FIGURE A

The Mobile Services for Domino configuration database is the control center for the application. Click picture for a larger image.

Messaging Services
The Messaging Services component of Mobile Services for Domino is really an updated version of the Lotus Pager Gateway with a new name and a broader vision. You can upgrade from the Lotus Pager Gateway 2.03 to MSD 1.0 and keep all your old settings intact. Messaging Services runs as its own program on the Domino server. At first, the interface doesn't appear very intuitive, but once you get used to it, you can tell at a glance if it's working properly or not. You can see a screen shot of Messaging Services in Figure B.

FIGURE B

Messaging Services is not intuitive at first, but you quickly get used to it. Click picture for a larger image.

In order to set up Messaging Services, you'll need to set up some configuration documents after installing MSD 1.0. This is a fairly straightforward process. It even includes a wizard interface for choosing your wireless service provider. In my case, I chose to connect to the SkyTel system via the Internet using SNPP. This meant I didn't have to use a modem to send a page.

Message abstraction means bill subtraction
For me, the real power of Mobile Services for Domino is the ability to precisely control the content sent out to wireless devices, such as pagers. Lotus calls this particular function message abstraction, but you can simply call it savings. As you probably know, many wireless service providers such as SkyTel charge users in blocks of ten or so characters. The more characters you use, the more you pay. Anyone who has experienced pager-bill shock can testify to this.

Of course, the opposite is true as well. The less characters you use, the less you pay. Messaging Services allows you to cut out all the unneeded information and send users the exact amount of information they need. Mobile Services for Domino allows you to control the fields you send to the pager via a setup document, as shown in Figure C.

FIGURE C

The content document lets you control not only what fields are sent but also the field labels. Click picture for a larger image.

What I especially love is the ability for users to define their own abbreviation lists as well as use those that the Mobile Services for Domino administrator has created. I immediately saw the power of this and jumped in right away to create my own custom abbreviation list. You can see an example of what this looks like in Figure D.

FIGURE D

Individual users can choose the abbreviations they want used when messages are sent to them. Click picture for a larger image.

Let me give an example of how Mobile Services for Domino can cut down character usage and thus the size of your bill. First, I'll show you an example of a message I sent directly to my pager's built-in email address, and then I'll show you what a message sent via Mobile Services for Domino looks like. Both messages were composed in Notes: