Mobile application provider Handmark has acquired mobile technology company FreeRange Communications in an effort to expand its Pocket Express mobile content portal to support FreeRange's publishing platform.

Media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, CBS, and the Associated Press use FreeRange's platform to offer its content on mobile devices.

With FreeRange, mobile users don't need to launch a browser to access the content, just the icon for FreeRange content. FreeRange calls its publishing platform "the fastest way to read news on your phone."

According to FreeRange CEO John Maroney, FreeRange looks to expand its mobile reach through the deal.

Pocket Express is available for a number of mobile platforms and devices. These include the iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian S60 and UIQ, and the Palm OS.