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DD An older article regarding Action Engine
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/venture/112448_vc14.shtml
Friday, March 14, 2003
Venture Capital: Hold the phone, cash propels Action Engine 'smart' wares
By JOHN COOK
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Action Engine Corp. has landed $15.5 million in venture capital financing, a major boost as the 3-year-old start-up attempts to transform the way people access information on next-generation cell phones.
The cash infusion -- one of the largest in the state this year -- could not have come at a better time. The Redmond company is ramping up marketing efforts for a software platform that allows consumers to access flight schedules, driving directions, movie listings and other information on cell phones without using a clunky Internet browser.
Two European wireless carriers -- Orange and mmo2 -- have already purchased the company's technology and deployed it on so-called smart phones. These powerful devices have a built-in computer processor, color screen and a relatively fast Internet connection. The pricey phones, from companies such as Handspring, Samsung and Kyocera, have only begun to appear in the United States in the past six months.
New York-based Baker Capital led the round, which also included investments from Intel Capital, Northwest Venture Associates, OVP Venture Partners, Cascadia Capital and Spangler Ventures. Total financing now stands at $35 million.
Craig Eisler, a former Microsoft general manager who founded Action Engine in 2000, plans to carefully spend the money as he targets wireless carriers in the United States. After hiring about 20 to 30 sales and marketing professionals this year, Eisler expects to reach positive cash flow by the end of 2004.
The $15.5 million financing will give Action Engine a nice cushion as it attempts to land five new customers this year.
"If there is a dramatic downturn in the carriers' desire to roll out smart devices -- and certainly there is nothing in the market to indicate that -- we have sufficient money to weather that," Eisler said. "You have to plan for the worst even though the market tells us that smart devices are happening now."
While the 47-person company has received enough money to last at least two years, competition is looming.
Openwave Systems, a publicly-traded Redwood City, Calif. company, which operates a wireless software division in Bellevue, last month announced a new graphics engine that makes it easier for consumers to access games, photo messages and location-based information on cell phones.
Other companies that have traditionally focused on developing browsers for cell phones, such as Opera Software, have begun targeting the more advanced smart phones. Last month, Opera introduced new technology for the Sony Ericsson P800 phone that reformats Web pages for small screens.
Microsoft also has begun stomping around the market announcing recent partnerships with T-Mobile and Orange.
In addition to those competitors, the rapid roll out of Wi-Fi, a technology that allows mobile computer users to log onto the Internet at coffee shops, airports and hotels, could limit the amount of time people spend using cell phones for Internet applications.
Wireless carriers also are developing advanced networks, known as 3G, that will bring greater transmission speeds to cellular phones.
"We think that 3G and Wi-Fi separately and together are going to change the way people access the Web outside their homes and work," said Andrew Roscoe, a partner with the Washington D.C. telecommunications research firm ForceNine Consulting. "And that is going to be increasingly true as these technologies diffuse over the next five years."
A company such as Action Engine could carve out a niche before the faster wireless networks get off the ground, Roscoe said. But after those networks are launched, he questions what role the company's software would play.
Eisler admits that new technologies are being introduced and larger competitors are eyeing the market. But he said Action Engine, which received multiple financing offers during its six-month fund-raising trek, is far ahead in the smart device category. Because the company's technology eliminates the need for a browser, Eisler said he could pursue partnership deals with companies such as Openwave that have historically focused on browsers for cell phones.
"Why beat each other over the head? Why not have a seamless end-to-end solution where Openwave has the browser and we have the smarter stuff?" he said. "They are radically different kinds of investments. To do a browser for a low-end phone is a different kind of team, a different R&D investment and different marketing investment. And so there could be some strong synergies."
Executives at Openwave could not be reached for comment. Action Engine has already signed partnerships with Handspring, maker of the Treo smart phone, and Symbian, whose operating system is used in 80 percent of advanced mobile phones.
Due in part to cell phones' small screens and limited bandwidth, consumers have been slow to embrace the idea of accessing information on mobile devices. J. Gerry Purdy, an analyst with MobileTrax, said this continues to be a problem facing many of the wireless software developers. It also has led to consolidation in the past year. But he said it won't be long before larger screens, higher-resolution displays and increased bandwidth open the door on wireless data services.
"The question is not if, but when and how soon," Purdy said.
In meetings with about 50 venture capital firms, Eisler ran into the timeline question a lot. He said investors were concerned whether smart phones would take off.
Eisler obviously alleviated those fears for a group of investors, promoting the idea that Americans are finally ready to use their cell phones for more than conver- sation.
"We are going to see some amazing stuff in the next 12 to 24 months," Eisler said. "We are going to be holding phones that could blow away any computer that you could have owned three years ago."
