Apple releases iSync beta

Apple has released a public beta version of its iSync application. The application, announced at MacWorld a few weeks ago, synchronises address books and calendars between Macs and Bluetooth-enabled GPRS cellphones, the Apple iPod and Palm OS-based handhelds. And if you`ve got a .Mac account, you can synchronise all the Macintoshes you want across the Internet. Steve Jobs is touting iSync as "the beginning of something big". iSync is available from apple.com but requires MacOSX version 10.2 and a .Mac account to take advantage of the application`s features. In related news, Apple also announced yesterday that over 180 000 users have signed up for a .Mac account. A .Mac account gives users access to 100MB of Internet-based storage which is integrated into the OS X finder. An account also gives users space for homepage hosting, iPhoto digital photo albums and iCal calendars as well as Web-based e-mail services.

CBROnline reports that Sun`s latest Java application server is only going to be available sometime later this month. The original plan was to get it out before IBM`s planned release of its application server also due in the next few weeks. Sun has committed to at least a Solaris and a Windows Standard version of the Sun ONE Application Server 7.0 by month-end. A company spokesperson says the other version of the application server for Linux, HP-UX and AIX are on schedule for release by the end of this year, with an enterprise version by early 2003. IBM`s Java 2 Enterprise Edition application server WebSphere 5.0 is expected in early November although it was also planned for a September launch. Both products are important to their respective companies as they are the first fully J2EE 1.3 compliant application servers. [More at CBROnline]

SAP has signed up SuSE Linux as a global technology partner for MySAP.com. The deal makes SuSE Linux the first Linux enterprise operating system to achieve this status. With SAP`s backing, SuSE looks set to pose an even bigger threat to market dominator Red Hat. The company probably also hopes to reel in some big name clients now that SAP has put its stamp on the product. SuSE already has the technology in place, however, and last year SuSE Linux Enterprise Server for the 32-bit x86 hardware was given the peculiar title of "generally available for mySAP.com".

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