MWSF: Mac OS `Hybrid Web App’ for business previewed
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Jan 16, 2008 at 3:26am
Ntractive began previewing a new type of business computer application here at the Macworld Conference and Expo. The firm’s first product, Elements SBM (small business manager) for the Mac OS is a “hybrid application,” which combines features of a desktop application and the software-as-a-service (hosted) web application.
Elements SBM bridges the two together in an environment that blurs the lines between what is running on your desktop and what is running over the web, says Dale Jensen, Ntractive’s CEO. The software is designed to automate, organize, and improve business processes and financial management in small to midsized companies, he says. The initial target is Mac OSX-based businesses with 5-50 employees, estimated to number 20,000 in the U.S. alone.
Functionally, the system consists of a custom hybrid web browser application that runs on the client’s computer, and a web server application that operates from the Elements SBM server. The client logs into the system from any computer anywhere—even an iPhone—and has access to company data, reporting, and communications with other employees. A sales representative, for example, could log in from a customer location, enter a sales order, confirm product availability, and email an invoice.
The purpose of the custom hybrid browser is not only to make development of the web application easier, but also to incorporate functionality that makes the web app more powerful and easier to use for the customer, Jensen says. For example, the custom hybrid browser supports drag and drop. You could drag a “vCard” onto Elements SBM and it will convert it to a contact record. Drag a photo from your hard drive or a photo-browsing application like iPhoto, drop it onto the Elements SBM contact record, and the contact will now have the photo attached and stored on the web server.
The “Macsimum MWSF 2007 Coupon Book” is available for download. You can find it here and print it as a PDF. It has discounts, special offers and promotions in conjunction with the upcoming Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco.
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Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 10,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
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