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Equilibrium Announces MediaRich Image Server Integration with Microsoft .NET Enterprise Servers
4/9/2002 8:59:00 AM
MediaRich Image Server Integrates with Commerce Server 2002 and Content Management Server to Meet the Imaging Needs of Enterprise Customers
NEW ORLEANS, Apr 9, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Equilibrium, a leading provider of automated imaging solutions and a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (CMGI) , today announced it is working with Microsoft Corp. to integrate Equilibrium(R) MediaRich(TM) Image Server with Commerce Server 2002 and Content Management Server. The dynamic imaging integration provided to customers and partners dramatically reduces the time required to create a robust Internet presence, improving business efficiency and providing rich retail capabilities.
MediaRich is server-based imaging software that generates, updates, and delivers dynamic visual content to the Web and smart devices. By using MediaRich Image Server, companies are able to set up templates to automate image-processing tasks normally done manually by artists and technical teams. MediaRich has dynamic imaging features such as zoom, pan, colorize, resize, mix, match, 360-degree rotation, composite, font generation, and localization. MediaRich Image Server streamlines image production, reduces costs, and accelerates time-to-market.
"Microsoft is pleased to be working with Equilibrium to deliver our customers a comprehensive solution for global e-business," said LJ Germinario, technical product manager for Commerce Server at Microsoft. "The integration of MediaRich Image Server with Commerce Server 2002 and Content Management Server will provide an extensible solution ready to meet the imaging needs of our customers."
As an independent software vendor, Equilibrium is working with fellow Microsoft Gold Certified Partners to provide training and support for integrating MediaRich with Commerce Server 2002 and Microsoft's solutions for Internet business. To learn more about the Equilibrium Gold Partner Program for MediaRich Image Server, please contact Ron Wood, VP of Sales and Marketing at Equilibrium at 415/453-4427 or email msib@equilibrium.com.
"We looked at alternatives for deploying images and navigational elements for our client engagements, but nothing came close to MediaRich in features, scalability and ease of integration with Commerce Server," said Todd Ziesing, President of Terrace Consulting. "MediaRich Image Server provides a key differentiator in our solution offering."
About Equilibrium
Founded in 1989, Equilibrium develops and markets automated imaging solutions that help increase profitability for today's e-businesses. MediaRich Image Server is a highly scalable infrastructure solution that streamlines the production and deployment of media assets to the Web and smart devices, enabling companies to reduce image production time and expenses, while creating a more dynamic customer experience. Equilibrium is headquartered in Marin County, California and is a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. For additional information, please contact Equilibrium at 415/451-7600 or visit www.equilibrium.com.
Note to Editors: (c)2002 Equilibrium Technologies, Inc. Equilibrium is a registered trademark and MediaRich Image Server is a trademark of Equilibrium Technologies, Inc. All other company, product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. This release contains forward-looking statements that address a variety of subjects including, for example, the expected benefits of the agreement between Equilibrium and Microsoft and the expected benefits, features, and functionality of MediaRich. The following important factors and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: MediaRich may not successfully interoperate with the technologies and products of third parties; Equilibrium's growth depends upon continued and increased demand for and market acceptance of its offerings; and increased competition and technological changes in the markets in which Equilibrium competes. For a detailed discussion of these and other cautionary statements, please refer to CMGI's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including CMGI's most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
CONTACT: Equilibrium Dave Pola, 415/451-7711 (Press and Analysts) dpola@equilibrium.comURL: http://www.businesswire.comToday's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internetwith Hyperlinks to your home page.
Hi All: Just returned from vacation. You know, when you retire, you qualify for many vacations. Nice to see the place so active. And nice to see RB looking like a ghost town. Joe
AltaVista Company Gains Momentum Across Consumer and Enterprise Divisions
Delivers New Products, Secures Important Customer Wins and Completes Operational Restructuring
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 2002--AltaVista Company, a leading global provider of search services and software and a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq:CMGI - news), today announced major milestones reached in the second quarter of its fiscal 2002.
In the period of November 1, 2001 through January 31, 2002, the company's new senior management team successfully completed a broad operational restructuring, focusing all corporate resources on its core enterprise and consumer search businesses.
``Our mission as a global search leader is to empower people to rapidly access highly relevant information,'' said Jim Barnett, CEO, AltaVista. ``We have focused all operations, research and talent on meeting and maintaining that goal in both of our divisions, delivering best-in-class search products and services to worldwide Internet users, advertisers and global 2000 enterprise customers.''
Key milestones achieved by AltaVista's software division include:
Continued sales momentum in the global 2000 enterprise market with notable customer wins in the telecommunications, financial services, healthcare and automotive industries across Europe and the Americas, including global ebusiness exchange Covisint
Secured strategic alliances with AppliedTheory, Divine Inc., Endeavors Technology, Inc., IBM, Inc., Interwoven, Inc., and Tallan, Inc.
Earned CMP Media's Intelligent Enterprise Readers' Choice Award for Best Information Retrieval Product
Since the close of the quarter, AltaVista's software division has also:
Delivered AltaVista Enterprise Search 2.0(TM), the powerful second-generation of its flagship enterprise search product, providing universal access to information across the enterprise
Launched its innovative AltaVista Desktop Search(TM)product to enable secure, effective search of individual PC's, email and hard drives within a corporate network
Key milestones achieved by AltaVista's Internet division include:
Added key talent to senior leadership team, including John Ellis, senior vice president of Engineering and Operations and Jeff Lehman, senior vice president, Sales and chief revenue officer
Booked 450 advertising orders from major new and returning advertisers including General Motors, Ford, BMW, Sears, Johnson & Johnson, Priceline, Orbitz, Expedia and The United States Army
Secured more than 19,000 customers for its innovative Web Marketing Services, including paid inclusion products
Launched a new full-text Internet index after crawling 4 billion Web pages
Since the close of the quarter, AltaVista's Internet division has also:
Successfully launched AltaVista Shortcuts(TM), delivering highly relevant results culled from proprietary databases and the `Invisible Web'
Made key improvements to the user interface and search functionality of AltaVista.com, including updates to its news article search, multimedia features, search results display and industry-leading advanced search features
Also during the quarter, AltaVista appointed Susan Marsch, Esq., general counsel, vice president, business and legal affairs, and corporate secretary. Ms. Marsch serves as AltaVista's lead counsel, and is responsible for overseeing all legal matters for the company.
