Saturday, June 5, 2010

Immersion's shareholders' meeting

from the IV MB, by PVTOMA:

>>Shareholder Meeting Update

The new TS 5000 technology is very crisp and is clearly distinguishable solution to the TS 2000 and other actuator based solutions. TS 5000 uses piezo technology. Repeated that client feedback is strong and should have a product out this year. I liked the device but will not go on about how good it is as the market will determine that.

There was a Samsung camera with a touch screen. Asked if there was a press release on this device and was told “no”. Unfortunately Samsung needs to approve any press release regarding their products and when asked for approval, they consistently decline. Big corporation and I assume they probably don’t want to spread it to the competition. However IMMR has been posting it to their website on certain occasions and that does not cross the grey line. http://www.immersion.com/partners/haptics-in-use/consumer-electronics.html Not every product is here but some of the more meaningful ones. Clearly Samsung is pushing haptics through all product lines. A mobile music device from Samsung was also displayed as was a PND that was a Best Buy branded device.

The biggest news personally for me was about the “immersion killers” and “new competition” to our haptics that I have read about in the press. I specifically asked about new competition and was told that there was none really to speak of, outside of not using haptics. I further inquired about a past article that described a different type of haptics. Vic explained that the mechanical delivery method, being either actuator based devices, the piezo devices or the thin film devices, that I read about are just one piece of the solution. For the one example I gave Vic he said that IMMR was working with that company and the press reported that it was new competition to us. Not true. Basically the press does not understand the eco system and that company brands that solution under their name. Immersion encourages all sorts of different mechanical solutions to deliver the haptics effect. It helps our technology grow, creates competition and could help produce better effects at lower costs. The mechanical piece is only one part of the solution. Immersion holds the keys (knowledge, experience and most importantly the IP) to the other two parts that create the entire solution. The net of it is that someone may create a better mechanical delivery device but that would only be to the benefit of IMMR.

Microsoft:
IMMR works with them to create designs for them and we do get paid for this work! The more MSFT uses haptics the better for market acceptance– was their view.

That’s about it. It did not appear that anyone from Ramius was there.
There were 18 million shares voted for the accounting firm and 7 million approving the new director.

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