US : Handango announced its new partnership with The Carphone Warehouse, Europe's largest independent mobile phone retailer, signaling a new direction for Handango's content distribution. In this first-of-kind deal, a leading mobile smartphone content provider and a major retailer are working together to bring mobile content to the High Street, thereby enhancing the capabilities of these devices for The Carphone Warehouse customers. As more companies aim to take part in the distribution of mobile content, Handango has become the distributor of choice to reach the widest audience with the most compelling smartphone content available.

"With this deal, we are redefining the way smartphone content is distributed to the customer by working directly with retailers to effectively market and merchandise the content at the point of device purchase," states Bill Stone, CEO, Handango. "Our partnership with The Carphone Warehouse not only serves as an incredible opportunity to expand our retail distribution in Europe but also provides a platform for us to create new initiatives that educate and add value to their customers on the endless capabilities of their devices."

The first product of this partnership is an exclusive arrangement to provide a collection of top-selling applications specifically for the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone ( above ) sold through The Carphone Warehouse stores in the United Kingdom. This collection of top-selling applications will include unique ringtones, top selling mobile games, HTML email viewer and instant messenger applications among others (http://www.handango.co.uk/BlackBerryPink).

George Dymond, UK Trading Director said: "Offering customers Handango content gives them a high level of comfort and confidence with their new BlackBerry. It also helps them to personalize the device."

The Handango and The Carphone Warehouse partnership is an example of the next generation of global business relationships, bringing products that were formerly thought of as "aftermarket" within the walls of a retail establishment. The time is ripe for such agreements, as smart mobile devices continue to explode on the global marketplace with shipments up 53% from 2006 to 2007. (Source: Canalys, February 5, 2008). Handango is leading the way in educating these new smartphone consumers on the wide array of content available both for personal and business use.