Blackberry Input Software for DTE

APS sends out a press release for April 1 publication, but I assume it is not an April 1 Joke:

ATLANTA, Ga. (April 1, 2005) – Advanced Productivity Software (APS) today announced the release of DTE InHand for BlackBerry. DTE InHand allows attorneys to easily capture completely validated time-based billable activities and expenses directly on a Research in Motion (RIM) BlackBerry handheld and have that information automatically transferred wirelessly into DTE Enterprise system and seamlessly into the firm’s existing time and billing system.

DTE, of course, is a well established product and “on the go” time input directly to the firm’s time collection system is welcome. But let the vendor tell it:

This mobile time entry application improves productivity and profitability by providing law firm personnel with the ability to enter and edit critical information from any location just as they would if they were sitting at their desk. Unlike other time entry applications that only allow for “scratch pad” entries, DTE InHand provides the user with intuitive fields that allow the user to input fully validated data in the same way that they easily perform entries within their DTE desktop application.

DTE InHand for BlackBerry allows timekeepers to quickly select various codes such as date, client name, matter and task codes when entering their time. In addition, attorneys are now given the functionality to precisely track hours by using the start/stop timer which automatically select incremental fraction based rounding according to client and matter configurations in the billing system.

“RIM has provided a perfect platform in their Java based BlackBerry for mobile applications like DTE InHand. Capturing time and expenses as you go has been proven time and time again to be the most effective, efficient, and accurate methodology for keeping track of these activities,” said Jim Tharpe, president of APS. “Mobile Attorneys have adopted the BlackBerry as their communications device of choice so it only made sense to provide a robust time and expense application for use on their BlackBerry handhelds. In addition to its impressive functionality, DTE InHand’s licensing policy of only charging a small user fee for those users who actually use the software each month, has been met with great reception in a number of leading law firms.”

Firms that use DTE Enterprise and desktop platforms can purchase DTE InHand for BlackBerry for a small user fee, less than ten dollars a month per user. No upfront capital expenditure is required as the fee is only charged for each timekeeper that uses the software for that month. The software is very easy to install using any one of the three methods available for BlackBerry software distribution. Firm-wide deployment can be as simple as providing each user with a URL or pushing the application out via the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES). For more information, or to schedule a demo, interested parties can contact 800-783-9231 or visit the company’s web site at www.aps-soft.com.

“No upfront capital expenditure is required . . .” except for the Blackberry handhelds, themselves, but then you undoubtedly need mobile e-mail anyhow. I’m still in favor of platform independence in mobile timekeeping, but that’s a subject for another post.