About AltaVista Company
AltaVista is a leading global provider of search services and software. The company's patented technology continues to set the pace, making AltaVista a leading search engine among Web users and premier provider of high-powered search software to intranet, enterprise and e-commerce clients around the globe. AltaVista is a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq:CMGI - news). For more information, see http://www.altavista.com and http://solutions.altavista.com
AltaVista Names MatchNet plc Exclusive Provider of Online Personals for Popular `Web Resources' On Altavista.com
As Online Personals Grow in Popularity, MatchNet's AmericanSingles.com(TM) Secures Premiere Positioning As AltaVista's Best-of-Breed Partner
LOS ANGELES & PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 18, 2002-- MatchNet® plc (MHJG: Frankfurt Stock Exchange - Neuer Markt), one of the largest global online dating service providers, and AltaVista® Company, a leading global provider of search services and software and a majority-owned subsidiary of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq:CMGI - news), have formed an alliance to provide AltaVista.com's 45 million unique monthly users with premiere online Personals services.
The companies today announced that AmericanSingles.com, MatchNet's U.S.-based online dating and romance Web site, has been selected by AltaVista as a best-of-breed partner to exclusively power the Personals module in the highly trafficked `Web Services' section on the AltaVista.com home page. Users who click on the `Personals & Dating' Web Services link on AltaVista.com will be directed to a new, co-branded AmericanSingles.com Web page created in alliance with AltaVista. There, AltaVista users will be able to search and browse listings by singles from around the world. In addition, promotional links to AmericanSingles.com will be strategically placed throughout the AltaVista.com site.
AltaVista offers a premiere Internet search service, performing queries in 25 languages across 22 worldwide Internet search sites. Now, with instant access to AmericanSingles.com's extensive selection of Personals as well as MatchNet's worldwide network of five million members, AltaVista.com users are just a click away from finding romance on the Internet.
``The Personals category is a top destination among AltaVista users and continues to grow in popularity,'' said Jeff Lehman, senior vice president and chief revenue officer for AltaVista's Internet division. ``This exclusive relationship with MatchNet's AmericanSingles.com empowers us to continue to focus on our core search business while providing our users with a top-tier personals service and direct access to AmericanSingles.com's growing global community.''
``We're excited that AltaVista has chosen AmericanSingles.com as its exclusive Personals provider,'' said Joe Shapira, CEO and co-founder of MatchNet plc. ``This relationship expands MatchNet's reach among our target singles demographic and we expect it will add greatly to our growing subscriber base. We consider this an important strategic relationship as we prepare for our upcoming technology roll-out in which we will introduce many new and pioneering features and services to the online dating scene.''
About AltaVista Company
AltaVista Company is a leading global provider of search services and software. The company's patented technology continues to set the pace, making AltaVista a leading search engine among Web users and premier provider of high-powered search software to intranet, enterprise and e-commerce clients around the globe. AltaVista is a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq:CMGI - news). For more information, see http://www.altavista.com
About AmericanSingles.com(TM)
Owned and operated by MatchNet® plc, AmericanSingles.com(TM) is one of the Internet's oldest and most recognized dating and romance web sites, providing its members with a safe and comfortable online environment for meeting and interacting with other singles from within a particular zip code, region or from a far away exotic location. For more information see www.AmericanSingles.com
About MatchNet® plc
MatchNet® plc (MHJG: Frankfurt Stock Exchange - Neuer Markt) is one of the largest providers of global online dating and relationship services. The MatchNet® network includes AmericanSingles.com(Tm), MatchNet.de(TM), MatchNet.co.uk(TM), and MatchNet.com.au(TM). In addition the company operates JDate.com(TM) & JDate.co.il(TM), the dominant Jewish dating services worldwide and Gay11.com(TM), a leading online dating service for relationship-minded gay men and women. MatchNet®'s network of web sites enjoys a combined membership of approximately five million worldwide. MatchNet® earns its revenue from recurring membership subscription fees and special events. More information on the Company is available at www.MatchNet.com.
uBid Launches Industry's First Fully Integrated Returns And Refurbishment Center For Technology Vendors
Allows Manufacturers And Retailers To Reduce Costs Associated With Refurbishment And Re-Marketing Of Returned Merchandise
CHICAGO, IL--(INTERNET WIRE)--Mar 27, 2002 -- uBid, a leading online auction and e-commerce marketplace and majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (NASDAQ:CMGI - news), today announced the opening of its new refurbishment center, providing a fully integrated logistics solution for handling the return, repair, refurbishment and re-marketing of technology products.
The refurbishment center, located in the state-of-the-art, Memphis, Tennessee warehouse operated by SalesLink, another CMGI operating company, provides a high-quality, full-service refurbishment and re-marketing solution that aids manufacturers and retailers in maximizing asset recovery on product returns. As part of the company's integrated solution, uBid provides retailers, distributors and manufacturers a new opportunity to capture value through technology-based logistics services where returned product is evaluated, refurbished, re-marketed and ultimately resold through uBid's auction marketplace.
"After more than 5 years of dealing with top manufacturers in the consumer technology market space, we know that refurbishment and resale is one of the most difficult phases of the product lifecycle. Our one-stop solution is the first of its kind and is poised to deliver significant value in helping vendors address this challenge," said Tim Takesue, Acting CEO, uBid. "With the launch of the new center, we can now offer our partners complete product lifecycle management, including faster processing and significantly improved cash generation, for returned and overstock merchandise."
