Think about it, we have our data, our applications and our infrastructures in the cloud – why would be need anything but a thin client laptop and a browser? (After all, isn’t this what the hype around Apple’s tablet/netbook is pointing towards?).

Esteban had an interesting response – essentially pointing out that with RESTful web services – the desktop can become the browser, and thus application development is all about total desktop mashups. Developers need not write to support IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome etc. – just keep the APIs simple and open. So, Esteban went in another, very profound direction here.

An interesting post I read today at Mashable posits four (really three if you split hairs) identifying trends of the web of the future: ubiquity (from both an access point and device front), a rich media focus, and social networks owning the web.

I think if we look at this more realistic near-term prediction (Esteban’s makes more sense from an interoperability standpoint – but in my opinion too many players on the apps, web and OS level stand to lose control and dollars, so I think roadblocks would be thrown up at Esteban’s vision at every turn.) and place it next to the evolution of CRM, some interesting things pop up.

First, both the Web and CRM are becoming more media-rich and more social. Greater mobile access, embedded Youtube videos in home screens, myPortal dashlets exposing external content, and social media integration – and I’m just talking about what SugarCRM alone has done in the last couple years – clearly mimics these trends.

But what is the next stage? Does the “ubiquity” concept merge with CRM data access (and social/media saturation) to involve a new look to CRM? One that is less about logging in to a browser screen and more about accessing data and automating processes in a more seamless, natural manner?

Perhaps both the Mashable article and Esteban are correct. While “the web” is evolving – that does not mean the way we think about accessing the web – the browser – has to follow along. The web-based interactivity of social features like iPhone games, has proven that the web has – and will – deliver a lot of data, applications and value in general without the involvement of a traditional browser.

But on site software is still a popular option, and operating environments do come in to play when it comes time to make a decision.

I have heard a lot of Mac users over the years complain that a lot of popular CRM applications are not well configured to run in Mac OS environments. Again, the SaaS angle has helped – but for those on site deployments, pickings are somewhat slim.

Luckily for Mac-using CRM lovers – it is now easier than ever to get your Sugar deployment screaming on a Mac. Thanks to BitNami – Mac users can now quickly download a Mac-OS ready Sugar stack.

SugarCRM has worked hard to make sure it plays nice with any operating system – Mac, Windows and of course Linux – and here is just more proof, and more choices when it comes to getting up and running in any environment.

Apple makes a slew of announcements out of its developer conference this week surrounding the upcoming iPhone 3G S and AT&T turns right around and drops a bombshell by announcing a hefty upgrade fee and lack of support for MMS and tethering.

As I’ve said before, service will always get the nod over functionality in the mobility market. AT&T and Apple has done a great job of locking themselves, and their customers, down and undermining the latest and greatest the iPhone has to offer.

I certainly agree with Novell’s VP of business development, Holger Dyroff, when he compares what’s happening on netbooks to what’s happening on the smartphones. Personally, I think netbooks are a short-term trend that will pass in the next few years, as the gap between laptops and smartphones continues to diminish. But as Dyroff underlines, the ability to customize the experience for the end user can’t be overlooked, and with open source, you can’t beat the price point.

With the App Store, Apple has taught the world how cloud-based development and distribution models are changing the way developers and customers interact with software. In that sense, open source and “app stores” simply have too many synergies for Novell not to make this move. While nobody will credit Novell with coming up with something original, the company is simply looking to leverage open source and SaaS to foster commerce in a more seamless manner…nothing more, nothing less.

And while giving away free apps online doesn’t represent a clear cut revenue stream for Novell, it does do a great job of marketing and supporting their other product offerings via community-generated content and software, giving customer’s one more reason to stick with Novell.

Savio’s post is about the experience factor of the Linux desktop OS: people tend to pay the extra $50 for a Windows Netbook he argues because they simply know what to expect from Windows.

But what about in nascent areas where there is no commonly perceived notion of what “good” or “bad” customer experiences are? Savio makes a good point with the Kindle comment – e-readers are new, so its really up to the best marketing and design teams to offer up an experience that becomes the touch stone for a “good” product experience.

Look at Apple – it killed two birds by essentially changing the MP3 player game and the user definition of a strong experience by debuting the iPod and iTunes together. Users got a superior device, but also a network of songs, shows, and a like-minded community; in short, a total immersion experience.

How can we take these very gadget-centric concepts into the realm of B2B selling?

I’m not 100% sure. But I do think that for the most part, we are really only at the beginning of seeing strong multi-channel, interactive sales approaches in B2B. I think when e-commerce first showed up – people thought: “Ok this will be my unassisted, standalone web store that hopefully will increase top line revenue somehow.”

Now, B2B sales organizations are starting to understand that e-commerce and traditional sales-assisted deals must be merged. Multi-channel, multi-touch point sales cycles are becoming the norm.

So, if you are in an industry that is not yet fully converted to hybrid online and offline sales processes, with smart and nimble sales teams that create a superior buying experience – then I would say you have a great opportunity before you. By mixing a little technology with a lot of customer-centric thought and strong sales efforts, you can monopolize the customer experience mindshare in your respective industry.

