SAP and Research In Motion (RIM) recently announced the availability of an integrated solution that provides customers with anytime, anywhere access to the SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM) application on BlackBerry smartphones.  The new BlackBerry Sales Client for SAP CRM, which was recognized at SAPPHIRE 2009 with a Pinnacle Award for Innovation, is now available from RIM, giving sales reps simple, secure, real-time access to customer information in SAP CRM with the same seamless and intuitive experience they have come to expect from BlackBerry smartphones. The new solution is being showcased by SAP and RIM at SAPPHIRE.

As enterprise mobility using smartphones becomes a business necessity, SAP and RIM are working to address the needs and expectations of business users through an integrated solution that enables secure real-time access to SAP CRM.  The integrated solution benefits organizations with enhanced employee productivity and service while empowering mobile users with the ability to access critical customer information on the go. The integrated solution also leverages the inherent security, management capabilities and efficiency of the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution, and introduces a number of key innovations for mobile CRM, including:

•          Instant Access to Up-to-Date Information - In just one or two clicks, users can gain access to up-to-date client information from a BlackBerry smartphone, including contacts, sales leads and logged activities. This seamless and intuitive CRM experience is made possible through deep integration between the SAP CRM application, the BlackBerry Sales Client for SAP CRM, and core BlackBerry smartphone applications.

•          Push-Based Notifications - The new solution can automatically deliver or “push” all customer data updates in the SAP CRM system immediately to the user, as well as pushing sales leads immediately to the sales representative’s BlackBerry smartphone inbox with one-click access to the new information.

•          Access to CRM Data Anytime, Anywhere - Users rely on their BlackBerry smartphones for access to people and information on the go. This new solution enables contacts and account information to be continuously accessible on BlackBerry smartphones, and a local cache system allows access to certain information even if the user is outside of network coverage.

•          Industry-Leading Security - SAP’s established enterprise application security combined with the renowned wireless security of the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution provides end-to-end encryption to help protect confidential customer information whether stored on a BlackBerry smartphone, in transit, or in the SAP CRM application. IT administrators can also securely deploy the BlackBerry Sales Client for SAP CRM to users over-the-air. 

“The integration of SAP CRM with BlackBerry smartphones provides simple, quick mobile access to customer information,” said Bob Stutz, corporate officer and member of the executive council, SAP.  “SAP and RIM have converged the worlds of applications and mobility on BlackBerry smartphones, empowering mobile users through continuous access to essential information that leads to increased sales, service, effectiveness and overall performance. We look forward to our continuing co-innovation with RIM to support mobile workers in reaping the benefits of real-time mobile access to enterprise applications in a secure setting.”

“SAP and RIM are setting a new standard for mobile CRM with a highly refined and secure user experience that will enable even greater adoption,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “This innovative new solution elegantly extends valuable customer information in SAP CRM to BlackBerry smartphones by leveraging the BlackBerry platform’s core strengths, including reliability, real-time push technology, deep application integration, and market-leading security. Together, we are delivering the best in enterprise mobility.” 

For more information, please visit  www.blackberry.com/sap

Sapphire Technology has just announced its ATOMIC Edition of the HD 4890 – delivering the fastest single GPU graphics card available based on ATI/AMD technology. Building on its success with Special Editions based on its Vapor-X Vapor Chamber Cooling technology introduced over a year ago, the SAPPHIRE HD 4890 ATOMIC Edition will be a limited edition product aimed at the enthusiast looking for the maximum performance straight out of the box.

The Sapphire HD 4890 ATOMIC achieves the fastest speeds available on current technology. It is the first card on the market with a core clock speed of 1GHz as well as 1GB of GDDR5 memory with clocks of 1050MHz, making it the fastest ATI-based single core graphics card on the market. Its distinctive silver box features an enhanced accessory bundle including HDMI cable for connection to a suitable display.  A launch promotion on www.sapphireatomic.com gives users a chance to win one of these exciting cards as well as related prizes.

The Sapphire HD 4890 series is based on a new GPU core from the ATI division of AMD. This features the same graphics architecture as the successful HD 4870 series, with 800 stream processor units, 256-bit GDDR5 memory interface and integral hardware video decoder. It also features improved memory management architecture, and technical innovations that allow higher clock speeds and reduce standby power levels.

This series uses the PCI-Express Gen2 interface, and features dual connectors for CrossFireX cables, allowing two or more cards to be used together on a CrossFireX compatible mainboard for even higher graphics performance.