The benefits for uBid are equally compelling as this new service enables the company to remarket returned and overstock merchandise directly on uBid.com, giving consumers an even wider selection of merchandise at great prices, while creating another avenue to capture additional revenue and margin to improve its bottom-line.
The uBid solution is simple, fast and ensures that retailers and manufacturers capture revenue on returns. Once uBid receives a returned product, the company's specialized team of technicians evaluates the product's condition. The product is examined and refurbished, and uBid's dedicated team of merchandise experts then determine when to list the items, how long to list them, and the minimum bid price necessary to get the best return on investment.
About uBid
uBid, a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc., is a leading retail auction and e-commerce marketplace that offers consumers and businesses three ways to buy and sell. The company's Internet auctions feature a rotating selection of more than 12,000 products daily in 16 different product categories, providing consumers and small to mid-sized businesses with the opportunity to purchase a wide range of brand name merchandise, often at greatly reduced prices, through live-action bidding. In addition to uBid's own auction listings or uBid Direct, uBid features uBid Preferred Partner auctions in which consumers will find products listed by uBid-approved businesses and backed by uBid or brand warranties. Users can also buy or sell products through uBid's Consumer Exchange, in which consumers list their items for auction with no listing fee.
With more than 3 million registered users, uBid is committed to providing its customers with the highest quality auction experience on the Internet and offers supplier warranties on most consumer products. uBid also meets Better Business Bureau Online standards, which gives customers the confidence and security to bid safely online. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ubid.com.
Compaq Computer's Stake In CMGI Cut To 6.48% From 7.65%
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Compaq Computer (NYSE: CPQ - news) Corp.'s (CPQ) stake in CMGI Inc. (NasdaqNM: CMGI - news) ( CMGI) fell to 6.48%, according to an amended Schedule 13D filed Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Compaq beneficially owns 25.4 million common shares.
The filing didn't list any transactions.
On March 11 , Compaq reported a 7.65% stake.
CMGI is a holding company based in Andover, Mass. It develops and operates Internet and fulfillment services companies
Walter Hewlett Sues to Block Compaq Deal
By Caroline Humer and Peter Henderson
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co. dissident board member Walter Hewlett went to court on Thursday to stop the company's merger with Compaq Computer Corp. (CPQ - news), charging that HP management bought votes and misled a key adviser to seal the largest merger in computer industry history.
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Hewlett-Packard (HWP - news) called the suit in Delaware Chancery Court baseless and false and vowed to vigorously defend the March 19 shareholder vote, which it believes it won by a slim margin.
The unexpected court challenge revives a bitter four-month battle by Hewlett, a son of HP co-founder Bill Hewlett and something of a hero among small investors for taking on HP.
But some analysts feared a new delay in the $19 billion deal would give rivals a chance to steal customers from under the nose of HP Chief Executive Carly Fiorina, who has staked her future to the deal that she relentlessly pursued.
Fiorina says the merger will create a giant able to compete with International Business Machines Corp. (IBM - news) by offering everything from large business computers to personal computers to printers and services, while Hewlett says it will weigh down HP's profitable printer business with Compaq's low-profit PC business.
SWING VOTE IN NICK OF TIME
In his lawsuit, Hewlett alleged that HP had used its corporate assets ``to entice and coerce'' shareholder Deutsche Bank to reverse position and support the merger, and that HP had succeeded in the nick of time, on the morning of the vote.
``HP's clandestine use of corporate assets to induce or coerce votes in favor of the proposed merger tainted more than enough votes to swing the election,'' Hewlett said in the filing, asking the court to declare the merger defeated or to order a new shareholder vote.
The official count of the March 19 vote is not expected for weeks, but Hewlett calculates that management won by less than one percent of the vote, which would roughly equal the 17 million plus shares Deutsche Bank allegedly changed.
Deutsche Bank declined to comment on the matter.
HP closed a $4 billion credit facility with Deutsche Bank and other institutions a few days before the shareholder vote.
An HP spokeswoman said the suit was meritless. ``We find it regrettable that Mr. Hewlett has chosen to resort to baseless claims without regard to the impact of his false accusations on HP's business reputation and employees,'' she said.
However, Charles Elson, director of the Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, said the Chancery Court took very seriously corporate vote disputes, especially those raised by shareholders.
``This is legitimate dispute among two substantial parties,'' he said, adding he had not seen the suit yet.
The Delaware Chancery Court was established to hear business cases, since so many corporations, including HP, are based in Delaware.
``They are known for their integrity and their expeditious handling of these kinds of cases. It will get resolved in a couple of weeks,'' he said.
A court win by Hewlett could extend the merger fight if the court called for a new shareholder vote, though.
``In some ways if this merger goes on for some periods of month it's worse than if the vote had simply gone against it and they'd gone back to their two separate companies to try to fix what was wrong. It's just a worst-case scenario,'' said technology analyst Paul McGuckin of Gartner Inc.
Hewlett and HP fought intensely for months for support, barraging investors with newspaper ads and proxy materials.
In his lawsuit, Hewlett also alleged that HP misrepresented its progress in the integration of the two companies during a Feb. 27 meeting with analysts.
HP had said it expects cost savings of $2.5 billion from the merger and anticipates cutting 15,000 employees.
Hewlett also alleged that at meetings of the merger integration team it was clear that savings and revenues were not as great as expected and that the team had discussed firing 24,000 employees rather than the 15,000 publicly announced.
HP's official rosy outlook had persuaded influential proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services to back the deal, securing a huge block for management, Hewlett said.
