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Handango Unveils Application Management & Provisioning Platform (AMPP)
URL(s): www.handango.com
Mobile Software Leader Launches Platform Built on Its Commercially Proven, Market-Leading Technology With New Features for Mobile Operators and Wireless Subscribers
HURST, Texas, Aug 21, 2002 - Handango, the leading mobile software publisher, today launched its application
provisioning platform for mobile operators and handset manufacturers. Handango AMPP incorporates the firm's technology platform with new
features optimized for wireless users and mobile operators. The new solution enables mobile operators to access the world's largest catalog of
mobile software, leverage Handango's market-leading technology and take advantage of the firm's more than three years experience delivering
mobile software to users. Today, more than 100 companies including Palm, Inc., Microsoft, Nokia, Sony, Cingular Wireless, Handspring, Sharp
Electronics and Kyocera Wireless use Handango AMPP to provide software to their customers.
Handango AMPP consists of three core components:
-- Source -- Handango's market-leading application catalog of more than
20,000 software titles for Java (J2ME), Symbian, Palm OS(R), Pocket
PC and Linux devices.
-- Discovery Engine -- The multi-language, multi-brand, device-agnostic
presentment layer.
-- Commerce Engine -- The transaction processing and digital rights
management systems.
Handango AMPP is a fully managed offering and includes carrier-grade infrastructure hosting, customization to present users with a fully branded
look and feel, marketing to drive demand and revenues, customer service to handle first-line support and payment processing to ensure that all
parties -- developers, licensees and others -- are paid on time, every time.
"Handango AMPP is one of the pillars of our business," said Laura Rippy, chief executive officer of Handango. "We have been developing and
enhancing the proprietary software on which Handango AMPP is based for more than three years. More importantly than that, we've been putting
this technology through the trial-by-fire of real world usage. Today, with more than 100 licensees, 10 quarters of consistent 40% quarter over
quarter revenue growth, virtually flawless uptime and millions of satisfied users, it's obviously stood that test very, very well."
Wireless researchers with the ARC Group estimate that there will be 421 million data-capable handsets in use by 2003. This dramatic growth will
substantially alter modes of software procurement and delivery as mobile users find, buy and use applications entirely from their handsets.
Handango AMPP delivers this functionality, enabling current and future licensees to address this growing market of data-ready, application-hungry
users.
New Features
New delivery options enable customers to get software quickly and easily from anywhere, and Handango AMPP is the first platform to support
direct-to-device software provisioning for all major mobile software platforms. Applications can be downloaded through a wireline or wireless
connection using SMS, EMS, WAP download and WAP push. Delivery via short messaging service (SMS) is now available, enabling users to
receive software simply and easily directly on their device via text messages. Customers can preview these new direct-to-device delivery
capabilities on a PC at http://mobile.handango.com or on wireless handsets at specific URLs for each operating system.
New purchasing options including interactive voice response (IVR), virtual wallet payments and carrier billing integration provide convenient
purchasing options for wireless subscribers. Using IVR, users can purchase applications over the phone by dialing a toll number. Virtual wallets
allow mobile subscribers to establish pre-paid accounts for micropayments. A new set of APIs (application program interfaces) in Handango
AMPP enable mobile operators to integrate with their billing systems so that purchases and subscriptions appear on the subscriber's wireless
phone bill.
Proven Experience
The technology platform on which Handango AMPP is based has been used commercially for more than 3 years. Today, the platform supports
more than 2 million visitors and hundreds of thousands of transactions each month.
"As the handheld market leader, Palm has literally millions of users searching for software on the Software Connection each month," said William
Lynch, vice president of ecommerce and solutions marketing at Palm, Inc. "By working with Handango and leveraging their outstanding platform,
we can offer these valued customers a highly satisfying and enjoyable experience."
"We consider our Kyocera smartphones the most powerful wireless productivity tools available today," said Stan Scheufler, vice president of
marketing and product management at Kyocera Wireless Corp. "Handango's expertise in managing and provisioning productivity-enhancing
applications gives our customers yet another key to unlocking the power of the devices."
"Wireless data is an area of opportunity for businesses and consumers alike, and we believe Windows Powered Pocket PC Phone Edition is a
perfect platform for these new services," said Vince Mendillo, director for mobility at Microsoft Corp. "We're delighted that Handango is blazing
the trail by offering our mutual customers an ever-expanding menu of wireless data opportunities through Handango AMPP."
"We chose Handango AMPP because Handango's experience managing and provisioning applications is unsurpassed," said Frank Loeffler,
director of Internet product and content development at Handspring. "For our Treo customers in particular, having access to high quality business
and communications applications is critical. Handango AMPP enables us to market, deliver and bill for thousands of applications quickly, easily
and cost-effectively."
Overview
Handango AMPP is a fully hosted, turnkey offering and can be rapidly deployed, enabling licensees to quickly deploy value-added application
services which create new revenue streams and strengthen subscriber loyalty.
Handango AMPP is comprised of three key, functional components, Source, Discovery Engine and Commerce Engine, and is delivered with a
layer of enabling services.
Handango Source
Handango Source is composed of Handango's industry leading catalog of more than 20,000 mobile software applications and the tools that
manage it. An ISV (Independent Software Vendors) Extranet allows applications developers to update products, engage in promotions and track
sales online. Certification profiles for over-the-air readiness and mobile operator certifications are also integrated with each product profile. Rich
filtering technology enables licensees to tailor their offers by processor and platform for their target audience.
Handango Discovery Engine
The presentation layer of Handango AMPP gives licensees their own branded look and feel through any handset or PC accessible from a single
Web address. The Discovery Engine can be localized in eight languages with pricing in 11 different currencies. A host of features help users find the
right software for their particular needs including a powerful search engine, recommended lists and software trials. The Profile Manager allows for
personalization and purchase history tracking for easy software recovery.
Handango Commerce Engine
The Handango Commerce Engine provides the transaction and provisioning system and the scalable technology for managing the delivery of
hundreds of thousands of application via download, SMS or other delivery. Flexible digital rights management enables application provisioning
using a wide-variety of licensing schema. APIs enable billing integration for a host of payment methods including credit card, purchase orders, a
virtual wallet, IVR or scratchcard purchases.
Handango Services
Handango AMPP is a fully managed offering, enabling mobile operators to quickly offer mobile applications without incurring upfront and ongoing
development, deployment and support costs. Handango Services include interface customization to meet the unique needs of each partner,
integrated marketing services to drive traffic and sales, customer support to give customers world-class support and transaction settlement to
ensure that all parties are paid appropriately and on time.
About Handango
Handango is the world's leading publisher of mobile software, bringing over 20,000 applications to market through an extensive global distribution
network of online, retail and enterprise channel partners as well as Handango's own sales force and Web site, which reaches more than two million
unique visitors each month. Handango's Application Management and Provisioning Platform, Handango AMPP has been chosen as the mobile
software delivery platform for Palm, Microsoft, Nokia, Sony(TM), Handspring(TM), Sharp Electronics and more than one hundred others. For
more information, visit www.handango.com .
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