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Orange County made news in the technology world last weekend, but it wasn’t the sort of publicity area officials pine for.
Qualcomm Inc. Chief Executive Irwin Jacobs reported that someone stole his laptop computer Saturday at a technology conference put on at the Hyatt Regency Irvine by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.
Jacobs said he left the computer unattended on a podium for 20 minutes or so while he stepped away to talk with a few conference participants.
Although Jacobs said he had backup copies of the data, he worried the laptop contained sensitive information that could be misused by foreign governments, despite some rudimentary password protection.
In a rich twist of coincidence, yours truly moderated a scheduled panel on computer security the next day featuring experts from Orange County companies,including Rainbow Technologies Inc., Litronic Inc. and Rainbow division Spectria.
For the record, I was out of town on the day of the theft.
Buy.com Via Phone
Just in case ordering from the Internet wasn’t easy enough, buy.com Inc. hopes to redefine impulse buying with a new service that offers online shopping over wireless phones.
The Aliso Viejo electronic retailer has created a version of its online store available via wireless phones, allowing shoppers to shop, search for products, view order status and compare prices from any Internet-ready mobile phone.
Whether shopping via Internet phone will take hold is anyone’s guess, but buy.com officials are betting that the small but growing segment will become a significant sales outlet. According to a market research report from International Data Corp. cited in buy.com’s announcement, about 60% of electronic transactions will come through wireless phones and other mobile devices.
Big Claims
ProcessClaims.com, an Irvine company that speeds up insurance claims by automating paperwork over the Internet, has received a $5 million infusion in a first-round funding deal. The money is the startup’s first outside financing. Southern California investor Michael Schwab and San Francisco investment firm Big Sky Partners led the round, joined by regional investment network Tech Coast Angels and Springboard Capital.
ProcessClaims chief executive Paul Farber says his company has two signed contracts with insurance companies, and plenty of upside potential for a market estimated to exceed $130 billion in transactions annually.
As part of the deal, Schwab is joining the ProcessClaims.com board of directors, along with Dave March of the Tech Coast Angels.
For more: www.processclaims.com
Syspro Honored by Microsoft
Who says you can’t teach the old economy new tricks? An Orange County software firm got a bit of recognition this month from tech king Microsoft Corp. for computerizing a 50-year-old Nashville company that makes metal stamping dies.
The Syspro Group, which calls Costa Mesa its U.S. home, was a winner in the 2000 Technology
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