NetDev, an independent software vendor (ISV) for telecoms service providers, has launched a widget for the iPhone that allows users to manage enterprise audio conferencing sessions from their iPhone. In the near future, says NetDev, the Conference Controller widget will also be made available for other brands of Smartphone.
Traditional conferencing solutions typically require desktop-client software or dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) (aka touch tone) phone menus for manually controlling and managing conference calls, which, says NetDev, had posed a challenge for mobile workers requiring access to enterprise conferencing capabilities.
But users of NetDevs CIE conferencing platform can use the Conference Controller widget to initiate, manage and terminate sessions from an app on their iPhone, which integrates seamlessly with their address books and the conferencing server. Participants can simply be invited to, or removed from a session using the iPhones touch screen.
Audio conferencing is a critical business application, but in todays mobile world people want to manage their conference sessions with more convenience, not just from their desk phone, but also from their iPhone or Smartphone, says NetDev CEO, John Logsdon. Smartphones have rapidly become must-have business tools and it seems natural to deliver a complementary application that allows users to control and manage their conference sessions directly from the handset. We chose the iPhone, but we plan to implement the widget for other popular brands in the near future.
NetDevs CIE Conferencing suite is available for immediate deployment, with service providers offering hosted services to enterprises and other partners. It includes a comprehensive RESTful web services API, allowing service providers to offer simple, cost-effective mashup capabilities to their partners and customers.