News Briefs and Product Shorts

• At the recent JavaOne developer's conference, SEAGULL announced a new Java Connector Architecture-based host-integration component for LegaSuite, its application modernization solution for mainframes and OS/400 servers. SEAGULL's new Host Integration Accelerator for Sun Microsystems' Sun ONE Application Server 7 is a compliant JCA resource adapter that can be used to connect new Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) technology with enterprise legacy systems. SEAGULL says its new JCA resource adapter simplifies and accelerates the process of exposing legacy business functions as a common API and set of services within a J2EE environment. These LegaSuite APIs are then called from within the Sun ONE Application Server 7 software, and those business functions appear as a familiar J2EE component to Java developers.

• Collins & Aikman, a fast-growing auto-parts manufacturer in Michigan that uses the OS/400 server extensively, has signed a multi-year deal to outsource its data center operations to Infocrossing. As part of the deal, Infocrossing will migrate C&A's corporate data center operations, which consist of an array of AS/400, Unix, and Windows NT servers, to one of its data centers. Infocrossing will also assume remote management responsibilities of C&A's network, which runs on Windows NT, Unix, and IBM Lotus Notes and Domino servers. C&A, based in Troy, Michigan, has been a BPCS shop since 1990 and has grown rapidly through acquisition in the last year. In 2002, the company posted sales of nearly $4 billion, about $2 billion more than 2001. The company, which makes cockpit modules, instrument panels, floor and acoustic systems, and automotive fabric, trim, and convertible top systems, employs about 25,000 workers in 123 locations across 15 countries. Infocrossing is a publicly traded outsourcing company based in Leonia, New Jersey. It specializes in supporting mission-critical, mainframe-based IT systems, and it boasts extensive experience and expertise managing the OS/400 server as well.
  
  
• Curl is moving into the Japanese market. The Cambridge, Massachusetts, company, which develops a "rich" client interface development technology that holds promise for rejuvenating old 5250 screens (see "Curl Sees 'Rich' Interface Technology as OS/400 Preservative"), recently announced a Japanese-language version of Curl. Curl 2.0.7, which adds Japanese compatibility and is the first localized edition of the product, was released in early June. The company is also making headway by enlisting a local business partner and by signing up the first clients on the island nation. Curl announced a license deal and a strategic partnership last week with Business Brain Showa-Ota, a publicly traded technology and management consulting firm. The deal involved creating Curl Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of Business Brain Showa-Ota (although Curl maintains minority rights) that has exclusive rights to resell Curl products in Japan and Korea. Curl says the deal is worth $5 million in upfront software licensing fees and will address the high demand for rich client solutions in the Asian market. The subsidiary has already racked up its first clients, including Japan Telecom, which is reportedly considering extending its use of Curl to telematics enterprise applications.
  
  
• Integration software provider iWork Software is now shipping NotifyNow! 4.0, the second of five components the company has planned for release in 2003 as its Now! suite of tools. NotifyNow! is designed to help companies stay on top of events occurring in the supply chain by automatically sending alerts via fax, e-mail, PDA, or an automated data collection device. The alerts will be sent when certain events occur, such as when a customer order is placed on hold or an allocated item is placed on back order because of a lack of inventory; a customer order shortage exists for an item received or an item falls below the reorder point; when an order is ready for shipping or when an order over a certain value is shipped. NotifyNow!, released in April, followed the March release of iWork's first Now! component, InventoryNow!, an inventory management system that tracks all forms of inventory, from raw materials and work in progress to finished goods and shipments. Other iWork Now! components scheduled for release in 2003 include OrderNow!, SupplyNow!, and VMINow!.
  
  
• Multi-site manufacturers looking for a way to monitor and synchronize manufacturing activities managed by J.D. Edwards' ERP software may want to check out new software from Camstar. Last week, the Campbell, California, company announced InSite LiveConnect for J.D. Edwards, a new piece of XML- and Microsoft .NET-based software that is designed to help integrate data, centralize business process decisions, and improve the visibility of multi-plant manufacturing operations, particularly those in the life sciences, semiconductor, and electronics industries. Camstar says its software provides insights into key JDE business processes, including production orders, order planning, and actual work in process and finished goods costs. By using prebuilt connectors with InSite LiveConnect for J.D. Edwards, Camstar says, its software helps reduce the cost of integration by as much as 80 percent. The new software joins other Camstar products designed for PeopleSoft, Oracle, and SAP.
  
  
• Retailers looking for a way to cut-down on under-age buyers of alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, and other adult-oriented materials may want to check out a new product from Epson. The printer giant recently announced it has embedded an identification scanning technology, called Proof Plus, in its TM-H6000II multifunction point-of-sale (POS) printer. When deployed in tandem, the ID scanner prevents cashiers from issuing a receipt until the customer's identification has been obtained, thus reducing sales of restricted items to minors. The new product can also help deter fraud by capturing a digital image of the customer's ID card and displaying it on a monitor at the time of sale, or printing the image directly on the receipt. The capability to capture images of customers' ID cards can also be used for check-cashing operations, if the retailer offers that service. The TM-H6000II POS printer offers 180 dpi resolution and print speeds of up to 53 lines per second. Epson says the device will connect to both "legacy and PC-based" systems, via its Connect-It interface options, which supports IBM 4610 emulation, and connects via RS-232, RS-485, parallel, and USB. The printer is expected to be available in the fourth quarter.
  
  

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