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Former Member
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I'm gonna knock you out. Mama said knock you out...Gartner just released its Magic Quadrant report (read the full report for free here) on the best Mobile Application Development Platforms.

SAP - and pending acquisition, Syclo - knocked out the competition, taking 2 out of the top three spots in the Leader's Quadrant (Antenna Software was the third).

It was a huge move up and to the right for Sybase/SAP from prior years. So rather than quietly humblebrag about it, I think it deserves its own bombastic theme song from rapper LL Cool J:

Over the competition, I'm towerin'...

SAP and Syclo placed ahead of big names such as Adobe, RIM, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, IBM...22 firms in all.

Though anyone glancing at the chart can see who Gartner picked as the real leader:


Figure 1. Magic Quadrant for Mobile Application Development Platforms

Don't call it comeback. I been here for years...

The Sybase Unwired Platform (SUP) has long been one of the leading Mobile Enterprise Application Platforms (MEAPs).

Similarly, Sybase 365's Mobiliser Platform is also a very popular Mobile Consumer Application Platform (MCAP).

So why did SAP leap to the top this year? Because the market is moving the way we anticipated, and embracing our vision.

Enterprises are eschewing the chaos of multiple mobile app development platforms, which they are discovering to be as much of a headache as coping with multiple unmanaged mobile devices on their networks.

Instead of choosing a best-of-breed MCAP to build that B2C marketing app and a separate MEAP for the field service apps, firms are "increasingly" looking "for a single MADP that can address most, if not all, of their future projects across all scenarios," Gartner says.

That's what the SAP Mobile Platform announced April 10th offers. It already combines SUP with SAP's vaunted back-end software (some via the Netweaver Gateway middleware), as well as SAP's fast-growing fleet  of mobile business apps.

But very soon, the SAP Mobile Platform will integrate 365's Mobiliser for mobile banking and other B2C apps, as well as popular Web development  platforms such as Adobe PhoneGap, Appcelerator and Sencha, and, eventually, the Syclo mobile business apps and platform that Gartner also ranks so highly.

Don't ever compare me to the rest that'll all get sliced and diced - Competition's payin' the price...

"SAP has one of the largest mobile development efforts, both in terms of devoted internal resources and partner management. Gartner observed partners actively integrating with SUP during 2011, and we anticipate that continuing in the long term," wrote Gartner.

Moreover, SAP "has the most flexible application development environment, offering plug-ins for Eclipse and Visual Studio, as well as a proprietary studio...Sybase continues to have the broadest device support among all the multichannel vendors, and the strongest MDM offering, Afaria."

Rockin our peers and puttin' suckas in fear...

Meanwhile, "SUP has a widening support base" due to "significant market traction" and partners like Syclo and Sky Technologies integrating with SUP, wrote Gartner.

And the "Sybase 365 platform is scaling well in mobile banking, especially in emerging economies," said Gartner. "It has a large global reach [and the] SAP's mobile messaging offering is best-of-breed, with strong database/interface support, global reach, campaign management and prebuilt application modules."

*********

Speaking of free analyst reports, Forrester Research just published a report entitled "Mobile is the New Face of Engagement."

In it, analysts Ted Schadler and John C. McCarthy make the Big Argument that smartphone apps are developing contextual intelligence based on our location and other app usage.

That means that apps will proactively cater to us in a much more holistic and personalized way.

To me, it sounds like the early manifestations of what we may later label as the beginnings of Artificial Intelligence, albeit at the network, not single computer, level.

Whatever you call it, the shift will have major implications on enterprises, who need to step and create an Office of the Chief Mobility Officer to keep up on this enterprise strategy.

You can download the whitepaper here.

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