In Phonic, Inc (INPC)

[MercosurTrav]

Found on a blog ...

WSJ reports Sprint is the big dog in the Google deal, not Verizon.

http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2007/11/01/ring-ringgoogle-to-announce-p...

As for what Laz might do, I think it's actually more productive to
think about what Laz is best at. Buyouts and mergers. That said, a
buyout is unlikely as InPhonic deals in a niche market.

So a merger is more likely. Why not bankruptcy? Laz knows how messy,
costly and unfruitful a BK is, and wants to avoid it at all costs. As
each day passes, a BK is unlikely.

Now back to the merger. Who's likely to want to incorporate a
distribution (phone and plan) service that is (allegedly) top of the
line? Keep in mind, InPhonic's customer support record is miserable,
but their distribution services are the envy of the likes of Radio
Shack, Amazon, Best Buy, etc (which is a main reason InPhonic handles
it for them).

Who needs a new distro wing? Who wants to start their own distro wing?
Who needs to improve their distro? Is there anyone who needs to? The
answer to the last question is yes. But the prevailing question is
who?

That's what Laz is trying to figure out. And apparently they have
several biters, including 2 big names (which was what drove the most
recent spike). Now, honestly, I have no idea who the names are. Laz is
keeping it close to their vest, and it was what prevented them from
releasing their findings this week (as originally scheduled).

But, here's the rumor (note: there is no real source for this other
than whispers, so if it's completely wrong, don't blame me): Best Buy
is bigshot #1 (who reeeeeally wants to get their hand on the Google
distribution deal, and can look like a real contender with InPhonic's
infrastructure) and bigshot #2 is a private company (Brightstar maybe?
Let's face it, the original deal for Brightstar was a stepping stone
for a merger. It broke off because InPhonic wouldn't budge and
Brightstar didn't want a partner with so much debt).

Again, that last paragraph is based on whispers and rumors. What is
accepted is that Laz got some bids. What's not accepted is from who.