Handango Explained

Handango was an online store that sold mobile apps for personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smartphones. The company was headquartered in Irving, Texas.^[1]

History

Handango was founded in 1999 by Randy Eisenman. In 2003, it launched Handango InHand, a mobile app store that enabled users to discover, purchase, and install software directly on their mobile devices. The service initially supported Symbian UIQ devices in 2003,^{[2] [3] [4]} and later expanded to include other major mobile platforms:

• Windows Mobile^[5] and Windows Mobile in 2004,^{[6] [7]}
• Blackberry in 2005,^[8]
• Symbian S60 in 2006.^{[9] [10]}

Users could access application descriptions, screenshots, user reviews and ratings, and download or purchase software directly on their devices.^{[11] [12]}

In February 2010, PocketGear announced that it had acquired Handango.^{[13] [14]} A year later, PocketGear rebranded as Appia^[15] and shifted its business model to a white-label, OEM-branded app store platform.

As a result of this strategic pivot, both the Handango and PocketGear websites were shut down in 2013.^[16]

See also

• List of digital distribution platforms for mobile devices
• Amazon Appstore
• App Store (iOS/iPadOS)
• BlackBerry World

External links

• Official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Drew . Jeff . 2010-02-23 . PocketGear buys rival Handango . 2022-06-01 . www.bizjournals.com.
2. News: Handango InHand for Sony Ericsson P800/P900/P910. 2003-10-01. 2010-10-24.
3. News: Handango InHand for Sony Ericsson P800/P900/P910 1.31 for Symbian. 2003-09-30. 2010-10-24.
4. News: Install Software Directly to a Smart Phone with InHand. 2004-02-26. 2010-10-24.
5. News: 2004-02-23 . Handango Launches Download Client for Windows Mobile . dead . https://archive.today/20120912175948/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Handango+Launches+Download+Client+for+Windows+Mobile(TM);+Handango...-a0113513803 . 2012-09-12 . 2010-10-24.
6. News: PDAToday-Handango Ships Palm OS Version of Handango InHand. 2004-09-28. 2010-10-24. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080622142434/http://www.pdatoday.com/comments/2120_0_1_0_C/. 2008-06-22.
7. News: Access-Handango Ships Palm OS Version of Handango InHand. 2004-09-28. 2010-10-24. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101019011311/http://access-company.com/news/press/PalmSource/2004/092804_devcon_inhand.html. 2010-10-19.
8. News: Handango Releases Industry's First Download Client for BlackBerry. https://web.archive.org/web/20181031052319/http://www.pdatoday.com/index.php/weblog/comments/handango_releases_industrys_first_download_client_for_blackberry/. dead. October 31, 2018. 2005-02-14. 2010-10-24.
9. News: Handango In-Hand Catalog Available for S60. 2006-01-15. 2010-10-24.
10. News: 2006-09-14 . Handango InHand for S60 for Symbian . https://archive.today/20130421183304/http://www.symbiansoftware.us/v,c3ltYmlhbjM1OTc/handango_inhand_for_s60.jsp . 2013-04-21 . 2010-10-24.
11. News: Handango InHand FAQ. 2010-10-24. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081213101002/http://www.handango.co.uk/client/FAQ.jsp. 2008-12-13.
12. News: Handango InHand Demo. 2010-10-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20101209090412/http://store.handango.com/client/demo/demo.html. 2010-12-09. dead.
13. Web site: 2010-02-23 . PocketGear acquires Handango, becomes world's largest cross-platform app store . 2022-06-01 . Engadget . en-US.
14. Ankeny, Jason (2010-02-23). "PocketGear acquires smartphone apps provider Handango". Fierce Network. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
15. News: Rao. Leena. 2011-02-03. PocketGear Rebrands To Appia; Shifts To White-Label App Marketplace Platform. TechCrunch.
16. Web site: Home . alt-cal.com.