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Sun Microsystems Deploys Palm Treo Smartphones Through Asurion

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 August 2005, 09:00 CDT

Sun Improves Customer Satisfaction With Real-Time Remote Access to Its Mobile Enterprise Platform Running on Treo Smartphones

Continuing its drive to be the most significant mobile computing company, Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today announced that Sun Microsystems has deployed 600 Palm(R) Treo(TM) smartphones to its U.S. field services organization for remote and onsite access to Sun's call-management system to better serve Sun customers. Sun tapped Asurion Managed Wireless to provide deployment, rental, inventory management and guaranteed overnight replacement for the Treo smartphones.

Sun, a leading global provider for industrial-strength hardware, software and services, chose Palm's Treo solution after evaluating a variety of wireless data network devices. The Treo smartphone serves as a cell phone, an SMS device for sending instant messages, and -- most important for Sun -- a secure, web-capable device for accessing corporate applications, email and calendar.(1) Sun used its Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and Micro Edition (J2ME) using Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) technology running on Sun Java System Application Server Enterprise Edition 7 to develop a mobile call-management application that enables real-time communication with the enterprise call-management application, providing its engineers with better access to real-time customer service information.

Workflow changes that deliver a return on investment (ROI) to Sun on this project include the following:

-- Lower call volume -- Engineers previously received only partial information on their pagers, so they repeatedly had to call for more customer details. With Treo smartphones, real-time customer information is always at their fingertips, so "callbacks" to the Sun Support Services call center are expected to be reduced by approximately 90 percent.

-- More timely updates to service call and repair records -- Engineers previously weren't able to provide real-time updates and closure information. With Treo smartphones, approximately 90 percent of customer service cases are expected to be updated every 72 hours or less.

"The Treo smartphone provides the complete access to real-time customer service case information that our field services community has been asking for," said Kevin Coyne, vice president of Services for Sun Microsystems. "And by consolidating to a single converged wireless device, Sun eliminates extra costs, overlapping services and the need to juggle two-way pagers and cell phones. Asurion's managed wireless program eliminated the capital requirements for the rollout, and provides Sun with the flexibility to upgrade hardware next year to take advantage of future versions of Palm's Treo smartphone."

"Sun is one of many Fortune 1000 companies that have realized the power of Treo smartphones for continuous productivity and greater flexibility," said Tara Griffin, vice president, enterprise sales, for Palm. "Today, mobile solutions that enable the flow of important data are key to quality customer service, and Treo smartphones provide the flexible platform and high ROI that gives these organizations an edge over the competition."

About Asurion

Asurion Managed Wireless is the enterprise solutions division of Asurion Corporation, the leading provider of equipment management and protection programs to the wireless industry. Asurion has over 20MM customers worldwide, and is partnered with virtually every major domestic wireless carrier, including Alltel, Cingular, Nextel, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. For additional information about Asurion, visit www.asurionmw.com.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc. (formerly palmOne, Inc.) -- a leader in mobile computing -- strives to put the power of computing in people's hands so they can access and share their most important information. The company's products include smartphones, under the Treo(TM) brand; mobile managers, under the LifeDrive(TM) brand; handheld computers, under the Tungsten(TM) and Zire(TM) brands; as well as software and accessories.

Palm(R) products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels throughout the world, and at Palm Retail Stores and Palm online stores (http://www.palm.com/store).

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at http://www.palm.com.

(1) Within wireless service coverage area only. Email, messaging and web access require data services from a mobile service provider at an additional cost. ISP may also be required. Pricing varies by service provider.

Palm, palmOne, LifeDrive, Treo, Tungsten, and Zire are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned by or licensed to Palm, Inc. Sun, Sun Microsystems, Java, J2EE and J2ME are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.

Source: Business Wire

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