Project type: Mobile
Services: Development, Testing

Project Description:

The mobile client for freight tracking enables users to view the real-time shipment information on BlackBerry, Android, and iPhone smartphones.

Customer's Need:

An American company that delivers less-than-truckload (LTL) services across North America has an affiliate in Canada and wants to offer an enhanced service to their Canadian customers, the majority of whom are BlackBerry users. The company has a Web site that enables customers to track the information about their shipments real time. The customer needs to develop the mobile client for BlackBerry, Android, and iPhone, and integrate it with the Web site to help customers monitor their freight information via BlackBerry smartphones.

Main challenges:

The team had to develop the application without testing it on different BlackBerry devices. The known issue with Blackberry app development is the fact that there are many Blackberry smartphone models that have different hardware components (e.g., screen resolution), support different versions of BlackBerry OS, and feature different connection types with the MDS server in Canada. The customer could not provide the complete model line of Blackberry smartphones. Developing an application that would function seamlessly on the variety of Blackberry smartphone models was quite a challenge.

The Solution:

The team used various simulators and SDKs to write, debug, profile, test, and deploy the BlackBerry application on different smartphone models and OS versions. As the models have different screen resolution, the team set common sizes for images and universal means to display them. As a result, Altoros developed the application that functions on all BlackBerry smartphone models.

The Outcome:

The company can now offer the enhanced service for Canadian customers enabling them to monitor their shipments in real time with any model of BlackBerry, Android, and iPhone smartphones. This service helps the company extend their market, gain competitive advantage, and attract new clients.