HP Won't Re-Nominate Hewlett to Board
By Caroline Humer
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co. (HWP - news) on Monday said it would not reappoint Walter Hewlett to its board, after he tried to derail its $19 billion plan to buy Compaq Computer Corp. (CPQ - news), effectively severing ties with one of the founding families of Silicon Valley,
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Walter Hewlett, who is the son of HP co-founder Bill Hewlett, filed a lawsuit last week to block the computer and printer maker's acquisition of Compaq, alleging the company bought votes and misled a key adviser to seal the deal.
Palo Alto, California-based HP said the board's decision not to nominate Hewlett, who has been fighting the merger for months, was based on his adversarial relationship with the company and in particular the lawsuit.
Sam Ginn, the head of HP's nominating committee, said in a statement that the company had intended to nominate Hewlett until he filed suit. He said the board was shocked by the suit.
``His recent actions have again violated basic principles of trust,'' Ginn said.
Walter Hewlett, who was the last member of the Hewlett or Packard families to sit on the board, said he regretted the decision. Together, the families control 18 percent of HP's stock.
``It is unfortunate that the HP board has seemingly missed what the company's stockholders have clearly recognized: that dissent is not disloyalty, that healthy boards need not agree on every issue and that while the management and board may run the company, the stockholders are the true owners of a company,'' he said in a statement.
Without commenting on the reason for the move, one investor said that even without Hewlett, HP's board is strong.
``I don't view it as a major factor for the company because they still have a large, well-qualified board,'' said Noel DeDora, managing director and senior portfolio manager at Fremont Investment Advisors, which owns HP shares and voted for the merger.
One small investor who fought loudly against the deal said the decision discounted the value of independent directors.
``In a world where investors are craving independent directors that are willing to question management, this flies in the face of that,'' said David Katz, chief investment officer at Matrix Asset Advisors.
Hewlett filed suit last week against HP in Delaware Chancery Court in an effort to prevent the deal, announced on Sept. 3, from going through. He alleged that HP management bought votes in the contentious HP shareholder vote last month and misled a key adviser about the deal.
HP has called the suit baseless.
The suit came after Walter Hewlett waged a four-month battle against the merger, which was strongly backed by HP Chief Executive Carly Fiorina.
Hewlett claimed Compaq's low-margin PC business would weigh on HP's profitable printing franchise. HP's Fiorina said it would create a company large enough to compete with No. 1 computer company International Business Machines Corp. (IBM - news)
HP says preliminary estimates show it won the shareholder vote while Walter Hewlett says the vote was too close to call with a margin of victory of less than 1 percent. The final tally won't be ready for several weeks.
HP will hold a shareholder meeting to vote on the board candidates on April 26.
Compaq shares closed 3 cents lower Monday at $10.42 and Hewlett-Packard shares were down 4 cents to close at $17.90 in New York Stock Exchange trade.
HP Challenges Credentials of Dissident Board Member
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HWP - news) is sending a letter to all shareholders that rallies support for the plan to buy Compaq Computer Corp.(NYSE:CPQ - news) for $24.2 billion and questions the qualifications of the founder's son and board member who has led opposition to the deal.
The eight pro-merger members of the Hewlett-Packard board, in their first letter to all 900,000 shareholders, focus on the long process of strategic deliberation that led to the deal and the value that they expect from it.
But a considerable portion of the letter is also devoted to challenging the experience of Walter Hewlett, the son of company co-founder Bill Hewlett who is in a minority of one on the board in opposing the deal.
``Walter Hewlett,'' the board writes in its letter, ``is a musician and academic who oversees the Hewlett family trust and foundation. While he serves on HP's Board of Directors, Walter has never worked at the company or been involved in its management.'' The letter, dated Jan. 18, was released to the media on Friday.
Hewlett sent out his own letter to shareholders earlier this week arguing that the deal is flawed, based on a report he commissioned from investment bank Friedman Fleischer & Lowe.
Ahead of a proxy fight expected in March, exchanges between Hewlett and management have become increasingly acrimonious.
Some 25 percent of HP stock is held by individual shareholders, while 18 percent is owned by founding family members and trusts opposed to the deal. The remainder is held by institutions HP management expects to tip the scales in favor of the merger.
Hewlett argues that HP would bloat its low-margin personal computer division and dilute the value of its market-leading printer unit in the deal.
His spokeswoman called the HP letter a personal attack and said analysts and shareholders supported him.
``Clearly HP must have heard from stockholders that Mr. Hewlett's arguments are resonating,'' she said.
He is also preparing to send out a proxy cards to amass a block of opposition votes in his bid to kill the deal.
HP responds that the merger would build a technology powerhouse with depth in high-end computing and services, and as improve profits through cutting jobs and costs.
The HP board urged shareholders in bold type ``NOT'' to return Hewlett's proxy.
``While opposing the merger, he has failed to propose any alternatives that your Board hasn't already analyzed, debated and rejected because they fail to create sufficient shareowner value,'' it said, appealing to ``more than 300 years'' of collective business experience by the management team.
The board members said the merger, first discussed by the chief executives of the two companies last summer, was the culmination of a two-year process.
Hewlett has said that HP would do best on its own and by making smaller strategic acquisitions, although he has not detailed that vision for the company.
HP Board Declares Regular Dividend
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2002--The board of directors of Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HWP - news) today declared a regular cash dividend of 8 cents per share on the company's common stock. The dividend, the second in HP's fiscal year 2002, is payable on April 10, 2002, to shareholders of record as of March 6, 2002.
As of Oct. 31, 2001, the end of the company's 2001 fiscal year, HP had approximately 2 billion shares of common stock outstanding.
About HP
Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to all. HP had total revenue of $45.2 billion in its 2001 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.
HP Sends Letter to Shareowners on Value of Compaq Merger
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2002--The following is the text of a letter being sent by eight members of the Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HWP - news) Board of Directors to HP shareowners regarding the merger with Compaq.
Dear HP Shareowner:
Your Board of Directors and management team have completed a thorough and deliberative strategic process aimed at improving Hewlett-Packard's competitive position and delivering greater shareowner value.
