| Motorola and Webhelp, a developer of technology and service offerings that provide online communication solutions to businesses and consumers, announced a joint venture to enhance wireless customer service and Internet searches over the Palm™ operating system. The two companies have agreed to co-develop and market an application for personal digital assistants (PDAs) that gives consumers the ability to request and receive personalized Internet search results directly on their mobile devices.
The new application combines Motorola’s iSKETCH™ handwriting technology with Webhelp’s online assistance. iSKETCH™ enables users to hand-write and exchange notes, drawings and signatures directly into mobile devices. Webhelp uses a staff of human “Online Service Professionals” (OSPs) to supply real-time answers — users send a request, a Webhelp OSP retrieves the information and sends it back via computer or mobile device.
Webhelp’s OSPs can conduct Internet searches for consumers and provide online customer support or field service on behalf of Webhelp’s corporate clients. For example, consumer questions such as “When is the next flight from New York to Los Angeles?” will be answered either by customized search results that direct the user to the most relevant Internet sites or by a direct answer from the OSP. The suggestions are received as text messages on consumers’ mobile devices.
The service also enables consumers to conduct secure m-commerce with encryption for security and over-the-air signature verification, transfer visuals between devices and PCs via e-mail, conduct collaborative whiteboard sessions via instant-messaging and use different ink colors to add clarity and creativity to notes. | 
