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Technology Stocks : Thrustmaster (NASDAQ:TMSR) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: esecurities(tm) who wrote (2194)	6/1/1999 1:04:00 AM
From: Timothy Detjens	Respond to of 2443

Still [More On] Defensible Franchises Just some clarifications: >* ALL ThrustMaster critically acclaimed products perceived by TMSR >management as Indefensible Commodity Franchises >http://www.thrustmaster.com This really is correct - hence their continuing market slide while Logitech manages 35% gross margins. They have their hard core fans, but hard core flight simmers are pretty much a non growth area at this point. >Another superior shareholder value maximization opportunity by simply strategically aligning with Game Commander and integrating with Talk 'n Play(.)... This would not have worked either, although it would result in amusing results. Game Commander is for voice control of a game - you wouldn't be able to talk to people and command your game at the same time. This is an either or type of thing, until a computer can understand context. >Figure it out Intel®...quickly...you are simply tying anticipated Multi-Point fortunes with a management team which is simply in denial... They have figured it out, it is just you haven't yet. Multi-point is in no way tied to Thrustmaster. Multi-point is simply a feature of the H.323 stack. This is an OPEN STANDARD developed by a consortium of companies, including Intel, MSFT, CISCO, LUCENT and the like. Since you probably aren't technical, think of it as an IP stack (Internet Protocol) - anyone can use it or can create their own implementation of it. Intel is was simply hawking their IMPLEMENTATION of it, every one has access to it - that's the idea. So multi-point isn't a defensible franchise for Intel either. It was created for the purpose of compatibility across all videophones and telephony (or whatever other data could be thought of). Everyone uses it. Intel worked with RealNetworks to create a working application for multipoint broadcast (one to many, like a TV station). Others, like VocalTec, offer a premade, ready to license H.323, stack as well. And you can bet your bottom dollar, that if it takes off, MS will include it as in integrated part of Windows, just like they did with IP, leaving all independent IP stack makers eating dirt. MSNetmeeting is already run on it, and MS can, whenever they have the whim to do so, and maybe stop giving Netmeeting away for free, they can add multipoint to it easily. Multipoint H.323 is what gives Cuceemes confencing video phone (which on a side note, is down to one copy at my local CompUSA, while Talk N' Play hasn't moved one) it's ability as well. This is all thoroughly documented in technical papers linked to Intel's site, if you care to sift through them. Intel's entire purpose is to promote increased processor usage, always has been, always will be. That's their business. Therefore Thrustmaster doesn't have any defensible franchise, and they have done a terrible job of squeeking out any one time revenue from what they do have. It is my belief that they never really thought that they did, but you can opt for the ignorance plea. I wouldn't buy it, because I can't believe that anyone could be that daft. Of course, if you still are waiting for Intel to suddenly save the day, you might want to invest in Sausage Software - they licensed technology from them as well, and got similar support.

To: esecurities(tm) who wrote (2194)	6/1/1999 12:34:00 PM
From: esecurities(tm)	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 2443

INTERNET--(esecurities.W)--June 1, 1999 - What Do The MMs Know? [9:50 AM EDT] two (2) trades of 100 shares each at 24 1/8 -13/16 executed...market maker(s) banging the bid?...an[other] attempt to shake out shares?...what do they know?...and when did they know it?...if anything...viz a viz the seemingly irreconcilable TMSR sustaining historically high stock prices and "A" ACC/DIS v. Hausmann's indefensible 'Defensible Franchises' proclamation, launching WeCanTalk.com 'Defensible Franchise' initiatives under ThrustMaster, Hausmann's Indefensible Franchise Business Unit, confusing circumstances surrounding TMSRs Vice President of Marketing leaving, seemingly anemic Talk 'n Play retail sell-through, iConference mid-May availability at chumbo.com [Teleconferencing and White Board] yet nothing? and no knowledge of availability as confirmed by Jeff "<http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/990422/or_thrustm_1.html>"* Hemenway at ~11:10 AM EDT June 1, 1999... © copyright 1999 SiliconNewswire.com. All Rights Reserved. *THRUSTMASTER SIGNS WITH CHUMBO.COM™ TO OFFER WECANTALK.COM INTERNET VOICE CONFERENCING SOFTWARE Talk n' Play™ and iConference™ Make Leading-Edge Internet Voice Conferencing Possible for Chumbo.com's Home, Small Business, and OEM Customers Hillsboro, Oregon, April 22, 1999 -- ThrustMaster, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMSR), today announced that it has signed an agreement with Chumbo.com to offer Talk n' Play and iConference, ThrustMaster's multi-person Internet voice conferencing solutions, to consumers and business users through Chumbo.com's award winning Internet retail software store and to hardware OEMs. Chumbo.com's OEM customers include six of the top ten PC manufacturers. Chumbo's Internet Retail Software store received the PC Magazine Editor's Choice Award for "Best Software Store on the Web" for two consecutive years. "We're very pleased to make these exciting products available to our customers," said Jeff Hemenway, Sr. Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Chumbo.com. "They represent leading edge software we continually seek to provide our customers. Talk n' Play and iConference both offer breakthrough integrated multi-person Internet voice communication, instant messaging, and community solutions to meet the high performance standards we insist upon. We predict Talk n' Play and iConference will be very popular with our many home and SOHO customers as well as our OEMs," added Hemenway. The WeCanTalk.com Products Talk n' Play, now shipping, and iConference, targeted to ship mid-May, are the first two product solutions of the ThrustMaster WeCanTalk.com product portfolio. They are designed to provide multi-person Internet voice conferencing and community solutions to the mass market. Talk n' Play is an exciting new software solution that lets up to four people talk and play games over the Internet at the same time from four separate locations. Users can talk with people over the Internet, from anywhere in the world, with no long distance fees. Talk n' Play allows users to play games over the same Internet connection, eliminating the need to type text messages to each other while playing. Talk n' Play includes 28 ready-to-play Internet games, as well as a high-quality headset and microphone. Estimated retail price is $29.95. iConference will begin shipping in mid-May 1999. iConference delivers multi-person Internet voice communication and collaboration tools for the small and home office in an easy to use, integrated package. It includes two complete iConference multi-person Internet software solutions with business collaboration tools such as Windows application sharing, file transfer, and a shared electronic white board, plus two headset microphones. One of the solutions is prepackaged in a shipper to mail to a business associate. Estimated retail street price for the two-pack is $49.95. About Chumbo.com Chumbo.com provides a channel of distribution for independent software vendors (ISVs), an optional distribution method for PC OEMs and is a 24-hour resource for consumers and corporate clients to purchase software, DVDs and computer-related books. Chumbo Holdings Corporation, an Internet commerce company, is the parent of Point Group Corp. and Chumbo.com. Zomax Optical Media [NASDAQ: ZOMX] holds an equity interest in Chumbo Holdings Corporation. Chumbo.com can be found on the World Wide Web at www.chumbo.com..." SOURCE: ThrustMaster thrustmaster.com