Austin American-Statesman (Austin, TX) articles from October 2001

Austin American-Statesman (Austin, TX) archives from October 2001

Dell May Lower Financial Targets This Week.
October 1, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Oct. 1--No one is quite sure what to expect when Dell Computer Corp. holds its annual fall update with Wall Street analysts Thursday. The format will be different than normal, with analysts dialing in instead of...

Economists: Central Texas Likely to Outperform Other Regions during Recession.
October 1, 2001... Byline: Jerry Mahoney Oct. 1--In the months before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, there was hopeful speculation that the slowing U.S. economy could avoid a full-blown recession. A recession is no longer in question. Economists...

Austin, Texas-Based Company Has Big Plans for Tiny Metal Particles.
October 1, 2001... Byline: Elizabeth Goldman Oct. 1--A jar full of nanoalumina looks like talcum powder. It swirls like it's liquid, with clouds of the material taking their time to settle. What becomes visible in the jar is clusters of the metal. ...

Americans Wising Up to `Smart Card' Technology.
October 1, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Oct. 1--Two decades after the advent of "smart cards" in Europe, there are growing signs that North America is finally ready to embrace the technology. And the security concerns stemming from the Sept. 11 terrorist...

Austin, Texas-Based Cirrus Logic to Lay Off 300 Workers.
October 2, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Oct. 2--Cirrus Logic Inc. said Monday that it would cut 300 jobs companywide, making clear that the chip company's major shift in product lines is going to be a painful one. The Austin-based company said its...

Compaq Warns of Significantly Lower Earnings in Third Quarter.
October 2, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Oct. 2--In the first of what is expected to be a litany of bad earnings news from computer makers, Compaq Computer Corp. said Monday its sales and profits for the quarter that ended Sunday were significantly lower than...

Amarillo, Texas-Based Firm Processes Insurance Claims from Terrorist Attacks.
October 2, 2001... Byline: Claudia Grisales Oct. 2--Three days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Austinite Max Sherman couldn't believe his chief executive officer's news: Their company's call center was preparing to handle thousands of insurance claims...

Wireless Companies Put Enhanced 911 Service for Cell Phones on Hold.
October 3, 2001... Byline: Bob Keefe Oct. 3--A service that could allow rescuers to locate distress calls made from cellular phones was supposed to have started Monday. But because of high costs, technical problems and just plain procrastination, none of...

Round Rock, Texas, Firm's Fingerprint Technology Gets Thumbs Up from Investors.
October 3, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Oct. 3--A Round Rock company that specializes in fingerprint-security technology has received $12 million in venture capital funding. Biometric Access Corp. said Tuesday that it raised the money from several...

Federal Reserve Cuts Short-Term Interest Rate to 39-Year Low.
October 3, 2001... Byline: Marilyn Geewax Oct. 3--WASHINGTON--Free money, anyone? The Federal Reserve on Tuesday drove down short-term interest rates for the ninth time this year, pushing its benchmark lending rate to banks to its lowest rate in 39...

Austin, Texas, Power Company to Split Corporate Base.
October 3, 2001... Byline: Claudia Grisales Oct. 3--Is Austin in danger of losing one of its corporate citizens? Signs are emerging that Southern Union Co., the parent company of Southern Union Gas Co., is shifting its headquarters from Austin to...

AT&T Increases Local Phone Rates in Texas.
October 4, 2001... Byline: Claudia Grisales Oct. 4--Less than a month after it raised rates for long-distance customers, AT&T said Wednesday it was hiking rates for its local customers in Texas. AT&T customers in rural areas will be particularly hard hit...

Dell Likely to Make More Cuts, Wall Street Analyst Says.
October 4, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Oct. 4--With the outlook for personal computer sales growing increasingly bleak, one Wall Street analyst says Dell Computer Corp. may have to cut costs again in an effort to shore up sagging profits. That could mean...

