Good news from the iPhone Software Roadmap event in Cupertino: All business users who use (or want to use) the iPhone in an enterprise environment can be delighted: Apple licensed ActiveSync from Microsoft an will offer a direct connection between the iPhone Mail, Calender and Contact applications to a Microsoft Exchange server.
This strikes a blow against Apples competitor RIM with their Blackberry-solution: Within a Blackberry solution all messages are redirected through a server owend and managed by RIM itself – a real nightmare for everyone responsible for data security and protection within a company. Apple offers a direct connection between the iPhone and the Exchange server of the business customer himself with their new iPhone-solution.

It’s gonna be an exiting event on March 6th: Apple is inviting for a “iPhone Software Roadmap” event on March 6th 2008 in Cupertino. Releasing the long awaited release of the software development kit (SDK) for the iPhone is one thing. But it looks like there is one more thing – at least The invitation Apple is sending out points out a very interesting new focus of iPhone applications: The enterprise market. When you think back to the times of Apple Newton Message pad, enterprise applications where the unique selling proposition – so maybe UPS, Fedex and DHL will use iPhone for tracking parcels in the future … just an idea

So, let’s wait and see what’s Steve is revealing on March 6th.

Sources: fscklog.com, fortune.cnn.com, Image courtesy of Apple.

It was quite interesting to watch a presentation at the MobileMonday in Munich of Antonio Vince Staybl, CEO of gofresh.de the creators of the mobile off-portal community itsmy.com.
They did an amazing job over the last five years in growing their mobile community and now, itsmy.com and an other German based portal called Peperonity.com are some of the bigges mobile off-portal communities in the US besides Fotochatter.com and Flirtomatic.com. Really amazing.
To make one thing clear: from a designers standpoint, it’s hard to believe that all of them are working, because it really reminds me to the times of C-64 … but they work

Google is running fast forward with the Mobile-Handset-Operating-System, called android, they are developing with the joint forces of the Open Handset Mobile Alliance. To attract the creativity of developers worldwide, they started a competition – or as Google likes to see it as the Android Developer Challenge. Google will provide 10 Million $ in awards for the best applications. So it might really be interesting for some developers out there – may be great seed capital for a new startup
Yesterday, on January 28, Google extended the deadline for the first round in the Android Developer Challenge to April 14 2008. There will be a second challenge when the first handsets ship. And those first android handsets should ship in the second half of 2008.
So, get your mobile applications on track

The people at Skyhook Wireless really did a smart job with their Wi-Fi Positioning System: They just use the highly distributed public and private Wi-Fi infrastructure of everyone as reference points for their location tracking. So basically every WiFi-enabled device can use their technology if Skyhook Wireless scanned and located the hotspots that specific area.
I did not find any competitors, yet. Sure, there are companies like innerwireless with their PanGo location management software, or Cisco with their Wireless Location Appliance, or the Finnish ekahau working in the field of Wi-Fi locating technology. But they all focus on closed business solutions where a dedicated infrastructure is used for tracking.
So the Skyhook Wireless WPS solution looks like an innovative and unique way – and an interesting way to realize navigation and location based services in metropolitan areas. Opening up their API for web developers was a brilliant idea – so let’s use it.

No need for handheld GPS devices which do not function properly in metropolitan areas