P-I reporter John Cook can be reached at 206-448-8075 or johncook@seattlepi.com. For more information on Seattle-area start-ups or venture capital firms, visit www.seattlepi.com/venture
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SS9173
JP, I have made several DD posts regarding Action Engine in the past. Here are the links and any relevant replies FYI:
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=5470063&txt2find=action
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=5470553&txt2find=action
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/replies.asp?msg=5470553
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=5729887&txt2find=action
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=7953023&txt2find=action
I think Action Engine is another one of those "friend, foe or prospective future business partners".
Best regards,
SS9173
Hangdog, Good to hear from you again. Your postings are appreciated.
SS9173
Regarding the Shelron announcement, I would suppose the Neom portion is material news. Agree?
SS9173
Inforit1, why do you think the patent is what was holding up the SEC from approving BSDS?
SS9173
Everyone should read Bodreaux's post of VanGorilla's comments at 6:07 PM this evening. It is "very telling" of some of the current issues and obstacles Neom is addressing as well as the future market potential.
SS9173
Beacs, very observant. IMO, we are getting ready for "prime time".
SS9173
OT Congratulations Cloud8! Glad to hear your wife and baby are doing well. IMO, you made a wise investment today...that 2500 share investment will turn out very well over the long term. Good luck to you and your family in the future!
Best regards,
SS9173
in4it, I agree totally. EOM
SS9173
TS did not discuss Neom in tonight's microcap subscriber update.
SS9173
SOG LOL Great minds think alike. We probably both got the same email from mediapost.com, and were so excited we couldn't wait to post. It's one of the better articles and just reaffirms this space is heating up big time. Just glad you and I are early to the dinner table as Retired and Playing was famous for saying...but I think dinner will be served shortly...how about you?
SS9173
DD Must Read: Activating the Physical World
by Steve Smith, Monday, Jan 30, 2006 6:08 PM EST
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticle&art_send_date=2006-1....
ONE WORD, JUST ONE WORD: CueCat.
You interactive marketers with any memory left of the pre-bubble years are already cringing at the mention of this famously flawed attempt to marry print and interactive worlds with a hand scanner. The CueCat, shaped like a stylized prone feline, but looking more like a personal vibrator, read codes from magazine pages to trigger specific marketing and editorial Web pages when the Cat was connected to a PC. We won't relive that nightmare (one mag sent out 800,000 devices free to subscribers), but suffice to say that the obvious unwieldiness of this scheme doomed it from the start.
And yet, at the heart of the CueCat is a compelling notion of connecting physical and interactive realms, a marketing wet dream that cell phones finally make possible, if not imminent. Imagine customers taking a phone-cam shot of your movie poster, hair care product, magazine ad--whatever--and, in return, immediately receiving coupons, product details, comparative pricing information, or a recorded message from a film star. The physical world, any object, becomes a container of content, an instance where laser-targeted information shoots to the consumer precisely when and where she needs it. All goods become clickable interactive objects.
Of course the technology for this is advancing, and startup elves are banging out in-market demos already. The most evolved executions I have seen involve the "visual search" company Mobot (www.mobot.com), which has been working with ElleGirl Magazine since the summer. Mobot's is a fairly clean approach that requires no client software on the phone or disfiguring visual code in the ad itself. Consumers take a snap of an ad or a CD cover and e-mail it to the Mobot visual database of these images, which recognizes the image and enters the user in a contest. Elle Girl says the campaign has been very successful with its teen readership, with more than two dozen ad clients signing up quickly. This approach could just as easily be used to send users more content, WAP or click-to-call links, etc.
According to research on the Elle Girl September issue, purchase intent among those who used the phone-cam on these ads increased 14 percent, and sometimes up to 28 percent. Aided recall for the 25 advertisers involved was up 15 percent, sometime up to 33 percent. Perhaps the best news of all is that a whopping 96 percent of contest participants said they were veryextremely likely to engage with similar promotions. Now, who said mobile marketing is intrusive?
An alternative approach, NextCode (www.nextcodecorp.com), uses the more classic visual coding, a unique sequence of printed squares that a phone cam can read for triggering a direct call, a WAP link, content downloads, etc. You can even put these on your business cards. NextCode does require client software downloaded or embedded on the handset, but it offers in return a broader range of immediate interactive paybacks. You can go to their site and make your own printable codes to use as personal shortcuts for your phone.
We are a long way off from widespread use of these systems, and for all of the usual pain-in-the-ass reasons that mobile is such a, well, pain-in-the-ass medium. First, there is the technology. Mobot doesn't require new software but it does require education. In order for the contest entries to work, users must first register at the Web site and then learn how to e-mail an image. It is also a multi-step process that is cooler, but only a little more efficient, than typing in a short code. NextCode is only compatible now with certain Nokia phones, and it is the kind of solution that is versatile but really requires ubiquity. Both of these systems become consumer-friendly when the processes are no more difficult than clicking a Web link, but that would require cross-carrier standards and user education. Ubiquity? User education? Cross-carrier cooperation on standards? Yeah, I'm laughing, too.
