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Backelite首席技术官谈‘一次开发、随处运行’系统

发布时间:2011-05-09 09:12:03 Tags:,,,

法国手机网站专业公司首席技术官阐述为何银行、列车运营商等各行各业公司如今可以轻松进军手机领域。

Thomas Sarlandie

Thomas Sarlandie

回到2007年,很多业内公司纷纷认为这家手机网站公司最终将销声匿迹。当时代码转换(游戏邦注:就是为移动手机植入完整网站)极度风靡,配有完整网页浏览器的大屏幕智能手机也才刚刚浮出水面。

移动设备为何不使用普通网络浏览器就好呢?

这个问题现在看来有点可笑。

手机屏幕的确越来越大,链接也确实越来越快(其实也没那么快)。但讽刺的是,用户对于手机网页浏览器的狂热追捧实际上使得合理移动体验的出现变得日益迫切。

原因有三。首先,手机设备的最大吸引力在于它带给用户实用性——订票、微交易、火车时刻表及银行帐户收支情况。这些都依赖于手机快速、清晰的运行菜单。

其次就是应用的兴起。可下载应用客户(游戏邦注:这些用户可以无缝隙地同在线后端平台联系)的热情促进移动体验出现的必要性。

最后就是挥之不去的平台分裂性噩梦。智能手机尚未解决这个问题,所有Android开发商都深知其中成本。这个局面只会进一步恶化。

平台分裂问题为具有一次开发、随处运行能力的开发商提供了机会。他们创建某个网站或应用,然后将针对不同平台推出不同版本。

如今这类公司层出不穷(游戏邦注:Kony、Usablenet、Wapple和Netbiscuits等公司开始向全球各大品牌公司提供公司产品)。

另一同样雄心勃勃的公司是法国Backelite,它已同国内众多王牌公司建立起合作关系,目前公司有意开展扩张计划,将BK渲染平台推向国际市场。

Backelite首席技术官Thomas Sarlandie详述其中存在的机会:“越来越多公司开始瞄准手机领域,并且意识到反反复复创建同样的网站,或者创建没有用户基础的小网站都是不现实的。”

Backelite

Backelite

Backelite的BK渲染平台是基于HTML和CSS3、JavaScript及Ajax等既有网页工具,所以开发商能够便捷地将现有应用植入苹果、Android、黑莓、Windows Mobile 7、诺基亚、三星 和Java平台。准确来说应该是6000多种设备。

这个系统调整了各个设备的性能,支持高级手机设备的标签、幻灯片放映和动画播放等先进界面功能。

Sarlandie表示,“这就像是创建本土应用。开发商只需开发一次,应用就可运作于所有设备之中。”

如今该系统开始不断传播。据悉,Backelite 2010年的营业额增长了50%,达450万欧元,这完全得益于Voyages-sncf.com、Pages Jaunes、Fnac Spectacles、Crédit Agricole、Banque Postale和Gaz de France Dolce Vita等公司的鼎力支持。

Sarlandie表示这个平台并不适合3D游戏等复杂产品。但对银行、列车运营商之类的公司来说,这是节约时间、金钱,深入大众市场的主要捷径。

例如,Credit Agricole客户可以检查自己的银行帐户、进行资金转账以及查找距离自己最近的银行分机构等,而Voyages SNCF则支持完整的购票服务。

如今Backelite有意发展英国、瑞士、比荷卢经济联盟和美国市场(游戏邦注:公司在海外已经有3个销售合作伙伴)

Sarlandie表示,“如今我们开始把这个系统扩展至各大品牌公司及其代理机构之中。他们可以使用既有网页工具在48小时之内接触到大量用户。我们欢迎其他公司和我们建立合作关系。”(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,转载请注明来源:游戏邦)

INTERVIEW: Backelite’s Thomas Sarlandie on the pull of ‘develop once run anywhere’
 
CTO of French mobile site specialist explains how banks, train operators and more are easing the pain of going mobile.

For five minutes back in 2007, some industry execs pondered whether the made-for-mobile site might disappear completely. That was when transcoding was all the rage (that is, modifying full web sites for mobile on the fly) and big screen smartphones with full web browsers were starting to emerge.

Why not just run a regular web browser on those hi-res displays?

Well, that all looks a bit silly now.

Yes, screens have inflated, and yes connections have got faster (not that much faster, mind). But ironically, the rampant appetite for web browsing on a mobile device has actually intensified the need for a properly mobilised experience.

There are three main reasons for this, I reckon. The first is the fact that the most compelling of all mobile sites are those that deliver a genuine utility – ticketing, m-commerce, train times, bank balances. These rely on quick, clear menus that work.

Second is the rise of apps. The craze for a downloadable client that connects seamlessly to an online back-end has intensified the need for a made-for-mobile experience.

Third is the enduring nightmare of fragmentation. Smartphones haven’t solved this, as every Android developer knows to their cost. If anything, the problem is worse.

The fragmentation issue has created an opportunity for specialist firms with ‘develop once, publish everywhere’ platforms that take a site or app build and spit out versions for different platforms.

Indeed, there’s now more of them than ever, with firms like Kony, Usablenet, Wapple and Netbiscuits continuing to spread their message to the world’s major brands.

Another with similar ambitions is France’s Backelite. It’s already working with a number of blue chip firms in its home country, and is now embarking on an expansion programme to take its BK render platform to the international market.

Thomas Sarlandie, CTO at Backelite, explains the opportunity: “More and more companies are looking at the mobile space and realising that it’s just not realistic to build the same site hundreds of times, or just build a small number and then fail to reach millions of potential users.”

Backelite’s BK render platform is based on HTML and existing web tools like CSS3, JavaScript and Ajax, so it’s easy for developers to port existing builds to Apple, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile 7, Nokia, Samsung and Java. More than 6,000 devices to be exact.

The system mofidies for the capabilities of each device, supporting advanced interface features like tabs, slideshows and animations on the most advanced handsets.

“It’s the same as building a native app. But you do it once, and get coverage across nearly all phones,” says Sarlandie.

The message is getting through. Backelite’s turnover rose 50 per cent in 2010 to 4.5 million euros, and it counts among its customers Voyages-sncf.com, Pages Jaunes, Fnac Spectacles, Crédit Agricole, Banque Postale, Gaz de France Dolce Vita and more.

Sarlandie admits that its platform – or indeed any similar solution – is not well-suited to complex products like 3D games, for example. But for banks, train operators and so on, it offers a crucial money and time saving shortcut to the mass market.

Credit Agricole, for example, allows customers to check their bank accounts, transfer funds, locate the closest bank branch and more, while Voyages SNCF supports full ticket purchase.

Now, Backelite is looking to expand into the UK, Switzerland, Benelux and the US, and already counts three re-sale partners overseas.

Sarlandie says: “We’re getting the message across to brands and also their agencies. They can reach pretty much all users in 48 hours, using existing web tools. We’re keen to take this overseas, and we’d like to hear from potenial partners.”(Source:mobile-ent


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