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

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

Microsoft's Extra Price for Windows Upgrades Alienates Some Companies.
September 3, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Sep. 3--Two months before the launch of Windows XP, Microsoft Corp.'s latest version of its desktop software, some business customers already are unhappy. And it has nothing to do with the software's new features....

Compaq's Changes Will Cost Houston.
September 5, 2001... Byline: Jerry Mahoney Sep. 5--New Englanders were aghast in 1998, when Digital Equipment Corp. was gobbled up by Compaq Computer Corp. DEC was their home-grown, high-tech blue-blood. Founded in 1957, it pioneered the minicomputer and...

Texas Economic Development Agency Starts Staff Cuts.
September 5, 2001... Byline: Claudia Grisales Sep. 5--The state's economic-development agency began its new fiscal year with a smaller staff and budget, as directed by a state Legislature unhappy with its performance. To comply with a new law shrinking the...

Wall Street Skeptical of PC Titans' Deal.
September 5, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Sep. 5--To hear Carly Fiorina and Michael Capellas tell it, the proposed marriage of Hewlett-Packard Co. and Compaq Computer Corp. was love at first sight. But after hearing Fiorina and Capellas announce their...

Dell Hires New Public-Relations Firm for Americas.
September 7, 2001... Sep. 7--Dell Computer Corp. has chosen GCI Group as its new public relations firm for North and South America, company officials confirmed Thursday. GCI, a New York-based unit of Grey Global Group, an international communications company,...

Round Rock, Texas, May Pay Bounty for High-Tech Jobs.
September 7, 2001... Byline: Tony Plohetski Sep. 7--The City of Round Rock will announce plans today to offer a growing high-tech company a cash award for each new worker it hires in an effort to create jobs for its rising unemployed work force and to lure the...

Fresh Faces Join Fortune's List of 40 Wealthiest Americans under 40.
September 7, 2001... Sep. 7--The winds of fortune have changed dramatically in the past year for the young and the rich. In Fortune magazine's new list of the 40 wealthiest Americans younger than 40, six are from entertainment and sports. Their average wealth has...

Austin, Texas, Startup Firm Focuses on Streamlining Online Multimedia Delivery.
September 10, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Sep. 10--Dot-coms are imploding left and right, but the growth of the Internet itself seems only slightly affected. It keeps morphing and creating new business markets. One of the newest markets is called the...

Foreclosure Ends Austin, Texas, Luxury Condo Project.
September 11, 2001... Byline: Shonda Novak Sep. 11--The Monarch is dead. A lender for the luxury condominium project on Town Lake foreclosed last week after principal developer Gordon Dunaway and his partners in TD Glade Joint Venture became delinquent on a...

Contractor Sues Dell Computer over Delivery Dispute.
September 11, 2001... Byline: Jerry Mahoney Sep. 11--Dell Computer Corp. has often said its focus on service sets it apart from competitors. But a dispute over faster deliveries of its personal computers has led to a lawsuit by a longtime vendor, Austin-based...

Employers Face Another Jump in Health-Insurance Costs.
September 11, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Sep. 11--It's no surprise that health insurance costs are expected to rise again next year. But the size of those increases, now projected to average from 10 percent to 20 percent for 2002, has left employers struggling...

Austin, Texas, Council Decides to Make Secret Some Utility Data.
September 11, 2001... Byline: Leah Quin Sep. 11--One of Austin's longest-lasting public information debates came to a sudden resolution Monday when the City Council voted unanimously to make secret certain information about its electric utility. The vote...

Bankers in Central Texas Have Few Panicky Customers.
September 12, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Sep. 12--Despite assurances from bankers that their deposits were secure, a small number of customers walked into bank branches throughout Central Texas on Tuesday and tried to withdraw their entire savings. At one...

U.S. Economy Grinds to Halt following Attacks.
September 12, 2001... Byline: Bob Keefe Sep. 12--Tuesday's terror attack on the heart of the nation's financial center will reverberate through the nation's fragile economy for some time. From the shutdown of Wall Street to security alerts that slowed...

Stores, Offices across Central Texas Close Up Early for Day.
September 12, 2001... Byline: Shonda Novak Sep. 12--The somber signs were everywhere Tuesday -- from shuttered bank lobbies to dark, high-rise office towers. "We, like all of you, are stunned by today's events in New York and Washington, D.C.," read a...

