Encore Software has announced its plans to recruit VARs and master distributors to promote and sell Simputer in the country. Shashank Garg, Product Manager, Encore Software, is leading the company´s recruitment initiative for professional organizations to become their authorized resellers.

"It is our goal to build a premier distribution channel that is dedicated to working with its clients to understand and address their business needs. We are talking to several entities and it´s premature to talk about them right now," says Shashank.

The recruitment effort will focus on resellers and master distributors that have a strong desire to successfully sell Simputer, a full-featured budget pocket PC for users in the small- to medium-size business entities. "We see India as a potential and attractive market for this new product. We also foresee growth and are confident of acquiring a major share in this niche market space," says Shashank. The company plans a soft launch of Simputer by starting shipments from mid-November. However, a formal launch has not been planned yet.

The key features of the Encore Simputer are the built-in Smart-card reader/writer, connectivity options like modem, IrDA and USB, and multi-language capability for Indian languages. The simputer comes with a Linux operating system.

Despite carrying several features of a PDA, Encore does not plan to compete directly in the lifestyle product market. Instead, Encore is looking at applications and solutions for specific niches.

According to the company, the Simputer will be priced between Rs 11,000 to Rs 25,000, depending on specific configurations and volumes.

SUNILA PAUL