Nevertheless, the promise of activating the physical world, of letting content pour out of encounters with products and promotions, is just too great even for the mobile carriers to ignore. At some point, they will have to start making this idea work for everyone.
Contributing writer Steve Smith is a longtime new-media consultant and columnist, and current editor of Wireless Business Forecast for Access Intelligence at TelecomWeb.com.
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SS9173
DD scanR (as referenced by today's PP blog)
http://www.scanr.com/what.html
scanR helps you capture and share documents and whiteboards.
scanR uses advanced imaging technologies to convert pictures into readable PDF files and faxes. Good camera phones can take decent photos of babies, pets and sunsets, but are not designed for scanning. scanR is an innovative service that turns your camera phone into a scanner, copier and fax.
Your phone already takes pictures. Why do you need scanR?
Without scanR, your images will contain background noise, soft focus, shadows, and poor alignment. scanR corrects these deficiencies and creates a professional looking document or fax that you can use in your business.
http://www.scanr.com/who.html
scanR develops applications that make it easy to capture information using camera phones. scanR's services are based on proprietary image processing and data refinement technology and are designed to work with any mobile phone platform. The founding management team comes from Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Internet Pictures and Kodak. scanR is a venture-backed company.
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SS9173
Neombridge, it's a great PP article. Here is the link and article from CBS Marketwatch that VanGorilla references:
http://www.marketwatch.com/tools/quotes/newsarticle.asp?guid={6F885C15-EF2E-4B56-9377-D62F65109C01}&....
The Camera Phone as Scanner: ABI Research Anticipates a New Information Market
1/31/2006 9:35:01 AM
OYSTER BAY, N.Y., Jan 31, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- When is a camera phone not a camera? When it behaves like a reader, receiving and displaying coded information from the objects in front of its lens.
"It means using the camera phone not as a picture-taker," says Kenneth Hyers, principal analyst of mobile wireless research at ABI Research, "but as a scanner capturing metadata about products or services related to objects around us. I think we'll see more of this in coming years."
That data can be visible, as in the case of barcodes or the "QR" codes popular in Japan; or unseen, as in "steganography" which in its current form, announced by Fujitsu in mid-2005, involves hiding information in printed pictures, invisible to the human eye but extractable by Fujitsu's algorithms in a camera phone.
"Imagine walking through the park," says Hyers, "and aiming your camera phone at a data tag on a statue. It directs your phone's browser to a web page about a historic building that used to stand there, or a concert that played there last summer, complete with video clips."
Aim your camera phone at a scene pictured in a magazine, and it could deliver a map or other information about the site. In a store, you could "scan" a product's label and get the latest consumer report article about it. In the supermarket, you could retrieve a list of a food's ingredients to ensure they won't trigger an allergic reaction.
None of this is widely available yet, but some steps towards it are visible. One company, scanR, lets you use your camera phone as a scanner, copier and fax. Nextcode offers free downloadable software that reads certain kinds of barcodes and allows the phone user to download product information, ringtones and wallpapers. Another company, Mobot, lets consumers photograph advertisements, products and logos, then scans the image using its own visual recognition technology and directs them to related information.
"But these applications are all proprietary," adds Hyers. "A real market for this requires some standardization, and for marketers, operators, and handset vendors to be 'on the same page'."
ABI Research's study, "Mobile Phone Imaging," identifies the drivers for camera phone growth, and explains how mobile imaging will evolve. Forecasts from 2004 through 2010 cover the total world market. The study is also available as part of two ABI Research subscription Services, the Digital Media Distribution and Management Research Service, and the Mobile Devices Research Service. These contain a mix of research reports, industry and forecast databases, regular market updates, and ABI Insights, and include analyst inquiry time.
Founded in 1990 and headquartered in New York, ABI Research maintains global operations supporting annual research programs, intelligence services and market reports in automotive, wireless, semiconductors, broadband, and energy. For information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.
SOURCE: ABI Research
ABI Research
Beth Schechner, 516-624-2542
pr@abiresearch.com
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SS9173
DD Microsoft sees growth in mobile
Telecoms.com News
27 January 2006
James Middleton, james.middleton@informa.com
http://www.telecoms.com/marlin/30000000461/ARTICLEVIEW/mp_channelid/30000000378/Marlinsource/V2autoM...
Microsoft yesterday announced that revenues at its Mobile and Embedded Devices division increase 40% year on year to reach US$101 million in the three months to end-December, while operating income rose from a loss of US$12 million in the December quarter last year to US$20 million in 2005.
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SS9173
Based on PR statistics, we should see a PR any day now. Odds to get one by the end of this week are very high.
