Neonode Inc. - Quarter Report: 2007 January (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
one)
x
Quarterly
report pursuant to section 13 or 15(d)
of
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For
the quarterly period ended January 31, 2007
o
Transition
report pursuant to section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities
and Exchange Act of 1934
For
the
transition period from _______ to ________
Commission
file number 0-8419
SBE,
INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
|
94-1517641
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
|
incorporation
or organization)
|
Identification
No.)
|
4000
Executive Parkway, Suite 200, San Ramon, California 94583
(Address
of principal executive offices and zip code)
(925)
355-2000
(Registrant's
telephone number, including area code)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to
be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the
preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the registrant was required
to
file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for
the
past 90 days.
Yes
x
No
¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer” in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2.
Large
Accelerated Filer ¨ Accelerated
Filer ¨ Non
Accelerated Filer x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Yes ¨
No
x
The
number of shares of registrant's common stock outstanding as of March 12, 2007
was 11,142,831.
SBE,
INC.
INDEX
TO JANUARY 31, 2007 FORM 10-Q
PART
I
|
Financial
Information
|
|||
Item
1
|
Financial
Statements
|
|||
Condensed
Balance Sheets as of January 31, 2007 (unaudited) and October 31,
2006
|
3
|
|||
Condensed
Statements of Operations for the three months ended January 31,
2007 and
2006 (unaudited)
|
4
|
|||
Condensed
Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended January 31,
2007 and
2006 (unaudited)
|
5
|
|||
Notes
to Condensed Financial Statements
|
6
|
|||
Item
2
|
Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
17
|
||
|
||||
Item
3
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
|
29
|
||
Item
4
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
29
|
||
PART
II
|
Other
Information
|
|||
Item
1A
|
Risk
Factors
|
30
|
||
Item
6
|
Exhibits
|
36
|
||
SIGNATURES
|
39
|
|||
EXHIBITS
|
|
-2-
PART
I. Financial
Information
Item
1. Financial
Statements
SBE,
INC.
CONDENSED
BALANCE SHEETS
(In
thousands)
January
31,
|
October
31,
|
||||||
2007
|
2006
(A)
|
||||||
ASSETS
|
(unaudited)
|
||||||
Current
assets:
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$
|
443
|
$
|
1,147
|
|||
Trade
accounts receivable, net
|
963
|
930
|
|||||
Inventories
|
714
|
739
|
|||||
Other
|
221
|
177
|
|||||
Total
current assets
|
2,341
|
2,993
|
|||||
Property,
plant and equipment, net
|
458
|
508
|
|||||
Capitalized
software costs, net
|
1,126
|
1,314
|
|||||
Other
|
52
|
53
|
|||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
3,977
|
$
|
4,868
|
|||
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
|||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
|||||||
Trade
accounts payable
|
$
|
622
|
$
|
557
|
|||
Accrued
payroll and employee benefits
|
54
|
105
|
|||||
Capital
lease obligations - current portion
|
56
|
54
|
|||||
Deferred
software revenue
|
299
|
432
|
|||||
Other
accrued expenses
|
232
|
144
|
|||||
Total
current liabilities
|
1,263
|
1,292
|
|||||
Capital
lease obligations
|
144
|
158
|
|||||
Deferred
rent
|
88
|
97
|
|||||
Total
liabilities
|
1,495
|
1,547
|
|||||
Commitments
(note 7)
|
|||||||
Stockholders'
equity:
|
|||||||
Common
stock
|
35,476
|
35,186
|
|||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(32,994
|
)
|
(31,865
|
)
|
|||
Total
stockholders' equity
|
2,482
|
3,321
|
|||||
Total
liabilities and stockholders' equity
|
$
|
3,977
|
$
|
4,868
|
(A)
Derived from audited financial statements
See
notes
to condensed financial statements.
-3-
SBE,
INC.
