IBM endorses Android for enterprise mobile apps

IBM has made a statement that it sees Android devices as suitable business tools with a release of its flagship enterprise collaboration software for smartphones running Google's mobile OS.

Big Blue released a beta version of Lotus Notes Traveller for Android, which IBM's John Beck said the company built specifically for the Google Nexus One and the Motorola Droid.

It is free software that can be downloaded by Lotus Notes users, who can then synchronise their Lotus Domino mail, calendar and contacts as well as view the data on devices running Android 2.0 or better.

With recent press that 100,000 Android based phones are being sold every week and that now more than 60 models are on the market, IBM said that it has had many requests for suitable business software to run on them.

It already has Lotus Notes Traveller software running on Nokia Symbian, Windows Mobile and the Apple iPhone and iPad, and it's obvious that this is part of a concerted plan by IBM to expand further into the burgeoning mobile computing market.

IBM has also opened a research and development facility for mobile phone software in the US.

IBM won't enter the smartphone market itself, but will continue to develop its business oriented software for use on mobile gadgets.