Sprint And IBM Lotus Enhance Mobile Web

In a move that will drive Sprint towards providing richer PC features for smartphones and PCs on its EV-DO network, IBM reported Thursday that a new version of its Lotus Expeditor software will be available for developers using Sprint's Titan platform.

Along with the anticipated unveiling next week of a Sprint HTC Shift ultramobile PC, the evidence continues to add up that Sprint is focused on delivering enhanced Web and PC features to its customers.

Earlier this week, Sprint launched Openwave System's OpenWeb application, which helps mobile phone users download Web pages in easy-to-read formats that replicate desktop experiences.

Buffeted by a hemorrhage of subscribers, management upheaval, a headquarters move, and a plunging stock price, Sprint Nextel's new CEO, Dan Hesse, has recently concentrated on shoring up Sprint's sagging reputation with a brace of leading-edge subscriber features. The company's $99.99 "Simply Everything" plan undercuts inclusive subscriber plans announced by competitors by including a wide variety of features in its calling, data, and texting package.

Sprint is betting that IBM Lotus Expeditor 6.1.2 and its Web 2.0 capabilities will aid developers creating applications for social networkers visiting sites like Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. Developers can already use Titan and Expeditor software to create customer relationship management, sales force automation, and other business applications for its advanced mobile phones.

"We are intentionally blurring the lines between desktop and mobile development and allowing developers to easily move their applications to the mobile environment," said Tom Moore, Sprint's director of mobile business solutions, in a statement.

The new software should play well on HTC Shift ultramobile PCs, which Sprint has been testing. The HTC Shift has been available for months on GSM networks, where it has been well received.

Also on Thursday, Sprint unveiled its MySpace Mobile application, available on its Web-enabled mobile phones, in another move to improve its standing among mobile Web surfers. Sprint noted that its MySpace's Mobile Web site often gets more than one million unique visitors a day.

The main thrust of Sprint's Web 2.0 drive is aimed at its Sprint base and hasn't targeted its Nextel users. Sprint has been upgrading its iDEN network for its Nextel unit.