About Vapor-X

Sapphire was the first company to introduce Vapor Chamber Technology to its cooling solutions for graphics. The Vapor-X cooler was first seen on the Sapphire HD 3870 ATOMIC and TOXIC Editions over a year ago and is now in production on the HD 4870 512MB and 1GB TOXIC Editions and Vapor-X series cards.

Vapor-X is a Vapor Chamber Technology based on the same principles as heatpipe technology.  A liquid coolant is vaporised at a hot surface, the resulting vapor is condensed at a cold surface then the liquid is returned to the hot surface. The recirculation process takes place inside an evacuated chamber and is controlled by a complex wick system. In Sapphire Vapor-X systems, the whole chamber is very slim and is mounted in contact with the surface of the graphics chip. More details are available at www.sapphiretech.com

The ATOMIC and TOXIC series of high performance overclocked products incorporate a hybrid cooling system combining Vapor-X at the core to remove heat efficiently from the graphics processor together with heatpipes and heatsinks. These are cooled by a fan to carry away the heat from the vapor chamber, memories and other components and give more headroom for higher levels of performance. Sapphire Vapor-X and hybrid cooling systems are very efficient, so they can use low air flow rates – and therefore low speed, low noise fans

Smooth Video and Streaming

All Sapphire graphics cards in the HD 4800 series incorporate the latest ATI Avivo HD Technology for enhanced Video display and feature a new generation built in hardware UVD (Unified Video decoder) considerably reducing CPU load and delivering smooth decoding of Blu-ray and HD DVD content for both VC-1 and H.264 codecs, as well as Mpeg files. In addition to two, dual-link DVI outputs, and TV-Out, a dedicated HDMI adaptor delivers both audio and video output on a single cable for direct connection to an HDMI ready display.

Sapphire HD 4800 series graphics cards are Microsoft Windows Vista Premium certified and supported by the ATI Catalyst suite of software, ensuring customers have ongoing access to software updates for performance, stability and added features. Like the previous generation, these cards support DirectX10.1 for enhanced rendering performance and lighting effects. With the latest drivers, the Sapphire HD 4800 series also offers ATI Stream processing for the acceleration of video transcoding and other supported applications.

Sapphire will be announcing further models in its HD 4890 series in the coming weeks.More details are available at www.sapphiretech.com.

SAPPHIRE Technology is now shipping the SAPPHIRE HD 4770 – a powerful midrange graphics card that brings new levels of graphics and video performance to enthusiasts on a budget.

The new SAPPHIRE HD 4770 is the first card in its class to use GDDR5 memory and is based on the first ever GPU built in 40nm process technology. It uses the powerful graphics architectures from the ATI division of AMD, incorporating multi-purpose stream processing units and improved memory management architecture.

With 640 stream processors – twice as many as previous generation mid-range cards – and core clock speed of 750MHz, together with 512MB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 800MHz (3200MHz effective), the SAPPHIRE HD 4770 delivers stunning performance for gaming or image rendering. It delivers an outstanding computational performance of 960Gflops, memory bandwidth of 51.2GB/s and texture fill rates of 24GTexels/s.

The new 40nm core technology delivers all of this with reduced power consumption, making the total power requirement of the card only 80Watts and typically less in operation as a result of dynamic power management. The first cards to market use a conventional two slot fan assisted cooler and offer dual DVI and TV-Out on the bracket, as well as support for HDMI (with Audio) over a dongle. SAPPHIRE will be introducing additional models – including some Special Editions – in the coming weeks.

Like the previous generation, SAPPHIRE HD 4770 supports DirectX10.1 for enhanced rendering performance and special lighting effects now being implemented in the latest games. The SAPPHIRE HD 4770 series uses the PCI-Express Gen2 interface, and features connectors for CrossFireX bridge cables, allowing two cards to be used together on a CrossFireX compatible mainboard for higher graphics performance.

SAPPHIRE graphics cards in the HD 4000 series incorporate the latest ATI Avivo™ HD Technology for enhanced Video display. They feature a new generation of built in hardware UVD (Unified Video decoder) considerably reducing CPU load and delivering smooth decoding of Blu-ray™ and HD DVD content for both VC-1 and H.264 codecs, as well as Mpeg files. Integrated upscaling technology delivers the best quality DVD video images. With the latest drivers, the SAPPHIRE HD 4770 also offers ATI Stream processing for the acceleration of video transcoding and other supported applications.

SAPPHIRE HD 4000 series graphics cards are Microsoft Windows Vista™ Premium certified and supported by the ATI Catalyst® suite of software, ensuring customers have ongoing access to software updates for performance, stability and added features.