Hand Held Products Provides Dolphin 9500s for Sports Illustrated for Kids Next Snow Search

Business Wire, Feb 28, 2005

SKANEATELES FALLS, N.Y. -- Teams with ExtenData to offer judges much improved scoring capabilities

Hand Held Products(TM), Inc., a leader in image based data collection systems for mobile, in-premise and transaction processing applications, today announced the successful implementation of its Dolphin 9500 mobile computer line at the 2005 Sports Illustrated for Kids Next Snow Search Super Qualifiers and Finals. Each of the rugged devices fully supported the Mobile Judging Application, which was designed, developed and implemented by ExtenData Solutions, a provider of mobile data capture and tracking applications.

The Next Snow Search is a competition for both male and female skiers and snowboarders, ages 9-13, held throughout the United States and Canada. Hand Held Products' Dolphin 9500 was customized with ExtenData Solutions' Mobile Judging Application to provide each of the 14 judges with a Dolphin 9500 that enabled them to judge on the mountain at a specific location of each event. The customized devices were used at three of the four Super Qualifiers in The Canyons, UT, Killington, VT, and Heavenly, CA, as well as the finals at the Keystone Resort, CO.

"The conditions during our competition are not always favorable to new technologies," said Jack Turner, president of Snow Monsters and creator of the Next Snow Search. "The Dolphin 9500s withstood harsh conditions that would have ruined traditional scoring devices. ExtenData Solutions' Mobile Judging Application also sped up the scoring procedure by providing each judge with immediate access to the participant's background information while allowing the judges to get closer to the action."

Hand Held Products developed the Dolphin 9500 to combine state-of-the-art technology with a rugged mobile form factor that can withstand extreme climate conditions. For the Finals in Keystone, CO ExtenData Solutions customized the Dolphin 9500s with its Mobile Judging Application to better allow judges to access the competitor's individual information including each athlete's name, home ski resort, discipline (skier, snowboarder or both), age, gender, and past scores to quickly identify and judge each athlete. The information was then downloaded at the end of each day, tabulated and printed by ExtenData Solutions personnel.

"As soon as they entered their first score, the judges raved about the depth and ease-of-use of this combined technology," said Greg Timmons, senior account executive at ExtenData Solutions. "The Dolphin 9500s provided us with the best in mobile computer technology on which to install our Mobile Judging Application. With the Hand Held Products rugged 9500s and our Mobile Judging Application, the judges were able to concentrate on the skills of the athletes and not worry about the weather or anything else but giving their full attention to judging the kids."

The Next Snow Search Finals were held at the Keystone Resort from February 11 to 13 and will be televised on NBC Sports on March 5 from 2-3 p.m. EST. More than 150 young athletes, from 76 U.S. and Canadian resorts were scored in events that included Moguls, Carving, SlopeStyle, SuperPipe, Big Air Jump, Timed Racing, and Big Mountain riding.

"Through our past endeavors and present partnership with ExtenData Solutions, Hand Held Products has always been able to customize our devices to suit the immediate and long term goals of each customer," said Bill Dueger, Hand Held Products' vice president, North American channels. "This is a wonderful example of how our combined efforts can enhance the user experience."

About Hand Held Products

With headquarters in Central New York, Hand Held Products is a worldwide leading manufacturer of image based data collection systems for mobile, wireless, and transaction processing solutions. Through its proprietary Adaptus(TM) Imaging Technology platform, Hand Held Products is dedicated to delivering innovative imaging solutions, reliability and durability to its customers and partners through more than 30 sales offices and hundreds of resellers. Hand Held Products is a privately held company and is represented in every major market and geographic region of the world. To find out how Hand Held Products can help you at the point-of-sale, on the sales floor, in the warehouse or on the delivery truck, call us at 1-800-582-4263. Or visit us at www.handheld.com.

About ExtenData Solutions

ExtenData Solutions. headquartered in Denver Colorado provides Automated Data Collection and Mobile Computing solutions throughout the United States and Canada. ExtenData has extensive experience with leveraging data collection and mobile computing technology to help companies lower costs, improve efficiencies, and drive incremental revenue. The management team has over 60 years of experience in planning, designing, implementing and deploying mobile data capture and tracking solutions across diverse industries ranging from manufacturing/warehouse/distribution to mobile field workforce across several market segments. ExtenData also has a strong position in the resort and hospitality industry, helping Ski Resorts improve operational efficiency and lower costs. The company's track record, having automated thousands of mobile workers, has allowed the company to build a strong foundation for quality, customer service and growth. To better understand how ExtenData utilizes technology to achieve specific business results, contact them at 866-260-2556 or info@extendata.com.