A press release from TDC caught my attention “New GIS software for Blackberry under $1000”. I initially thought $1000/user sounded rather pricy but in fact it is $999 for a server licence with unlimited numbers of users sitting on top of ArcGIS Server.
The application looks quite neat and the list of US local government clients suggests that they have identified a market.
Many people have identified mobile workflows as “the next big thing” but the challenges of cost (I know of apps that do sell at well over $1000 per user) plus the need to deploy on an additional device (GPS/PDA combination, ruggedised laptop/tablet, with or without connectivity etc) have probably been a big limiting factors. A relatively simple install and the massive footprint of Blackberries could change things.
Will be interesting to see whether this takes off in the UK public sector and utilities. Not sure whether the usage of Blackberry is quite as pervasive.
