Shame on Handango

Handango has long been my software vendor of choice. It’s where I naturally go when I’m looking for the lastest releases to try and to buy. The key word here is to “try”. One of the greatest features about software for handhelds is the time-honored tradition of being able to try before you buy. It’s something you can’t do at too many other establishments such as McDonald’s. In any case, it seems that Handango has chosen to jettison this tradition with the introduction of InHand.

InHand is a great idea. It’s a free application from Handango. It not only lets you download software over the air conveniently, but it also keeps you current on news, sports, weather, and financial information.

However, I was disheartened to discover a couple of things. First, if you don’t purchase the software recommended on InHand, you may be out of luck. I tried many searches for some of my old favorites, and InHand couldn’t find them even though they are readily available on the main Website.

The second and really major problem is that you MUST purchase the software. There is no choice. You may not try it free at all. This option does not exist on InHand. Shame on Handango. I hope that future versions will include this feature and then InHand will be a truly worthwhile service.

OK, there is another problem. As far as I can tell, you cannot even get to Handango’s Website on a mobile device anymore. No matter how hard I try, it always defaults to an InHand download. Phooey on that. One would think that the paramount mobile device software vendor would at least have a Website optimized for mobile devices. Go figure.

Come on Handango. You can do better, and I hope you will. Meanwhile, a great place to go for both software and accessories is www.mobihand.com. Not only does Mobihand let you have free trials, its site it optimized for mobile devices.