2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | Palm PR Contacts

Monday, March 13, 2000, Geneva, Switzerland -- Handspring Inc., a leading innovator in the handheld computing industry, today announced it will open its European headquarters later this spring. At a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, the company outlined plans to locate Handspring International SARL in Geneva, with logistics and customer support operations in the Netherlands. Sales and marketing offices will also be established in the UK and Germany.

The goal of Handspring's European operation will be to sell and market Handspring's Visor™ family of expandable handheld computers. Initial targets include the UK and Germany, where the company will begin to distribute local language products this spring. The Company also plans to introduce local language versions for the French and Spanish markets later this year, with other European regions to follow.

Donna Dubinsky, co-founder and CEO of Handspring, said, "Establishing a strong position in Europe is important to Handspring as we begin to build a global presence in the handheld computing industry. As the convergence of handheld computing and communications continues to become more of a reality, we see great potential to bring the benefits of our Springboard expansion technology to consumers throughout the continent."

The company has made three key appointments to run its European operations. Roger Kermisch, former General Manager of Apple Europe and a 20-year veteran of the IT industry, will oversee the organization as Vice President and General Manager. Roy Bedlow, a former Director of Iomega Europe, has been appointed as European Marketing Director, and Simon Faulkner joins the company as European Sales Director. Faulkner was formerly Managing Director of Logitech's UK operations.

Roger Kermisch said, "Europe has always been a high priority for Handspring and we are delighted that just five months after launching Visor in the US, we are opening our first subsidiary outside of the US. Europe will be a significant opportunity for the company and we are working hard to bring our expandable line of handheld products to European consumers in the near future."

Mr. Carlo Lamprecht, Conseiller d'Etat and President of the Department for Economic, Labour and Foreign Affairs for the Canton of Geneva said, "We are excited that Handspring has chosen to set up its European headquarters in Geneva. Like many other companies in the technology sector, Handspring has realized the benefits of Geneva - its central European location with fantastic links to other major cities across the Continent, its importance as a major financial center and a highly educated, technologically oriented local workforce. We wish them well in selling their great products."

About Handspring, Inc.
Handspring is a leading innovator in the handheld computing industry. The company develops, manufactures and markets a family of expandable handheld computers for a broad range of markets and customers. Founded in 1998 by the creators of the world-leading Palm Computing platform, Handspring's flagship technology is the Springboard platform that provides a simple and easy method for hardware and software expansion. For more information, visit http://www.handspring.com. Handspring, the Handspring logo, Visor and Springboard are trademarks of Handspring, Inc. All other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.

For more information contact:
For Handspring Europe Roy Bedlow +44 208 263 2769	For Bite Communications Mark Jackson +44 181 600 6716