A Lotus has firm plans for SmartSuite. Rather than try to meet all needs with one product, Lotus proposes a spectrum of applications. On the thin client side, it will release applets developed using its Kona JavaBeans technology. SmartSuite 98 will be a continuation of the typical office suite of applications. The entire spectrum will be able to use Java and ActiveX component applets for individual or enterprise computing.
Lotus calls it a hybrid suite.
Look for speech recognition capability and better compatibility with Microsoft Word and Excel files. Enterprise integration will be essential, as will better integration with Lotus Domino and the leading human resources and database applications. Naturally, no enterprise strategy is complete without a commitment to lowering total cost of ownership. Lotus is firing on all cylinders with these plans for SmartSuite98. It can leverage IBM's resources, too, so this could well become the suite of choice for enterprise computing.