Handango

---

title: "Handango" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["personal-digital-assistant-software", "pocket-pc-software", "symbian-software", "windows-mobile-standard-software", "mobile-software-distribution-platforms"] description: "Online software store" topic_path: "technology/operating-systems" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handango" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Online software store ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

Field	Value
name	Handango, Inc.
type	Mobile Content Delivery
foundation	1998
location	Irving, TX
key_people	Alex Bloom - CEO
industry	Software Sales
revenue	$5.5 (est.) 2007 Sales (mil.)
num_employees	51–200
::

| name = Handango, Inc. | type = Mobile Content Delivery | foundation = 1998 | location = Irving, TX | key_people = Alex Bloom - CEO | industry = Software Sales | revenue = $5.5 (est.) 2007 Sales (mil.) | num_employees = 51–200

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

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, and later expanded to include other major mobile platforms:

• Windows Mobile and Windows Mobile in 2004,
• Blackberry in 2005,
• Symbian S60 in 2006.

Users could access application descriptions, screenshots, user reviews and ratings, and download or purchase software directly on their devices.

In February 2010, PocketGear announced that it had acquired Handango. A year later, PocketGear rebranded as Appia 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.

References

References

1. Drew, Jeff. (2010-02-23). "PocketGear buys rival Handango".
2. (2003-10-01). "Handango InHand for Sony Ericsson P800/P900/P910".
3. (2003-09-30). "Handango InHand for Sony Ericsson P800/P900/P910 1.31 for Symbian".
4. (2004-02-26). "Install Software Directly to a Smart Phone with InHand".
5. (2004-02-23). "Handango Launches Download Client for Windows Mobile".
6. (2004-09-28). "PDAToday-Handango Ships Palm OS Version of Handango InHand".
7. (2004-09-28). "Access-Handango Ships Palm OS Version of Handango InHand".
8. (2005-02-14). "Handango Releases Industry's First Download Client for BlackBerry".
9. (2006-01-15). "Handango In-Hand Catalog Available for S60".
10. (2006-09-14). "Handango InHand for S60 for Symbian".
11. "Handango InHand FAQ".
12. "Handango InHand Demo".
13. (2010-02-23). "PocketGear acquires Handango, becomes world's largest cross-platform app store".
14. Ankeny, Jason (2010-02-23). [https://www.fierce-network.com/developer/pocketgear-acquires-smartphone-apps-provider-handango "PocketGear acquires smartphone apps provider Handango"]. ''Fierce Network''. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
15. Rao, Leena. (2011-02-03). "PocketGear Rebrands To Appia; Shifts To White-Label App Marketplace Platform". TechCrunch.
16. "Home".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::