Sweeping statement
Informer is not usually one to moan - but at an event recently a senior figure from a well known software vendor made an interesting observation about members of the fairer sex. Apparently housewives more than ever know the virtues of buying GPRS style devices for their children because once they have dropped the kids off from school, they go straight to the supermarket and log on to check where their children are.
"Because that is what housewives do - shopping," said the exec. After the cleaning, washing and ironing, obviously.
Communication is back
Thanks to a recent installation by distributor Zycomm, staff at amusement park Alton Towers can now enjoy effective communication using handheld radios - which means they can talk to each other from one end of the park to the other. Hopefully the staff have improved their communication skills since the last time Channel Informer visited (admittedly about nine years ago) - the odd grunt and bored glance in response to a question of 'should children that age be allowed on this ride' hardly filled one with confidence.
New news?
There is breaking news out apparently that Ingram has recently signed a distribution agreement with SonicWall. However informer remembers this story the first time around - June 2007 in fact. What does that mean? Did Ingram and SonicWall part company, only to reunite again this week, or is this a case of a communication breakdown?
Nerves of steel
You have to had a certain admiration for the sheer courage of one particular company that has issued a winding up petition against DSG Retail Ltd. The case is actually going to be heard on 29 May - but someone even in the wildest dreams of most David and Goliath scenarios is this company to go win. I'm sure DGS Retail is trembling in its boots
Good PR
Informer heard murmurings about one particular vendor that was so frustrated with its PR company in the UK that it started touting its stories around itself to get even the slightest mention in a trade magazine. A question along the lines of "so how do you secure coverage because our PR firm is totally useless," doesn't really leave a lot to the imagination.
HP and EDS tie up
The rumour mill is going into overdrive today with the news that HP and EDS are set to merge. The two firms have confirmed they are in advanced talks - but as yet no agreement has been reached. If it does happen, it will be interesting to see how this affects HP's channel partners globally.
Stirring up trouble
It seems an article due out on Monday in CRN has stirred up a wave of angry feeling about a certain industry veteran that is about to launch a new venture in the UK. There has certainly been some interesting emails flying about already and it is not even published yet. Stay tuned to CRN to find out how this situation develops.
Moving on?
Informer has heard rumours that the sales director of Kelway has handed in his notice - however as ever these rumours are yet to be confirmed, so stay tuned. We are sure there will be few changes in quite a few channel companies over the coming weeks - something seems to happen when the weather turns nice - could it be the lure of the gardening leave that does it?
HP and Symantec getting closer?
Tongues are wagging in the channel about the close friendship between HP and Symantec at the recent Infosec event in London. The two giants were sharing a stand. This could be for one of three reasons: a - the two firms were looking to save some money by sharing, b - they were announcing a new technology partnership/tie-up, or c - there could be an acquisition afoot. Which one could it be? Answers on a postcard please.
What's on the Horizon?
Everyone is familiar with the news that Avnet has made an offer for Horizon which is pretty much guaranteed to be accepted. However curiousity is mounting over what Avnet will do with Horizon's Irish business - will it be a spin off or will it hang on to it? Both sides are keeping pretty tight-lipped from all accounts.