CONDENSED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In
thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
Three
months ended
|
|||||||
January
31,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
Net
sales
|
$
|
1,207
|
$
|
1,400
|
|||
Operating
expenses:
|
|||||||
Amortization
and impairment of acquired
|
|||||||
software
and intellectual property
|
188
|
1,022
|
|||||
Cost
of hardware and other revenue
|
734
|
803
|
|||||
Product
research and development
|
585
|
946
|
|||||
Sales
and marketing
|
364
|
598
|
|||||
General
and administrative
|
462
|
771
|
|||||
Total
operating expenses
|
2,333
|
4,140
|
|||||
Operating
loss
|
(1,126
|
)
|
(2,740
|
)
|
|||
Interest
and other income
|
1
|
18
|
|||||
Loss
before income taxes
|
(1,125
|
)
|
(2,722
|
)
|
|||
Provision
for income taxes
|
4
|
5
|
|||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(1,129
|
)
|
$
|
(2,727
|
)
|
|
Basic
and diluted loss per share
|
$
|
(0.10
|
)
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
|
Basic
and diluted - shares used in per share
|
|||||||
computations
|
11,051
|
9,895
|
See
notes
to condensed financial statements.
-4-
SBE,
INC.
CONDENSED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In
thousands)
(Unaudited)
Three
months ended
|
|||||||
January
31,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
|||||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(1,129
|
)
|
$
|
(2,727
|
)
|
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash
|
|||||||
used
in operating activities:
|
|||||||
Stock-based
compensation
|
290
|
445
|
|||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
242
|
1,086
|
|||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
|
|||||||
Trade
accounts receivable
|
(33
|
)
|
496
|
||||
Inventories
|
25
|
(350
|
)
|
||||
Other
assets
|
(43
|
)
|
82
|
||||
Trade
accounts payable
|
65
|
190
|
|||||
Other
current liabilities
|
(94
|
)
|
(6
|
)
|
|||
Other
non-current liabilities
|
(23
|
)
|
81
|
||||
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
(700
|
)
|
(703
|
)
|
|||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
|||||||
Purchases
of property and equipment
|
(4
|
)
|
(148
|
)
|
|||
Purchase
of software
|
—
|
(20
|
)
|
||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(4
|
)
|
(168
|
)
|
|||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
|||||||
Stock
offering expense
|
—
|
(2
|
)
|
||||
Proceeds
from stock plans
|
—
|
5
|
|||||
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
—
|
3
|
|||||
Net
decrease in cash and cash equivalents
|
(704
|
)
|
(868
|
)
|
|||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
1,147
|
3,632
|
|||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
$
|
443
|
$
|
2,764
|
See
notes
to condensed financial statements.
-5-
SBE,
INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(UNAUDITED)
1. Interim
Period Reporting:
These
condensed financial statements of SBE, Inc. are unaudited, and include all
adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, that are, in the
opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial
position and results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods
presented. The results of operations for the three-month period ended January
31, 2007 are not necessarily indicative of expected results for the full 2007
fiscal year.
Certain
information and footnote disclosures normally contained in financial statements
prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles have been
condensed or omitted. These condensed consolidated financial statements should
be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes contained in
our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2006.
Liquidity
The
accompanying financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis,
which contemplates the realization of assets and
the settlement of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of
business. As reflected in the accompanying financial statements, as of
January 31, 2007, we had cash and cash equivalents on hand of $443,000 with
cash
used in operations of approximately $0.7 million in the three months ended
January 31, 2007 and an accumulated deficit of approximately $32.9
million. Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on
our ability to complete the transactions related to the sale of our embedded
hardware business to One Stop Systems, Inc. (One Stop Systems) and our merger
with Neonode Inc. (Neonode). Our independent registered public accountants
stated in their opinion for the year ended October 31, 2006 that there is
substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
We
are
not generating cash from operations and have been incurring significant losses.
Unless we are able to increase our revenues or decrease expenses substantially,
we will not have sufficient cash generated from our business activities to
support our operations for the next 12 months. We have embarked on multiple
initiatives to address this problem and maximize shareholder value. We signed
definitive agreements to sell our hardware business to One Stop Systems and
merge our remaining company operations with Neonode. The majority of our cash
flow from operations and our operating expenses have been generated from our
embedded hardware business that we are selling. We are seeking to close the
sale
of our embedded hardware business in our second quarter of fiscal 2007. We
expect the $2.2 million cash proceeds from the sale of our embedded hardware
business to be sufficient to support our remaining operations until the Neonode
transaction closes, or for at least the next 12 months if the merger is delayed.
We are also considering other strategic alternatives including liquidation
and
selling our storage software business.
-6-
If
we are
unable to consummate the sale of our embedded hardware business and the merger
transaction, we will need to reduce expenses further and raise additional
capital through customer prepayments or the issuance of debt or equity
securities. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of preferred
stock
or debt, these securities could have rights, privileges or preferences senior
to
those of common stock, and debt covenants could impose restrictions on our
operations. The sale of equity or debt could result in additional dilution
to
current stockholders, and such financing may not be available to us on
acceptable terms, if at all.
Management
Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles in the U.S. requires us to make estimates and assumptions
that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, as well as certain
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial
statements and the reported amounts of net
sales
and
expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these
estimates. Significant estimates and judgments made by us include matters such
as warranty obligations, indemnification obligations, collectibility of accounts
receivable, realizability of inventories and recoverability of capitalized
software and deferred tax assets.
2. Inventories:
Net
inventories comprise the following (in thousands):
|
|
January
31,
|
|
October
31,
|
|
||
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
||
Finished
goods
|
$
|
356
|
$
|
273
|
|||
Parts
and materials
|
358
|
466
|
|||||
$
|
714
|
$
|
739
|
The
total
reserve for slow moving and obsolete inventory is $2,570,000 and $2,567,000
at
January 31, 2007 and October 31, 2006, respectively. All of the inventory
relates to the embedded hardware business and will be transferred to One Stop
Systems upon consummation of the asset sale transaction.
3.
Capitalized Software:
Capitalized
software costs comprise the following (in thousands):
|
|
January
31,
|
|
October
31,
|
|
||
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|||
Purchased
software
|
$
|
14,217
|
$
|
14,217
|
|||
Less
accumulated amortization
|
(13,091
|
)
|
(12,903
|
)
|
|||
$
|
1,126
|
$
|
1,314
|
-7-
We
capitalized $0, $20,000 and $40,000 of purchased software costs in the three
months ended January 31, 2007 and 2006 and for the fiscal year ended October,
31, 2006, respectively. Amortization of capitalized software costs totaled
$188,000 and $1,022,000 for the three months ended January 31, 2007 and 2006,
respectively. Capitalized software costs consist
of the allocation of the software relating to current products and the design
of
future storage software products acquired in connection with our acquisition
of
PyX Technologies, Inc. in July 2005. In the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006,
we recorded an asset impairment charge of $6.5 million against our earnings
for
the period, reducing our storage software asset to $1.3 million, which
represented the present value of the expected future sales of our storage
software products less costs. We amortize the remaining $1.3 million balance
of
capitalized software at October 31, 2006 to amortization and impairment of
acquired software and intellectual property on a straight line basis over 21
months, which is the expected useful life and does not materially differ from
the expected cash inflow from the sale of products related to the acquired
storage software product line. It
is our
belief that no impairment to the remaining $1.1 million balance of our software
asset exists as of January 31, 2007.
4. Net
Loss Per Share:
Basic
loss per common share for the three months ended January 31, 2007 and 2006
was
computed by dividing the net loss for such periods by the weighted average
number of shares of common stock outstanding for such periods. Common stock
equivalents for the three months ended January 31, 2007 and 2006 were
anti-dilutive and as such are not included in the calculation of diluted net
loss per share.
Three
months ended
January
31,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
Common
Stock Equivalents
|
|||||||
Common
stock equivalents excluded
|
|||||||
in
the computation of net loss per share
|
87
|
504
|
Three
months ended
January
31,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
(in
thousands, except per share amounts)
|
|||||||
Basic
|
|||||||
Weighted
average number of
|
|||||||
common
shares outstanding
|
11,051
|
9,895
|
|||||
Number
of shares for computation of
|
|||||||
net
loss per share
|
11,051
|
9,895
|
|||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(1,129
|
)
|
$
|
(2,727
|
)
|
|
Net
loss per share
|
$
|
(0.10
|
)
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
|
Diluted
|
|||||||
Weighted
average number of
|
|||||||
common
shares outstanding
|
11,051
|
9,895
|
|||||
Shares
issuable pursuant to options granted
|
|||||||
under
stock option plans and warrants granted,
|
|||||||
less
assumed repurchase at the average fair
|
|||||||
market
value for the period
|
(a
|
)
|
(a
|
)
|
|||
Number
of shares for computation of
|
|||||||
net
loss per share
|
11,051
|
9,895
|
|||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(1,129
|
)
|
$
|
(2,727
|
)
|
|
Net
loss per share
|
$
|
(0.10
|
)
|
$
|
(0.28
|
)
|
(a) |
In
loss periods, all common share equivalents would have an anti-dilutive
effect on
net
loss
per share and therefore have been
excluded.
|
-8-
5.
