Moto To Buy Good Technology

Motorola Friday announced it's signed a definitive agreement to acquire Good Technology. Good Tech, a privately held firm based in Santa Clara, Calif., is a developer of mobile computing software and a provider of mobile computing services. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Good Technology is a competitor to Blackberry and designs mobile solutions for a variety of handhelds from HTC, HP, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, Samsung and Symbol. Its specific technologies fall into three categories:

• Good Mobile Messaging for Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, Small Business Server and Hosted Edition;
• Good Mobile Defense, a security solution for enterprise handhelds; and
• Good Mobile Intranet, which provides mobile access to corporate intranets.

Motorola says it will add Good's technologies to its Mobile Devices business. At present, Good Tech's software and services are used in more than 12,000 enterprises globally. Motorola says it plans to extend the customer base for Good's software and services beyond the enterprise.

"The acquisition will extend Motorola's mobile computing capabilities and increase the company's enterprise client base," Motorola said in a released statement. "Good Technology's wireless messaging, data access and handheld security offerings provide intuitive and advanced productivity solutions for mobile professionals with enterprise-level device security and management."

The acquisition is expected to close in early 2007 but is subject to regulatory approval...

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eCollege Reports Record Revenues

Service provider eCollege has released its financial results for the third fiscal quarter, ended Sept. 30, 2006. The company reported record revenues for the quarter of $30.6 million, up from $26.4 million in Q3 2005.

eCollege provides information services to post-secondary and K-12 education, and its eLearning division designs, builds and supports various online programs for obtaining degrees, certificates and diplomas, as well as programs for professional development. The company also operates a division called Datamark, which helps build enrollment and student retention.

Net income for the third quarter of 2006 totaled $1.7 million compared to net income of $1.8 million for the third quarter of 2005. Results for Q3 2006 included a one-time charge (pre-tax) of $750,000 related to the company's enrollment division. Adjusted net income was $3.4 million for the third quarter of 2006, compared with adjusted net income of $3.4 million for the third quarter of 2005.

Recent highlights for the company, cited from eCollege's financial statement, include:

• For the 2006 summer academic term, which impacts both the second and third quarters, the total number of distance student enrollments supported by the eLearning Division was approximately 271,000, up 61 percent from approximately 168,000 distance student enrollments in the summer term of 2005.
• For the 2006 fall academic term, which impacts both the third and fourth quarters, the total number of distance student enrollments is expected to be approximately 465,000, up 66 percent from approximately 280,000 distance student enrollments in the fall term of 2005.
• The Company signed two new platinum customers in the third quarter, one at the eLearning division and one at the Enrollment division. The Company has signed ten platinum customers year-to-date, including seven at the eLearning division and three at the Enrollment division.
• In the third quarter, the eCollege System hit its all time highest day of usage, supporting 18.5 million usage minutes (more than 35 years of learning) in a single day.
• The eLearning Division has so far renewed all three of its Top 20 customers that were up for renewal in 2006, and eight of the nine Top 40 customers that were up for renewal in 2006.

The company has also announced that it's looking at "strategic alternatives" for its enrollment division, and, starting next quarter, will list results from that division as an asset held for sale using a discontinued operations treatment...

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About the author: Dave Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's educational technology online publications and electronic newsletters. He can be reached at [email protected].

Have any additional questions? Want to share your story? Want to pass along a news tip? Contact Dave Nagel, executive editor, at [email protected]