OC’s Software Standouts; Kingston’s Mickey Mouse Affair
Verizon Wireless isn’t trumpeting its phone-based Internet service yet, but as enterprising customers have discovered in the past couple of weeks, the nifty addition is finally up and running.
The service,which allows customers to send and receive e-mail, get stock alerts, and yes, even surf the Web using their phones (it’s difficult, but doable),is going through what Verizon officials call a “soft launch.” In other words, the company won’t start advertising the service until next month to give its staff time to work any kinks out.
Verizon, formerly known as AirTouch Communications in much of the West, is one of the last cellular companies to dive into wireless Internet service for Southern California and has delayed its launch at least twice while undergoing its merger and transformation into Verizon, which is a joint venture of Bell Atlantic Corp. and Vodafone AirTouch PLC. The company’s Southwest headquarters is in Irvine.
The service will cost $6.95 per month, in additon to phone airtime.
Verizon Wireless has set up a personalized Web page (for now, the address is www.airtouch.net) that sets up e-mail addresses, a stock tracker and more. And with big name Web companies such as Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.’s MSN providing specialized services geared toward mobile phone users, there are plenty of other cool applications already available.
OC Software Firms Make Cut
It might not have the high-tech repute of Silicon Valley, but Orange County made its presence known in Software Magazine’s annual list of the country’s biggest 500 software companies.
A dozen OC companies appeared on the list, which ranked companies based on the revenue they pulled in last year from their software operations.
Here’s how the local contingent fared:
n FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, ranked No. 65 with $330.7 million
n Epicor Software Corp., Irvine, No. 74 with $258.2 million
n Wonderware Corp., Irvine, No. 92 with $196 million
n Quest Software Inc., Irvine, No. 177 with $70.9 million
n Magic Software Enterprises Ltd., Irvine, No. 192 with $64 million
n Syspro Impact Software Inc., Costa Mesa, No. 217 with $50.5 million
n Continuus Software Corp., Irvine, No. 249 with $37.3 million
n Nexgenix Inc., Irvine, No. 266 with $32.4 million
n Kofax Image Products Inc., Irvine, No. 358 with $15.1 million
n StarBase Corp., Santa Ana, No. 369 with $13.5 million
n California Software Corp., Santa Ana, No. 386 with $11.9 million
n Rainbow Technologies Inc., Irvine, No. 399 with $10.3
For the complete list: www.softwaremag.com
It’s a California Thing
Environmentalism is going retail. Orange County is part of the Southern California test market for rePlanet, a machine that allows customers at popular grocery stores to trade in their recyclable junk for cash.
Tomra Systems, the 28-year-old Norway company that created the systems, hopes to make recycling easier by putting its self-contained recycling machines just about everywhere. The devices use computerized cameras that take 25 pictures per second of incoming cans, glass, plastic and newsprint to identify the material and calculate refunds for customers.
The company has installed 84 of its machines throughout California and plans a national rollout soon.
For a list of locations: www.replanetusa.com.
Kingston, Payton Invade Disneyland
Talk about creating memories. The Happiest Place on Earth looked a lot like a computer trade show July 8 as Kingston Technology Co. Inc. and sister company Payton Technology Co. treated employees and their kin to a “family picnic” at Disneyland.
Officials with the Fountain Valley computer memory sellers didn’t want to say much about the event. But based on personal observations from an OCBJ reporter who just happened to be at the theme park that day, there wasn’t a line that didn’t contain a few people sporting one of the companies’ T-shirts.
Officials also wouldn’t say how much they spent on the event,but whatever the cost, that’s probably the sort of advertising money can’t buy.
Bits:
Comic book and sci-fi Web site Fandom Inc. will use Nexgenix Inc. of Irvine to integrate the site’s news, discussion and e-commerce components. Two Orange County companies are teaming up to provide a service that manages employees’ Internet use. Strategic HR, Newport Beach, and Log-On Data Corp., Orange, will market each other’s service to businesses trying to manage Internet usage without damaging workplace morale. For more: www.strategichr.com or www.logondata.com. FutureLink Corp., Irvine, is consolidating its scattered Orange County facilities into a new Lake Forest headquarters.
