uh-oh... looks like an interval research spin-off might be a
significant competitor. from a WSJ article:
===
Interval Research Corp., founded four years ago by Microsoft Corp.
co-founder Paul Allen, Wednesday will announce plans to spin off three start-up
companies to commercialize some of its inventions. The ventures reflect an
unusual grab bag of ideas from a collection of artists and engineers who draw
much of their inspiration from children, concert-goers and other consumers.
One spinoff company, Purple Moon, is developing interactive software and
related products designed exclusively for girls between the ages of seven and 12.
Ogopogo Studios, aimed at both girls and boys, is combining live video with
computer-generated images so that kids can place themselves in imaginary
landscapes and situations. The third, Carnelian Inc., has developed technology
for letting publishers transmit information over the Internet to subscribers,
establishing new payment mechanisms and protections against copyright
infringement.
<snip> <snip>
Carnelian, also in Mountain View, will develop ways for publishers to develop
on-line businesses while preserving key aspects of their print business. Based on
research involving so-called agent programs that traverse the World Wide Web
to find information, Carnelian is designing products that will enable publishers to
set pricing tiers for services that push information at users, augmenting today's
free Web content that users must seek out, Mr. Liddle said. |
