Handspring, Inc. (Nasdaq: HAND) has
entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Bluelark Systems, Inc., developers of a
Palm operating system (OS)-based Web browser and proxy server system designed
to enable seamless Internet access from handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Under the terms of the agreement, Handspring will purchase Bluelark Systems
for up to 450,000 shares of Handspring common stock. The
transaction -- with an estimated value of US$16.1 million -- is subject to approval by the shareholders of Bluelark and
certain other conditions, and is anticipated to close in the first
quarter of 2001.
Easy Mobile Web
According to Handspring, the combination of Bluelark's software and
infrastructure  with its Springboard platform will enable the company to
manufacture handheld products that will make it easier for users to access
the Internet.
Handspring president and chief executive officer Donna Dubinsky said the acquisition of
Bluelark is another step toward the company's goal of improving the way people browse the wireless Web.
"With the Internet such an important part of people's everyday lives, it's
important to make it easier for people to access information from wherever
they are," Dubinsky said.
Simplifying Tasks
BlueSky, Bluelark's core technology, is a customizable mobile application
platform designed to give users Internet access
from wireless-enabled handheld products.
The product features a network-based "connected agent" that performs such
tasks as converting Web sites for optimal display, providing instant
notification of messages, communicating and processing location information,
simplifying mobile commerce (m-commerce), and storing and acting upon user
preferences.
Bluelark's product line also includes Blazer, a software platform designed to
enable rapid delivery of Web content to handheld devices.
Bluelark Bundle
Plans call for Handspring to bundle Bluelark's applications into its
new
VisorPhone product early next year. The VisorPhone is a mobile phone module
that connects to the handheld device, which features a battery, speaker,
antenna and a button that allows users to switch between voice and text
messaging functions.
Bluelark Systems provides technology designed to deliver content and services
to mobile handheld devices, including personal digital assistants (PDAs),
smartphones and large-screen pagers. Based on the BlueSky Mobile Application
Platform, the company licenses server infrastructure and client applications
to device manufacturers, wireless ISPs, ASPs, carriers and enterprises. The
company is privately held and is located in Mountain View, California.
Handspring, also based in Mountain View, manufactures
handheld computers for a range of markets and customers.
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