Database gains Google Maps Mobile support

location based services

Sep. 14, 2007

Syware has added support for Google Maps Mobile to its mobile database development tool for Windows Mobile devices. The updated version of Visual CE, version 10, now lets applications display maps or satellite views relating to any database record, the company says.

Click for larger view of sample map

In order to display the map relating to a database, users simply click a button on the Visual CE form. It's said Visual CE will retrieve the location from the record, launch Google Maps Mobile, and then display the area with no further user intervention.

According to Syware, the record may contain an absolute address (for example, "1600 Pennsylvania Ave Washington D.C.") or a description (for example, "Statue of Liberty").

"The integration of Google Maps Mobile with Visual CE means developers can create information-rich, mobile database applications for end users in just a few hours or days," the company said in a statement.

Visual CE was last updated in May, with changes allowing it to run on all Windows Mobile devices. The tool is said to offer an intuitive, drag-and-drop interface that simplifies the design, maintenance, and use of flexible forms and databases.

Syware says its software includes a macro editor that guides non-programmers through the process of creating well-structured, well-documented macros. Macros can now be totally behind the scenes, kept "tidy and unobtrusive," yet still easily viewed, called, and edited, according to the company.

Other features that were listed as new in version 10 include:

* Support for the Windows CE Universal Camera API
* Custom color capability
* Navigational drop-down lists
* Tap and hold to cut, copy, and paste
* Grid control enhancements
* Field and variable values allowed in messages
* New events -- action, left, right, up, down, or hardware buttons pressed; form start-up; grid column changed; and moving off record
* New commands -- timer and abort
* Development environment enhancements -- control position is displayed; tap and hold creates control; and marquee select enabled

Availability

Syware Visual CE is offered in two versions, according to the company: a $129 "personal" edition, which includes full forms design, relational database, and synchronization capabilities and is intended for individual use; and a $399 "professional" edition, which includes all the functionality of the personal edition plus royalty-free application distribution rights. A 30-day free trial download of Visual CE is available here.