Newport Startup Cocked With Taser Gun Offering
IOGear Taps Ingram for Southward Push; Stomp in Temporary Digs After Fire
TECHNOLOGY by Andrew Simons
This isn’t science fiction.
Newport Beach’s Taser Technologies Inc. plans to unveil a line of new tasers,handheld electronic devices that disable a person with an electric shock.
The company is in the final stages of developing taser guns for police and security guards, according to David Tan, the Taser Technologies’ president. The company has six patents and another pending.
“We have been working with law enforcement agencies to obtain their input in designing products,” Tan said. “We have engaged some of the highest caliber engineering and manufacturing talent to make this a reality.”
The new products come after Taser Technologies’ recent buy of Corona’s Tasertron, another taser maker. Tasertron was a division of Electronic Medical Research Laboratory Inc.
Tasertron sells what it calls “less-lethal” tasers, products that are deemed safer to use than most other models.
Tasertron claims its products have a track record of more than 50,000 field uses. Tasertron will be operated as a unit of Taser Technologies.
Taser Technologies officials said they are counting on renewed interest in security and are eyeing police agencies, airlines and armed services as customers, according to Barry Resnick, Taser Technologies’ chief executive.
IOGear Pushes South
IOGear Inc. hopes to sell more gear south of the border. The company has tapped Santa Ana’s Ingram Micro Inc. to help it do so.
IOGear already uses technology products distributor Ingram Micro to move its products,including monitors, mice, keyboards and universal serial bus products.
Now Ingram is set to offer IOGear products in Latin America.
Industry watchers have said Latin America is under penetrated for personal computer sales.
Computer companies have tried to make inroads, leading the way for smaller companies, such as IOGear to hawk their wares.
“Ingram Micro’s reputation is founded on its high quality distribution services and expertise on emerging channels,” said Miranda Su, director of sales and marketing for IOGear. “Stemming from our success together in the past several years, this is a natural extension to our current relationship. Ingram Micro will not only help strengthen IOGear’s brand name, but play a pivotal role in distributing throughout Latin America, which is a key part of our international expansion plan.”
Stomp Burned
The building housing Costa Mesa’s Stomp Inc. was destroyed in a recent fire.
Nobody from the company was hurt. The company’s warehouse wasn’t damaged.
For now, Stomp has moved to another building at 1000 Brioso Drive in Costa Mesa.
Stomp, a maker of compact disc labeling and recording software and storage cases, originally started with a product that literally “stomped” labels onto CDs.
The company has since sold the product to Avery Dennison Corp., but still carries other products.
“The company will regroup until we can rebuild,” said Stomp’s Steve DiGerlando, in an e-mail with the subject line “burned but not destroyed.”
Quest Goes “1984”
Irvine’s Quest Software Inc. recently acquired Montreal-based BB4 Technologies Inc.
With the deal, Quest gets software that allows for a network administrator to monitor all elements of a network to make sure they stay up and running.
The name of the software? Big Brother.
“Quest Software is very excited about the acquisition of Big Brother,” said Vinny Smith, Quest’s chief executive. “Providing easy to use, lightweight products has always been a Quest philosophy and Big Brother obviously has that same philosophy,making this acquisition a natural fit.”
Quest said it plans to enhance the Big Brother software.
SMC’s New Offering
Irvine’s SMC Networks Inc. is hawking a new security product.
The maker of networking gear for small offices and home networks recently unveiled its new EliteConnect wireless local area network control system.
EliteConnect makes wireless networks more secure by working with different wireless standards, such as Bluetooth and 802.11, according to SMC. It allows secure data exchanges between what’s called a virtual private network,a limited-access network running on public servers,and local area networks.
“With the introduction of the EliteConnect WLAN Security System, we’ve rounded out our comprehensive portfolio of wireless LAN (products),” said SMC product manager Betty Chan.
Bit:
Folks at Irvine’s Exult Inc. celebrated their second year of handling the HR operations for BP PLC. Exult has supported the human resource operations for nearly 50,000 BP employees in the U.S. and Europe.
