Salesforce.com launches free Mobile Lite service

Mobile Lite is a pared-down version of Salesforce.com's existing mobile access platform

Salesforce.com has unveiled a slimmed-down mobile application for its customer relationship management (CRM) suite at its annual Cloudforce event in London.

Developed for the BlackBerry, iPhone and Windows Mobile platforms, Mobile Lite is a free but slightly hobbled version of the company's existing mobile access platform, offering basic access to some of the most common Salesforce CRM features.

"We want even more customers to experience the success possible with mobile access to our cloud," said Marc Benioff, chairman and chief executive at Salesforce.

"We want our customers to take the cloud with them wherever they go. By delivering mobile access to our cloud, for free, we are accelerating adoption of the cloud and delivering value to customers in times when they need it the most. "

Mobile Lite can be used online and offline, allowing those out of coverage to update any records already loaded, which will be synchronised with the Salesforce database once a data connection has been re-established.

Users will be limited in the depth of information they can receive on their mobile device, as well as the types of reports they can create and the number of records available at any one time.

Salesforce said that the aim of Mobile Lite is to help drive adoption of the mobile interface, adding that it forms part of the company's drive toward the " real-time cloud" and real-time access to the business.