As a result of this two-year process, we are convinced that merging with Compaq Computer Corporation is by far the single best way to reclaim a leadership role at the center of our industry, and the best and fastest way to increase the value of your investment in HP.
THE NEW HP: STRONGER IN EVERY BUSINESS
In the technology industry, market leadership drives growth. By merging with Compaq, we become the market leader in servers, storage, and management software -- the essential components of business infrastructure. In one move, we dramatically improve our ability to offer the end-to-end solutions customers demand -- enhancing our prospects in existing accounts and opening doors to new ones.
We immediately double the size of our services business and become a tier-one player in this important, fast-growing segment. We double the size of our sales force, bolster our research and development budget,and extend our reach into more than 160 countries.
The merger will enable us to quickly address HP's current challenges in the personal computer business by reducing costs, improving operating margins and leveraging Compaq's successful direct distribution capability.
Improving the profitability of our other business segments will enable us to continue to increase our investment in innovation and R&D in our market-leading printing and imaging business. Investment is critical to maintaining our leadership in this business, particularly as we enter emerging high-growth markets such as digital imaging and digital publishing.
The merger will materially improve HP's earnings power through significant cost savings and operating efficiencies. In fact,we expect cost savings to reach more than $2.5 billion annually, adding $5 to $9 of present value to each HP share. Importantly,these benefits will enable us to achieve higher operating margins and profit growth than HP could achieve on its own.
This sounds like a good deal because it is.
In a single strategic move, merging with Compaq will allow HP to accelerate our strategy, strengthen all of our businesses, achieve market leadership in a dynamically changing industry, increase opportunities for our employees and create value for our customers and shareowners. At the same time, we are convinced that if we fail to quickly capitalize on the opportunities and address the challenges confronting our company and our industry, shareowner value will be jeopardized.
WALTER HEWLETT: HE OFFERS NO PLAN TO CREATE VALUE
You may have received a letter from Walter B. Hewlett opposing HP's proposed merger with Compaq. Walter Hewlett, an heir of HP co-founder Bill Hewlett, is a musician and academic who oversees the Hewlett family trust and foundation. While he serves on HP's Board of Directors, Walter has never worked at the company or been involved in its management. His motivations and investment decisions are likely to be very different from your own.
Mr. Hewlett is the ONLY member of HP's Board of Directors who believes that resting on our legacy is better than building on it.
The problem isn't just that he is saying ``no'' to the merger -- he's giving us nothing to say ``yes'' to. While opposing the merger, he has failed to propose any alternatives that your Board hasn't already analyzed, debated and rejected because they fail to create sufficient shareowner value.
While Walter Hewlett has a right to disagree, we strongly object to his flawed presentation of the merger, which misleads rather than informs shareowners. Now, he is asking you to ignore the collective vision, wisdom and experience of his eight fellow Board members and the HP management team. This team represents more than 300 years of business and management leadership,and its members have successfully overseen many large, complex transactions.If Walter Hewlett has his way,we believe this company and your investment will be damaged. Clearly, there is too much at stake for our shareowners to let him prevail.
In the coming weeks, you will be receiving proxy materials from Walter Hewlett that will argue against the proposed merger. We urge you NOT to return the proxy card that you receive from this dissident shareowner.
Instead, we invite you to read the detailed information we will be sending you in the near future about the merger and learn why an increasing number of shareowners, analysts, customers and employees believe this merger will transform our industry and provide the best value for shareowners.
``TO REMAIN STATIC IS TO LOSE GROUND''
Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard understood that in the face of change, HP could choose to lead or to follow. Always,they chose to lead. In the words of Dave Packard, ``Continuous growth was essential for us to achieve our other objectives and to remain competitive. Since we participate in fields of advanced and rapidly changing technologies,to remain static is to lose ground.''* Today,our industry is again in the midst of profound transformation driven by technical advances, intensified competition and changing customer requirements.To stand still -- in these times, of all times -- is to fall behind. Now is not the time to retreat. Instead of resting on HP's legacy, let's build on it.
Sincerely,
Members of Hewlett-Packard's Board of Directors
Philip M. Condit
HP Director
Patricia C. Dunn
HP Director
Carleton S. Fiorina
HP Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Sam Ginn
HP Director
Richard A. Hackborn
HP Director
George A. Keyworth II
HP Director
Robert E. Knowling Jr.
HP Director
Robert P.Wayman
HP Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Firms That Help High-Tech Start-Ups Are Alive and Well and Helping Small Businesses Thrive
By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Among the casualties of the dot-com crash were some high-profile companies called incubators, firms that invested in and nurtured high-tech and Internet startups. Yet those firms weren't typical business incubators -- some 1,000 of which are still assisting young companies and entrepreneurs.
An incubator generally provides office, manufacturing and/or research space to new enterprises, gives them access to office equipment and Internet connections and often supplies free or low-cost advice. In return, the new companies pay fees well below market rates for rent, equipment and consulting.
The incubators also provide a little TLC for a neophyte business owner.
``You have some people who can mentor you,'' said Bob Colesworthy, who used an incubator to build one successful company and is now working on a second. ``You can get some training and support and people who can answer questions.''
Colesworthy's newest company, Racetech Inc., supplies information and training about race cars. He's moving the firm into an incubator operated by the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County in Missouri, near St. Louis.
Incubators are often operated by colleges and universities or, like the one in St. Charles, by government-sponsored economic development centers. Dinah Adkins, president of the National Business Incubator Association, said academic-sponsored incubators, while aiding new companies, also provide learning laboratories for students and allow the schools to earn money from selling technology.
Those operated by economic development centers are a way of ``diversifying the economies of rural areas and small cities and creating entrepreneurial opportunities among low-income groups,'' Adkins said. She noted that some incubators have special niches, such as helping women entrepreneurs.
