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To: S. M. SAIFEE who wrote (32610)	7/25/1999 12:51:00 AM
From: Captain Jack	Respond to of 45548

S M --- Read the last paragraph and a purchase by Siemens seems less likely,,,, Siemens sees electromechanical unit sale by end-99 FRANKFURT, July 24 (Reuters) - German industrial group Siemens (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: SIEG.F) AG's electromechanical components subsidiary could be sold by the end of 1999, Chief Executive Heinrich von Pierer said in an advance copy of an interview with a German newspaper. In an interview with Welt am Sonntag due to be published on Sunday, von Pierer said, ``There have been a great many enquiries, of which a half are from firms that should be taken seriously.' He added, ``I think that by the end of 1999 it (the sale) will be secured and completed.' Siemens is disposing of numerous non-core operations as part of a vast restructuring programme. It plans to float its passive components unit in October and its semicondcuctor subsidiary in late February or early March. Von Pierer also said that Siemens, revamping itself after years of criticism for having a too wide-ranging business, did not plan to enter into new areas like software production. ``Our current portfolio, a mixture of strong growth divisions and strong return units, is in order. Siemens will not become a provider of software or a network operator...At the moment we are pulling out of the cable network business,' he said.

To: S. M. SAIFEE who wrote (32610)	7/25/1999 2:45:00 PM
From: Captain Jack	Respond to of 45548

S M --- it is a shame nothing will propel this stock,, inc EB and good news. I found this very interesting... WOODSIDE, Calif., Jul 25, 1999 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Sipping coffee at Buck's Restaurant early Friday, a venture capitalist beamed a $3 million investment through his Palm organizer to the happy, startup CEO sitting nearby. Patrons munching their poached eggs and hash browns couldn't actually see the flurry of money flying through the air, but that's virtually what happened. Within seconds, the words: 'Would you like to accept the money?' popped up on Confinity CEO Peter A. Thiel's Palm organizer. He quickly tapped 'Yes.' 'Of course that's an understatement,' said Thiel. 'It should say, 'Yes, yes!' Thus came the official launch of PayPal, an instant payment service that allows people to exchange money through their Palm organizers. Here's how it works: registered users type the amount they want to pay another person into their device. They tap a 'Pay' button, and then point their device at the recipients' Palm organizer. The information is sent via infrared beam, the same way a remote control sends messages to a television. The recipient later synchronizes his device at a personal computer, directing PayPal to either deposit the money directly into their bank account, send them a check, or just keep it in an account so they can pay someone else next time. Thiel, who successfully pocketed his $3 million through his PayPal on Friday, said he expects most users to be between 20 and 35 years old, transferring much smaller amounts. The software, which is downloaded free from the Internet, is expected to be ready for widespread use this fall. In the coming years, plans are to have the system work with cellular phones and pagers as well. Like many startup high tech companies in the Silicon Valley, Confinity is focusing first on attracting users -- they're hoping for about 100, 000 next year -- before worrying about how to make it profitable. In the meantime, they do plan to skim some 'float cash' off the interest on accounts from PayPal users while their money waits to be beamed away. A similar system is used by travelers check companies, that profit off interest from money waiting in customer accounts between the time when checks are purchased and cashed. Thiel, a Stanford graduate and a former securities lawyer, worked as a high tech investor before launching his 12-employee company last year. With his Chief Technology Officer Max Levchin, who founded NetMeridian Software, and backed by hand-held encryption pioneer Dan Boneh, a computer science professor at Stanford University, Thiel said they are confident their system is 'safer and easier than cash, credit cards or checks.' Rob Sterling, an analyst for Jupiter Communications in New York, said he thinks plenty of the 4 million Palm organizer users will add PayPal to their device. 'If two people go out for dinner and decide to the split the tab, one person points their palm device at the other persons palm device and it's done. The money is passed,' he said. 'You're basically enabling the person to transmit money, and I think there's a niche for that.' ---- EDITOR'S NOTE: PayPal is expected to be available this fall at www.confinity.com