A Core Competence Product Evaluation
Trio: Integrated Wireless Messaging
Trio provides integrated desktop access and management for almost all forms of wireless messaging: short messages, paging, fax, and data. It offers relatively seamless handling, independent of message type, under a single, uniform interface. Trio displays New and Outgoing message summaries, provides phonebook and contact management, and allows you to send, resend, forward, display, compress/decompress, and archive messages. Differentiated services are provided where appropriate: a terminal program for data, templates for short messages and fax cover pages.
Incoming calls to
our GSM fax or data numbers were answered by the phone and handled
by Trio. Calls to our GSM voice number were displayed on
the phone handset, with an option to answer. Unanswered callers were given
a choice of leaving voice mail or a numeric page, both resulting
in a message waiting indication on the handset. Numeric pages
were also conveyed to Trio as short messages, appearing with faxes and other
short messages in Trio's New message summary. Voice messages must be
retrieved from the phone handset; all other messages can be
read through Trio. Trio does a nice job of integrating most message types,
but adding voice mail and providing one number access to all services
would be even more convenient.
To install Trio, just run SETUP and follow the instructions.
Minimal configuration data must be entered
to define the country and area code in which you are located,
prefixes required for dialing, your incoming fax number, and
the phone number of an SMS service center.
The installer runs a quick system test and verifies
phone connectivity. Launching Trio from
the Program Menu opens the Wireless Communication Center,
summarizing New and Outgoing messages and system information.
The Phone Manager allows you to select a service center,
monitor phone battery charge,
and manage SMS templates and numbers. The Fax panel allows you to
compose and send fax messages, using optional cover page templates.
The Send SMS Message panel allows you to compose, set validity
period, and send short messages using optional templates.
Both Fax and SMS panels allow Address Book entries to be created and edited.
The Archive manager displays folders for outbound, transmitted, erroneous,
and inbound messages from all sources, with the ability to resend,
change destination number, route (forward), and compress/decompress messages.
The DataComm window provides all the usual terminal program
features, with an integrated phone book - and this is where the GSM
Reference Manual comes in handy for looking up GSM-specific AT commands.
Trio also offers diagnostic capabilities that we didn't find it
necessary to use, but it's nice to know that they are there.
