Managing Editor Inc. will release AdsUp, its new Palm OS application for sales force operations, for the first time at Nexpo.

AdsUp enables salespeople to create and process orders from anywhere out in the field, without the use of laptops and without having to call orders into the office by phone.

“Sales people and customers don’t care for laptops because they put up a wall,” said Stephen Arbour, product manager for MEI. “Palm devices are easy to use, and salespeople are looking for something they can put in their shirt pocket so they can access any account at any time.”

With AdsUp, users can process orders
and calculate quote requests from a Palm computer.
Photo courtesy of MEI

AdsUp guides sales professionals through the order entry process, and orders are automatically integrated into the front-end billing system using HotSync technology.

AdsUp provides instant access to customer contact information, as well as a complete list of current orders and price quotes. Users can create new orders and generate quotes from anywhere, anytime, as well as having the capability to error-proof the order process.

AdsUp features screens to lead salespeople through the insertion order process with fields for common ad specifications, such as size, color and insertion date. The system also stores advertiser and publication information. Pop-up menus are pre-configured with data so there is no need to re-enter basic text. Any publication can customize field values according to particular schedules, rates and insertion sizes.

When an order is complete, the user touches the HotSync button, which enables AdsUp to seamlessly integrate with the front-end ad order entry system. All customer information is kept up to date, and salespeople can generate quotes on the spot.

HotSync operations are performed through the HotSync cradle, which connects the Palm to a modem or mobile phone, or by using a wireless Palm VII. The AdsUp server provides functionality between the Palm and the front-end server. Arbour said that AdsUp is a superior product because it works with any front-end system.

“If you’re happy with the system you’re using, you can use AdsUp and extend the value of your existing system,” Arbour said. Therefore, users can take advantage of something that already works well for them.

AdsUp retails for $1,500 per seat.

TruEdit for Adobe systems

Nexpo visitors will also get a preview of MEI’s newest creation, TruEdit. Scheduled for release by the end of this month, TruEdit offers users integration between editing and pagination.

TruEdit is a folder-based workflow system that links Adobe InDesign and InCopy together for a cohesive publishing workflow.

“It doesn’t get in the way of work. It’s designed to be easy and intuitive,” said Andrew Brown, MEI’s editorial systems product manager.

Typically in print publishing, writers give text to editors for copy editing and headline writing. After those processes are completed, the text is passed on to someone who lays out the final page with design elements in place. In other publications, design is completed first and writers then must compose text to fit. Final editing occurs only after this content is imported from word processing software into pagination software.

These processes often result in final content that is very different from the final published page. MEI claims that TruEdit can eliminate these problems by offering a connected workflow system that’s fast, flexible and affordable.

The TruEdit plug-in works with InDesign and InCopy to create an asset list between both applications. TruEdit links InCopy and InDesign so page designers can assign and distribute portions of a page to editors using InCopy to edit, fit and rework copy. Brown said with this feature, users can drop newly created files directly into the system from InDesign and InCopy. This enables editors to work on copy while viewing the same hyphenation, style sheets and column breaks the designer sees in InDesign.

“The asset list is a live look at your system at any one time,” Brown said.

Cross-media capabilities

These days, most publications offer more than a print version. Editions are published on the Web and via wireless devices.

TruEdit offers a direct conduit to cross-media publishing. Web publishers using GoLive can obtain copy without having to wait for the final product.

“You don’t have to wait until the end of the process to start your Web pages. You can get Web pages up as fast as you want them,” Brown stated.

Web publishers can eliminate the step of converting an InDesign or QuarkXPress file because text can be saved in a Web-ready format.

Brown cited speed as a key feature of TruEdit: “There’s no lag time because it’s not database-driven.”

MEI will also showcase the newest version of its Roundhouse ad tracking system for Macintosh and Windows. Roundhouse 2.5 offers users new and enhanced features for ad tracking efficiency.