N.Y.C. retailer J&R Music World is offering free standard shipping on all JBL products through year-end.
CompUSA.com said it was giving away one order each day valued at up to $599.99 through Dec. 25. E-tail division of retail chain CompUSA said it could deliver items in time for Christmas Day if merchandise was ordered by Dec. 17.
Tony Hart, ex-Accenture, joins Best Buy as vp-enterprise customer relationship management, new post… Proposed changes in Philips management board: Gottfried Dutine, currently Alcatel, will join Feb. 1, assuming duties of retiring John Whybrow for CE operations, digital networking, other areas; Ad Huijser, Philips chief technology officer, to be proposed for board membership; CFO Jan Hommen to add responsibilities for medical systems; Arthur van der Poel, board member, to add oversight for quality programs… Lowell Peters, formally Best Buy senior vp- services,appointed advisory board chmn., Partsearch Technologies… Richard Horner appointed Altec Lansing CFO, having been in that interim post since July… Named at Vivendi Universal Net USA: Paul Ouyang, ex-MP3.com, as exec. vp-COO; Steven Sheiner, also ex-MP3.com, as chief revenue officer; Lori Weintraub named exec. vp and will continue as pres. of InsideSessions, joint venture of Universal Music and Penguin Putnam; Laurie Rubenstein, ex-GetMusic, as senior vp-PR.
Hot Products Exec. Vp Gregory Struthers resigned after alleging that company’s CEO James Copland had sought to manipulate company’s stock price. Struthers said in Nov. resignation letter to Hot Products board that was filed with FCC said that Copland, in Oct. 17 e-mail, had “encouraged” International Global Positioning (IGP) CEO John Madsen, whose company Hot Products was proposing to “enlist” IGP shareholders to “unlawfully” manipulate price of Hot Products stock. Struthers said Copland’s action “undermined” Hot Products proposed merger with IGP and deal collapsed in Oct. Hot Products maintained that Copland sent e-mail to Madsen Oct. 15 at latter’s request that dealt with “several action items” on proposed merger, among them how Hot Products share price might increase in value before merger. Hot Products stock was trading at 10? on Mon. Hot Products, which developed controllers and other accessories for DVD players based on VM Labs’ Nuon enhanced DVD technology, said in SEC filing that Struthers was “fully informed of all merger activities” and that his allegations were “baseless.” Struthers was “privy to all written communications” between companies and his position was “in direct conflict” with IGP’s stated reason for calling off proposed merger, Hot Products said. IGP has said Hot Products’ financial condition led it to end negotiations. Hot Products has conceded in past that cash flow has been “difficult” and remained “potential barrier” to growth. However, it said 3rd quarter loss narrowed to $295,492 from $1 million despite decline in sales to $154,504 from $186,666.
E.Digital said MP2000 Internet music player from Maycom now is available at online store, www.edigital-store.com, at $169 including removable 128 MB CompactFlash card. Device supports MP3 and Microsoft’s Windows Media Audio formats and San Diego- based e.Digital said player was ungradable to support other music formats as they became available.
Despite hype over next-generation videogame consoles, Infogrames Senior Sales & Distribution Vp Wim Stocks said “PC games business is thriving and titles for gamers of all ages and interests are selling.” Saying company’s PC games had been among top performers in NPD’s top 10 PC chart, he said “we have every expectation that these [PC games] will continue to perform throughout the holiday season.”
Industry executives may want to knock wood and count their blessings, but current holiday season for videogame industry so far is turning up nothing but good news, executives and retail sources we spoke to said. While much of post-Thanksgiving focus continues to be on strong launch of new systems GameCube and Xbox, difference this year might lie in performance of older platforms as Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2), PS one, Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance, GB Color and even Sega’s DreamCast that continue to find new customers.
Level 9 Sound Designs purchased Sonigistix, terms not disclosed. Level 9, itself recently acquired by E. Asia Technology (EasTech), will combine Sonigistix’s line of Monsoon flat-panel speakers with its Planar Focus Technology (PFT) that improves sonic imaging by minimizing reflections off hard surfaces located next to speakers, Pres. Jack Fatum said. Level 9 intends to expand Monsoon line in focusing on specific segments of CE market including videogames, Fatum said. Sonigistix got start in U.S. market developing Monsoon brand flat-panel speakers for car audio and PC markets. It expanded into home theater earlier this year, introducing 3 flat-panel, floor-standing models designed to start at $1,200. Singapore-based E. Asia builds audio, video and Internet appliance products but has focused speaker business on building models for PCs and home theater systems. Among its OEM customers was Sonigistix in addition to Denon, Harman International’s JBL and Infinity brands, Mission and Recoton.
Ritek subsidiary U-Tech Media will boost monthly output of prerecorded DVD discs to 10 million in 2002 from current 8 million. To meet increased demand, U-Tech plans to gradually change over its 15 CD-ROM lines to DVD-video, although it won’t abandon CD-ROM business, Chmn. Chang Chau-fan told DigiTimes. Global demand for DVD-video discs is forecast to rise to 1.8 billion units in 2002, up from projected 990 million this year, he said.
EMachines was granted early termination of waiting period under Hart-Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act for proposed $166 million sale of company to EM Holdings, it said in SEC filing. EM Holdings’ $1.06 per share tender offer for eMachines, which expires Dec. 27, would take latter private with largely same management including CEO Wayne Inouye. EM Holdings’ parent is KDS America, whose CEO Lap Shun Hui, also is member of eMachines board.