
According to CNet, Cisco announced that its Linksys division will acquire Kiss Technology of Denmark, for $61 million. As you probably know, Cisco bought Sipura Technology, an ATA manufacturer for its Linksys division.
As CNet points out, "Cisco has built a portfolio of products around the Linksys brand, which includes voice over IP and wireless and networking equipment for home and small-office users. But this is the first purchase of a true consumer electronics company".
I actually considered buying one of Kiss's products. Kiss makes networked DVD players, media players, recorders, and plasma monitors. Their DVD products and media players can be connected to the Internet to provide video on demand.
I wonder if this means that Cisco/Linksys are going after the same market that Microsoft is going after - namely the living room? So now you have the recent Google vs. Microsoft battle and now a Cisco/Linksys vs. Microsoft battle! To quote the old hags/witches in "Clash of the Titans" - "A titan against a titan! WAHAHA!!!!" <I really need to find that WAV file and attach it here for the true effect! Not to mention one of my favorite movie lines of all time also from Clash of the Titans - "The eye... Give us back the eye...>
So now that Linksys owns several VoIP products and now a consumer video product, when is Linksys going to "converge" the two genres resulting in a VoIP DVD Firewall Streaming Media Player? 
Kiss me Cisco!
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Tom picked up on this thread from CNET. It looks like Cisco is still hot on the acquisition trail, today they announced their Linksys division has aquired Kiss Technology of Denmark. Kiss manufacturers DVD players and Digital Video Recorders or... Read More



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This Cisco/Kiss announcement spurred some creating TMC'ers to start an internal email thread with some funny gems. Had me cracking up!
thought I'd share:
Ted Glanzer:
- Detroit Rock City: Get up, IP telephony is on its feet, get down, everybody pays a lesser fee.
- It’s a perfect marriage of technology with rockin’. I wanna rock and roll all night and cisco every day.
Greg Galitzine: ( http://voip-blog.tmcnet.com/blog/greg-galitzine/ )
- i can just hear the first strains of Beth overlaying an image of someone placing a call using Cisco IP Telephony: Beth I hear you calling....
David Butcher:
- New name: Kissco.
(Too easy. Sorry.)