Bush Pushes for Up to $75 Billion in Economic Relief.
October 4, 2001... Byline: Marilyn Geewax Oct. 4--WASHINGTON--President Bush said Wednesday that Congress should approve up to $75 billion in tax cuts and new spending to help the economy recover from a slump made worse by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. ...

IBM to Unleash New Unix Server.
October 4, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Oct. 4--Five years ago, IBM Corp. set out to revive its fortunes in Unix computing. Today, the company will show off the results of its efforts -- Regatta, a powerful server largely developed in Austin that gives Big...

Confidence at Dell Lifts Company Stock.
October 5, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Oct. 5--After several weeks of depressing corporate news in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Dell Computer Corp. gave Wall Street something to smile about Thursday. The world's No. 1 seller of personal...

Occupancy Rates Plunge for Austin, Texas, Offices.
October 5, 2001... Byline: R. Michelle Breyer Oct. 5--When operations manager Michelle Summerlin was hunting for 16,600 square feet of space recently for Bandspeed Inc., there was almost too much to choose from. It took several days to tour dozens of...

Kohl's Opens Three Stores in Central Texas.
October 5, 2001... Byline: Shonda Novak Oct. 5--Even as retailers battle their worst slump in a decade, Kohl's Corp. opened three stores in Central Texas this week, part of the chain's aggressive nationwide expansion. The 87,000-square-foot stores -- at...

Austin American-Statesman, Texas, Plugged In Column.
October 8, 2001... Oct. 8--CONCERO'S WILD RIDE: Investors usually aren't that interested in shares of Concero Inc., an Austin e-business services company. It has an average trading volume of about 11,000 shares each day on the Nasdaq, and often only a few...

California-Based Advanced Micro Devices Offers New Chip, Different Approach.
October 9, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Oct. 9--Advanced Micro Devices Inc. today introduces both a new, more muscular Athlon processor and a proposed new way for comparing and pricing its chips against those made by arch-rival Intel Corp. AMD, which...

Special Interests Hoping for Share of U.S. Relief Package.
October 9, 2001... Byline: Marilyn Geewax Oct. 9--WASHINGTON--Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, huge spending bills have been zipping through Congress. Decisions to provide $40 billion in emergency relief and $15 billion for airlines were made within...

Outlook for Venture Capital in Central Texas Turns Bleak after Attacks.
October 9, 2001... Byline: Lori Hawkins Oct. 9--Already slowed by a rocky economy, venture capital investing is being further curtailed after recent terrorist attacks and the growing threat of a recession. "If it was slow before Sept. 11, it just got...

Austin, Texas, Electricity Grid Plan Costs City Utilities $2 Million.
October 10, 2001... Byline: Claudia Grisales Oct. 10--Electric deregulation hasn't fully started yet, and it's already costing more than expected. Austin Energy is among a group of utilities that says it must pay exorbitant costs for a state program...

McAllen, Texas-Based Food Company Prepares Aid Packages for Afghan Refugees.
October 10, 2001... Byline: Jerry Mahoney Oct. 10--For 20 years, Right Away Foods in McAllen quietly prepared packets of food for soldiers and Air Force personnel whose duties took them away from the relative comfort of barracks and bases. Called meals...

Motorola Loses $1.4 Billion in Third Quarter.
October 10, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Oct. 10--Motorola Inc. reported third-quarter financial results Tuesday that were deep in red ink even though the company's largest business -- making cellular phones -- returned to profitability. The company's...

House Republican Leaders Plan to Call for Tax Cuts to Spur Economy.
October 10, 2001... Byline: Marilyn Geewax Oct. 10--WASHINGTON--House Republican leaders will press for permanent tax cuts, including a lower capital gains rate, to stimulate the economy, House Majority Leader Dick Armey said Tuesday. Despite senators'...

Things Slowly Looking Up for Ailing Airline Industry, Economist Says.
October 11, 2001... Byline: Marilyn Geewax Oct. 11--WASHINGTON--Airline traffic has bounced back more quickly than expected after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a top industry economist said Wednesday. Passengers are returning "at a faster pace than we...

Bush Selects University of Texas Education Dean for Fannie Mae Board.
October 11, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Oct. 11--Manuel Justiz, dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas, has been tapped to join the board of mortgage giant Fannie Mae. Named by the White House on Tuesday, Justiz, 52, would be the last...

Motorola Announces More Job Cuts.
October 11, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Oct. 11--Financially troubled Motorola Inc. said Wednesday it will cut 3,000 more jobs across the company by the end of the year and will shed another 4,000 positions through the sale of three business units. The...

Travelers Could Get `Smart' Identification Cards.
October 11, 2001... Byline: Bob Keefe Oct. 11--Travelers could speed through airport security screenings using a "smart" identification card under a nationwide program recommended by a federal task force. A voluntary pre-screening would gather a...

Austin American-Statesman, Texas, Austin Inc. Column.
October 12, 2001... Oct. 12--Texans who know a thing or two about tough times Fortune magazine's annual confab for the captains of industry next month in New York City is appropriately themed "leadership in turbulent times." Top on the list of speakers is New...

Austin, Texas-Area Mortgage Brokers Keep Busy as Rates Dip to Historic Lows.
October 12, 2001... Byline: R. Michelle Breyer Oct. 12--When Kalin and Kandace Johnson were building their Pflugerville house in the spring of 2000, they watched in dismay as the interest rate drifted steadily upward. By the time the house was finished in...

Priced-Out Central Texans Find Relief in Complexes with Low-End Rents.
October 12, 2001... Byline: Shonda Novak Oct. 12--Central Texas' economic boom is fading, but one effect remains in force: many workers are priced out of the housing market. But several new apartment projects in the works and a slew of new complexes...

Layoffs Impact Lawyers, Tech Workers in Austin, Texas.
October 12, 2001... Oct. 12--The decline in the tech economy continues to hit Austin companies hard. Software company Vignette Corp. is expected to announce today that it is laying off an additional 20 percent of its staff worldwide. The Austin-based company,...

Personal Computer Companies Becoming Victims of Industry's Success.
October 15, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Oct. 15--Peggy Lee should bring a smile to all the hangdog faces in the personal computer industry. Amid the worst slump in more than 20 years of PC sales, the 66-year-old just bought a new Hewlett-Packard machine...

Focus on Consumer PC Sales Hurts Gateway's Revenue, Stock.
October 15, 2001... Byline: Bob Keefe Oct. 15--SAN DIEGO--At a glitzy Silicon Valley party this summer, computer industry titans gathered around a single table. Microsoft Corp.'s Bill Gates held court with a prominent venture capitalist. Across from him,...

Austin American-Statesman, Texas, Plugged In Column.
October 15, 2001... Oct. 15--WHEN IN ROME: Michael Dell continues to duck questions about a rumored partnership between Dell Computer Corp. and storage giant EMC Corp. But he couldn't resist the opportunity to tweak his soon-to-be-wed competitors, Compaq Computer...

Tough Times Will Continue For Awhile, Executive Predicts.
October 16, 2001... Byline: Jerry Mahoney Oct. 16--Bob Inman, whose business interests require him to fly frequently around the country, thinks recent security changes at airports have made commercial air travel safer than ever. He is much less sanguine...

Austin, Texas-Based Software Maker Motive Communications Cuts Staff 25 Percent.
October 16, 2001... Byline: Elizabeth Goldman Oct. 16--Motive Communications Inc. laid off about 25 percent of its 275-person staff Monday, people familiar with the company said. The Austin company, which makes online software for companies' help-desk...

Detroit Ad Campaign Targets Austin, Texas-Area Technology Workers.
October 16, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Oct. 16--The Motor City isn't short on moxie: Southeastern Michigan has begun an ad campaign to recruit Austin-area workers, even as Detroit-area companies continue to lay off employees. On Monday, a 30-second...

