The folks at DataViz’s have not made too much of a splash in the last few years – yet their (excellent) products have managed to sneak into almost every Palm OS device. Today, we have DataViz’s Jenn Figueroa speaking up on the Centro, on their relationship to palm, and a variety of other interesting topics. Enjoy!
Please tell us more about you and your company
The company is recognized as an industry leader in developing and marketing Office compatibility and productivity solutions across a variety of platforms including BlackBerry, Java®, Linux, Palm OS®, Symbian OS™, Windows Mobile®, Windows® and Macintosh®. Founded in 1984, DataViz began its business developing file conversion software between Windows and Macintosh computers. In the late 1990’s the company expanded its expertise to providing solutions that meet the increasing demands of the handheld and mobile markets.
Now in our 25th year of buisness the company has two outstanding and award wining mobile office software solutions that enable users to mobilize “Microsoft Office” wherever they go.
The solutions include Documents To Go to view, edit and create Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync client, RoadSync.
DataViz partners include RIM, Palm®, Motorola®, Microsoft®, Sony Ericsson®, and other industry leaders.
Have you already handled a Centro yourself? If yes, how do you feel about it. If not, why not!
No. Personally I have not. We have a limited amount of devices in house. Those devices are currently being used for testing and development. Working in PR, I do not have access to those devices.
Do you feel like the Centro could become a mayor source of income for developers given the target demographics?
Yes the Centro has the potential to succeed on a much larger scale in the mobile market, branching away from the traditional enterprise market to now reach the consumer market. With a low cost price point the Centro makes it affordable to purchase a smartphone. Nearly 75% of these users are new to the smarphone market and there are twice as many women purchasing the device.
Have you seen users migrating to the Centro from other devices? If yes, which were the most affected? Would you migrate yourself?
I don’t have this information. But I do know that those who purchase a Centro are new to the smartphone market.
Nearly 75%. Yes I would migrate myself. It’s a great price point and it has all the essential tools to make it an ideal smartphone.
Do you think that the Centro’s camera is good enough?
Sorry I can not answer this question as I have not used the device and have nothing to compare it to.
Has Palm done a good job helping developers to get their apps Centro-ready before release?
Palm has always been very helpful, but we are a slightly different case than most developers in that we are bundled on their devices. Because Documents To Go is included on all Palm devices, we have to be device ready long before devices are released into the market. This way Documents To Go can be included in Palm’s device testing, and this means that we tend to get information a bit earlier than the general developer community.
Have you experienced technical issues porting your apps to the Centro? If yes, of what kind have they been?
We did not experience any significant Centro specific issues during our last product release. Most development was actually done with non-Centro Palm devices, although our testing team focused on using Centro devices. In fact, Palm took an off-the-shelf version of Documents To Go to bundle on the device.
Which device do you currently use yourself(and why)?
I am currently carrying a Palm Treo 755p which I love. The Qwerty keyboard enables me to efficiently work on my business documents when I’m out of the office.
In addition our DataViz employees carry a wide variety of handsets. They carry those that encompass the mobile platforms we develop for such as Symbian UIQ, S80, and S60, Windows Mobile, Palm, Java and BlackBerry. By actively using devices based on these platforms it enables us as a company to stay in touch with our marketing and development efforts.
Feel like giving us a sneek peak at your upcoming apps which are optimized for Centro?
We don’t have any new and upcoming apps for the Centro. What I would like to mention I that every Centro comes pre-loaded with Document s To Go Professional Edition right out of the box. Customer who purchase a Palm centro will be able to view, edit and create Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. We do offer a paid upgrade to Documents To Go Premium edition 10 which includes support for the following. To Learn more visit: www.dataviz.com/centro
• Upgrade to Documents To Go Premium Edition version 10.0 for only $29.99!
Feature Enhancements included in this upgrade:
o Spell Check word processing files
o Open Password Protected Word & Excel files (Office 97-2003 only)
o Support for Excel Charts & Charting
o Suport for Pictures/Graphics (JPG & BMP)
Related posts:
