Be half-year figures boasts jump in turnover

OS vendor Be has reported a 27 per cent increase in turnover for the six months ended 30 June, compared with the same period last year.

The vendor reached turnover of $846,000, up from $666,000 for the first six months of 1998. But it incurred a slightly worse loss of $6.6m in its second quarter than the $5.7m loss recorded for the same period a year ago.

In a prepared statement, Jean-Louis Gassee, chief executive of Be, said: "This is the first time we are posting financial results as a public company and we are pleased to have recorded revenue growth."

In Europe, Be has an OEM agreement with Fujitsu, as well as a reseller deal with Koch Media.

The vendor also recently signed a distribution contract with high street retailer Dixons and is looking for a replacement for the defunct Principal Distribution.

Be's operating system is designed for digital media applications and internet appliances. The vendor has also announced an agreement to integrate RealNetworks streaming multimedia application RealPlayer G2 with the next version of its operating system.

A spokeswoman for Computer Unlimited, which has bought certain assets of Principal, said it was in negotiations with a number of Principal's key vendors.