Switzerland-Based Biomedical Company Backs Out of Cedar Park, Texas, Facility.
October 17, 2001... Byline: Erin J. Walter Oct. 17--CEDAR PARK, Texas--Sulzer Biologics has scrapped plans for a 26-acre facility in Cedar Park, and the company will take months to decide how to resolve its $3.2 million incentive agreement with the city, Vice...

Several Publicly-Traded Companies Issue Earnings Statements for Third Quarter.
October 17, 2001... Byline: Bob Keefe and John Pletz Oct. 17--From the high end to the low end, IBM Corp. and Intel Corp. on Tuesday offered a glimpse of the computer-hardware industry's fortunes, or lack of them, during the third quarter. Despite the...

U.S. House Works toward Passage of Economic Stimulus Package.
October 17, 2001... Byline: Marilyn Geewax Oct. 17--WASHINGTON--A $100 billion economic stimulus package, heavy on tax cuts for business is heading toward a vote in the House Thursday, with the strong backing by President Bush. But the president is still...

Austin, Texas-Area Rental Market Cools Down Along with Economy.
October 17, 2001... Byline: Shonda Novak Oct. 17--After years of rising prices fueled by high demand and a shortage of apartments, the rental market in Austin is tilting in favor of renters. The occupancy rate has declined sharply, and rents, although...

Chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Reports Sharp Loss in Earnings for Quarter.
October 18, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Oct. 18--Advanced Micro Devices Inc. reported Wednesday that its business plunged deep into red ink during the third quarter, losing $186.9 million, or 54 cents a share, as the chip maker endured a price war with...

Personal Computer Sales Still Moving Downward.
October 18, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Oct. 18--Personal computer sales continued to decline around the world during the third quarter, slipping more than 10 percent from a year ago, two market-research companies said Wednesday. IDC said worldwide PC...

Austin, Texas, Companies Take Steps to Shore Up Mailroom Safety.
October 18, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Oct. 18--Company mailrooms, normally mundane and largely unseen operations, have suddenly become focal points as the nation grapples with the danger of biological terrorism. Clerks who normally do the routine work of...

Austin American-Statesman, Texas, Austin Inc. Column.
October 19, 2001... Oct. 19--U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission member Laura Unger's decision to finally leave for the private sector has increased speculation that Texas State Securities Commissioner Denise Voigt Crawford might soon be house-hunting in...

Austin, Texas-Based Consulting Firm Bolsters Global Talent.
October 19, 2001... Byline: Jerry Mahoney Oct. 19--Public Strategies Inc., the Austin-based consulting and lobbying firm with ambitions to expand its international reach, has added Mexico's former finance minister and two well-connected Americans to a new...

Austin, Texas-Based Digital Cable Company Gets Injection of Cash.
October 19, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Oct. 19--Austin-based WSNet Inc. said it raised $30 million to pay for a new marketing and sales effort to build its business of wholesale distribution of digital cable programming. The company, which employs 85...

Central Texas Jobless Rate Keeps Nudging Up.
October 19, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Oct. 19--The state unemployment rate held stable at 5 percent in September, but unemployment in Central Texas inched up to 4.6 percent, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Thursday. The regional rate is the...

Microsoft's Profits Decline with PC Industry's Fortunes.
October 19, 2001... Byline: Bob Keefe Oct. 19--REDMOND, Wash.--Losses from investments helped push quarterly profits down 42 percent at Microsoft Corp., and the world's biggest software company Thursday gave a gloomy outlook for the PC business through most...

Austin, Texas-Based Firm Looks to Link Distributed Computing, Profitability.
October 22, 2001... Byline: Elizabeth Goldman Oct. 22--With a simple program that looks like a screensaver, nearly 1 million computers are currently linked together, looking for a cure for cancer. They're assigned tasks over the Internet by a server, for...

