The Customer Magazine 1|2010

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Need to Get Users Excited About Software
Following its new mantra of solutions with instant value, SAP is transforming itself to be faster and more customer-oriented. SAP Spectrum talks with Jim Hagemann Snabe to find out how the company aims to achieve this.
Touching Lives With Technology
Some of the people who work the phones for Deutsche Post DHL’s human resources hotline are blind. Along with special resources for the visually impaired, they use the SAP ERP Human Capital Management solution to carry out their daily tasks.
Grabbing the Tiger by the Tail
The financial crisis, the drive toward internationalization, and SAP Enterprise Support services were three topics weighing heavily on the minds of SAP user companies in Japan last year.

25.06.2009

SAP on BlackBerry, Soon on iPhone?

By: Frank Völkel

iPhone with good conditions for business graphics

iPhone 3G S: An indirect route to mobile CRM

The leader of the pack in the smartphone market is the Apple iPhone – currently available in the 3G S model. Business functionality is on the up thanks to firmware updates to version 2.xx and, more recently, to version 3.0. The last means for older devices 2G and 3G. When it comes to mobile Internet, the iPhone is also a clear winner and, according to market research, leaves the competition in the dust. This is a credit to the iPhone’s exceptional display quality and its unique user navigation.

A direct comparison with the BlackBerry is revealing. The mini screens are similar, at least in terms of their technical specifications, and both the BlackBerry Bold and iPhone 3G S have resolutions of 480×320 pixels – a good basis for the graphical display of CRM processes. However, at 2.4 inches, the BlackBerry screen is considerably smaller than its competitor’s 3.5 inch display.

Although the iPhone uses similar push technology to the BlackBerry, there is no direct access to SAP software. Only through a connection with Sybase iAnywhere technology is it possible to retrieve SAP customer data.

In terms of graphics, the iPhone undoubtedly has the edge over the more text-based BlackBerry – and graphics are what counts when it comes to mapping processes on smartphones. Whatever the comparisons, the race between the two is certainly hotting up. The common goal – mobile access to the full spectrum of an organization’s business processes.