Psion seeks to crack corporate market

Handheld giant Psion is recruiting distributors for its launch into the corporate market later this year, when it releases its mobile network computer, netBook.

At the launch of Psion's latest handheld computer, the Series 5mx - the first to contain the Epoc operating systems from Symbian and to support Java - the group also showcased a number of devices aimed at the corporate market, including the netBook.

The Psion Series 5mx is on general release, with an emphasis on mobile internet and email connectivity.

The Series 5mx requires a data-enabled mobile phone, unlike the Palm VII from 3Com.

Psion's previous forays into the corporate sector had been through its Psion Industrial division, which dealt mainly with industrial companies with mobile workforces. The launch of the netBook also heralds a name change for the division to Psion Enterprise Computing, as it expands into areas such as insurance, banking, healthcare and utilities where a lot of the workforce is mobile. Psion Enterprise works with five distributors - Black Rock, ABC, Paradigm, RS Components and Hugh Simmons - but wants to add more.

'We are working together with our distributors to look at plans for them to sell the netBook,' said Vipul Palan, UK sales manager at Psion. 'But there is a degree of investment needed from them as the netBook is different from our other products. We are talking to two or three distributors that will specifically address the markets we are entering.'

It is expected that the additional resellers and system integrators needed to address these markets will come from the newly recruited distributors, alongside business coming from partnerships with Sun and Sybase, and direct reseller contact.

Computer 2000, which distributes other Psion products, is believed to be one of the favourites to snap up an agreement.

Andy Dow, general manager of peripherals at C2000, said: 'This product is an ideal fit for the company.'