Client-Server Applications

Along with the growing complexity of applications, comes the need for more resources. Meanwhile, some applications require access to remote databases for data that cannot for various reasons be stored locally. These therefore result in applications having to be connected to more powerful remote locations known as servers, thus the term client-server applications. In the near future, this application model will become commonplace, analogically to the path taken by the PC industry a few years back. Various Psiloc applications have been developed that made use of this technological model:

GSync is an example of an innovative, one of a kind solution to a problem that arose simultaneously with the worldwide introduction of SMS messaging - the backup of received and sent SMS and MMS. The existing methods of backup are all to some extent crippled, with most of them offering local backup only. GSync makes it possible to backup those messages in a neat way on a Gmail account. By running in the system background and using existing data connections to synchronize with GMail, it doesn't require any maintenance and is therefore extremely user friendly.

World Traveller, is a Symbian application that fetches weather and currency information from a dedicated web server, displaying it in a neat, user friendly interface. This information can be fetched from the application for more than 300 different locations worldwide. Psiloc has developed both a native C++ application for Symbian mobile devices and Flash based version for a wider scope of devices.

Offline Browser was designed and programmed as a mobile web application that would download predefined content in the background, and then allow for a "high speed" experience when browsing content. This gives the user an "always ON" feeling and with background loading the irritating latency and slow speeds of GPRS networks became a non-issue. The pre-loaded content also allowed for web browsing in places with no coverage such as the subway, which was the feature most of our customers adored.

Music Player was the most complex client-server project undertaken by Psiloc. This concrete application is probably the most server intense of all. The server is responsible for handling nearly all of the tasks. Starting with authentication and authorization through billing, two way playlist synchronization (either between users or between the server and the user) to music streaming, with the mobile as the audio visual presentation layer.

The majority of the named solutions use XML over HTTP data transfer to achieve their goals. This has over the years proven to be the most efficient and effective approach at mobile client-server model applications.