HyperOffice for the Apple iPhone

Steve Leon, HyperOffice's PR rep emailed me last night to tell me about the latest version of HyperOffice which works with the new Apple iPhone. HyperOffice gives business users of iPhone the ability to share documents with and without Microsoft Exchange, Sharepoint. HyperOffice today launched a new public beta of business collaboration tools that do more than connect the first and second-generation Apple iPhones to secure corporate email, contacts, calendars, tasks and notes.

This second beta of HyperOffice for the iPhone includes usability enhancements and, more significantly, access to shared documents, using built-in tools that connect to corporate messaging systems and operate as an alternative to Microsoft Exchange and Sharepoint. "This is what the new iPhone 3G does not have," said Farzin Arsanjani, president of HyperOffice.

"MobileMe and support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync begin to finally give business users of the iPhone the ability to sync and share calendars, contacts, email and tasks. That's what we delivered back in January 2008 with the initial beta of HyperOffice collaboration tools for the iPhone.

"But they're still basically emailing files back and forth as attachments. You're not managing documents with online storage, version control, user rights and workflow," said Arsanjani.

"In contrast, with HyperOffice, five people in three cities in two time zones can all work with the same spreadsheet at the same time, trying to knock out a proposal by deadline."

HyperOffice operates as software-as-a-service. It works on the iPhone. It works on any smartphone -- including the Blackberry. It works on any PC, Mac or handheld device. All users need is a browser and an Internet connection. There's nothing to download from iTunes. There's nothing to install, fix, upgrade and patch.

Just switch on your iPhone. Fire up Safari. Log into your HyperOffice account. That gives users a suite of web-based applications that deliver the power and productivity of collaboration software that only the largest company with a mammoth IT budget could otherwise afford.

Where iPhone 3G users can now sync email, calendars and contacts to personal desktop computers, HyperOffice transforms the iPhone into a business collaboration tool. At the office, at home or while traveling, users of the iPhone with HyperOffice may also share group and project calendars with team members and clients who also use Outlook and HyperOffice. Users may also retrieve, share and update address books, projects and tasks, and manage documents with online storage, versioning, user rights and commenting. HyperOffice also provides discussion groups, security and backup; and business-class email without spam and viruses.

Plus, if you're working on a Mac or PC, HyperOffice also offers web conferencing, Exchange and Sharepoint functionality, Outlook sync, Intranet/Extranet page and portal builders, time and expense tracking, and an online database application.

It costs about $7 per user per month. In English - and in Spanish. On a business trip to clients in Los Angeles, Maria can update sales orders with John in New York. Maria picks her language. John picks his. HyperOffice keeps track of who needs applications to display in which language.

"Bottom line, HyperOffice turns the iPhone into a business tool, not just a great phone," said Arsanjani.
The beta also includes a 30-day free trial of HyperOffice.