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SWRemote Announces Changes to Device & Peripheral Support

To our valued SWRemote customers,

Below, please find a copy of the letter that was sent to each of you on July 23, 2010 about important changes to device and peripheral support coming soon to SWRemote. We appreciate your continued support as we explore avenues to add more value and benefit to you and all our SWRemote customers.

Download a PDF copy of the letter here.

July 23, 2010

Dear Valued SWRemote Customer,

I am writing this letter to inform you, our valued customer, about important changes that are coming soon to SWRemote. I want to thank you in advance for taking the time to read this letter as I know how busy you are tending to the pressing needs of your daily operations and running your business.

Recently, a manufacturer of consumer grade devices that SWRemote customers have been using for over three years made several cost-saving decisions that have negatively impacted the performance of these devices when used in combination with Bluetooth® devices. This ill-advised decision was made without consulting SWRemote or thousands of other software developers nationwide who have developed technology platforms for their customers that include these very same consumer devices.

Since learning of the issue a few weeks back, SWRemote has worked around the clock to find and implement a solution. Part of this effort included reaching out to the global software developer community which has raised this issue to a critical level as it impacts users of these technologies throughout the world. Unfortunately, repeated requests to the manufacturer to resolve this issue has resulted in no response or resolution.

Our own research, which includes specific feedback from the global network of developers and many hours of software testing, has led us to the conclusion that the manufacturer will not resolve this issue. Their decision appears to be driven solely by a need to reduce cost and not properly discerning the impact this will have in the operation of third party software installed on their devices.

Because of this and in order to continue supporting our customers we have made the difficult decision to end our support for consumer grade devices. However, unlike the manufacturer of these consumer grade devices, we wanted to give you plenty of time to plan for a migration to a more dependable and rugged platform.

To that end, effective 7/1/2011, SWRemote will exclusively support a line of rugged devices from Motorola and printer/card swipe units from Datamax-O'Neil. At that time, we will no longer support any consumer grade devices. In addition, we will discontinue our support for all equipment from  Infinite Peripherals and Opticon, including:

• PP55 (all versions), DPP350 (all versions), and Opticon OPL2724 (Scanner)

I am angry that large manufacturers have turned their backs on software partners like SWRemote, but the reception from Motorola and Datamax-O'Neil has been very positive. We realize that the transition from the "low-cost" consumer grade devices to a durable solution may lead some of you to consider discontinuing your service. We hope the value that Mobile Technician and Mobile Inventory provide will allow your business to continue with us and we further hope that during the next twelve months we can work with you to clarify a migration path that will work for you and your business.

To that end, we have already begun discussions with our friends at Motorola and Datamax-O'Neil in an effort to start a program that will provide our existing customers with aggressively priced rugged equipment, and as those details become available, we will pass them along to you.

During the PSI show on August 5, 2010, we will be announcing new Motorola devices and Datamax-O'Neil printers that provide a range of rugged solutions ranging from $700 to $2,500. The same information will be available at the AirTime, ESI, and Franchise shows as well as on our web site at www.swremote.com. In the last year, many of our new customers have joined us using rugged equipment because, in their words, it is the best equipment for what your teams do day-to-day.

For those of you who have consumer grade devices and peripherals, you may continue to use them until 7/1/2011, but please do so knowing that you must use them "as is." We are no longer making changes to our software to improve their performance and they will not be supported at all after 7/1/2011. In addition, no new consumer grade devices are planned for use with our software, so we encourage your company to make the transition to rugged equipment as soon as practicable before 7/1/2011.

We regret that our hand is being forced to make this decision at this time but feedback from many of you, our customers, indicates that this is the right move for your industry and for your long-term success using SWRemote.

We are committed to helping each of our customers get the most out of SWRemote software, and our partnerships with Motorola and Datamax-O'Neil will help make that happen now and well into the future. Thank you for trusting us to provide remote field service and inventory solutions. I hope you will work with us during this transition period and that you continue to work with SWRemote as we continue to improve our products and services and the benefits our solutions provide to all our customers.

Very Truly Yours,
Stephen M. Kiernan
President
SWRemote