SS9173
James, Thank you for taking the time to do this S3A comparison and post the results. I agree the changes appear to be minor, just as they were with the last S4A submittal. I can't imagine the need for anymore amendments to be submitted. The SEC should approve both of these filings in very short order.
SS9173
DD Convergence and the Customer
27.01.2006
World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2006
http://www.weforum.org/site/knowledgenavigator.nsf/Content/_S15600?open&event_id=1462&year_i...
Today's customer demands connectivity on the move – any place, any time, with everyone. This poses enormous challenges to the mobile telecommunications industry. The integration of data, voice and video across networks and devices is opening the door to a wave of new products and services, but most businesses will have to take huge risks and reboot their business models if they are going to survive and thrive.
The"next big thing" is already here, according to Michael J. Wolf, President and Chief Operating Officer, MTV Networks, USA. It is the online shift from text to video and multimedia."Today's consumers have huge expectations for full-motion video on their cell phones and every other device they carry around," he said. Another trend is that while older audiences are cocooning around large plasma TV screens, young audiences are going to much smaller screens so they can experience video any time, on demand, making prime time all the time.
One major challenge is discovering what customers want. Michael T. Fries, President and Chief Executive Officer, Liberty Global, USA, said the iPod is a success for two reasons: it's really simple and it's affordable."We are in the middle of this perfect storm. Our job is to focus on complexity, but the trick is to mask it behind a simple, cheap device." Hector de J. Ruiz, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices), USA, agreed that it would be"great" to figure out what consumers want, but in doing so companies should not carve out a monopolistic position."The end user must be put in a position of power," he said.
The industry will weather this paradigm shift, predicted Edward J. Zander, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Motorola, USA."We always get it eventually," he said."We definitely need to sort out standards. For example, we are launching TV globally amidst competing multiple standards." Zander commented that industry would prefer"a light hand" when it comes to regulation. He was reassured by US Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin, speaking from the floor, that the regulatory environment will be"correct" and that the"rules will keep up with the technology”.
Glenn H. Hutchins, Managing Member and Founder, Silver Lake Technology, USA, pointed out that competition exists at the product level, but that industry must reorganize business models by fundamentally changing the process to deliver the converged product."Why did Dell win in the PC world? Because they had a superior business model, not a superior product. Take Google – a new product and a new business model.”
Moderator Steve Adler, Editor-in-Chief, BusinessWeek, USA, asked if there will be cooperation or competition as the industry moves to satisfy demanding consumers. Panellists agreed that collaboration is critical if interoperability – a top consumer demand – is to be achieved. To this end, open standards are the way forward, noted Ruiz.
They also agreed that technology is not the real challenge. The real challenge, according to Zander, is to give users a"cool” experience. In the search for"cool”, it is critical to ensure things work, added Ruiz. In the rush to connect the millions of unconnected, technology issues can be sorted out."We need to deal with issues such as leadership, industry standards and collaboration if users are to have a cool experience each time,” he said.
The thorny issue of paying for content will also be sorted out. Hutchins observed that two economic models are clashing at the consumer level – prices are plummeting rapidly while what is being delivered to the customer is increasing exponentially. Panellists generally agreed that consumers may be reluctant to pay at first, but Wolf predicted a"flight to quality” as they define and shape their own media experiences. Another industry challenge is to find acceptable pricing models and a system of micropayments, making it easy and safe to buy and sell digital content and services at any price point.
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SS9173
DD Another related article: Opera goes on the road
http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20060130/tc_infoworld/74783;_ylt=AoUAW66JfXVcBFdMnh_Q_iojtBAF;_ylu...
Mon Jan 30, 6:00 AM ET
San Francisco (InfoWorld) - Opera Software, the alternative browser company, officially launched Opera Mini on Tuesday -- a hosted mobile phone browsing service and application that has already racked up about one million users.
As users browse, the Opera Mini application, designed for Java-enabled cell phones, communicates with Opera’s proxy servers, which strip down the size of Web sites, allowing them to load faster and fit the small screen of the phone.
In late December, Opera quietly extended Opera Mini’s availability from only residents in select European countries to anyone anywhere. At the time, however, Opera said the service wasn’t officially available yet and could be taken down at any time. So far, about one million customers have begun using the service, said Tor Odland, a spokesperson for Opera.
To support the service, Opera has deployed more than 100 new servers, said Christen Krogh, vice president of engineering at Opera.
Opera also sells Opera Mobile, a browser designed for smartphones that has more features than Opera Mini and operates independently of Opera’s back-end servers. Opera Mini is a smaller application and is meant to bring browsing to low-end phones.