Stock-Based Compensation:
Effective
November 1, 2005, we adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS)
123(R), Share
Based Payments,
using
the modified prospective method, which requires measurement of compensation
cost
for all stock-based awards at fair value on the grant date and recognition
of
compensation expense over the requisite service period for awards expected
to
vest. In addition, SFAS 123(R) requires us to estimate future forfeitures and
adjust our estimate on a quarterly basis. SFAS 123(R) also requires a
classification change in the statement of cash flows whereby the income tax
benefit from stock option exercises is reported as financing cash flow rather
than an operating cash flow as previously reported. The fair value of stock
option grants is determined using the Black-Scholes valuation model. The fair
value of restricted stock awards is determined based on the number of shares
granted and the quoted price of our common stock. Such fair values will be
recognized as compensation expense over the requisite service period, net of
estimated forfeitures, using the straight line method under SFAS 123(R).
We
have
several approved stock option plans for which stock options and restricted
stock
awards are available to grant to employees, consultants and directors. All
employee and director stock options granted under our stock option plans have
an
exercise price equal to the market value of the underlying common stock on
the
grant date. There are no vesting provisions tied to performance conditions
for
any options, as vesting for all outstanding option grants was based only on
continued service as an employee, consultant or director. All of our outstanding
stock options and restricted stock awards are classified as equity instruments.
Stock
Options
We
sponsor four equity incentive plans:
· |
The
1996
Stock Option Plan (the 1996 Plan),which expired in January 2006;
|
· |
the
1998 Non-Officer Stock Option Plan (the 1998 Plan);
|
-9-
· |
the
PyX 2005 Stock Option Plan (the PyX Plan), which we assumed in our
acquisition of PyX but under which we have not granted and will not
grant
any additional equity awards; and
|
· |
the
2006 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2006 Plan).
|
We
also
sponsor one non-employee director stock option plan:
· |
The
2001 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan (the Director
Plan).
|
The
following table details the options to purchase shares pursuant to each plan
at
January 31, 2007:
Plan
|
Shares
Reserved
|
Options
Outstanding
|
Available
for
Issue
|
Outstanding
Options
Vested
|
|||||||||
1996
Plan
|
2,730,000
|
668,464
|
—
|
470,532
|
|||||||||
1998
Plan
|
650,000
|
218,032
|
176,452
|
193,064
|
|||||||||
PyX
Plan
|
2,038,950
|
1,021,200
|
—
|
489,320
|
|||||||||
2006
Plan
|
1,500,000
|
350,000
|
—
|
—
|
|||||||||
Director
Plan
|
340,000
|
150,000
|
133,750
|
95,000
|
|||||||||
Total
|
7,258,950
|
2,407,696
|
310,202
|
1,247,916
|
The
1996
Plan terminated effective January 17, 2006 and although we can no longer issue
stock options out of the 1996 Plan, the outstanding options at the date of
termination will remain outstanding and vest in accordance with their terms.
Options granted under the Director Plan vest over a one to four-year period,
expire five to seven years after the date of grant and have exercise prices
reflecting market value of the shares of our common stock on the date of grant.
Stock options granted under the 1996, 1998, 2006 and PyX Plans are exercisable
over a maximum term of ten years from the date of grant, vest in various
installments over a one to four-year period and have exercise prices reflecting
the market value of the shares of common stock on the date of grant.
We
did
not grant any stock options to employees or members of our Board of Directors
(Board) during the three months ended January 31, 2007, compared to option
grants totaling 265,000 shares of our common stock in the same three-month
period in fiscal 2006. The fair value of the unearned portion of stock-based
compensation related to the employee and director stock options is calculated
using the Black-Scholes option pricing model as of the grant date of the
underlying stock options.
