|
About 67% of all workers use mobile devices and wireless computers, IBM said, and the number of mobile Internet users in the world will approach 1 billion this year.
By Paul McDougall, InformationWeek, Aug. 11 2008, 1030 hrs
IBM on Friday announced a host of new software and services aimed at companies with mobile workforces and the road warriors who work for them.
Among the offerings, IBM launched a consulting service called Mobility@Work that it claims can help businesses increase employee productivity by as much as 30% by making workers more productive at home or on the road.
IBM said that 67% of all workers today use mobile devices and wireless computers, and that the number of mobile Internet users in the world will approach 1 billion this year, up 191% from just two years ago.
"The mobile Web represents one of the largest emerging market opportunities we've seen in a decade," said Drew Clark, director of IBM's Venture Capital Group, in a statement.
With that in mind, IBM is planning new software for popular mobile platforms, including Apple's iPhone 2.0.
The company said it plans to make a version of its WebSphere Business Monitor software -- which can alert users in real time to business events such as sales or new orders -- for the iPhone in the fourth quarter.
The software is now available for Research In Motion's BlackBerry device and can also run on other mobile operating systems, including Windows Mobile and Symbian, IBM said.
IBM also plans to make its Lotus Notes e-mail client available for the iPhone.
Also Friday, IBM introduced a version of its Rational Business Developer toolset that's designed to let developers create Web 2.0-style applications for use on mobile devices. The software lets developers code in IBM's new Enterprise Generation Language, which can run on platforms ranging from cell phones to mainframes.
IBM said that some of the new products were developed in the company's India Research Lab, part of which specializes in mobile technology development.
|