Mobile Phone Schedule Download

ProtoLink developed a solution to allow independent website developers to provide event schedule information that can be easily downloaded to mobile phones.  This project was developed for a major manufacturer of mobile phones.

ProtoLink devised a scheme to enable independent website developers to provide downloadable schedule information by simply:

• Providing the schedule information in a simple XML file adhering to a ProtoLink-developed schema
• Including a small JavaScript file developed by ProtoLink
• Calling a function in the aforementioned JavaScript file in response to a button click

The JavaScript function makes a request to a ProtoLink-developed ASP.NET application hosted by the phone manufacturer.  Most of the system complexity is contained in this application, which performs the following tasks:

• Prompts the user for a mobile phone's email address
• Retrieves the XML schedule file from the independent website
• Parses the XML file
• Builds standard vCal messages that can be recognized by the phone
• Encodes the vCal messages into Short Message Service (SMS) messages
• Forwards the SMS messages to an SMTP gateway for delivery to the phone

The advantages of this solution are:

• No server-side processing required on the independent websites provides server platform neutrality
• No Java required on the web servers or client browsers
• Browser independent

ProtoLink also created a support site for developers wanting to add this functionality to their website.  This site provides documentation, samples, and downloadable files.