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SS9173
DD AdMob is the world's first pay-per-click mobile advertising marketplace.
http://www.admob.com/
http://www.admob.com/about.php
AdMob is the world's first pay-per-click mobile advertising marketplace. We bring advertisers together with independent mobile content publishers to create value for all. Our mission is to help spur the growth of the open mobile web by providing value for advertisers and revenue for content publishers.
AdMob has developed a number of effective tools to help advertisers reach their desired audience. Using our target tree and personalization engine, advertisers can target their ads by region, manufacturer, platform, or capability level and personalize the ad text to each viewing device. Advertisers don't even need an existing mobile site to get started; they can use our easy to build MobPages to reach their target audience.
AdMob provides an easy way for mobile content producers to monetize their traffic. We share revenue with our content partners via a very generous revenue split. To read more about selling on AdMob, click here.
Who's behind AdMob?
AdMob is the brainchild of Omar Hamoui (email:omar-at-admob.com), a serial entrepreneur in the area of mobile technology. Professionally, Omar has a technical and business background and is earning his MBA at the Wharton school of business. Prior to AdMob, Omar worked as a senior product manager at Sony, and founded two companies in the mobile arena. AdMob is cureently based in Philadelphia, PA.
Contact Us
phone: 1(310)237-6424
skype: admob1
email: info-at-admob.com <- general information
support-at-admob.com <- support requests
mail: AdMob, LLC
3131 Walnut St. Suite 423
Philadelphia, PA 19104
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SS9173
OT success622: Thanks EOM
Bodreaux, see my post 53274
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=9349836
SS9173
Andrew138, You are right - there have been nine (9) separate S-4 filings relating to the BSDS merger. If you review the top header of each filing, they are numbered by Neomedia as follows:
April 5, 2005 - original
June 6, 2005 - amendment #1
June 20, 2005 - amendment #1 (should have been #2)
July 15, 2005 - amendment #2 (should have been #3)
August 18, 2005 - amendment #3 (should have been #4)
September 13, 2005 - amendment #3 (should have been #5)
November 7, 2005 - amendment #4 (should have been #6)
December 28, 2005 - amendment #5 (should have been #7)
January 20, 2006 - amendment #6 (should have been #8)
I referred to it as number 6 because Neomedia did in their top header. Perhaps there is a good reason they numbered them the way they did or perhaps they didn't count correctly.
SS9173
OT, Inforit, my investment in GZFX was always intended to be a short-term play. I should have sold it earlier when the momentum had carried it to a nearly 50% gain. I tried to be "greedy" and let it run, but it didn't...still I sold it for a 10% gain. IMO, Neom is getting ready to run. The chart people mostly agree, and if you have done as much DD as I and a few others on this board have done on this stock connecting the dots, you would understand why. It's just a matter of weeks. JMHO.
As far as the Dec 28th / 29th SEC registration filings, I did think they were the last ones. The changes to yesterday's filing were very minor. That's what boosts my confidence level it is indeed the last and final submittal. Now am I 100% sure yesterday's S-4A is the final one...No...not 100%...but about 99%.
I have scanned your postings and haven't seen any DD posted. That was the basis for my statement.
I don't believe in bashing posters, and my comment was meant as constructive criticism. If it offended you, please accept my apologies. I just think you would understand Neom better if you truly made an effort to do your own DD...don't ever accept what you read on this board or any stock board as the gospel.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend.
SS9173
OT JP, Thanks and you're welcome. EOM
SS9173
Inforit, it's a simple answer...my own DD. Try it some time.
SS9173
Re: clock started ticking again on Jan 20th...I agree. I am hopeful the SEC will approve this 6th and final amendment very quickly. See my post: http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=9349180
SS9173
Inforit, Yes...I am sure that's what "in the clear" means.
The SEC wasn't satisfied with the December 28th S-4A submittal apparently for some very minor reasons:
1) As Yellowjacket pointed out, the text file for the 2nd bridge loan to Mobot was not included in the December filing. It was included in yesterday's filing.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?Message_id=9335412&txt2find=s-4
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1022701/000114420406002005/v033393_ex10-71.txt
2) As Hangdog pointed out, the auditors and legal counsel signed off on various documents January 16th - 19th, 2006. However, these documents were included in the December filing, they just have been updated with a more recent date.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=9340609
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1022701/000114420406002005/v033393_ex23-1.txt
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1022701/000114420406002005/v033393_ex23-2.txt
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1022701/000114420406002005/v033393_ex23-3.txt
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1022701/000114420406002005/v033393_ex23-4.txt
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1022701/000114420406002005/v033393_ex23-5.txt
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1022701/000114420406002005/v033393_ex8-1.txt
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1022701/000114420406002005/v033393_ex5-1.txt
3) Also as Hangdog pointed out, the December filing did reference the 2nd bridge loan to Mobot on page 46:
On September 26, 2005, NeoMedia loaned Mobot an additional $200,000 under
the same terms as the Note. On October 26, 2005, NeoMedia loaned Mobot an
additional $200,000 under the same terms as the Note. Both of the additional
loans were subject to the same terms as the Note. On December 15, 2005, NeoMedia
advanced Mobot an additional $500,000. This advance will be forgiven upon the
earlier of signing of a definitive purchase agreement for the acquisition of all
of the outstanding shares of Mobot by NeoMedia, or February 15, 2006.
