Handheld manufacturer palmOne has signed Ingram Micro as its sole distributor following a distribution review and severing of its ties with mobility specialist Brightpoint.
The decision brings the vendor’s Australian strategy in line with other Asia-Pacific countries with a single distributor model.
Geoff Anson, Australia and New Zealand sales director at palmOne, said the company had two distributors here – Tech Pacific and Brightpoint – when he started with the company eight months ago.
He had reviewed the company’s distribution strategy and tendered for sole distributor. Tech Pacific and Brightpoint responded to that tender.
Brightpoint said this week it had ended its agency with palmOne and would instead focus on selling Microsoft and Symbian-based devices.
Also, a recently-announced partnership would see Brightpoint and Microsoft jointly market and promote Windows mobile software platforms.
Anson said the company wanted to “take more control" of its business here. It felt the newly-merged Ingram/Tech Pacific organisation would give it the reach it needed.
“The reach the combined company [Ingram/Tech Pacific] has is much broader than any other distributor in this country,” he said.
“To support this new business model, we are adding specialist personnel to the palmOne team to liaise with telecommunications carriers and enterprise associates in this country,” he said.
palmOne had existing relationships with Telstra, Optus and Vodafone and would also try to strengthen relationships with application partners such as Microsoft. Its Treo 650 handheld product ships with Microsoft’s Active Sync technology.
Retail had been its strength and the palmOne products were sold through all "major" retailers and IT resellers, Anson said.
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