Manufacturers Put Faith in Austin, Texas, Firm's Software to Keep Stock Low.
October 22, 2001... Byline: Elizabeth Goldman Oct. 22--The concept of lean manufacturing -- keeping inventories down by more closely matching demand to supply -- has been around for more than a decade. But as the economy continues downward, it's becoming more...

Austin American-Statesman, Texas, Plugged In Column.
October 22, 2001... Oct. 22--IT'S CLEAR FOR BARCLAYCARD: England's Barclaycard Merchant Services has enlisted Austin-based ClearCommerce Corp. to make a virtual version of its "PDQ" machine, which processes credit card transactions for merchants. The company,...

Dell, EMC Enter Data-Storage Pact.
October 23, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Oct. 23--Dell Computer Corp. answered a nagging question about how it would handle the fast-growing field of data storage Monday, forging a partnership with industry leader EMC Corp. Dell will sell EMC-branded...

Austin, Texas-Area Home Sales Take Hit in September.
October 23, 2001... Byline: Shonda Novak Oct. 23--Home sales in Central Texas plunged nearly 16 percent in September, one of the steepest monthly declines this year, new figures from the Austin Board of Realtors show. The median home price also declined 2...

Microsoft's Internet Service Provider Continues to Put Pressure on AOL.
October 23, 2001... Byline: Shelley Emling Oct. 23--NEW YORK--In 1995, Microsoft Corp. launched a struggle to lure customers from archrival America Online Inc. by introducing MSN, its own Internet service provider embedded into its new Windows 95 operating...

Knee Implant Cases Join Austin, Texas-Based Orthopedics Firm's Settlement Plan.
October 23, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Oct. 23--About 1,600 faulty knee implants made by Sulzer Medica's Austin-based orthopedics unit will be included in the proposed class-action settlement involving Sulzer's faulty hip implants, a U.S. District judge said...

SBC Communications to Lay Off Thousands, Scale Back High-Speed Internet Access.
October 23, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Oct. 23--SBC Communications Inc. said Monday that it will cut several thousand jobs across its 13-state territory during the next several weeks while dramatically slowing spending for construction of digital phone...

Compaq Revenue Continues to Slide.
October 24, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Oct. 24--Compaq Computer Corp., which already warned that its third-quarter results would be lower than previously expected, said Tuesday that computer demand isn't likely to get much better in the last three months of...

IBM Changing Management of Austin, Texas, Operations.
October 24, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Oct. 24--Rod Adkins, who is credited with helping put the luster back in IBM Corp.'s Austin-based server business, is taking a new post with the company. Adkins will become general manager of IBM's pervasive...

Austin, Texas-Based Acoustic Systems Finds Success in Silence.
October 24, 2001... Byline: Elizabeth Goldman Oct. 24--With his new equipment and subscription to XM Satellite Radio, Steve Dutton will be able to listen to nearly 100 stations with crisp reception during his upcoming trip to Big Bend National Park. But...

Alliance Lauds Austin, Texas, Mayor for Downtown Development.
October 25, 2001... Byline: R. Michelle Breyer Oct. 25--Mayor Kirk Watson on Wednesday challenged Austin to keep downtown's momentum going rather than allowing it to return to the stagnation of the past. "The dust is settling on my term as mayor, Watson,...

Economy Has Yet to Recover from Attacks' Impact, Federal Reserve Reports.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Oct. 25--The Federal Reserve confirmed Wednesday what corporate America has been saying for weeks: Economic activity stalled after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and conditions haven't improved. In its survey of...

Indianapolis-Based Simon Property Group Plans Austin, Texas-Area Expansion.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Shonda Novak Oct. 25--The owner of Austin's three largest shopping malls plans to expand its kingdom. Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group Inc. has a letter of intent to buy 200 acres in Buda. The Indianapolis-based mall...

