IBM New Zealand is expanding its range of service offerings to include mobile managed services.

“Mobile phones are now an essential part of every integrated technology environment, so this is an obvious addition to our already extensive range of service offerings,” says Mark Davenport, IBM New Zealand’s global technology services sales manager.

IBM, working in partnership with New Zealand’s Mobile Mentor, will offer services ranging from policy development through to procurement, configuration, user support, data security, expense management, hardware management and monthly reporting that will enable better decision-making and cost management.

“As many of our clients have discovered, managing an ever-expanding fleet of mobile phones brings with it a host of issues and hidden costs,” says Davenport. “Working together with Mobile Mentor, IBM will be able to manage these issues on behalf of clients, leaving them to focus on their core business.”

Mobile Mentor’s Denis O’Shea says business is booming and bucking the current trend; its business of helping Smartphone users get even smarter means double-digit growth in its own revenue year on year, more staff and international expansion.

The answer to helping businesses work smarter and stem runaway costs is its 15R? Mobile Management. This is a combination of service elements wrapping around the lifecycle of mobile assets, and, according to O’Shea, it means businesses can efficiently control mobile costs, maximise employee effectiveness and ensure sound policies and best practices are deployed.
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Sony Corp. says it’s got the game to go toe-to-toe with Apple Inc. (AAPL). At least in videogame players.

On Wednesday, Apple unveiled its highly-anticipated wireless tablet computer, dubbed the iPad. In addition to displaying books and video media, the device is designed to serve as a portable videogame player.

Two game makers, Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS) and Gameloft S.A. (GFT), have already been recruited to design games specifically for the iPad’s 9.7-inch color display and touchscreen keyboard.

“The iPad is smooth and incredibly fun with rich graphics,” Apple Senior Vice President Scott Forstall said while demonstrating a variety of new games designed specifically for the device.

Rather than worry about more competition, however, Sony says bring it on. The Japanese consumer electronics giant says using the iPad for videogames will only whet consumers’ appetite for a dedicated device, like its PSP console.

John Koller, who runs hardware for Sony’s Playstation line of game consoles, said sales of the company’s PSP handheld jumped significantly after Apple’s iPhone, which was also marketed as a games player, got consumers interested. With the iPad’s emphasis on games, the benefit to Sony could be even greater, he said.

“Apple’s entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony,” Koller said in an interview. “When people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP.”

An Apple representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to research firm NPD, sales of Sony’s PSP have nearly tripled since the iPhone went on sale in June 2007, to 654,000 in December 2009.

Apple is counting on its App Store, which carries a host of game programs, to help drive sales of the iPad. Prices on the new device start at $499 and run to $829.

In a report on Wednesday, research firm IDC said the iPad constitutes a new type of gaming device because it has a powerful processor.

“The iPad (will likely) emerge as a significant device category for casual gamers,” IDC said in the report, which estimated Apple would ship 4 million iPads worldwide this year.

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