SAP and Sharp have reached an agreement that will allow
customers of the German enterprise software company to access
applications from handheld computers and laptops made by the
Japanese firm.
Under the deal, Sharp will develop software and handheld devices
to support various mobile applications from SAP.
The partnership follows a similar deal announced on Monday
between Fujitsu and Nokia, where Nokia will provide several
higher-end handsets based on Symbian's operating system, while
Fujitsu will offer systems integration, consulting and managed
services.
Sharp will integrate into its Zaurus SL-C760 and SL-C750
handheld devices two SAP applications that allow salespeople and
service technicians to access and process information in the field.
"These are two popular mobile applications in the area of CRM
(customer relationship management), but there will be more
applications to follow," said SAP spokeswoman Laurie Kelly
Doyle.
Neither SAP nor Sharp provided any details on product
availability or pricing.
The companies will extend their collaboration to mobile PCs and
phones.
The wireless-capable Zaurus handheld devices are equipped with
high-resolution LCDs and run Linux.
One of SAP's reasons for partnering with Sharp was because of
its high-quality flat-panel displays, which appeal to heavy users
of mobile data systems.
Sharp's use of Linux was also a good fit with SAP's Java-based
software.
After targeting the Japanese market, SAP and Sharp will expand
their collaboration to North America, Europe and the rest of Asia.
The companies estimate that corporate users of such mobile
solutions will soon number 17 million worldwide, including 1.2
million in Japan alone.
In 2001, SAP signed an agreement with the Japanese subsidiary of
Compaq to support SAP applications over Compaq's handheld
devices.
In the same year, SAP struck an agreement with Japanese mobile
phone company NTT DoCoMo to explore new mobile enterprise
systems.
John Blau writes for IDG News Service