Handspring International brings its award-winning expandable handheld computers to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de

20.10.2000, 00 Uhr - Text100


Geneva, Switzerland: November 2000 (press1: iBOT) - Handspring International Sarl. today announced that leading European online retailers, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de, would begin selling its popular line of Visor expandable handheld computers and Springboard expansion modules.

Amazon.co.uk will feature all products of Handspring’s popular Visor family of handheld computers including the new Visor Prism and Visor Platinum in their new Gadget Store. There will also be a selection of Springboard(tm) expansion modules and accessories available. Amazon.de will feature a wide variety of Visor products, available in their new Gifts Store.

Other Handspring products available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de include the graphite-coloured 2 MB Visor and the 8 MB Visor Deluxe version, which comes in five colours. Expansion modules for Visor, include an 8 MB Flash memory module, a modem, the EA Sports(tm) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2000 golf game and a Backup module. Additional expansion modules allowing Visor to function as phones, modems, MP3 players, digital cameras, GPS receivers, universal remotes and more are expected in the future.

Spencer Hyman, general manager of the Software and PC & Video Games Stores, Amazon.co.uk said, "Our customers have responded to the launch of our Gadget Store very positively. With the addition of Handspring Visor products, we now have a great line of handheld computers that run all popular Palm applications, while adding the flexibility of easy expansion. Visor handheld computers and all the related accessories are certain to be hot gift items this Christmas season."

Simon Faulkner, Sales Director, Handspring International said, "Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de clearly have what Handspring is looking for in online retailers. In addition to working with the most recognized brand in online retail, this relationship gives Visor great visibility among the loyal base of over 3.8 million customers that shop at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de. The company’s fast delivery, in-depth online information and great customer service, means that this retail partnership will help us continue to make Visor one of the best-selling products in the industry."

-ends-

For further information:
Andy Stafford Volker Jacob
Amazon.co.uk Handspring International
Tel: + 44 20 8636 9572 Tel: +41 22 747 7754
astaff@amazon.co.uk Vjacob@Handspring.com

About Handspring
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, 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 through select Internet and retail partners in the U.S., Asia, Canada and Europe, along with a line of Springboard expansion modules and accessories.


CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those relating to: the potential for domestic shipments for handheld computers to reach 28 million by 2004; the degree to which Handspring’s retail strategy will reach a new demographic of consumers thereby contributing to this sales growth; the likelihood that the handheld computer industry is about to achieve a breakthrough in terms of volume of shipments; and the dates when Handspring products will be available in Target Stores both in Arizona and nationwide. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors including, among others; continued consumer acceptance and demand for handheld computers; the ability of suppliers to meet demand in light of industry wide component shortages; macro-economic developments; the appeal of Handspring’s Visor products to consumers that have been typically slower to adopt new technology products; and the rapid pace of technological change and competitive developments in the handheld computer industry. The matters discussed in this press release also involve risks and uncertainties described in Handspring’s Form S-1 Registration Statement and Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Handspring assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.

Handspring, the Handspring logo, Springboard and Visor are trademarks of Handspring, Inc. and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other brand and company names are trademarks of their respective owners.

About Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk today offers more than 2 million books, CDs, DVDs, software titles, PC & video games and videos, a children’s store, hosts online auctions and provides a complete online storefront for individual merchants through its zShops. Amazon.co.uk customers enjoy the benefits of industry-leading, online shopping technology such as secure credit-card payment; personalised recommendations; streamlined, 1-Click® ordering and hassle-free Bid-Click auction bidding. Through Amazon Anywhere, Amazon.co.uk also is available on mobile phones with WAP technology; look at www.amazon.co.uk/anywhere for details.

Amazon.co.uk is the trading name for Amazon.com Int'l Sales, Inc., and Amazon.com International Auctions, Inc., which are both wholly owned subsidiaries of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), the Internet’s No. 1 book, No. 1 music and No. 1 video retailer, which opened its virtual doors on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and has already provided safe and convenient shopping to more than 25 million customers worldwide.


About Amazon.de
Amazon.de today offers more than 1.5 million books, CDs, DVDs, software titles, PC & video games and videos, hosts online auctions and provides a complete online storefront for individual merchants through its zShops. Amazon.de customers enjoy the benefits of industry-leading, online shopping technology such as secure credit-card payment; personalised recommendations; streamlined, 1-Click ordering and hassle-free Bid-Click auction bidding. Through "Amazon.de mobil" Amazon.de books and CDs also are available on mobile phones with WAP technology; look at www.amazon.de/wap-hilfe for details.

Amazon.de is the trading name for Amazon.com Int'l Sales, Inc., and Amazon.com International Auctions, Inc., which are both wholly owned subsidiaries of Amazon.com,Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), the Internet's No. 1 book, No. 1 music and No. 1 video retailer, which opened its virtual doors on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and has already provided safe and convenient shopping to more than 25 million customers worldwide.

About Amazon.com
Amazon.com (Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries) is the Internet’s No. 1 retailer. Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) opened its virtual doors on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection, along with online auctions and free electronic greeting cards. Amazon.com seeks to be the world’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online. Amazon.com lists more than 28 million unique items in categories such as electronics, kitchen products, books, music, DVDs, videos, camera and photo items, toys, software, computer and video games, tools and hardware, and lawn and patio items. Through Amazon.com zShops, any business or individual can sell virtually anything to Amazon.com’s more than 25 million customers, and with Amazon.com Payments, sellers can accept credit card transactions, avoiding the hassles of offline payments.

Amazon.com operates three international Web sites: www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.co.uk and www.amazon.de. It also operates the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), the Web’s comprehensive and authoritative source of information on more than 250,000 movies and entertainment titles and 1 million cast and crew members dating from the birth of film in 1891 to 2003.

Amazon Anywhere is the leader in mobile e-commerce, providing access from anywhere in the world to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de on personal digital assistants (PDAs) and through handheld wireless Internet devices that use HDML or the Wireless Application Protocol.