Sony Corp. of Japan certified that Catalyst Semiconductor's (www.catalyst-semiconductor.com) environment management system meets the requirements of the Sony Green Partner Program. That program encourages suppliers to introduce Green Partner environmental-management systems and products.

Carrier Access Corp. (www.carrieraccess.com) completed the acquisition of Paragon Networks International, Inc. The combined company will be headquartered in Boulder, Colo.

Electro Rent (www.ElectroRent.com) launched a new web site. This resource is designed to further simplify test and measurement acquisition. New and existing customers can search Electro Rent's database of 4500 models and options by model, manufacturer, and product categories.

InterDigital Communications Corp. (www.interdigital.com) appointed two independent members to the company's Board of Directors: Robert W. Shaner, former President of Wireless Operations, Cingular Wireless LLC, and Alan P. Zabarsky, Founder and CEO, Technology Consulting Associates, Inc. Joseph S. Colson, a Director of the company since 1998, stepped down as a member of InterDigital's Board of Directors. Soon after the previous announcements, the company also appointed Ed Kamins to its Board of Directors. Currently, he is CIO and Senior Vice President at Avnet, Inc.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded an $800,000 wireless-networking research grant to a consortium led by the Stevens Institute of Technology (www.stevens.edu/winsec), the University of Colorado at Boulder and Cambridge (www.colorado.edu), and Vanu, Inc. (www.vanu.com). The NSF research grant supports the development of a test bed that combines advanced-networking and wireless-communication technologies. That test bed will enable research on systems in which mobile devices are simultaneously connected to multiple wireless networks while using flexible software radios to improve quality of service, security, and performance.

QuickLogic Corp. (www.quicklogic.com) acquired a number of IP modules from Netherlands-based Quest Innovations B.V. Initially, QuickLogic will focus on integrating Quest's IP modules into the QuickMIPS family of programmable systems-on-a-chip (SoCs). It can then deliver system solutions for a range of emerging market segments, including in-car infotainment systems and video and data streaming inside the enterprise.

BelAir Networks (www.belairnetworks.com) secured $15 million in Series B financing, bringing the total investment in the company to $22 million. JPMorgan Partners led the second round of financing. It was joined by first-round BelAir Networks investors VenGrowth Capital Partners, Inc., BDC Venture Capital, and Dr. Adam Chowaniec, Chairman of the Board of Tundra Semiconductor Corp.

The Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC) announced that ARM's (www.arm.com) Graham Wilkinson has been elected to lead the EEMBC (www.eembc.org) group that develops certifiable benchmarks for embedded Java implementations. Wilkinson is the Technical Leader of the Java team at ARM. As EEMBC Java Chairman, he succeeds Rod Crawford, Java Debug Product Manager at ARM, who is stepping down from the chairmanship following more than two years of service to the consortium.

Enthone, Inc., a Cookson Electronics Company (www.cooksonelectronics.com), was awarded a single ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System (QMS) certificate for all seven of its North American operations. Specifically, the facilities in West Haven, Conn.; Orange, Conn.; Londonderry, N.H.; Bridgeview, Ill.; Irvine, Calif.; Toronto, Ontario; and Mexico City, Mexico received the single certificate. ISO 9001:2000 certification connotes that Enthone is compliant to International Standards Organization (ISO) quality-management systems.

Eagle Broadband, Inc. (www.eaglebroadband.com) successfully completed a $10 million Q-series bond offering. The company is using the $10 million net proceeds from the private, convertible offering to accelerate expansion plans, reduce accounts payables, settle lawsuits, and improve the company's balance sheet, cash position, and liquidity.

International Rectifier (www.irf.com) initiated the next phase in its product-conversion program for lead-free finish packages. The company initiated certain product conversions to lead-free packages early last year. It then began rigorous evaluation and qualification programs to achieve product performance to specification at the higher re-flow temperatures associated with lead-free processing.

The OSGi Alliance (www.osgi.org) formed the Mobile Expert Group. This working body is comprised of industry leaders including BMW; Gatespace Telematics; IBM; Motorola; Nokia; Oracle; Panasonic; ProSyst; Siemens VDO Automotive; Sun Microsystems; Telcordia Technologies; and others. The Mobile Expert Group is chartered with defining requirements and specifications for the next generation of Java-technology-based platform software, which targets data-capable mobile devices. Leveraging the OSGi Service Platform, the Mobile Expert Group will work to define specifications that expand the current marketplace for downloadable games. By encompassing downloadable middleware and extended APIs, the industry can enable end users to accomplish multiple tasks simultaneously using the same device. In addition, the Mobile Expert Group will work toward facilitating the growth of the Java developer community by enabling new services for mobile users around the world while accommodating existing application run-time environments.

Spirent Communications (www.spirentcom.com) and Anite (www.anite.com) have partnered to speed the delivery of third-generation (3G) wireless terminal test systems to the mobile industry. By combining their complementary technologies in joint marketing and development activities, both companies hope to increase their core strengths while broadening their respective product portfolios.