IBM to release Lotus Notes app for Android

IBM will release a secure Lotus Notes client for Android devices, the company said on Wednesday.

The mail, calendar and contacts application will run on Android 2.0 and 2.1 smartphones, the company announced at its Lotusphere conference in Florida. The app, called Lotus Notes Traveler, will be free to download, but will require paid-for Lotus Domino server software in order to work.

Versions of Lotus Notes Traveler for Windows Mobile, iPhone and Nokia's Symbian S60 handsets are already on the market.

The Android version of Lotus Notes Traveler will be the second major secure email platform to be rolled out for Google's open-source mobile operating system. In December 2009, Good Technology launched an email client that promised to isolate and encrypt sensitive data on Android handsets. The Good for Enterprise suite is also designed to make it possible to remotely wipe data if the device was lost or stolen.

IBM has not yet outlined the specific features of Lotus Notes Traveler, nor has it said when the Android email app will be made available.

Also on Wednesday, IBM announced that a future version of Lotus Sametime for Nokia Symbian smartphones will add presence awareness and click-to-call unified telephony to the device's native address book. This version will be available by the end of 2010, the company said.