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Handspring Press Release Archive
SYMBOL LICENSES SPRINGBOARD™ EXPANSION TECHNOLOGY FROM HANDSPRING
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. and HOLTSVILLE, NY (June 13, 2000) - Handspring, Inc. and Symbol Technologies have entered into an agreement under which Symbol will license Handspring's Springboard™ expansion technology for integration with its next-generation line of handheld computing products. Symbol is the first licensee of the Springboard expansion platform.
Symbol plans to integrate the Springboard expansion slot into its line of ruggedized handheld computers that leverage Symbol's other core technologies including integrated bar code scanning and wireless LAN communications.
The agreement marks the next step in an ongoing alliance between Handspring, a leading innovator in the handheld computing industry, and Symbol, a global leader in wireless and Internet-based mobile data transaction systems and services. Earlier this year, Symbol announced its development of the Symbol scanner module for the Handspring™ Visor™, designed for both consumer and commercial applications including Internet commerce. Consumers in a number of diverse retail markets, both traditional and electronic, use Symbol consumer computing and scanning appliances today.
By licensing its Springboard technology to Symbol, Handspring builds on the success of its platform as a standard for hardware and software expansion in the handheld industry, and creates new opportunities for developers building solutions geared toward both commercial and consumer applications for the factory, office or home environments.
By building Springboard-enabled products, Symbol plans to bring the benefits of plug-and-play expansion to its large global customer base spanning enterprise, vertical and consumer markets. Existing modules such as Handspring's flash memory and backup modules, and future modules such as GPS receivers, wireless wide area modems, and Symbol's own bar code scanner are well suited for use in Symbol's core market segments.
Donna Dubinsky, founder and CEO of Handspring said, "Symbol is a proven leader in their category and has contributed great innovation to the handheld computing industry. Having such a world-class partner adding value to the Springboard expansion platform is a tremendous benefit to Handspring and our customers. This agreement will allow the development of Springboard applications for more industrial segments that have shown great interest in our expansion platform."
Ron Goldman, senior vice president and general manager, Mobile Computing Systems Division for Symbol said, "By licensing the Springboard expansion interface, Symbol will be able to offer its customers a solution with great flexibility for both hardware and software expansion. Working closely with Handspring will provide the means to leverage compatibility with third-party module development that promotes point-of-activity computing, together with industry-leading handheld technologies."
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. Today Handspring sells its Visor line of handhelds at handspring.com and in select retail partners in the U.S. and Europe, along with a line of Springboard expansion modules and accessories.
Symbol Technologies, Inc., winner of this year's National Medal of Technology, is a global leader in wireless and Internet-based mobile data transaction systems and services. Symbol provides its customers unique value with innovative solutions utilizing application-specific information appliances, data and voice wireless networks, and bar code and data capture scanning. Symbol and its global network of business partners provide LAN and WAN mobility solutions from the enterprise to e-commerce for industries including retail, transportation and distribution logistics, manufacturing, parcel and postal delivery, healthcare, education, and hospitality. Symbol's broad range of information appliances is in use by business and consumers from the factory, to the office, to the home. Information is available from Symbol at www.symbol.com and 1-800-722-6234.
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.
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