These goals are very different from the incubators that took on and invested in fledgling high-tech and Internet companies in the 1990s in hopes of making big profits. Among the best known is CMGI Inc. (NasdaqNM:CMGI - news), which survived the dot-com collapse although it lost millions of dollars in failed investments.
Adkins estimates about 100 remain out of some 350 that existed at the peak of the tech boom.
The more typical, not-for-profit incubators do not necessarily focus on high-tech and they don't tend to invest in companies. But they do help entrepreneurs in a variety of industries.
St. Charles County has two incubators, the older of which was designed to support light manufacturing as well as service and tech businesses, according to operations director Peggy Plont.
``We can accommodate just about any type of early-stage start-up company that shows evidence of job creation,'' she said.
Her incubators generally give companies a three-year lease -- although that can be extended under some conditions. Plont said incubators understand that lease terms need to be flexible, so companies ``are not tied to something they feel they can't get out of.''
There are conference rooms and a receptionist. Clerical help, for tasks such as mailings, cost $20 an hour.
Colesworthy said the work environment in an incubator is much better than trying to start a business at home -- there are far fewer distractions. Moreover, ``for a small business, capital is tough and you can't just go in and buy a copy and fax machine and mail meter,'' equipment provided by the incubator.
Perhaps more important is the availability of help from the incubator's staff and board members, who include local business people willing to give free advice to a new company and increase its chances of survival.
``The key to success ... is knowledge,'' said William D. Gregory, Dean of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's College of Engineering and Applied Science, which has a new incubator devoted to high-tech. ``That's the thing that kills you -- you might make some mistakes early on, and even one mistake can be fatal.''
To become part of an incubator, a company generally must submit a comprehensive business plan detailing its financing and operations and must be approved by incubator staff or its board. Not every business owner is adept at formulating a plan, but incubators will often work with an entrepreneur to improve the plan.
Many companies also aren't sure about their finances. But Plont noted that help is available in this regard, too -- her incubator works with a local Small Business Development Center to help a young business get financing.
SBDCs, sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, are located throughout the country, often as part of a university or college (they can located on the Internet at www.sba.gov/sbdc). They provide assistance and education to small businesses at little or no charge.
To find an incubator, Adkins suggests her organization's Web site, www.nbia.org, which has links to its member incubators
AltaVista Names John Ellis Senior Vice President of Engineering and Operations for Internet Search
Veteran Software Architect to Lead Advance Into Next-Generation Consumer Search
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2002-- AltaVista Company, a leading global provider of search services and software and a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq:CMGI - news), has appointed John R. Ellis, Ph.D. to the position of senior vice president, Engineering and Operations for its Internet search division, AltaVista Internet. Ellis will spearhead AltaVista Internet's research and development efforts while overseeing the division's renowned team of top-tier engineers.
Ellis brings more than 20 years of engineering and management expertise to AltaVista, as well as proven entrepreneurial vision. An industry veteran holding several patents and numerous publication credits, Ellis was most recently entrepreneur-in-residence with New Enterprise Associates of Menlo Park, California. Previously, Ellis was co-founder and vice president of Technology with Post Communications where he created a real-time relationship-marketing engine reaching more than 60 million consumers. Prior to that, he was architect and technical lead at Open Market.
Ellis began his corporate career as a researcher at Digital Equipment Corporation's Systems Research Center. He also spent three years at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center where he helped design one of the first collaborative-filtering applications for the Web.
``We are extremely pleased to welcome John to AltaVista Internet, where he will take the lead on our aggressive push into next-generation Internet search technologies,'' said Jim Barnett, CEO at AltaVista. ``He brings passion, drive and inspiration to the company, and possesses the leadership skills to guide our team to continued success in the search industry.''
``The time has come for truly user-centric Internet search technologies that dramatically improve upon the innovation the consumer search sector has seen in the past few years,'' said Ellis. ``I am very excited to work with the highly focused and energized team at AltaVista to forge a new path into the future of Internet search technology.''
Ellis holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Computer Science from Yale University, where his dissertation, Bulldog: A Compiler for VLIW Architectures, received the Association for Computing Machinery's Doctoral Dissertation Award for 1985 and was published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Press. He holds a B.S.E. in Computer Science from Princeton University.
About AltaVista Company
AltaVista is a leading global provider of search services and software. The company's patented technology continues to set the pace, making AltaVista a leading search engine among Web users and premier provider of high-powered search software to intranet, enterprise and e-commerce clients around the globe. AltaVista is a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq:CMGI - news). For more information, see http://www.altavista.com and http://solutions.altavista.com
Airtours plc Leverages Engage Software to Launch International Travel Portal
Engage Retail Industry Solution Integral to Airtours' International Re-Branding Initiative
ANDOVER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2002--Engage, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENGA - news), a leading enterprise marketing software company and a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq: CMGI - news), today announced that its Retail Industry Solution recently assisted the successful launch of the Airtours Group's travel portal, MyTravel in the U.K., Scandinavia and United States. The launch of the portal is a key component of Airtours Group's re-branding initiative under the new name MyTravel Group, allowing the company to provide its consumers with consistent messages across all media, while further developing its multichannel distribution capabilities.
MyTravel.com is Airtours plc's online venture aimed at promoting and selling its high-profile brands such as Airtours Holidays, Bridge, Cresta, Direct Holidays, Late Escapes, through one central portal. Airtours which uses Engage technology to manage its media assets of more than 15,000 images, 2,500 editorial articles, and 300 virtual tours on the U.K. site alone, has used Engage marketing software to develop a single database of media assets -- text, pictures, video, etc. -- to enable its 61 travel company brands to save costs by sharing these assets and deliver to consumers synchronized promotional, advertising and marketing messages, regardless of the media channel.
