Boston, MA - June 3, 2002 - Newbury Networks, Inc., the leader in the market for developing location-enabled networks (LENs) over 802.11, today announced that the Royal Sonesta Hotel is using its LocaleServer™ solution for deploying wireless location-enabled guided walking tours to patrons and visitors for its modern art collection. The artwork is on display throughout the Royal Sonesta's public spaces and restaurants. The Royal Sonesta will be administrating the location-based tours by providing Compaq iPaq PocketPCs configured with 802.11 wireless cards to visitors browsing the over 80 exhibits spanning the first two three floors of the hotel.
The core component to this unique LENs is a locale - contextually defined locations or spaces within a wireless local area network (WLAN). In the case of the Royal Sonesta's location-based application, there are nearly 50 of these locales throughout its modern art gallery. The location-based wireless guided walking tours will provision or "push" Web-based content about a particular exhibit and its artist when a patron walks into or near the artwork. Defining spaces as discrete locations and taking advantage of the information or content that might be used within those locations is the essence of the Newbury Networks LEN value proposition. LocaleServer provides the application management platform for the Royal Sonesta to build these location-enabled guided tours as well as the usage tracking, analysis and reporting critical for identifying space usage patterns, customer traffic, etc.
"The Royal Sonesta's application is a perfect example of how LocaleServer provisions timely, accurate application content based on location," said Michael Maggio, president and CEO, Newbury Networks, Inc. "Newbury Networks is the first company to provide a commercially available platform for location-enabled applications running on today's rapidly growing 802.11 network. The Sonesta's deployment is one example of how this breakthrough technology leverages this important new market to deliver location-based networks and applications to the leading hotels, museums, enterprises and universities."
"Our company has a long-standing commitment to technology and contemporary art," said John Murtha, vice president and general manager, Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston. It was only through the capabilities provided by Newbury Networks and LocaleServer, that we are able to enhance the visual and educational experience of our modern art collection with this unique service. It also contributes to our goal of being a leader in offering high-tech services to our guests. We believe this first implementation is only the start of a new and powerful way to deliver services throughout our hotel."
Newbury Networks' LocaleServer is the first of its kind application management platform for enabling a new breed of applications that leverage mobile users, locations and services available to those running on location-enabled networks. LocaleServer takes advantage of these location-enabled networks by provisioning or "pushing" specific content relevant to the mobile user when they are present in a defined space or locale.
LocaleServer provides the following unique functionality and benefits:
Provisioning = In addition to provisioning Web-based content based on a user?s location, LocaleServer also provides the network manager or system administrator the ability to manage network access and usage based on location. For example, an organization could provide general Internet access to their guests in the common areas of the office (reception area, lobby, meeting rooms, etc.). LocaleServer also includes usage management capabilities for "turning off" specific locations, performing troubleshooting, etc. It also allows the IT professional to deliver proximity access to the closest peripherals such as a printer, fax machine, projector, etc.
Data Mining and Asset Management - LocaleServer delivers valuable logging information such as property usage, network traffic, usage patterns and network activity. This information becomes critical for determining optimal placement of access points and identifying patterns that ultimately help the network run with greater efficiency and performance. LocaleServer also tracks all 802.11-enabled devices or equipment. This becomes a "must have" for managing large numbers of users and safeguarding against the loss of valuable equipment and peripherals.
Software Development Kit (SDK) - LocaleServer includes an easy-to-use, graphical builder or SDK to define the locales within the location-enabled network. IT professionals or business users can quickly "train" the defined spaces in within range of the APs and the type of data (messages, Web content, access, etc.) pushed to or servicing that location.
Back-end integration - LocaleServer is an open, robust software platform that integrates with virtually any back-end enterprise application - so organizations can leverage the investment in critical back-end data that drives their transactions and business processes. LocaleServer integrates with enterprise data through an Enterprise Java Bean (EJB) interface to ensure a seamless integration path from enterprise data to the mobile client.
Client-side user interface - The LocaleServer client layer provides for the development of thin-client HTML based Web content or a Java-based application that runs on industry-leading PDAs such as Microsoft?s (MSFT) PocketPC™ or Palm?s (PALM) PalmOS™ computing platforms or on any 802.11b-enabled device like a laptop. LocaleServer also supports any client platforms running Sun?s (SUNW) Personal Java™ 1.2. Simultaneous creation of client screens and custom applications is achieved with LocaleServer's intuitive development-side tools.
The Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston is a 400-room luxury hotel located on the banks of the Charles River offering spectacular views of the Boston skyline. All guestrooms feature T1 Internet access, with wireless access available from all function rooms, public spaces and the Gallery Café restaurant. The Royal Sonesta features a full service health club with an atrium style indoor/outdoor pool with retractable roof, a locally recognized concierge staff and an award winning catering staff with state of the art banquet facilities. Sonesta Hotels, Resorts & Nile Cruises, based in Boston, operates a collection of 22 upscale hotels and resorts and 3 Nile Cruise ships. For more information about the Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston visit us on the web at www.sonesta.com/boston or call 617.806.4200.
Newbury Networks is the first and only company to introduce a new breed of network technologies and services known as Location-Enabled Networks™ (LENs) for 802.11-based WLANs. Helping organizations maximize and extend the functionality of their WLAN deployments by managing the locations within the wireless network - wherever it is deployed - is a breakthrough approach that only Newbury Networks is addressing. Newbury?s solutions are bringing new levels of security, provisioning, network management and efficiencies to corporate campuses, universities, hotels, convention centers, museums, and other locations. Newbury?s management team is comprised of executives from companies such as Cisco Systems, Computer Associates, NetGenesis, NetMorf and Virtual Ink. For more information on Newbury Networks and its solutions for enabling locations for the mobile enterprise, visit www.newburynetworks.com.
Newbury Networks, Location-Enabled Networks and LocaleServer are trademarks of Newbury Networks, Inc. All other company and product names are property of their respective companies.
