Demonstrating Mobile Solutions for Microsoft Dynamics CRM

The old school method of demonstrating mobile software, using a camera suspended over a device, is expensive and unwieldy. Fortunately it is no longer necessary. There are a few ways to project a mobile Microsoft Dynamics CRM application on to big screen - let me share one that works with our Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Preview and a Virtual PC image of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 - no device required.

Configure the Virtual PC

I usually demonstrate Microsoft Dynamics CRM using a Virtual PC image, demonstrating on a fully network connected server is easier but they don’t always travel well. I think many of us have our VPCs setup with the loopback adapter so I’ll presume that your VPC is setup to use the loopback adapter for networking with its IP address set to 192.168.0.1. Instructions below presume that you’ve setup the Mobile Express server on the same VPC to a Web server at http://192.168.0.1:8888/ .

Windows Mobile Device with Microsoft Dynamics CRM server on a Virtual PC

Setup Visual Studio

In cases where no device is available for demonstrations, the Microsoft Device Emulator can be used stand alone. The device emulator is best for demonstrating Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM on a Virtual PC or for other self contained demonstration environments.

Configure the Virtual PC

1. Install Active Sync 4.5 on your Virtual PC image. Active Sync can be downloaded from microsoft.com at:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9e641c34-6f7f-404d-a04b-dc09f8141141&DisplayLang=en

2. Install the Windows Mobile SDK on to the Virtual PC image from

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=06111A3A-A651-4745-88EF-3D48091A390B&displaylang=en ).

The Windows Mobile SDK requires Visual Studio 2008. The Windows Mobile SDK provides the Device Emulator, the Device Emulator Manager, a set of device types and device skins.

Connect to the emulated device

1. Navigate to \Program Files\Microsoft Device Emulator\1.0.

2. Start the program dvcemumanager .

3. Locate the device image that you would like to use. The Windows Mobile Professional VGA Emulator provides a large image for very high resolution displays. The standard Professional Emulator may be better for projected displays.

4. Click the Actions menu and select “Connect”. The device image will be displayed on screen and will be displayed with a green icon in the emulator manager.

5. In the Device Emulator Manager select the device and then the Actions menu. Click “Cradle”. This will simulate a physical connect from the device to the PC and allow the image to share the host PC’s network connection.

6. Once the device is virtually cradled Active Sync will launch. The first time a given emulator launches you will need to walk through a process of configuring sync for the virtual device.
Setup sync with which ever options you prefer. Enabling sync of tasks, appointments, contacts and e-mail will enable you to demonstrate a broad range of mobile CRM scenarios.

7. Within the emulator, click the Start button and launch Pocket Internet Explorer.

8. Within Internet Explorer enter the URL for the Mobile Express Web server. For a default Mobile Express installation this will be http://192.168.0.1:8888/MobileApplication/ .
Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM will be launched.

I can’t go without mentioning a commercial screen projector and remote control application that allows you to connect and control a physical device from a PC. Pocket Controller Pro is a stable application with a huge set of device skins and PC based remote control capabilities – allowing you to use your mouse and keyboard on your PC to click menus and input data on the device.

SOTI’s Pocket Controller Pro can be purchased directly from SOTI.net for $35.95 USD:

http://www.soti.net/default.asp?Cmd=Products&SubCmd=PCPro

The use of dedicated projector application will provide you with the best looking demo environment and with remote control will provide the most precise of control over the device.

If folks want more information on how to setup this sort of environment – give a shout and I’ll post the step by step.

Cheers,

Barry Givens

Published Thursday, February 19, 2009 11:06 AM by crmblog

Bridge2CRM = (Microsoft Dynamics CRM + iPhone)

by menno 24. February 2009 21:42

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As you all might know is that I own an iPhone and absolutely love it. For me it is the ultimate device of being able to combine business with my personal life. I can view my Exchange email or meetings and at the same time I can listen to my favorite music, update my Twitter or Facebook status all through an easy to use interface!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the ability to update or access Microsoft Dynamics CRM information via your iPhone? Bridge2CRM leverages the iPhone interface by integrating it with the power of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Make phone calls on your iPhone directly from CRM, get map directions, send emails, and manage your CRM data; all from the easy and intuitive iPhone platform.

It works with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online or with your on-premise deployment. For more details or to schedule a demo, please visit SoftBridge’s web site.

Preview: Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

Preview: Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

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We work all the time and everywhere. Getting information, giving information, communicating and keeping up. It is only natural that an application designed for letting businesses connect with their customers should be capable of working anywhere and anytime too.

This week, we released a preview of Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0. No one should think that this is the start or the finish of Microsoft Dynamics CRM mobility though. As we’ve looked at the needs for mobile CRM we’ve see not one experience but many experiences - we think that there are as many ways to take CRM mobile as there are uses of CRM. Mobile Express is one of those experiences.

Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM provides users with a Web based CRM client that works on any HTML rendering device, small or large. The user interface can be customized to show only the types of objects that an organization wants to expose to mobile users. We see this choice working well for organizations with remote users who are frequently connected to a network and who may not need constant access to their CRM data but who want to have the flexibility to call it up when needed.

One of the interesting things that we’ve seen over the last few years is the desire to “never give a laptop computer to a sales person again” (an actual customer’s words). For organizations like this, a rich client on a smart device makes a lot of sense. Independent software vendors make full Microsoft Dynamics CRM applications for Windows Mobile (TenDigits, CWR Mobility, ADC), RIM Blackberry devices (TenDigits), the iPhone (softBridge) and Nokia phones (CRMMobile+). These applications typically have offline capabilities and can act as full PC replacements for some workers. I love these rich clients because while they have a broad range of CRM capabilities they can also be tailored to the specific needs of the jobs that people are doing with them.

And while I don’t expect too many people to be pulling out the Windows Mobile SDK to build their own mobile applications, building your own mobile solution may be cost effective and provide you with the best solution. In cases where there is a very limited set of tasks that users need to perform, special device functionality is needed or where you have development expertise in house, a bespoke solution can make sense. The solution could be as simple as e-mail alerts sent to mobile users or as complex as a .NET Compact Framework client. And some organizations are taking a mixed approach here: building an application for some users and purchasing one for others.

You can download the Mobile Express for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Preview and give us feedback through newsgroups at:

https://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=624

Barry Givens

Published Monday, February 16, 2009 8:44 AM by crmblog

Partner Conference: CRM Mobility with CWR

Posted By: benriga | Jul 15th @ 6:03 PM

Another Dynamics CRM ISV that caught my attention at last week's Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference was CWR Mobility.  Mobility is something I spend a lot of time thinking about and the Windows Mobile solution that CWR has put together is state-of-the-art when it comes to line-of-business apps on the go.  What really got my attention was the inventive way they managed to embed it into the Dynamics CRM Online infrastructure.  From an end-user perspective all you have to do is sign up for their service and they take care of all the hard work by reaching out across the cloud and installing and configuring the app.  Nice!

Partner Conference: CRM Mobility with CWR

Partner Conference: CRM Mobility with CWR

Posted By: benriga | Jul 15th @ 6:03 PM

Another Dynamics CRM ISV that caught my attention at last week's Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference was CWR Mobility.  Mobility is something I spend a lot of time thinking about and the Windows Mobile solution that CWR has put together is state-of-the-art when it comes to line-of-business apps on the go.  What really got my attention was the inventive way they managed to embed it into the Dynamics CRM Online infrastructure.  From an end-user perspective all you have to do is sign up for their service and they take care of all the hard work by reaching out across the cloud and installing and configuring the app.  Nice!

Partner Conference: CRM Mobility with CWR