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Business Briefs

Reported by Star-Bulletin staff & wire

Monday, January 17, 2000

Hawaii tourism blitz hits mainland malls

Hawaii's marketing push for visitors goes to upscale shopping centers on the mainland beginning this month.

A mobile Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau interactive display will tout Hawaii attractions to mall customers in 25 U.S. cities.

The first stop is Jan. 28 at the Northbrook Mall in a Chicago suburb.

Called "Experience Aloha! Hawaii on Tour," the display is being used to target cities the HVCB considers strong potential markets for Hawaii tourism.

It will include ceremonies, demonstrations and performances as well as interactive displays, virtual-reality exhibits, activities for children and samplings of Hawaii foods and other products. M3 Marketing Group of Detroit is conducting the $1 million campaign.

Secret computer chip slated for unveiling

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- A top-secret computer chip designed and funded by a powerful group of high-tech leaders is slated to roll out Wednesday amid a flurry of high expectations -- and intrigue.

For the past five years, Transmeta Corp. has secretly toiled away on the project under the leadership of CEO David Ditzel, a former chip designer for AT&T Corp.'s Bell Labs and Sun Microsystems Inc. What makes Transmeta all the more interesting is the cast of characters attached to the Santa Clara-based company. Employees include superstar designers like Linux creator Linus Torvalds, while investors consist of industry barons like Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen and billionaire financier George Soros.

Report: Nokia No. 1 in wireless phones

Nokia Oyj dominated the U.S. wireless phone market last year with more than 34 percent of cellular and digital handset sales, according to a new report by the Strategis Group. Motorola Inc. had the second largest share of the market at 23.1 percent, while Qualcomm Inc. commanded 12 percent, the report said.