Austin, Texas-Area Brokers Warn Investors Not to Panic on Markets' Opening.
September 13, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Sep. 13--Stockbrokers and investment advisers spent Wednesday reassuring customers that the destruction near Wall Street won't mean the demise of their investment portfolios. "Short-term events like what occurred...

Austin, Texas-Area Companies Anxiously Await Return of Air Delivery.
September 14, 2001... Byline: Jerry Mahoney Sep. 14--Even as the transportation network that most people take for granted lurched toward normalcy Thursday, many Central Texans were forced to make adjustments at home and on the job. Austin consulting firm...

Storage Makers May Benefit, Experts Say.
September 14, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Sep. 14--Analysts predict a mixed fallout for technology companies in the wake of this week's terrorist attacks. The disasters in New York and Washington will have many companies looking to beef up their computer...

Austin, Texas-Based Tech Company May Run out of Power.
September 17, 2001... Byline: Elizabeth Goldman Sep. 17--No one disagrees that Active Power Inc. makes a great product. The Austin-based company has taken an old idea -- the flywheel -- and retooled it into a piece of high-tech hardware that stores energy for...

Airline Industry Feels Aftermath of Attacks.
September 18, 2001... Byline: Jerry Mahoney Sep. 18--Stocks of U.S. airlines declined sharply Monday amid investor worries, travelers' fear of flying and warnings of financial crises from major carriers. Analysts say the airline industry was already on a...

Shaken Consumers Curb Spending.
September 18, 2001... Sep. 18--Consumers, already cautious about spending before last week's terrorist attacks, were even more restrained Monday. The ripple effects of such restraint were felt across many sectors of the economy, from retailers to auto and home...

Technology Stocks Take Expected Fall.
September 18, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Sep. 18--As expected, the tech sector, particularly the personal computer business, was hit hard Monday amid fears that the terrorist attacks will knock the wind out of already weak consumer buying. "We were already...

Safety Fears Give Boost to Some Tech Businesses.
September 18, 2001... Byline: Bob Keefe Sep. 18--Despite Monday's sell-off on Wall Street, a few tech businesses are looking like winners in the new world taking shape in the wake of the terrorist attacks Sept. 11. Companies that sell security devices to...

Bush Backs Airline Relief, but Amount Is Uncertain.
September 19, 2001... Byline: Marilyn Geewax Sep. 19--WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration said Tuesday that it would back financial relief sought by the beleaguered airlines but would not commit to the $24 billion the industry wants. "There's no question...

Federal Judge Stops Lawsuits against Swiss-Based Firm over Faulty Hip Implants.
September 19, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Sep. 19--A federal judge in Cleveland has halted individual lawsuits against Sulzer Medica AG while she considers the company's $750 million proposal to settle class-action lawsuits over faulty hip implants. U.S....

Texas Regulators' Proposal Would Limit Mold Insurance for Homeowners.
September 19, 2001... Sep. 19--A proposal to reduce homeowners insurance coverage for mold damage is drawing fire from the industry and consumers alike. State regulators on Tuesday recommended capping standard mold coverage at $5,000. Policyholders could buy...

South Padre Island, Texas, Tourism Grinds to Halt after Bridge Collapse.
September 19, 2001... Byline: Robert W. Gee Sep. 19--SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas--The Island was open for business Tuesday, but except for several hundred stranded vacationers, business stayed away. All large hotels and most restaurants remained open despite...

Travelers Will See New Security Measures in Place at Airports.
September 20, 2001... Byline: Shonda Novak Sep. 20--For airline travelers, it's a whole new world. Most of the nation's airports, including Austin-Bergstrom International, have implemented the Federal Aviation Administration's stepped-up security measures...

Citing Suits, Swiss-Based Medical Implant Maker Reports Net Loss.
September 20, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Sep. 20--Lower U.S. sales and an offer to settle thousands of lawsuits concerning faulty hip implants resulted in a second-quarter net loss of about $405 million for Sulzer Medica AG, a Swiss-based medical technology...

Austin, Texas-Based Videoconferencing Firm Remains Optimistic despite Loss.
September 20, 2001... Byline: Elizabeth Goldman Sep. 20--Forgent Corp. announced Tuesday it had suffered another losing quarter. But growing interest in videoconferencing services after last week's terrorist attacks may help the Austin company turn around its...

