Press Releases

Spb Software House Puts Enterprises Back in Control with Spb Kiosk 2.0

July 7th, 2003 - Spb Software House announces the release of Spb Kiosk 2.0, a critical application for putting enterprises in complete control of their Pocket PC assets. When Pocket PCs are deployed in an enterprise scenario, there will be specific applications installed on those devices designed to enhance and extend the productivity of the people using them. The question is, are your employees using the Pocket PCs in the manner in which you want them to?

Pocket PCs are more than just simple PDAs - they are richly-featured miniature computers capable of functioning as movie players, MP3 players, photo album viewers, gaming devices, and much more. It's easy for an employee to get distracted by a game of Solitaire instead of focusing on the enterprise application you designed for them. The occasional game of solitaire is one thing, but what happens when they decide to start using your enterprise asset as a personal tool? Below is an excerpt from a fictional story that describes this scenario:

"It's already been three months that I've been working at this real estate agency. The first day on the job I was given a little computer called a Pocket PC. They taught me the basics of how to use it, especially the main program I was supposed to use. It wasn't difficult to learn - it's a program that really helps me in my contact with clients. First of all, it provides access to our agency's database, so I can get all the information we have in order to present to a client. It's a very colorful program, with an easy to understand interface.. I have no problem using it. But it's boring only using that one program, and I want to have some fun with my Pocket PC! My friend helped me transfer music from some CDs I used to carry around and put them onto my Pocket PC. I don't always have the memory card with me though, so I loaded up as many songs as possible into the main system RAM.

My Pocket PC runs a bit slower now but I don't mind. I began to use my Pocket PC more and more to have fun. With the help of my son, I installed a few mobile games and have a lot of fun playing them. My son found them on a "warez" site - I don't know what that is, but he said they were free. That special software for work? It functions a little differently now than when I first got the device. It's a bit slower now, and sometimes it stops working (along with the whole device) and I get "out of memory" errors. When I called tech support, they said that I shouldn't have installed music and my own software onto it. It's a good thing the boss doesn't know yet!"

Users can, through no malicious intent, inadvertently sabotage their own devices, lessening the effectiveness of your Pocket PC deployment. This is where Spb Kiosk can help stop this process from occurring.

Spb Kiosk has the singular goal of locking the target Pocket PC into the mode of being a single-use device. The three different versions of Spb Kiosk address the needs of enterprise deployments in different ways. Spb Kiosk Explorer locks the device into Pocket Internet Explorer, which makes it perfect for Web-based applications, HTML-based demonstrations, and more. Kiosk Explorer also allows you to specify which buttons and menus are shown in the command bar. Spb Kiosk Terminal locks the device into the Terminal Services client, making it an ideal way to access server-based applications over a wireless data network. Kiosk Terminal includes an auto-login feature, making the process seamless for users. Spb Kiosk Engine, the most flexible of the three versions, allows the enterprise to specify custom applications as the focal point for the device.

When Spb Kiosk is deployed, it completely prevents the user from switching away from the target applications. It provides a full screen mode, which can hide the Pocket PC navigation elements, and automatically starts the target application after a soft reset. It can be used with most enterprise applications, and a secret administration mode can be accessed by using a custom-defined hardware key sequence. Once in administration mode, the device can be used as a normal Pocket PC without restrictions - this allows the administrator to configure the application, and then lock it back down into kiosk mode.

Aaron Demers, Vice-President of System3 POS, Inc. had this to say about his deployment of Spb Kiosk Explorer:

"We were introducing our new restaurant thin client application for Pocket PC and were looking for a method to lock people into our application and disable all the other functions/buttons on the handheld. After trying out several products we were blown away by the combination features, stability and ease of use from Spb Kiosk Explorer. I can honestly say it has saved us hundreds of hours in support calls by forcing the user to stay within the confines of our application."

Spb Kiosk is sold on a site-license basis, making it affordable and easy to deploy - there's no need to hassle with individual device registration codes or license counting. Deploying Spb Kiosk is fast and easy, requiring only two steps. The builder application is run on a local desktop computer, which allows you to specify how Spb Kiosk will be deployed, and then the application is installed onto each Pocket PCs. Fast and simple!

About Spb Software House

Spb Software House is a software development company, specializing mainly in Windows Mobile software for Pocket PCs. Founded in 1999, the company offers advanced software solutions for use in a wide range of applications.

Further Information and Downloads

Further information regarding Spb Kiosk 2.0 can be found here, along with trial versions of each version of Spb Kiosk:
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/kioskengine