Uri Mayer, formerly president and CEO of LISATek, Inc.—which was recently acquired by CoWare, Inc. (www.CoWare.com)—was named VP, European Field Operations. Mayer will oversee CoWare's expanding European presence. The company will be establishing CoWare GmbH in Munich, Germany.

SageGroup Strategies (www.sagegroupstrategies.com) has opened a SGS Beijing Office to serve troubled and untroubled China-related American and Chinese companies throughout both countries.

Hier Design, Inc. (www.hierdesign.com) announced itself as an electronic-design-automation (EDA) industry newcomer. The company is intent on delivering software for high-speed, high-complexity FGPA designs—a market overlooked by traditional EDA suppliers.

Waterloo Maple has introduced the name Maplesoft (www.maplesoft.com) as its primary business name. Most product, service, promotional, and corporate communications will be presented through Maplesoft.

Ethertronics (www.ethertronics.com) appointed Michael Isgrig its new VP of Marketing and Business Development (Photo 1). In addition, Dr. Gregory Poilasne has been named Director of Applications Engineering. His goal is to champion the acquisition and support of new wireless-OEM customers. The company also expanded its sales team.

Digital Bridges (www.digitalbridges.com) created dbi distribution, an international distribution service for Java mobile-games developers. By leveraging the company's relationships with numerous, diverse mobile-entertainment distribution channels, dbi distribution should provide an exceptional route to market for developers of J2ME or "Java" games on mobile phones.

Liebert Corp. (www.liebert.com) launched Consultant's Corner, a secure Web-based resource for engineers and consultants involved in the design, installation, and management of computer support systems. These systems include power protection, precision environmental control, and site monitoring.

SkyBitz (www.skybitz.com) selected Andy Wood as CEO. Wood combines experience in managing emerging-technology companies with knowledge of transportation and logistics.

VIA Technologies, Inc. (www.via.com) acquired the wireless-applications design center co-established with the Swedish microelectronics institute, Acreo. It is located in Lund, Sweden.

American Technology Research, Inc. (www.amtechresearch.com) added three veteran research analysts to provide independent insight on equities for institutional clients. The firm also added five trading and sales specialists.

Oxford Instruments Superconduc-tivity (www.oxfordinstruments.com) is joining the Cryogenic Instrumentation for Quantum Electronics Collaboration. It will supply cryogenic consultancy and an ultra-low-temperature (ULT) system to enable the extremely low-temperature environments that are essential for research into quantum electronics, quantum computing, and quantum nanotechnology.

Vivato (www.vivato.net) is receiving an investment from the Intel Communications Fund. The companies also plan to participate in joint marketing activities. The investment by Intel Communications Fund is part of its $150 million commitment to invest in companies with technologies that will accelerate the worldwide adoption of Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) wireless networks. The Intel Communications Fund joins an investment team of Leapfrog Ventures, U.S. Venture Partners, Walden International, Silicon Valley Bank, and GATX, bringing the total investment in Vivato to $29 million.

Psytechnics (www.psytechnics.com) has committed $1 million for the first phase of its program to address the problem of unpredictable voice quality provided by cell phones. A dedicated Mobile Voice Management Unit has been appointed to conduct research and develop products specifically for the mobile market.

Alvarion (www.alvarion.com) and The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) have entered the record books with the transmission of information via a broadband wireless link over a distance of 310 km. Guinness World Records officially recognized this as the longest distance achieved using Wi-Fi wireless connectivity. The link was made at the end of last year. It forged a connection between a stratospheric balloon that was launched from Esrange—near the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden—and a base station located near Esrange.

In other Swedish happenings, the country has built a $400 million Telematics Science Park to assist cluster growth. The Lindholmen Science Park is now the centerpiece for the country's "Telematics Valley" region.

InfoClarus (www.infoclarus.com) has merged with iConverse (www.iconverse.com). Prism Venture Partners, an early investor in iConverse, committed $8.5 million to support the merger and to capitalize on the increasing demand for mobility solutions.

The VSI Alliance (www.vsi.org) elected Michael Kaskowitz as its new President. Kaskowitz is Mentor Graphics Corp.'s (www.mentor.com) General Manager of the Intellectual Property Division (Photo 2). At the VSIA board meeting on February 27, Kaskowitz, the VSIA board, and VSIA staff began outlining the VSIA "Revitalization" Plan. Their goal is to define new programs that will focus on the business issues of reuse and SoC development, while bringing more resources to its executive members.

SavaJe Technologies, Inc. (www.savaje.com) announced the closing of its oversubscribed Series B round for $17.5 million. SavaJe's total raised capital has now reached $29.5 million. New Investors RRE Ventures, Orange Ventures, and Vodafone Ventures participated in equal amounts with existing investors New Venture Partners and Ridgewood Capital. The funding will be used to execute on initial deployments of SavaJe's wireless-handset OS in Europe, Asia, and the U.S.

WorldCell (www.worldcell.com) formed the WorldCell Roaming Service Bureau (RSB), Ltd. Supposedly, operators employing WorldCell RSB can now let their subscribers use mobile phones and their existing phone numbers anywhere in the world, irrespective of the technology used by their home network.