IBM managed to complete the work on its Lotus iNotes software and released the app for Apple’s iPhone. The application is used for handling e-mail, contacts, calendars and other custom features, being supported by the Lotus Domino servers.

The new version also works with the iPod touch and it is part of Lotus Domino Web Access 8.0.2., which significantly raises performance and also uses about 20 percent less memory than its previous version.

"Built on the time tested Lotus Domino Web Access infrastructure, users can quickly access email, calendars, and contacts directly through the Apple iPhone Safari browser," said IBM’s officials.

Andy Brunner, principal and owner of IBM business partner ABData Information Technology Consulting and Engineering, had nothing but good things to say about the release, mentioning that it is "very fast, works well and has the same look and feel of the iPhone user interface," which is designed to have a clean look and also user-friendly.

The iNotes Ultralite is developed as a Web-only application, which uses Apple’s Safari browser for access to the e-mail account and the rest of its features. This enables users to a safer access, as the data is not stored on the device. IBM took the time to work on these security aspects, testing it with more than 20 businesses, and the result is exactly what its officials hoped for.

The Lotus Protector for Mail Security is designed to protect companies from Web-based spam and viruses. The app includes a "high-performance engine with comprehensive scanning and filtering techniques," which is supposed to deliver a 99.99 percent detection rate and also block all kinds of incoming and outgoing content, using the specifications chosen by the customer. These features have been certified by a series of independent tests.

“The other products aren’t actually encrypting the data on the devices,” said Kevin Cavanaugh, vice president of Lotus software at I.B.M. “I think we were concerned about the security aspect, and this turned out to be the best approach.”

Mr. Cavanaugh also talked about the company’s other partners, with Research in Motion’s BlackBerry benefiting IBM’s full support with its complete suite of Lotus products. He explained that Apple should provide a lot more information about its software in order to ensure IBM’s support on a similar level as RIM’s and also that in his opinion, at this point, the iPhone is not a true challenger for the BlackBerry as a business platform but he admitted that there is indeed a lot of potential.

The adoption of Lotus Notes and Domino managed to add up to more than 140 million licensed users worldwide, with most of the licenses being owned by users of RIM’s BlackBerry, Nokia’s Symbian devices, and even Palm’s Treos.

The app is available as a free download from IBM’s official Web site and depending on its success, Apple might consider opening the doors to its technology a little more, just as mentioned above.