Your Next Mobile Partner?

Let’s face it: Many businesses can’t afford to give smart phones and mobile email devices to their employees. But what if you or your customers could avoid proprietary mobile email charges, and lower the cost of supporting mobile devices? That’s where Funambol enters the picture.

During a meeting with Funambol VP of Business Development Rony Greenberg on Thursday, we discussed the challenges VARs and their customers face in the mobile world. Greenberg described how Funambol’s open source software provides a reliable, inexpensive communication pipe between mobile clients and back-end services. The company’s software generated 40,000 Internet downloads in July. The code supports more than 450 types of mobile devices. Eager adopters include FedEx.

I suspect a few big Silicon Valley companies are seeking to invest in Funambol. Server companies, perhaps? Greenberg declined to speculate but it sounds like Funambol will receive more funding in the next few weeks.