New code developed to support ABN Amro tools
By Christine Tatum
Tribune staff reporter
May 14, 2001
A new code developed by Curious Networks, a Chicago-based wireless
interface firm, will support a series of tools to be released this summer
by ABN Amro, one of the world's largest banks.
The deal, announced last week, will give customers of ABN Amro's 3,500
branches, including its LaSalle banks in Chicago, access to mortgage applications
through wireless devices.
The bank also plans to roll out two business-to-business applications:
a cash manager that will allow authorized employees to review business accounts
and conduct an array of transactions through wireless devices, and a mortgage tool
that will let brokers lock in rates while on the road.
"We're giving people the power to do more than simply look up information,"
said Michael DelCiello, vice president of corporate development for Curious Networks.
The new definition language is a subset of extensible markup language, the
emerging series of data transmission standards based on Web coding protocols.
Called Multi-Channel Access XML, or MAXML, it allows developers to craft
applications for an array of devices--text pagers, wireless phones or personal
digital assistants--without having to write code in the multiple formats now used
in hand-held devices, such as wireless markup language and voice extensible markup language.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but DelCiello said Curious Networks'
software is typically priced at $75,000 per server and that each application the
company sold to ABN Amro could require as many as 10 servers.
The bank and Curious Networks are negotiating six other applications likely
to be rolled out before next spring, DelCiello said.
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