HP to buy Bitfone for e-mail software

Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s largest maker of printers and personal computers, agreed Wednesday to buy privately owned Bitfone Corp. to add software used to control mobile e-mail to its product line.

Laguna Niguel-based Bitfone, which has about 130 employees, makes software that companies use to configure cellphones and other devices to ensure that they work with corporate e-mail systems, Hewlett-Packard said.

Terms for the purchase weren’t disclosed.

“The proliferation of mobile e-mail is doubling year over year,” said Dave Rothschild, vice president of Hewlett-Packard’s handset business unit. “Mobile e-mail is the killer application that’s driving the adoption of converged smart devices.”

The acquisition is part of Palo Alto-based Hewlett-Packard’s strategy to expand its services and software offerings. Last quarter, its computer services unit had revenue of $4.1 billion, a 5% increase from a year earlier.

Shares of Hewlett-Packard rose 91 cents to $41.34.