Nattachai Ungsriwong, the 25-year-old managing director of Orisis Wireless, a new software company set up in the middle of last year, said that it was the immense opportunity in the emerging market of wireless software that had inspired him and his team to adapt their skills in computer engineering and computer science to the software business.

The company, registered with a capital of Bt2 million, has 15 to 20 developers aged between 23 and 25 years.

It focuses on development of business applications instead of entertainment applications. Nattachai saw huge potential in terms of a source of revenue in business applications running on smart phones and pocket PCs.

"Business applications on Symbian-based mobile devices are much more difficult to develop in comparison to other developments such as Java applications and Java games.

"There are many competitors in Java-based developments," said Nattachai.

In its 18 months of operation, the company's main development is related to Thai-language skills. There are two main products that have been available in the market for a year. They are the Orisis Talking Dictionary for Mobile and SmartThai.

Orisis Talking Dictionary for Mobile is a talking-dictionary program designed to run on wireless devices such as pocket PCs and Symbian-based mobile phones. It allows mobile users to carry talking-dictionary applications around with them in a single device.

There are around 50,000 to 60,000 words in the dictionary database. It is available in Thai-to-English and English-to-Thai versions. To develop talking dictionary for mobile phones, two main technologies are required: compressing algorithms and text-to-speech synchronisation.

Although the firm is new, international wireless manufacturers have accepted its developments. The company has developed and licensed talking dictionary software to pocket PCs in several versions, mostly exclusive to HP systems.

Recently it launched the talking dictionary software to run on Symbian-based mobile phone. It spent a few months enhancing the existing knowledge in Pocket-PC talking dictionaries to run on mobile phones.

"This is probably the first time that a talking dictionary has been developed for Symbian phones. We have licensed Symbian phone manufacturers to install the software in devices such as the OEM models," said Nattachai.

Apart from the talking dictionary, another development is SmartThai. It is a software suite to allow wireless devices including pocket PCs, Symbian phones, Microsoft Smart Phones, and Nokia Series 60 Symbian phones, to work in Thai, no matter whether it's SMS, virtual keyboard, on-screen keyboard, handwriting, IE, calendar, inbox, or Windows Media Player.

"We developed SmartThai over two years and licensed it as OEM to many wireless device manufacturers," said Nattachai.

Its revenue is based on licence fees and Nattachai expects to meet Bt5 million this year. The revenue grew from less than Bt1 million last year.

Asina Pornwasin

The Nation