Perhaps Neom thought this was sufficient for the SEC, but apparently the SEC wanted a copy of the text agreement document to be included in this most recent filing.
4) Neom also updated the exchange of shares in the main body of the S-4A:
Upon completion of the merger, BSD's shareholders will receive, for each share
of BSD stock owned, NeoMedia stock equivalent to .07 divided by the
volume-weighted average price of NeoMedia stock for the five days prior to the
effective time of the merger. NeoMedia common stock is publicly traded on the
Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board exchange under the symbol "NEOM". On January 12,
2006, the closing price of NeoMedia common stock was $0.375. In 2004, NeoMedia's
common stock traded between a low of $0.05 and a high of $0.299. Since April 5,
2005, the approximate date that NeoMedia filed its initial information
statement/prospectus relative to its acquisition of and merger with BSD,
NeoMedia's stock has been subject to dramatic price volatility. Between April 5,
2005 and January 12, 2006, NeoMedia's stock has traded as low as $0.21 per share
and as high as $0.72 per share. BSD shareholders who wish to inquire about the
number of shares they will receive in the merger can call toll-free (877)
813-2419.
Following the merger, based on 32,560,897 outstanding shares of BSD common stock
and 468,406,229 outstanding shares of NeoMedia common stock as of January 12,
2006, and assuming a NeoMedia stock price of $0.344 (the volume-weighted average
stock price for the five days preceding January 12, 2006), BSD shareholders
would hold approximately 1.4% of the outstanding shares of NeoMedia and existing
NeoMedia shareholders would hold the remaining 98.6% of NeoMedia's outstanding
shares. The actual exchange ratio will vary due to changes in NeoMedia's stock
price and any additional issuances of common stock by BSD prior to the effective
time of the merger, and will not be known until such effective time of the
merger.
4) Yesterday's S-4A also updated the stock ownership of beneficial owners and management of Neomedia (see page 79):
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT OF NEOMEDIA
The following table sets forth certain information regarding beneficial
ownership of NeoMedia's common stock as of January 12, 2006, (i) by each person
or entity known by NeoMedia to own beneficially more than 5% of NeoMedia's
Common Stock, (ii) by each of NeoMedia's directors and nominees, (iii) by each
executive officer of NeoMedia named in the Summary Compensation Table, and (iv)
by all executive officers and directors of NeoMedia as a group.
AMOUNT AND
NATURE OF
NAME AND ADDRESS OF BENEFICIAL PERCENT OF
CLASS BENEFICIAL OWNER OWNERSHIP (1) CLASS (1)
- ------------ ----------------------- -------------- ----------
Common Stock Charles W. Fritz (2)(3) 30,920,555 6.4%
Common Stock William Fritz(2)(4) 53,150,944 11.2%
Common Stock Charles T. Jensen(2)(5) 15,501,500 3.2%
Common Stock David A. Dodge(2)(6) 4,850,000 1.0%
Common Stock A. Hayes Barclay(2)(7) 3,155,000 *
Common Stock James J. Keil(2)(8) 5,388,619 1.1%
Common Stock Martin N. Copus(9) 3,682,186 *
------------- ----------
Common Stock Officers and Directors
as a Group (9 Persons)(10) 116,648,804 22.3%
============= ==========
These changes are very minor and basically a formality to satisfy the SEC's request. Therefore, it is believed the SEC will approve this 6th and final amendment very quickly.
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Inforit, It means it should be the very last filing, and we are hopeful that it will be approved by the SEC very quickly.
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YJ, The previous S-4A was filed on December 28, 2005. Why wouldn't this 2nd bridge loan (dated December 15, 2005) to Mobot have been filed in that document? I find it disappointing that it wasn't included then and now we have another delay. I suppose it might have been an oversight. Considering other errors, I am not impressed with whomever Neom is using for filing these registration statements. JMHO.
Hopefully, JP is right and this is the very last submittal. I was hoping for the quiet period to end in January...now we most likely have to wait until February.
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DD Mobile Search Is More Than Your Local Green Grocer (from mediapost.com email received today)
by Cerelle Centeno, Wednesday, January 18, 2006
MOBILE SEARCH HAS ALWAYS MEANT more to me than just another hyped application. Still, while I knew it as another opportunity for brands to connect with consumers, I never fully understood the consumer perspective until recently. Being somewhat of a technology Luddite, I waited a while before adding a Treo and an iPod to my gadget arsenal--only about two weeks ago, actually.
