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SAP announced that they couldn’t resist to the iPhone frenzy, and decided to join the fun with the release of an iPhone program.  The software is part of a new sales-force automation software that it is launching this month.

The first generation will load business contacts, information on sales prospects and account data onto the iPhone. But don’t get too excited here, this is still a web based interface.

Is this going to help the iPhone gaining business people acceptance? That alone, probably not, but with the third party SDK promised for next February, my guess is we are going to see many other business tool developers aiming for the same goal: Using the iPhone hype to reach new customers.

SAP is introducing an iPhone compatible software before the release of a Blackberry, Treo or Windows Mobile versions. The software giant decided to introduce the iPhone software ahead of programs for those devices at the request of its salespeople, saying they prefer using iPhones to the other devices.

Here’s an interesting quote from SAP:

"The iPhone has become such a popular thing," said Bob Stutz, a SAP senior vice president who is responsible for developing the company’s customer relationship management software. "Everybody wants the ease of use of the iPhone."

The ease of use? You bet, that is probably what makes the iPhone so appealing to people (besides that people just love the icons…). After just a few minutes, people are having fun with the device. Have you ever watched someone trying to use a Blackberry for the first time? It’s a show.

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