This project is about wireless services for the corporate user. They have developed a set of applications for the iPAQ based on a client-server approach, and UPnP.
The services they talk about are: sharing documents, printer access before/during meeting, multi-media annotations. They also provide secure VPN over wireless -- access to the corporate intranet. They are planning to deploy several wireless LAN access points on the Siemens campus in the next month to test this system.
Security is handled through smart card displays and a one-time password (given to a visitor, say). A typical scenario is where a visitor walks in with a PDA (iPAQ) and has secure access to all these services, and to the intranet for the period of the visit.
The way this works is as follows. The iPAQ has to run an application (a service container). Service discovery is done through UPnP (SSDP - Simple Service Discovery Protocol). Service UIs are downloaded onto the iPAQ and these contact the network services like printer access, projector for presentation, etc. The UPnP implementation is in Java and service download is something Siemens has added to UPnP (its not part of the spec yet). I don't think there is any technical reason why they could not have used Jini -- which already has dynamic service download in Java. (UPnP is Microsoft's answer to Jini?).
The iPAQ has a very nice form-factor and good screen, CPU, and memory. But of course the problem is that it has to be charged every two hours!
They have a building map service that uses IRLan based location mapping. There are little IR devices along the walls. But again, the power consumption is a problem here -- they have these IR devices along the walls only during demos! It cannot run for over a day.