Needless to say, there's been a lot to get used to. iPod aside (which my husband tells me I am using like a "Walkman" since I have only uploaded 300 songs, and it has capacity for 7,500), the Treo has definitely changed my routine, specifically, my downtime.
The other night, I walked over to Whole Foods after work to pick up dinner. Apparently I showed up at one of the peak times, when the checkout line wound through the salad bar area and into desserts. Enter mobile search! I figured, "Why not look for another organic food store in the area?"
I pulled up Google, which knew that I was using a mobile device to connect and sent me straight to www.google.com/pda. I typed in "organic food nyc" and chose the "Web" search option. Google pulled up three local listings followed by 10 natural results. The three stores in the area were listed clearly, with options to click on the telephone numbers and use my Treo to call the locations directly. The natural listings were geared more towards how to buy organic food or join organic food co-ops online.
Using a mobile device as a means to find stores, theaters and other resources in your area (i.e., local search) is certainly one aspect of mobile search, but not the only one. Once I realized the other organic food stores were too far away, I decided to commit myself to waiting in line. I had the perfect recipe for the success of mobile search--downtime and the Internet in the palm of my hand. I delved further into some of the natural listings and read up on buying organic food online.
Google's Web Search option for PDAs transcodes Web sites built for desktop viewing to Web sites that are easy to view on mobile devices. Its "Mobile Web" search option, currently in beta, pulls only those sites that have been optimized for the mobile search experience. Why should you care about these efforts? Well, consider them in conjunction with the following strides being made in the mobile arena.
ESPN is becoming a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), which means it is branding its service through a major carrier's network, and in November 2005 launched a cell phone that gives users one-click access to personalized sports content. Disney, its parent company, has plans to do the same with a focus on family. Another MVNO, Amp'd Mobile, which launched at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is targeting the 18- to 25-year-old male audience with custom content. MTV was so jazzed about the venture it announced a $50 million investment in Amp'd.
Combine this news with the following data: Gartner Dataquest estimates that worldwide handset shipments grew by nearly 21 percent between Q3 2004 and Q3 2005. Is it safe to say 2006 is not the year for mobile search? Not necessarily. With the recent developments in the mobile market, search can only follow suit. In the meantime, my next mission is to figure out how to get part three of a program I've been watching on PBS onto my iPod.
Cerelle Centeno is corporate marketing director at digital marketing network iCrossing, Inc. and can be reached at cerelle.centeno@icrossinginc.com.
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OT DD Socket Communications Unveils Go Wi-Fi! P500 - High-Speed Internet Add-On for Windows Mobile Devices
http://www.socketcom.com/about/press/read.asp?ID=188
Fastest 802.11g Wireless LAN Card with Enterprise-Class Security and Easy-to-Use Wi-Fi Companion Software
Newark, Calif. — 1/5/2006
Socket Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCKT), an innovative provider of mobile productivity products, today announced the Go Wi-Fi! P500, an 802.11g CF Wireless LAN card for Windows Mobile 2003/SE & 5.0 Mobile based devices. The Go Wi-Fi! P500 offers superior performance, enhanced roaming capabilities and includes an intuitive graphical utility that enables users to easily find, connect and manage their favorite Wi-Fi networks.
“Socket is committed to providing the best user experience for Wi-Fi connectivity,” said Peter Phillips, vice president of marketing at Socket. “The Go Wi-Fi! P500 is the fastest, most secure and easy-to-use 802.11g Wi-Fi card available. Users benefit from improved mobile productivity at work, at home, or in rapidly emerging public hot spots.”
802.11g is an extension to IEEE 802.11b – the basis of most wireless LANs in existence today. 802.11g broadens 802.11b’s data rates to 54 Mbps within the 2.4 GHz band. Because of backward compatibility, an 802.11g wireless card will interface directly with an 802.11b access point and vice versa.
The Go Wi-Fi! P500 Card includes Socket’s highly acclaimed Wi-Fi Companion software that makes Wi-Fi connection and management extremely easy for the user. The Go Wi-Fi! P500 Card includes the following:
Compatible with IEEE 802.11b and 802.11g standards
Wi-Fi Companion enables users to connect to Wi-Fi networks with three simple clicks
Finds available Wi-Fi networks and performs advanced features such as network ping and trace route functions
Enables user to monitor signal strength for availability of network and gives easy access to Web browsing and checking emails
Supports voice over Wi-Fi feature with Skype software (service not included)
Automatic Power Saving Mode balances battery life and throughput speed
Supports Enterprise Class robust security – AES,WPA2-Enterprise (certification pending)
LED on the card shows WLAN connection status
SDK supports third party application developers to rapidly create and integrate Wi-Fi applications
Specifications
Go Wi-Fi! P500 is supported on devices running Windows Mobile 2003/SE & 5.0 with Wi-Fi Companion. The plug-in CF card will also work with Linux and RTOS operating systems based devices with a Compact Flash card slot.
