John Blau

SAP AG and Sharp Corp. have reached an agreement that will allow customers of the German enterprise software company to access applications from handheld computers and laptops made by the Japanese vendor, the companies announced Thursday.

In yet another move to help enterprises introduce wireless-based corporate services, Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia Corp. has forged a partnership with Fujitsu Ltd. of Japan.

After establishing a significant footprint in northern Europe, the I-mode mobile Internet service pioneered by Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc. is stepping southward into Spain and Italy.

Department store chain Kaufhof Warenhaus AG is the newest member in a growing group of German retailers deploying miniature transponders in merchandise to improve inventory management and gain better visibility into supply chain operations.

Users of mobile phones in North America will see less of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, following a decision to drop a key product line in the region.

Even though Deutsche Bank AG decided last year to outsource its IT operations to IBM Corp., German enterprises remain generally wary of handing over the keys to their computer rooms, according to one German outsourcing expert.

Business travelers looking for high-speed connectivity will appreciate a new broadband cell phone that Nokia Corp. has begun shipping to European and Asian operators and retailers.

The German subsidiary of The SCO Group Inc. has temporarily shut down its Web site after a local Linux user group received a restraining court order against the U.S. software group, but plans to reactivate the site shortly.