InViso is said to have abandoned product plans in favor of finding licensees for microdisplay technology. Cal.-based company was to have shipped eGlasses head-mount display with Three-Five Systems’ 0.47” microdisplay in 2nd quarter, but plans came to halt as funding dried up, sources said. Indeed, Three- Five Systems, in quarter ended Sept. 30, wrote off $3.8 million investment in company after determining it was “impaired,” according to SEC filing. “InViso has been unable to raise funds to operate its business in a very difficult venture capital market,” Three-Five said. InViso most recently completed $16.6 million 2nd round of funding in June 2000 that attracted investors Chevron Corp., Cypress Semiconductor, Mitsui, Qualcomm. Mitsui is distributor for Three-Five in Japan. InViso officials weren’t available for comment. Company was one-time National Semiconductor group that struck agreement in 1998 with Three- Five, which is now said to be interested in licensing its technology.
Independent online game company NCsoft said special version of its CD-ROM game Lineage: The Blood Pledge was available now at more than 600 Electronics Boutique (EB) stores in U.S. and Canada at $2.99. Spokesman for Austin, Tex., company told us title previously had been available only via online download or mail order. Company said it had attracted more than 3 million subscribers and 250,000 concurrent users for game as of Fri. Gamers who download title receive free 30-day free trial, but company said EB customers who bought game would receive extra 15 days of free game time. After trial period, players are charged $15 per month or $11.25 per month if they buy 4-month block. Word that game was available at retail arrived only week after Electronic Arts started selling CD-ROM version of its online game Majestic at stores in attempt to expand number of subscribers.
Columbia Records set Nov. 27 release date for 2-CD set adapted from The Concert for New York City, which aired live Oct. 20 for 6 hours on VH-1. Proceeds from recording, which will list for $24.98, will go to Robin Hood Relief Fund benefitting victims of Sept. 11 attacks. DVD and VHS versions of concert will follow later.
Palm reportedly is weighing splitting into 2 publicly traded companies while continuing plan to create subsidiary for operating system (OS). Separation process, expected to begin in Jan., could take form of spinoff to shareholders, IPO or investment by 3rd party, said Palm Acting CEO Eric Benhamou, who last week replaced Carl Yankowski. Plan is for Palm to be split into 2 companies, each with own stock ticker symbol and investors, Benhamou told CNET News.com Wholly owned subsidiary based on Palm’s operating could be established by year-end, he said. Separation of companies is one of several measures that Palm has taken in response to problems encountered earlier this year including sharp rise in inventory and corresponding plunge in hardware prices. While changes could have been made sooner, Palm board preferred slower approach that involved bringing in David Nagle from AT&T and former Gateway Exec. Todd Bradley to head up new Solutions Group that will be responsible for OS business. Meanwhile, Palm was expected to begin new TV and online ad campaign designed in part to focus on uses of expansion slots embedded in m500, m505 and m125 handheld PCs that allow users to plug in digital camera, memory and other modules. Along those lines, Palm m500, m505 and m125 will be packaged with mail- in program offering consumers free 16 MB Panasonic secure digital (SD) expansion card and $250 worth of coupons for expansion products. Promotion runs through Jan. 7. Three TV ads, which were created by San Francisco-based AKQA, are expected to run so 75% of target market will see commercials average of 7.5 times throughput span of campaign. Ads are Palm’s first TV appearance since its $100 million “Simply Palm” campaign in late 2000.
Gold upgrade version of videogame Operation Flashpoint will be sold as boxed product late this month at $14.99, Codemasters said. Included are 64-page Prima strategy guide and Red Hammer: The Soviet Campaign segment. Game maker said it also would publish gold edition of game in Feb. at $39.99 that would include latest multiplayer and code enhancements.
Tecmo Pres. Isamu Fukada denied accuracy of rumors that Xbox game Dead or Alive 3 would be available on another videogame system: “Despite rampant speculation, Tecmo has no plans to produce Dead or Alive 3 for other consoles. Dead or Alive 3 was designed to take full advantage of and play exclusively on Xbox.” T-rated (Teen) game started shipping at $49.99 in time for rollout of Microsoft’s console. Tecmo Mktg. Dir. John Inada said company was able to ship title “a week earlier than expected,” adding: “This gives all retailers a chance to have the game available on shelves in time for the November 15 launch of Xbox. We anticipate demand will peak when [Microsoft’s] multimillion- dollar TV ad campaign kicks off” Nov. 11. Tecmo said title could “be best appreciated on a high-definition TV” because it supported 480 progressive display format.
Amazon.com made all-stock, noncash investment in Altura International, Cal. company that operates CatalogCity.com Web site. E-tailer disclosed investment in SEC filing, saying it issued 717,316 shares of common stock based on Nov. 8 closing price of $6.97, valuing investment at $5 million. CatalogCity provides easy access to leading catalog products and merchants, Amazon said. E-tailer said that as part of accompanying commercial agreement, CatalogCity merchants would be featured at Amazon’s Web site and, in return, Amazon’s books, DVDs, music and VHS tapes would be included at CatalogCity site, www.CatalogCity.com. Separately, Amazon said its CFO, Warren Jenson, would speak Nov. 13 at Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown 2001 Technology Conference in Baltimore, 7:30 a.m.
NVidia posted $54.7 million in Microsoft xBox-related revenue in 3rd quarter, 15% of its overall total as it geared up for shipment of new videogame console this week.
Best Buy Fri. celebrated grand openings of 3 stores in metropolitan Hartford, chain’s first Conn. outlets. Stores in Orange and Manchester are 45,000 sq. ft. each, while W. Hartford outlet is 30,000 sq. ft. and is prototype for communities with populations of 250,000 or less.
Competition for PVR maker TiVo in U.K. is about to come from party that warmly endorsed set-top PVR and service just last year. New opponent is News Corp.’s BSkyB satellite service, which has introduced rival Sky+ set-box made by Pace. Besides challenge from Sky, TiVo is facing other difficulties in U.K. market owing to unreliable nature of British programming schedules -- upon which its timer-recording function depends to acquire telecasts and store them on hard disc.