Handheld PCs bullish after police force deal

VAR aims to go global after Essex Police orders 3,000 licences of its hand-e-pix software through O2

Mobility VAR Handheld PCs is plotting global expansion after sealing a deal from Essex Police for 3,000 licences of its hand-e-pix software.

The software allows mobile devices to take and send pictures which are time- and date-stamped and geographically located. Mobile operator O2, which sells hand-e-pix directly and through its channel, closed the deal.

Handheld PCs founder Pierre Lams said: “O2 significantly extends our salesforce; we are very excited about this relationship’s potential. O2 is moving into mobile applications and IT-based solutions.”

Lams indicated his firm’s software was attracting interest from other police forces and local government bodies.

He claimed Handheld PCs would also look to forge ties with local experts in foreign markets. “There is strong interest from around the world for hand-e-pix,” he added.

“We want to move into Europe, North America, Australia and Asia-Pacific.”

Bob Tarzey, service director at Quocirca, claimed mobile operators would increasingly move towards IT applications, adding: “It makes sense as we are already seeing convergence at the device level. The problem for ISVs is there has never been one, dominant operating system in the mobile market.”