``Engage technology is designed to enable our customers to quickly and efficiently deliver consistent messages on the Web, in newspapers and brochures, on television and through wireless handheld devices to its customers and prospects,'' said Chris Hodges, managing director, Engage Europe. ``Engage's relationship with Airtours plc highlights the potential of Engage's marketing software solutions to both save costs, and gain a competitive edge against its rivals by providing its customers with a better service.''
Engage developed a customer built solution for MyTravel.com based on its Retail Industry Solution, which includes three core software platforms: ContentServer, workflow automation and digital asset management software with the capability to deliver marketing programs across both traditional and new media channels; ApprovalServer, an Internet-based solution that helps companies proof, edit and approve content for delivery; and PromoPlanner, a planning solution that helps companies maximize their return on promotional campaigns.
``Engage's unparalleled technology has allowed us to transform our business model and provide our customers with a unique and enhanced retail experience,'' said Bill Budd, operations director for Airtours plc. ``Engage is an integral part of our plans for the future and we are excited about the potential that their software has given us.''
About MyTravel.com
MyTravel.com is owned and operated by Airtours plc, a major player in four of the world's most active markets for air-inclusive holidays and other leisure travel services: the U.K., Scandinavia, Germany and North America. MyTravel.com is an online venture aimed at promoting and selling the divisions' high profile brands such as Airtours Holidays, Bridge, Cresta, Direct Holidays, Late Escapes, through one central portal. MyTravel.com offers visitors the chance to browse thousands of holidays to the world's leading resorts, and most vibrant cities, many of which they can book entirely online.
About Engage
Engage, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENGA - news) is a leading enterprise marketing software and ad serving company and a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq: CMGI - news). Engage's content management products are designed to enable companies to harness the power of multichannel marketing to create more loyal customers and increase brand visibility and recognition. Based in Andover, Massachusetts, Engage has European headquarters in London and offices worldwide. For more information on Engage, please call 877/U-ENGAGE or visit www.engage.com.
Engage is a trademark of Engage Inc. Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Gray Power Forever
OK who has the most losses as a pitcher of record?
Cy Young!
sorry dinky I didn't read what you were responding too. Well, I did but then the edit feature wasn't working so I couldn't change my reply.
I agree with you. It is a shame.
huh?
Bah, sent, nice board. Great job!
I wouldn't blame Laurel. This dividend situation is very strange and few people would know how it works. Common sense should tell you that releasing 170M shares into the marketplace would have to have some restrictions on them. A year is fine with me. I have held, and swapped some, for 5 years. 18c was too much to pass up, but mostly its a long hold. With this 150M equity, a nice groundbreaking, and some sales, it could be a 10 bagger by then. Only an idiot would bail out for good.
hehehe, hard to believe the child was working his way out of the jail and couldn't abey the probation for a day.
OK baseball fans. Who has the
most losses of all time as the pitcher of record?
Don't forget Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers.
The rest of the 16, I will hold until we have a few good guesses.
Yes, right here on the mantle.
hehehe
I also have the souvenior 715 bat of Hank Aaron's. It is a walnut bat and a gold plate attached with the date and number 715 on it.
Priceline.com To Hold 4th Quarter Conference Call On February 4
NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 2002--Priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN - news) will release its 4th quarter and full-year 2001 financial results before the market-open on Monday, February 4.
Following the release of this information, the Company will host a conference call for institutional investors and analysts at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Accredited journalists and members of the public will be able to listen to the presentation and question-and-answer session.
Analysts and institutions that wish to participate in the call should dial 800-482-2239 domestically and 303-267-1006 internationally 10 to 15 minutes before the 8:30 a.m. conference call and reference priceline.com. Journalists and members of the public should call 800-491-3423 domestically and 303-267-1002 internationally 10 to 15 minutes before the call and reference priceline.com. The conference call also will be Webcast from the priceline.com investor relations Web site (www.priceline.com).
For anyone not able to participate on February 4, there will be a telephone replay service available for seven days after the call. The replay can be accessed by dialing 800-625-5288 domestically and 303-804-1855 internationally, referencing #1453400. A digital recording of the call also will be available on priceline.com's investor relations Web site for seven days after the call. The conference call discussions reflect management's views as of February 4, 2002.
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CMGI to cut 95 jobs, less than 4 pct of work force
ANDOVER, Mass., Jan 15 (Reuters) - CMGI Inc. (NasdaqNM:CMGI - news), which owns Internet search engine AltaVista, on Tuesday said it will cut about 95 corporate jobs, reducing the total work force of the company and its majority-owned subsidiaries by less than 4 percent.
CMGI, based in Andover, Massachusetts, said the reduction is part of it???ader cost reduction effort to trim corporate expenses which is expected to be completed during its third fiscal In???nding April 30.
``This corporate re-sizing represents progress in our efforts to reduce costs and achieve operating profitability for CMGI and our core businesses,'' David Wetherell, CMGI chief executive, said in a statement.
OK, lets get a bit tougher on this baseball oldtime trivia.
Who can name the 16 cities that have had both an American League team and a National League team (not at the same time)??
No, never saw the shoeless man play. But, I did catch a Mickey Mantle home run ball.
Old Timers Baseball Trivia.......
Where did the Washington Senators go?
Thanks Daddy. This stock has high percentage gain written all over it. Too many shorts in it right now, but that will change as the company progress hits the news.
Engage Adds Two New Customers to Expanding Newspaper Client Roster
The San Antonio Express-News and The Gazette Select Engage Newspaper Industry Solution to Streamline Ad Production, Tracking and Management
ANDOVER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 2002-- Engage, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENGA - news), a provider of content management software and majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq: CMGI - news), today announced that Hearst Newspaper Group's San Antonio Express-News, a leading metro daily newspaper serving Southern Texas, and Gazette Communications' The Gazette, a top independent mid-size newspaper serving Cedar Rapids, Iowa, have deployed Engage ContentServer, a component of the company's Newspaper Industry Solution, to automate ad workflow and streamline tracking and management of ad production.
