Defywire Touts Low-Cost Wireless E-Mail Bundle

While solution providers were enthusiastic about the bundle's low price,up to 150 users can be supported for less than $8,000,many said the offering must compete against a legion of wireless e-mail solutions already entrenched in the market.

The new bundle, expected to be announced this month, consists of Defywire's Picotop mail software embedded in Sun's Linux-based Cobalt Cube 3 server appliance.

A Java-based application, Defywire's wireless e-mail solution supports any Java 2, Micro Edition device and multiple e-mail applications, including Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino and Groupwise, and SunOne Messaging, said Defywire CEO Jill Stelfox.

To tackle issues around the sometimes complicated process of wireless e-mail installation, Defywire also added some software to simplify setup.

Distributor GE Access is pricing the bundle at $7,595, which includes hardware and software to support up to 150 users.

Ron Herardian, CEO of Global Systems Service, a messaging consultancy in Santa Clara, Calif., is skeptical about a Sun solution at the low end. In addition, he said, the solution faces tough competition from Microsoft-bundled mobile support in Exchange, and offerings from Research In Motion (RIM), an established player in enterprise messaging.

"When you go and talk to corporate customers about wireless e-mail, it's RIM, RIM, RIM," he said. "RIM has mindshare, and they are tied to [the Blackberry device."

Anthony Meadow, president of Bear River Associates, an Oakland, Calif.-based mobile solution provider, also expressed concerns about the competitive landscape of the wireless market. "People usually charge about $100 per user for this kind of solution. The fact that it is so inexpensive could be looked at as a commoditization of the mobile middleware space," he said. "There are a lot of companies offering this kind of service."

But Meadows said the solution's Java base does make it an interesting play.

Deborah Jaeger, program manager at Orchid Technologies and Management, Washington, agreed. "This solution is compact, it's not cost-prohibitive, and it offers flexible options, having been written in Java," she said.