All too often, CRM becomes an exercise in managing customer information, as opposed to actual relationships. Businesses become to bogged down the numbers statistics instead of actually putting their CRM systems to work.

Many CRM systems do fair job collecting and integrating customer data, and with the increasing focus on analytics, some have invested heavily in tools and techniques for analyzing the data to make it more useful and actionable.

User interfaces and CRM solutions is an old-school issue that, despite years of trial and error, still remains one of the top three issues decisively shaping the industry, both in terms of vendors and CRM initiatives. The importance of UIs can not be understated. It was in large part due to bulky UIs from the 1^st generation of CRM suites developed in the 1990s that lead to the industry receiving the proverbial egg-to-the-face and poor reputation at the turn of the century.

Fortunately vendors have learned their lesson, which has resulted in a renewed focus on simple UIs, the development of what I like to call the 2^nd generation of interfaces. With CRM systems it doesn’t matter what you can do with it, it’s only as good as what you’ll do to it. Apple has long understood this – they distill the essence of each application to its simplest level so it’s useful in real-world situations. This means an elegant interface with nothing extra to get in the way.

When it comes to business end-users, it’s no different. People like things that are simple and just plain work they way you’d expect them to. And that’s exactly the philosophy we’ve taken here at Sugar.

Whether you’re a believer that Blackberries are better than iPhones, or visa versa, is a matter of personal choice, but RIM clearly holds an advantage in that four major carriers sell the Curve, while AT&T holds exclusive rights with the iPhone.

In the past year, wireless carriers like AT&T and Verizon Wireless have made much of the notion that they are willing to embrace a more open attitude toward consumers, promising to allow them to buy full-priced mobile phones and use them on the network of their choosing. But AT&T and Apple’s decision to lock the iPhone down undermines progress towards an open network future…and is clearly hurting iPhone sales in the process.

It’s a business model where phones are subsidized by service providers, customers are locked into long-term contracts and subject to stiff penalties for cancelling early.

That said, there are rumors circulating that Apple is cooking up a deal to bring the iPhone to Verizon Wireless. It that comes to pass, iPhone sales could get a big boost and would be a big step in the right direction.

Wow.

While the news is staggering – that is a ton of activity around a phone with limited network carriers etc., the real news here is around the engine powering this activity. The App Store is a great example of how cloud-based development and distribution models are changing the way everyone interacts with software.

Think of it – ten years ago no one would have imagined they could access, demo and install software without ever talking to a person. Now – I see more and more of a change where people want to deploy all kinds of software, and seeing a sales person more as a guide than the person explaining and “selling” the software.

It is great to see open source and SaaS converge in an open cloud environment that also fosters commerce. I mean, developers are using all sorts of open source tools to get these apps developed and on the App Store with lightning speed, and of course the cloud powers the Store, and the delivery and billing of these apps. It is an amazing evolution if you stop and think about it.

If the promise of the open cloud delivers – all kinds of robust software will be sold in this manner. Not just games that allow you to shake a baby or turn your iPhone into a pinball machine.

In the end, the good thing is that consumers and businesses have choice when it comes to expanding into mobile.

But if the consumer wins (and of course Apple and RIM both win in their own right), then who loses? I’d argue the mobile application developer. While Apple and Blackberry make it great for the consumer to access and consume cool apps with ease – the developer still (for the most part) is stuck with writing different versions of his application for these disparate platforms. That is why I have become increasingly interested in new mobile platform plays like Rhombile. These guys take the neutrality of the web (with HTML coding) to the resident or native mobile app game. Being able to write an application once, and run it on any platform was the goal with traditional apps a while ago. And it seems that web applications proved to be the right way to win that battle.

So, it only seems fit that it becomes possible to write mobile applications with the same freedom that we write their traditional app counterparts.

But it was a meeting with a SugarCRM user that turned out to be the best experience of the day for me. Adam Blum, CEO and founder of Rhomobile actually spoke at our SugarCon event last month, but we did not get a chance to talk at length. I am glad we talked yesterday. Adam’s vision is perhaps the perfect example of how the next generation of companies is driving value into the development and deployment of applications in ways that would not have been possible years ago.

In a nutshell, Rhomobile offers a mobile framework called Rhodes. But its model is really where the cool factor lies. Developers can easily create either native mobile apps from scratch, using simple HTML, or port existing web applications with ease to the Rhomobile platform (and the company even has a data synch tool called RhoSynch to bridge the gap between the core enterprise applications and their mobile counterparts). The best part – the newly created mobile app runs on nearly any device – iPhones, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile devices, Symbian and even the Google Android phone.

What this model does is break down the time and cost of development for those looking to build mobile applications – this could be developers looking to bring new products to market, existing application vendors looking to extend their solutions, or even large organizations seeking purpose built solutions for their mobile sales or field service teams. I can see a lot of possibilities for using this platform.

Rhomobile has a very open model, and the framework is highly accessible to developers.  I really like the concept – and the value proposition is huge. Rhomobile is the kind of entity that really proves the benefits of an open cloud. I mean, a developer could develop cool tools via the web, which can be used on any device, sold via online models like Apple’s AppStore – essentially building a business without any real assets or big upfront investment.

Very cool. I will definitely be keeping tabs on Adam and Rhombile going forward…