser and imaging unit. The result is a print speed of 26 ppm, officials said. The 6250 retails for about $1,999.