Remote Access Services – Fusion or Boat on Wheels?
by Gil Rosen

An interesting new play in the convergence arena are the mobile access companies. The value proposition is focused around on enabling users to access to their PCs using an internet enabled mobile device as long as they are online with their PC at the same time too.

To start with,this is a very welcomed and logical step in the convergence field. If you had told me two years ago that I would be able to surf the net and view my PC content via WAP using my simple mobile phone (Nokia 6230) (…) get out of here!

As it happens, SoonR and Avvenu are companies that are pioneering the way. SoonR got a thorough review on mobilecrunch a few days ago so it got me thinking in the context of our “Fusion” vs. “Boat on Wheels” awards. For the sake of fairness I will focus on Avvenu this time.My acquaintance with Avvenu goes way back to April 2005. I joined their beta program out of interest in convergence and have been following their development ever since. Matt Baker, who duly signs all his email “The Avvenu Team” has been sending me periodic emails with updates and upgrades, my first comment to Matt is, “Nice to make your acquaintance, write shorter emails”. Yes they are very organized and full of useful info but the one pager rule applies also to beta user updates. If you think people read 840 word email let alone a beta program update…think again (this post will be shorter – 220 words shorter to be exact). Nevertheless that is not the point to focus on so back to the main message.

Avvenu’s execution is good. I registered and installed the client and within minutes had access to my PC files though a WAP browser. Very impressive, the flow was easy, the links and file icons clear, the navigation broken down into steps that can be ‘chewed’ with ease on a small screen - overall I’m happy. But there are two very fundamental issues that I believe need to be addressed:

No matter what they say, this feels like a huge security (loop) hole. Call it a psychological issue, it makes me consider uninstalling the application on a daily basis . Avvenu – deal with it more loudly! There is not one word about security on the home page. If I can access my office PC(!!!) though WAP you have to come off as security experts of the century and not just a nice killer app. A by the way “Enjoy secure access” disclaimer in the how this works page is not enough. Tell me what you are doing and why I shouldn’t be shivering of fear.

Convergence is not just about ACCESSING files. Its is ALSO and very importantly about transforming (A.K.A - transcoding) them to the right format per the accessing device. It was very impressive to see my PC music playlist on my mobile, but none of the files downloaded could be played, not to mention the .doc, .xls office files. If you went thus far, make it useful all the way.

Here is my bottom line judgment. It’s a great and refreshing start. The fact that this convergence software is now available to the masses and not through some heavy duty enterprise solution is what this whole movement is about. Not transcoding files I believe is a big BUT. It basically makes this application useful to smart phones which in my opinion fall under the miniature PC and not the mobile category, subsequently making the convergence ‘trick’ less sexy. All in all, I do believe their road map will include transcoding and as a new service they delivered the goods - FUSION it is!

Gil Rosen
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