Pricing and availability
The Go Wi-Fi! P500 will be available through Socket’s worldwide distribution channels and the Socket website in early February 2006 with an MSRP of $99.
About Socket Communications
Socket Communications (NASDAQ: SCKT) develops and distributes a broad range of data collection and network connectivity products for mobile devices such as PDA’s, Smartphones and tablet PCs. Working collaboratively with mobile solutions from leading Strategic Vertical Integrators, world-class 3rd party software developers and OEM's, Socket’s Mobility Friendly® products are proven to drive operational efficiencies, increase mobile workforce productivity, boost corporate performance and improve customer satisfaction. Socket is headquartered in Newark, California and can be reached at 510-744-2700 or http://www.socketcom.com/.
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Goomba, I agree with your summary of tonight's TS update. I would only add that he said it is "Microsoft's game to lose and that they stand to gain more from a NEOM deal. Not to mention that MSFT has made recurring software-as-service revenues a key part of their future, and WordRegistry is going to be a huge recurring revenue business." He also said that Google appeared to be moving faster as usual.
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Wooger, Yes - on CNBC this morning. EOM
Mark Cuban said Pay-per-click; not paperclick. He was referring to Google at the time. EOM
SOG, nice find. EOM
Hangdog, I agree...the noisy period is upon us.
By the way, your clipart "dog" looks too sad...you need to find a happier one for those good times that are ahead.
Best Regards,
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dlethe01, excellent find. EOM
From fiercewireless.com email today - Editor's Corner:
We're seeing the Google invasion. As analysts put price targets on Google higher and higher, most recently $540 per share, this is eerily reminiscent of stocks during the Internet bubble. But mobile is a major reason for the inflated stock. In other words, mobile is getting Googled. Google is working aggressively to pervade the mobile world: its deal with Motorola last week; the one it made with RIM to put Google on BlackBerrys; patents it's filing on one-click dialing for advertisers; its strategic acquisitions; and its WiFi build-out plans. What's the underlying strategy here? Obviously to make money, and that will come from providing location-specific searches and advertising.
When it comes to Internet search, Google is king. Google makes almost all of its money from selling online advertising. When someone uses its search engine, Google displays ads based on the keywords or phrases used for the search. If the user then clicks on an ad, the advertiser pays Google based on an agreed-upon price per click. Google has a network of advertising customers that places ads on its Web sites and content partners' sites. Site traffic drives click-throughs, which drives revenue.
Google wants to provide the last component required to deliver a fully functioning mobile Internet solution--the mobile search engine. Carriers have historically played gatekeeper to the mobile Internet, keeping their customers within branded portals; but the trend is changing, with carriers moving away from a walled-garden approach. They are beginning to understand that a shift from being a full content provider to being a transport infrastructure that provides content will usher in the real mobile Internet. Google is ready capitalize, and analysts will continue to like that growth prospect.
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DD Apple files 'Mobile Me' as U.S. trademark
Thu Jan 12, 2006 7:41 PM GMT
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2006-01-12T194037Z_01...
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. has filed to trademark the phrase "Mobile Me" for use in a wide range of businesses, furthering speculation it could introduce an iPod phone.
"We believe this is further indication of (Apple's) strategic direction to extend its iPod + iTunes and Mac franchises into new business areas including smart phones, value-added mobile content services, and the broader consumer electronics space," American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu wrote in a note on Thursday.
Apple made the filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on January 5.
There has long been speculation that Apple would ultimately introduce an iPod that also works as a smart phone, extending its brand and functions as more content becomes digital and mobile. In addition to music, one model of the iPod also now plays videos and purchased content such as TV shows.
The areas that the trademark covers include computing devices, mobile devices, and mobile services including digital music, video, games, e-mail, and messaging across Internet, intranets, extranets, television, cellular, and satellite networks, the filing shows.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
This week, at Apple's annual Macworld show in San Francisco, Chief Executive Steve Jobs announced the MacBook Pro, which will replace the PowerBook line of its high-end notebook PCs, and a new iMac all-in-one computer.
The two machines are the first that use Intel Corp.'s Core Duo microprocessors. Apple said in June it would move to Intel chips from the PowerPC chips it had used for years, made by International Business Machines Corp. and Freescale Semiconductor Inc.
There has also been speculation that Apple would, along with an iPod phone, resell cellular phone service provided by a cell service provider, becoming what's known as a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO.
"We believe this would be a successful strategy, given the type of content and markets Apple has had success in," Wu wrote, referring to mobile music, video and the youth market.
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