Interest in mobile apps and the Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly increasing, with vendors eager to associate with these terms. DataStax recently announced its database platform, DSE 4.6, as a leading solution for IoT, web, and mobile applications, yet its press release lacks details on managing mobile and IoT data both on devices and in the cloud. Businesses, aiming to gain competitive advantages, seek to deliver enhanced online experiences across various devices by providing personalized, context-rich interactions. For this, an IoT, mobile, or web-distributed database must include an embedded database for local data storage, support for always-available data access even without an internet connection, and secure multi-master synchronization for data consistency between devices and the cloud. Without these features, platforms like DataStax fall short of being true mobile or IoT database solutions. Couchbase, however, addresses these needs with its NoSQL database platform, Couchbase Mobile, which offers an embedded database for devices and secure data synchronization via Couchbase Sync Gateway, although scalability into very large clusters remains a concern.