There's No Such Thing as a Free Web Site at OhGolly.Com
It looks like there's a cloud in the silver lining of eSynch Corp.'s recent announcement that it was selected to provide the official media player for this year's summer Olympics.
In a deal with NBCOlympics.com, a joint venture between NBC and Quokka Sports, Tustin-based eSynch will provide the software used to view the television-like streaming video featured on the site. Trouble is, the Olympic games themselves won't be available for online airings.
The International Olympic Committee won't allow the site to show the games because it would prove impossible to enforce international broadcast rights. Viewers around the world would be able to bypass local broadcasters by going to NBCOlympics.
Still, eSynch officials expect to get publicity from the site which will feature commentary from NBC sportscasters, features on the athletes and detailed stats. The deal was considered a coup because NBC has another partnership with Microsoft Corp. called MSNBC, which uses Microsoft's media player exclusively.
According to a report on Wired News, NBC News rival CNN plans to go ahead with its own Internet Olympic broadcasts, though it's not clear what that would entail.
The Olympic committee has scheduled discussions on broadcasting future games over the Internet, possibly as early as 2002.
Darn! OhGolly Goes for Revenue
Here's a nifty way to boost revenue: stop giving away your main product. At least that's what officials at Newport Beach Web hosting company OhGolly.com are banking on.
The year-old company, which made a name for itself offering free do-it-yourself Web sites to small businesses, is no longer signing up new customers for the no-charge services.
Though customers who already have free sites can continue to use them at no cost, the company will limit new customers to premium Web and e-commerce hosting services, which start at 30 per month.
OhGolly officials said the sheer number of people signing up made it too expensive to handle customer support and that having a more tangible revenue stream was far more palatable to investors.
Those who lament the ending of another dot-com gravy train can take heart in OhGolly's remaining freebie: complimentary e-mail service.
For more: www.ohgolly.com
Litigation.com
One county law firm is hoping to cash in on some of. the newest trends in business: Internet issues.
Snell & Wilmer is opening an Orange County-based Internet law practice, which will offer counsel on everything from protecting patents and other intellectual property to things as seemingly mundane as mitigating liability for embarrassing e-mail sent through a company's computer system.
The group will comprise attorneys from the law firm's business and finance, intellectual property and technology, commercial Litigation, and other practice areas as needed. Partner William Gay will head the group.
For more: www.swlaw.com.
Who'll Support DDR? They Will
I will USA, the U.S. arm of the Taiwanese maker of computer motherboards and peripherals, has announced a new motherboard that uses a super-fast memory called Double Data Rate RAM, or DDR.
The motherboard should be available by next fall and is expected to give a boost to Orange County memory makers that have rallied behind DDR as an alternative to Rambus, another fast memory technology that costs much more to produce.
The first DDR boards will support Sunnyvale-based Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s Athalon and lower-cost Duron processors.
Although I will also plans to make Rambus-- compatible motherboards, it is banking on DDR's popularity with cost-conscious buyers. OC memory sellers are taking the same route with commitments to make and promote both kinds.
For more: www.iwillusa.com.
Bits:
Nexgenix Inc., an Irvine marketing services firm that caters toe-commerce companies, has signed a deal with Newport, Ky.-- based computer integrator GE NET Solutions in which the two companies will promote each other's services ... A Costa Mesa company called aSTron Electronics Inc., which sells electronics components on behalf of their manufacturers, has purchased a similar firm named Gravley and Associates Inc. The purchase will add several product lines to aSTron's offerings. Neither company is announcing terms of the deal ... WWW.COM, an Irvine-based company that broadcasts popular music over the Internet, has launched its "MicroSite Radio" service. The offering allows other Web sites to present private-label Internet music service that displays advertising or promotes the host site ... Nokia one of the world's largest makers of telecommunications equipment, announced it would use chips from Newport Beach-- based Conexant Systems Inc. Nokia's newest digital subscriber equipment will incorporate Conexant's AutoBaud technology for faster DSL installations and easier troubleshooting and repair. For more: www.conexant.com.
[Author Affiliation]
Ken Spencer Brown can be reached at kbrown@ocbj.com or 949-833-8373, Ext. 239.
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