Austin, Texas-Area Economy Inches Closer to Recession.
September 21, 2001... Byline: R. Michelle Breyer Sep. 21--The Austin-area economy continued to edge toward a recession in August with an employment rate more than twice what it was last year and a 12-year low in job creation. The five-county metropolitan...

Federal Reserve Chairman Greenspan Advises Investors to Focus on Long Term.
September 21, 2001... Byline: Marilyn Geewax Sep. 21--WASHINGTON--Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Thursday that while the U.S. economy will sustain "significant" short-term damage from last week's terror attacks, its long-term outlook remains...

Semiconductor Manufacturer Will Cut 500 Workers in Austin, Texas.
September 21, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Sep. 21--Applied Materials Inc. had tried for months to weather the storm in the semiconductor industry without resorting to layoffs. But on Thursday, the largest maker of chip manufacturing equipment said it would...

Dell May Open Computer Plant in Mexico.
September 24, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Sep. 24--If you want a clue about where Dell Computer Corp. might be headed next, look to Mexico. Gov. Fernando Canales Clariond of Nuevo Len, whose capital is Monterrey, says Dell began exploring "a special project"...

Analyst: Insider Trading at Austin, Texas-Based Firms May Not Mean Bad News.
September 24, 2001... Byline: Lori Hawkins Sep. 24--Insiders know more about their companies than anybody else. So when they sell their stock, it's natural for shareholders to worry trouble is afoot. In Austin, leaders of several young companies --...

Austin American-Statesman, Texas, Plugged In Column.
September 24, 2001... Sep. 24--SMART-CARD DEALS: Smart-card technology has been far more popular in Europe than in the United States, but that could be changing -- and an Austin-based division of oil field services giant Schlumberger Ltd. stands to benefit from the...

Compaq Plans to Expand Computer Sales Marketing Strategy.
September 25, 2001... Byline: John Pletz Sep. 25--Compaq Computer Corp. plans to expand its pay-as-you-go approach of selling computer equipment to small- and medium-size businesses, another sign that Compaq, like its rivals, is searching for ways to cope with...

Home Sales Slow in Central Texas as Economy Continues to Turn Downward.
September 25, 2001... Byline: Shonda Novak Sep. 25--The economic slowdown continued to hurt sales of existing homes in Central Texas in August. Sales were down 8 percent from a year ago, and the number of homes on the market more than doubled. The decline...

Austin, Texas-Area Hotels Hurt Significantly by Travel Slowdown.
September 25, 2001... Byline: Amy Schatz Sep. 25--To understand how depressed the local hotel industry is, consider this: One week before the annual Parents Weekend at the University of Texas -- and Saturday's UT versus Texas Tech football game -- only four of...

Advanced Micro Devices to Close Two Plants in Austin, Texas.
September 26, 2001... Byline: Kirk Ladendorf Sep. 26--Advanced Micro Devices Inc., one of Austin's largest technology companies, fell victim to the chip industry slump Tuesday, announcing it will close two older factories in Southeast Austin and cut 1,000 jobs...

Virtual Product Placement Ads Coming to a Television Set near You.
September 26, 2001... Byline: Shelley Emling Sep. 26--NEW YORK--That can of Coke on your favorite sitcom character's table sure looks real. But it may be a computerized image inserted after the program was shot. Even more amazing: That can of Coke may --...

Austin, Texas, Ad Agency Generates Quick Response after Terrorist Attacks.
September 26, 2001... Byline: R. Michelle Breyer Sep. 26--Austin ad agency GSD&M was preparing to launch a new campaign for the Air Force when terrorists struck the United States on Sept. 11. It immediately became clear that the ad agency had to make some...

Business Booms for Austin, Texas-Based Strategic Forecasting Firm.
September 27, 2001... Byline: Elizabeth Goldman Sep. 27--In the days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, information flooded the Web, much of it with little context or concern for its implications. Like many news sites, Austin Web-based intelligence...

Companies' Web Alliance Creates Single-Password Plan.
September 27, 2001... Byline: Bob Keefe Sep. 27--Soon, you may be able to permanently forget all those different passwords you use to get around the Internet -- as long as you're willing to give up a little sensitive information. Thirty-three companies, led...