ROUNDUPS
For the record 15 April
15-04-2002
by Paula Mythen
US authorities request information from HP on its proposed acquisition of Compaq | Rumours of an AT&T-Cingular merger circulate
Hewlett-Packard said on Monday that federal prosecutors and the US Securities and Exchange Commission are seeking information on shareholder votes in the company's effort to buy Compaq Computer. According to early reports, the US attorney's office in Manhattan issued a subpoena seeking information on the votes by Deutsche Bank AG and Northern Trust at the 19 March meeting of Hewlett-Packard investors and shareholders. Meanwhile, the SEC is seeking documents concerning Hewlett-Packard's "relationships and communications" with Deutsche Bank, according to documents filed by HP on Monday.
Rumours are afoot suggesting that a massive mobile operator merger is set to take place in the US. According to reports, AT&T Wireless, the third-largest US mobile phone carrier in America, is in merger talks with larger rival Cingular Wireless. The talks are said to be preliminary and no transaction is imminent. Both companies declined to make an official comment, but shares were up modestly on the speculation.
Adworld.ie, the Irish advertising and marketing Web site has announced that it is to charge for its content from 17 May. The cost of an annual subscription is EUR50 per annum or EUR25 per year for existing IMJ subscribers.
Alcatel's first-quarter loss was less than analysts had expected as Europe's biggest communications equipment maker cut costs further. Alcatel said it had a Q1 loss of around EUR850 million, its fourth straight unprofitable quarter. Losses were better than the previous quarter (Q4) when Alcatel reported EUR1.5 billion in losses, but were worse than last year when the company lost EUR210 million.
In related news, STMicroelectronics and Alcatel have signed an agreement for the acquisition of Alcatel's microelectronics activities by STMicroelectronics. As part of this cash transaction of EUR390 million, the two companies intend to enter into cooperation for the joint development of DSL chip-sets that will also be made available to the open market. The new agreement also calls for STMicroelectronics to become a preferred supplier of Alcatel.
Coca-Cola (Japan) Company, NTT DoCoMo, Inc., and Itochu Corporation announced on Monday the Japan-wide launch of Cmode, the new consumer service the three companies have been operating on a trial basis in Tokyo since September 2001. The Coca-Cola Group plans to install Cmode-compatible vending machines called "Cmo" sequentially from April, with some 2,000 units, across Japan by year-end.
3Com Corporation's business connectivity company announced the availability of the 3Com Embedded Firewall. The 3Com Embedded Firewall works with 3Com 10/100 Secure Network Interface Cards (3CR990 family) to extend the protection of the perimeter firewall. The company also detailed plans today for a secure Embedded Firewall solution for notebook PCs. 3Com plans to offer a secure mobile product line.
Irish company Cibenix has been chosen as winner in the enhanced productivity category of the Nokia Mobile Challenge contest. The Nokia Mobile Challenge awards developers of the most useful Symbian and MIDP JavaT (J2ME) applications. Cibenix's Symbian award-winning application 'Active Desk' improves the usability of the Nokia 9200 Communicator Series devices through features such as message scheduler and advanced application management.
Adobe Systems Incorporated has completed its acquisition of publicly-held Accelio Corporation of Ottawa, Canada, an employer of 65 in Ireland. The deal was originally announced in February.
The Irish Defence Forces has upgraded the network at its Dublin headquarters to 3Com Gigabit Ethernet. 3Com and Dublin-based channel partner, Abacus Systems and Networks, won the contract following a public tender involving other major networking providers. The new network provides full administrative support for the backbone of the Irish Defence Forces, including Irish Army, Navy, Air and Reserve Forces.
Ion Technologies, a data collection software company, announced on Monday that QC Logistics has purchased its IonData Lite product. QC logistics, a supply chain management company based in the southeast, is among the first customers for IonData Lite in Ireland.
Software engineering specialist Waterford Technologies has been awarded an RTI grant of EUR285,000 from Enterprise Ireland. The Research Technology and Innovation (RTI) initiative is a competitive fund available for projects submitted by Irish-based firms in manufacturing and internationally traded service businesses.
Ventis, the CRM consultancy based in Ireland, announced that the company has doubled its revenue, employee count and customers over the past eighteen months. Ventis has its headquarters in Ireland with offices in Amsterdam also. The current employee count has now risen to 15.
Training organisation IACT is now offering MOUS Master courses, which were launched by Microsoft at the end of last year. IACT said this is the first time that a commercial course is available for would-be trainers or instructors in Microsoft applications.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 