Shares in internet software developer Spyglass Inc leapt another 15.5% yesterday to $13 on news of a multi-million contract with Motorola Inc for what is likely to be a fully interactive set-top box to be unveiled next month. Motorola said that Spyglass technology – along with that from other companies – will be used in a revolutionary new consumer product to be launched at the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam next month. While Motorola is entering a crowded market, it hopes to leapfrog the opposition with superior interactive functions, particularly as Microsoft CE-based systems are held back by the lack of a real-time operating system. Spyglass, which has been working on the project for some time, described it as a multimedia platform for both internet and over-the-air content. This is the latest in a recent stream of wins from Spyglass, which is transforming itself from a web browser company to a web browser device company. The next major contract to be announced by Spyglass will be with Symbian, a co-operative joint venture between the software division of UK-based Psion Plc and the three biggest mobile phone companies in the world, LM Ericsson, Nokia Oy and Motorola Inc. The wireless information devices that the companies are to make will need web browsing capabilities. While Symbian is tight-lipped about a deal, a licensing deal with Spyglass is likely to be announced shortly.
