Travel Tech Goes Wireless
<B>Travel Tech Goes Wireless</B>
Joining a slew of other tech suppliers that have made similar announcements, Captura, Extensity and GetThere.com recently elaborated on their plans for providing services via mobile devices, something all three said continues to be a hot trend.
"We believe that the wireless platform is the Internet's next frontier, and our goal is to give our customers access to our applications using this technology," said Bob Spinner, president and CEO of Extensity. "Because workforces are becoming increasingly mobile, we view WAP as the most significant emerging platform to serve their expanding demands. We plan to give our customers access to time-critical applications, wherever they are."
WAP, or wireless application protocol, devices on which Extensity customers are testing text-based Internet applications include the Palm personal digital assistant and Nokia mobile telephones.
"Even as the creator of a timesheet, if you need to submit a document, you can create it in five or six clicks," said Scott Berg, director of business development at Extensity.
Extensity said managers can access their review queue from cell phones to approve documents and employees can check the status of documents submitted for approval. All users will be able to create and submit new documents, according to business rules.
Captura last month said it is working with AT&T Wireless to deliver expense management solutions over the latter's wireless IP network. Captura cited the CTIA Semi-Annual Wireless Industry Survey, which indicated the number of U.S. wireless customers subscribing to digital service increased to 38.5 million in 1999 from 18.3 million the year earlier.
GetThere.com also expounded on its wireless efforts in May, noting that travelers using certain wireless Internet phone services can use the GetThere selection on their menu to see detailed flight information and schedules. In addition, when the phone user also books travel through a GetThere-based booking system, they can access status alerts, one-touch rebooking and real-time itinerary viewing capabilities.
GetThere's services are available on devices provided by Bell Mobility, GTE Wireless, NeoPoint, Phone.com and Sprint PCS.