I don't partculalrly want to start learning Objective C at this stage (as I am barely getting to grips with C#). There is a product called Monotouch (from Novell) which claims to allow .net development and then to deploy the app to an IPod / IPAD.
Has anybody used this product , and also is this a runner with StrataFrame ?
This would be a disconnected app. One of the directors has got himself an IPAD and really likes the look and feel of it.. I must say I am inclined to agree with him.. its a sleek piece of hardware.. they are in a type of buisnes where 'Image' rules so an IPAD would cetainly look the part. I think myself, if there was a similar piece of hardware (i.e. Excellent graphics, same size weight as an IPAD) that ran Windows 7, it would do the job, but this does not seem to exist (yet at any rate)
The app is a Sales Person App, so that when a Sales Guy arrives at a shop, he can whip out the IPAD , show the jazzy catalogue (The buisness is in the Cosmetics area ) and take an order. Thses orders are then downloaded to our back office system for further processing, despatching , Invoicing etc. The reps currently have Notebooks to do this, and they also carry around a very thick brocure, which contains a lot of Glossy Pictures . Currentlty , very few of the reps bring in the Noteboks into the shops as they have to carry around the Brochure as well and end up entering the orders each night when they go home and then upload the orders. The plan is to replace the Notebook and the Brochures with something like an IPAD , where as well as taking the orders, it will also serve as a 'Glossy' selling tool, with all the pictures available for display.
It cannot be a 'Connected' online app as lots of the areas that the shops are in , would not have a good Broadband connection .
My proposal would be to develop a SF App on the 'IPAD' or 'IPad replacement to take the Orders and display the pictures etc. These then would be uploaded to our back offcie system in a similar way to the way it is currently being done