DB4objects Updates Object Database Pack, Adds Services

Looking to capitalize on a need for data-driven configurations and customization software, Db4objects Tuesday launched a new service and upgraded its software program for Java and .Net environments.

The startup's premium service offering -- dubbed dDN Enterprise -- is targeted at large scale "early adopter" and "innovator" companies and is priced at $18,000 per named developer per year. The service includes a support framework called XtremeConnect as well as a new professional-grade developer productivity tool, ObjectManager Enterprise.

The products are based on Db4objects' open source database, which lets software providers and hardware device manufacturers tap into object-oriented programming for networked and even mobile devices.

For instance, Db4objects' Java object storage allows for free-form user-generated data on handsets to work with a navigation or geo-data system, said Nik Wekwerth, Db4objects VP of marketing and sales.

"A search for the words tuna, bread, and mayonnaise will not only result in a hit for a tuna fish sandwich, but it will also create a list based on the user's location where they can buy that sandwich," Wekwerth said in an interview. "The cell phone is becoming the common island as both a receiver and a data generation device. How data is being leveraged to and from the network needs to be seamless."

Wekwerth said the company is now in talks with a Chinese mobile carrier to leverage Mobile Java and capture user-generated data. The result would be a continuous experience for a customer who wants to play a game on a cell phone and then continue the same game where he left off at home on his PC.

Db4object's secret sauce, according to Wekwerth, is the combination of services and software. XtremeConnect, for example, lets developers directly connect with a Db4object specialist for a remote pairing session that enables joint design reviews, problem solving, or debugging.

In addition, the company is announcing the availability of a beta release of version 7.0 of db4o. The new version features Transparent Activation, which simplifies the process of retrieving data objects of any complexity in db4o with only one line of code and overriding other structures such as Hibernate, relational, or nonnative object databases. The current release supports native Transparent Activations for Java and db4o collections. A .Net version is planned for release in December and full support for all collection types in the first three months of 2008.

Wekwerth said the company expects moderate adoption for the rest of the year where its target audience will download the code and play with it for as much as a year before converting it into a bona fide relationship. Currently, 26,000 users are registered as testers for db4o as an open source project.