content, today announced the appointment of Bill Stone, a long-time content and wireless industry leader, as chief executive officer. Randy Eisenman, who founded and developed the company into the global smartphone content leader with more than 16,000 content partners and a market-leading content delivery platform, will remain actively engaged with the company and board in areas including corporate strategy, strategic partners and acquisitions.

Recognizing the global opportunity for Handango as consumers are increasingly adopting smartphones and looking for content to enhance their experience and productivity, Eisenman recommended to the board of directors earlier this year that the company had achieved the scale and the prominence in the industry to attract a world-class leader in the wireless space to help aggressively drive the business to the next level.

"Our wish list for a new CEO included proven leadership, deep wireless experience on a global scale, and innovation in mobile content. Bill's leadership experience with Amp'd Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Vodafone and J-Phone Tokyo clearly brings all of that and more to the table," said Eisenman. "Bill's introduction to the entire team as CEO on Dec. 4th will mark another significant milestone in Handango's evolution as the dominant mobile content retailer, and I'm thrilled to welcome him as a partner."

Handango, founded in 1999, became the world's largest aggregator and distributor of applications for personal digital assistants (PDAs). Beginning in 2004, the company transitioned its focus to the emerging smartphone market, and over the last several years, has become the largest and most respected smartphone content retailer for both consumers and partners, including carriers, handset manufactures, and mobile operating systems. In 2006, Handango secured more than $60 million in funding to aggressively expand its leadership position on a global scale.

"I have been watching Randy's success in growing Handango for years, and I am excited to join the team," said Stone. "I was attracted to Handango for numerous reasons, including a chance to leverage an impressive asset base that includes an industry-leading consumer brand with millions of consumer users, thousands of content partners, an impressive distribution network, and a team of mobile content experts passionate about building a great business. Bringing together these assets at a time when smartphones are rapidly being adopted by the mass consumer market presented an opportunity too good to pass up."

Former president and chief executive officer of AT&T Wireless and current Handango director, Mohan Gyani, added, "Attracting someone of Bill's caliber is a huge win for the company and really speaks to both Handango's success to date and its strong potential. Bill brings a deep understanding of content and the wireless ecosystem, and we look forward to seeing where Bill, along with the talented team already in place, will take Handango."