Austin, Texas, Airport Feels Effects of Terrorist Attacks.
October 26, 2001... Byline: Kelly Daniel Oct. 26--For the first time since it opened in May 1999, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport recorded a double-digit drop in passengers in September, losing 34 percent of its usual travelers as a result of the Sept....

Austin American-Statesman, Texas, Austin Inc. Column.
October 26, 2001... Oct. 26--FOR DELL, IT'S HARD TO BE HUMBLE: Michael Dell seized the spotlight at Microsoft Corp.'s coming-out party for Windows XP on Thursday to poke fun at his rivals in the personal computer industry. Dell, along with the CEOs of Compaq...

Microsoft Is Already Hard at Work on Upgrade for Windows XP.
October 26, 2001... Byline: Bob Keefe Oct. 26--REDMOND, Wash.--Programmers at Microsoft Corp.'s headquarters limited their celebration Thursday of the release of Windows XP to a short, sugary break catered by Krispy Kreme. They were too busy working on --...

Microsoft Officially Launches Windows XP in New York.
October 26, 2001... Byline: Shelley Emling Oct. 26--NEW YORK--Except for the Madonna tune, it could almost have been a religious experience. The lights dimmed, and the audience was asked to rise at Microsoft Corp.'s official launch Thursday of Windows XP,...

Austin, Texas, Software Firm Utilizes Broadband to Navigate through Downturn.
October 29, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Oct. 29--Even in a deep high-tech downturn, the broadband bandwagon rolls on. Industry analysts say consumers and small businesses continue to buy high-speed links to the Internet through digital phone lines, cable...

Austin, Texas, Computer Company ClearCube Finds Success in Unexpected Markets.
October 29, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Oct. 29--Heading into what could be one of the longest winters in the history of the personal computer business, Mike Frost is feeling surprisingly OK for a guy who runs a startup computer company. Mercifully,...

Austin American-Statesman, Texas, Plugged In Column.
October 29, 2001... Oct. 29--STARTING A SECOND STARTUP: Exterprise co-founder Satyendra Rana is going back to startup mode. Rana, who became chief technology officer of Commerce One Inc. when it bought Austin-based Exterprise in March, is starting a new...

Austin American-Statesman, Texas, On the Move Column.
October 30, 2001... Oct. 30--Craig Buford has been named senior vice president of member relations for the Independent Bankers Association of Texas. He previously was president of the association's leadership division and president of American Bank of Texas in...

Dell Unveils Low-End Computer for $599.
October 30, 2001... Oct. 30--Dell Computer Corp. is upping the ante in the consumer market, launching a $599 machine that breaks with the company's build-to-order model. With the SmartStep, a low-end personal computer, Dell clearly signaled Monday that it's...

Austin, Texas-Based Orthopedics Company Hurt by Appeals Court Ruling.
October 30, 2001... Byline: Mary Ann Roser Oct. 30--An appeals court order issued Monday could open the floodgates for scores of stalled lawsuits to proceed against Austin's Sulzer Orthopedics Inc., hurting the company's efforts to settle with patients who...

Builder Pulls Out of Competition for Austin, Texas, Airport Project.
October 31, 2001... Byline: R. Michelle Breyer Oct. 31--Two months after being selected as a finalist, Lennar Corp. has dropped out of the running for the redevelopment of the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport property. Lennar notified the City of Austin...

Austin, Texas, Medical Implant Maker's Parent May Sweeten Settlement Offer.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Oct. 31--Lawyers for Sulzer Medica Ltd. quietly have begun negotiating significant changes to the company's proposed $783 million offer to settle cases of faulty hip and knee implants following a federal appeals court...

Senators Propose Sales Tax Holiday to Lift U.S. Shoppers' Spirits.
October 31, 2001... Byline: Marilyn Geewax Oct. 31--WASHINGTON--With a new survey showing that consumers' confidence had plunged to its lowest level in 7 1/2 years in September, two senators Tuesday proposed a national sales tax holiday to spur holiday...