AT&T will offer Webalo Inc.'s Mobile Dashboard service to target professionals in the retail business.

This service gives mobile professionals real-time access to business intelligence and other corporate information via the mobile devices.

"[Mobile Dashboard] makes it easy for retailers to get key performance indicators data from stores," said Peter Price, CEO of Webalo, Los Angeles.

Webalo technology changes enterprise applications and data to make them compatible with mobile devices. The software vendors and system integrators that are currently working with Webalo are Actuate, IBM Corp., Nokia and Research In Motion.

There are numerous ways that retail professionals can use the Mobile Dashboard service. For example, managers can get immediate access to store, region, division and company key performance indicators.

Also, buyers and other executives can instantly access sales information for consumer packaged goods and other fast-moving products that can help with their competitive response, and retail executives can determine the effectiveness of point-of-sales promotions in real-time.

The Mobile Dashboard service's availability to AT&T's retail-sector customers follows Webalo's receipt last year of AT&T's Enterprise Solution Certification and inclusion of the service in the AT&T devCentral program.

"Our approach is unique being a hosted service as well as an automated appliance," Mr. Price said.

The in-house server appliance offering is targeted to large corporations and retail chains that prefer to install the Mobile Dashboard inside their own data centers.

The Webalo Mobile Dashboard Service is available for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, PocketPC, Palm, Symbian or Java-enabled smartphones.

"Webalo is currently focused on key performance data but we are making a move to be a source for any kind of data," Mr. Price said.

"For example, the manager of a large grocery store may be checking on how his sales are doing, but then get an alert on a shipping delay -- he can then reschedule the delivery straight from his mobile device," he said.