``We are delighted that two of the nation's leading regional newspapers have endorsed our content management software,'' said Christopher Cuddy, president and CEO, Engage. ``With the addition of these new customers, Engage is able to further penetrate the competitive newspaper publishing market, extending our install base and executing against our growth strategy as a software concern.''
The Engage Newspaper Industry Solution consists of several applications built upon the core software platform: ContentServer, which combines workflow automation and digital asset management to allow publishers to streamline the delivery of advertising content across both traditional and new media channels; ApprovalServer, an Internet-based solution that enables publishers to proof, edit and approve content for delivery; Digital AdWorkflow, a module that allows newspapers to automate the processing of digitally-supplied ads to make them production-ready, while eliminating artwork errors; and Electronic tearsheets, a reporting system that automatically provides the advertiser with a digital file showing exactly how the ad appeared in the newspaper.
The Engage Newspaper Industry Solution fortifies these core content management capabilities with robust advertising management functions, such as production workflow, digital pre-flighting, asset management and online approvals. The solution also allows publishers to greatly improve the ad placement process, reducing overhead, ad submission periods and costly error rates.
``As a large metro paper, we require a workflow solution that easily scales to meet our complex ad production needs,'' said Nina Brooks, CIO and director of Pre Press of The San Antonio Express-News. ``The installation of ContentServer has been a tremendous benefit to our organization, allowing our ad builders to more quickly and efficiently store, locate, update and publish the correct advertising elements for our various publications.''
``As a daily newspaper with a constantly changing advertiser base, we needed a powerful content management solution to help us effectively manage and track all the ads and advertising elements that touch our readers,'' added Steve Schmitz, Director Production Support, Gazette Communications. ``Engage's software allows us to do this cost-effectively, because it automates workflow, offers intuitive archiving and library features, creating links between ads and their various elements. Engage's ContentServer offered and exceptionally easy migration and seamless integration enabling us to operate without interruptions.''
The Engage Newspaper Industry Solution also offers customers a host of additional benefits, such as an enhanced ad library. This system enables publishers to automatically create a library of graphical and text-based advertising elements for easy storage, retrieval and manipulation. These elements are typically contained in folders categorized as generic art, advertiser-specific art, or transient art. As ads are booked and advertising elements are scanned into ContentServer, links between the ads and ad elements are automatically created. This is especially beneficial for publishers because the ad and its various elements are forever interconnected in the database, minimizing searches for content, improving productivity, reducing errors and improving operating costs.
In addition, the Engage solution for publishers integrates with other desktop publishing software, such as Adobe® InDesign(TM), Adobe® Photoshop(TM), AP AdSEND, Multi-Ad Creator® and QuarkXPress(TM). The drag and drop functionality between ContentServer and Quark further boosts productivity because it allows publishers to bring their assets from ContentServer directly into their desktop application without launching and re-launching either program.
About Engage
Engage, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENGA - news) is a leading enterprise marketing and ad serving software company and a majority-owned operating company of CMGI, Inc. (Nasdaq: CMGI - news). Engage's content management products are designed to enable companies to harness the power of multichannel marketing to create more loyal customers and increase brand visibility and recognition. Based in Andover, Massachusetts, Engage has European headquarters in London and offices worldwide. For more information on Engage, please call 877-U ENGAGE or visit www.engage.com.
Engage Inc., ContentServer, ApprovalServer and PromoManager are a trademarks of Engage, Inc. Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
How about MEMORIES
Thats all I'm doing. Remembering the 50's
How do you come up with your first car?
Is it the first piece of junk you had sitting in your yard?
Is it the first car that ran?
Is it the first car safe to drive?
Maybe your first new car?
If your first car was bought by Dad does it count?
My first was a 49 DeSoto. piece of garbage.
The neighbor was throwing it away and offered it to me for 5 bucks. Gas was 17c a gallon, cigarettes 15c a pack, beer was 2.50 a case. I took 5 guys 15 miles to college classes every day. We split the gas. If I remember right, we got 6 gallons a day when the guys wanted to stop for cigarettes, For less than a dollar, you got to school and got your cigs. hehehehe
Oh, college was $120.00 a term for tuition. I went to school with a bud and married his sister lateron. He's a popular poster on RB now as we try to make a few dollars.
If you pushed the seat forward and then reclined the seatback, it layed in front of the back seat and did make a nice bed. Throw in some big pillows and you were ready for the drive-in and your girl. Did you watch the movie? hehehe
and no seatbelts so your girl could get real close to you while you drive. and that trunk, how big for a little car. it would hold 8 cases of beer, long necks, of course.
I remember buying my first car radio. $19 for a nice am radio and speaker. Took 8 minutes to install it.
My car was a deluxe. It had a heater, a key, and full moon hubcaps.
remember Rambler American?
only thing nice about it was those reclining bench seats. and they reclined all the way down. great for the drive-in.
$1600.00 brand new, no radio, "3 on the tree", flathead 4 cyl. 40hp.
Nash merged w Hudson Motor Car
Thus American Motors
Geo Romney as president then became gov of Mi
later became Nixons HUD secretary because he endorsed Nixon after Spiro Agnew did.
OK young whippersnapper. Remember Ford-Furguson before they split and Furguson teamed with Massey? They split in '52 and the next year both Ford and Furguson made the same exact tractor. Ford was silver. Furguson was gray and painted over the Ford stamp on the fenders. My Dad traded the dump truck for a brand new Furguson tractor. It was the coldest winter out plowing snow. The next year he bought the canvas cover to keep warm, but it had no back on it.
Good job NW and fine new board
are we supposed to be researching stocks?
I learned to drive on a 1935 Ford dump truck with a snow plow on it. No heater, and two wheel drive. I think I was 11 yo.
I had a 30 Model A Business Coupe w a rumble seat.
I remember it went a whole 25 MPH