Irvine-based Vizio Inc. has released its first line of PCs, ultrabooks and notebooks equipped with Microsoft Corp.’s highly anticipated Windows 8 operating system.
The company joined the likes of Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer and Lenovo in releasing Windows 8 computers on Oct. 12, a big date for computer makers as the slumping sector looks to build momentum going into the holiday season.
Vizio’s new offerings include a 24-inch and 27-inch All-in-One Touch PC with touch-screen, full HD 1080p displays, audio system and subwoofer. The audio system is made by Santa Ana-based SRS Labs Inc., which was acquired by Calabasas rival DTS Inc. in July for $148 million.
Vizio’s holiday-sales lineup also includes a 14-inch and 15.6-inch ultrabook and a 15.6-inch notebook.
The new lineup features HD technology similar to that in the company’s LCD TVs.
Vizio entered the computer segment in June, so it has a small sample size to draw from. It’s still too early to discern if the company has made head way against its bigger-name competitors in the way it did in the flat-screen TV market.
The new computers are billed as enhancing picture quality, boosting contrast and producing wider viewing angles. The lineup also features Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft’s Signature app, which removes unwanted trial apps that can slow down computing speeds.
Vizio has distribution deals lined up with retailers Walmart, Sam’s Club, Amazon.com and MicrosoftStore.com.
The global PC market had high hopes entering 2012, as the new ultrabook segment prompted broad enthusiasm at the International Consumer Electronics Show, coupled with expectations for the Windows 8 launch.
But PC sales now are pegged to drop 1.2% to 348.7 million units this year, according to Englewood, Colo.-based market tracker IHS Inc.
The decline, fueled by the rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets, represents the industry’s biggest dropoff since 2001.
CurveNorth Bought
Hauppauge, N.Y.-based TransFirst LLC has acquired CurveNorth Corp., a small Silverado Canyon-based company that makes payment processing software.
Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. CurveNorth’s flagship software product Merchant-Flo automates workflow and eliminates paperwork for sales organizations.
Chief Executive Martin Weel will become a TransFirst director of operations.
The CurveNorth buy is TransFirst’s second OC acquisition since October 2011. It acquired Cypress-based RST Ventures Inc., which operates as US Merchant Services, a provider of electronic payment processing services.
CurveNorth’s workforce will move into the Cypress location, which employs more than 70 people. TransFirst employs about 1,000 overall, and processes some $30 billion in transactions from more than 175,000 U.S. retailers.
OC Office
Culver City-based software service provider Eccentex Corp. plans to open an Orange County office within a few months.
Its OC expansion was prompted by the area’s concentration of skilled workers, Chief Executive Glen Schrank said.
“It’s really all about the people,” Schrank said.
The company is scouting office locations.
Eccentix targets tech-savvy companies and those with a mobile work force with its cloud-based services.
Its case management software is billed to help companies increase flexibility, improve productivity and reduce risk. Customers include Southern California Gas Co. and New York state agencies.
Eccentix competes against larger San Francisco-based Salesforce.com, as well as SuccessFactors and NetSuite Inc., both in San Mateo.
Eccentex employs about 40 people, with operations in New Jersey, Austin, Texas, San Francisco, Ukraine and St. Petersburg, Russia. It was established in 2006.
The company in 2007 landed a $7.5 million investment led by VTB Capital in Russia in its first funding round.
Microsemi Hire
Industry veteran Amr El-Ashmawi has joined Aliso Viejo-chipmaker Microsemi Corp. in the newly created position of worldwide vice president of strategic marketing.
El-Ashmawi will develop and implement market strategies in the defense and security, and industrial segments.
He brings more than 18 years of experience in the high-technology industry, most recently serving in management roles at Altera Corp., a San Jose-based digital circuit maker.
“Amr’s track record at Altera of driving growth and his development of deep customer relationships is well respected in the industry and we look forward to his contribution to Microsemi’s continued growth,” said Russ Garcia, Microsemi’s executive vice president of corporate worldwide marketing.
