FIRM'S STOCK MOVES ON SONY NEWS.
Byline: Deborah Adamson Daily News Staff WriterShares of Interlink Electronics traded heavily this week as news of the company's new deal with Sony hit the streets.
The maker of wireless computer mice, touchpads and other peripherals saw a trading volume of 349,900 on Thursday, seven times its daily average. On Wednesday, volume reached 1.4 million - 28 times its average.
Interlink closed at 4 13/16 Thursday, down 9/16. On Wednesday, the stock ended at 5-3/8, up -3/8.
Company officials believe the minimal movement in the stock price resulted from many sellers taking advantage of intraday highs in the price as they saw buyers boost demand. Wednesday's intraday high was 6-3/8; Thursday's was 5-3/4.
This week, Interlink announced that its VersaPad touchpad will be incorporated into Sony's new superslim VAIO 505G laptop, which will start selling in June.
Computer buffs use the touchpad like a computer mouse. They can even write on it, since the product recognizes handwriting.
``This notebook has done very well in Japan and there's anticipation that it will do well in the U.S.,'' said Paul Meyer, Interlink's chief financial officer.
Sony's new notebook is less than an inch thick and weighs three pounds.
The Sony deal will enable the company to sell its notebook-integrated VersaPad in the U.S. for the first time, officials said. An external version of the VersaPad already is being sold in America.
Interlink has been selling the integrated touchpad overseas, mainly in Japan.
``The real market is the U.S. market,'' Meyer said.
Touchpads are catching on among laptops as more manufacturers incorporate them into their computers, said Mike McGuire, an analyst with Dataquest, a San Jose-based market research firm specializing in the technology sector.
Touchpads are slimmer and more flexible than pointers and track balls, he said. Computer makers can add new features to touchpads more easily.
Interlink already supplies Toshiba, Hitachi, NEC and IBM with computer peripherals. The company hopes to attract the attention of Compaq and other major computer makers with its VersaPad.
Interlink reported 1997 sales of $19.2 million and profit of $30,000 (1 cent per share).
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PHOTO (Color) Interlink Electronics' VersaPad will be sold in Sony laptop computers.
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| Title Annotation: | Business |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) |
| Geographic Code: | 1USA |
| Date: | May 29, 1998 |
| Words: | 375 |
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