Employee
and director stock-based compensation expense related to stock options in the
accompanying condensed statements of operations (in thousands):
Three
Months
Ended January
31, 2007
|
Three
Months
Ended January
31, 2006
|
Remaining
Unamortized Expense |
||||||||
Stock
option compensation
|
$
|
204
|
$
|
146
|
$
|
1,770
|
-10-
The
calculation of stock-based compensation and the fair value of each option grant
is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model
with the following assumptions:
|
|
Options
Granted During Three Months Ended January 31, 2006
|
|
Options
Granted During Three Months Ended January 31, 2007
|
|||
Expected
life (in years)
|
4.00
|
None
Granted
|
|||||
Risk-free
interest rate
|
4.375
|
%
|
|||||
Volatility
|
97.46
|
%
|
|||||
Dividend
yield
|
0.00
|
%
|
|||||
Forfeiture
rate
|
5.47
|
%
|
The
fair
value of stock-based awards to employees is calculated using the Black-Scholes
option pricing model, even though this model was developed to estimate the
fair
value of freely tradable, fully transferable options without vesting
restrictions, which differ significantly from our stock options. The
Black-Scholes model also requires subjective assumptions, including future
stock
price volatility and expected time to exercise, which greatly affect the
calculated values. The expected term and forfeiture rate of options granted
is
derived from historical data on employee exercises and post-vesting employment
termination behavior, as well as expected behavior on outstanding options.
The
risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury rates in effect during the
corresponding period of grant. The expected volatility is based on the
historical volatility of our stock price. These factors could change in the
future, which would affect the stock-based compensation expense in future
periods.
We
award
stock option grants to certain non-employee strategic business advisors as
part
of their fee structure. The fair value of these option grants is estimated
on
the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and is
recalculated on a monthly basis based on market price until vested. For the
three months ended January 31, 2007 and 2006 we recorded $1,000 and $35,000,
respectively, of compensation expense related to non-employee stock
options.
The
following table summarizes information with respect to all options to purchase
shares of common stock outstanding under the
1996
Plan, the 1998 Plan, the 2006 Plan,
the PyX
Plan
and the
Director Plan at January 31, 2007:
Options
Outstanding
|
Options
Exercisable
|
|||||||||||||||
Weighted
|
||||||||||||||||
Average
|
||||||||||||||||
Remaining
|
Weighted
|
Weighted
|
||||||||||||||
Number
|
Contractual
|
Average
|
Number
|
Average
|
||||||||||||
Range
of
|
Outstanding
|
Life
|
Exercise
|
Exercisable
|
Exercise
|
|||||||||||
Exercise
Price
|
at
1/31/07
|
(years)
|
Price
|
at
1/31/07
|
Price
|
|||||||||||
$
0.00 -$ 1.00
|
706,500
|
4.3
|
$
|
0.93
|
366,166
|
$
|
0.91
|
|||||||||
$
1.01 -$ 2.00
|
107,0007
|
3.9
|
$
|
1.23
|
28,000
|
$
|
1.64
|
|||||||||
$
2.01 -$ 3.00
|
1,376,261
|
5.0
|
$
|
2.33
|
681,091
|
$
|
2.34
|
|||||||||
$
3.01 -$ 4.00
|
94,664
|
4.3
|
$
|
3.21
|
56,328
|
$
|
3.21
|
|||||||||
$
4.01 -$ 5.00
|
71,771
|
3.4
|
$
|
4.59
|
69,668
|
$
|
4.59
|
|||||||||
$
5.01 -$ 6.00
|
15,000
|
4.1
|
$
|
5.50
|
15,000
|
$
|
5.50
|
|||||||||
$
6.01 -$ 7.00
|
11,000
|
3.8
|
$
|
6.91
|
8,664
|
$
|
6.91
|
|||||||||
$
7.01 -$
8.00
|
25,000
|
3.9
|
$
|
7.09
|
22,499
|
$
|
7.09
|
|||||||||
$
8.01 -
$20.00
|
500
|
0.3
|
$
|
18.38
|
500
|
$
|
18.38
|
|||||||||
2,407,696
|
4.7
|
$
|
2.06
|
1,247,916
|
$
|
2.23
|
-11-
The
following table summarizes our stock option activity in the three months ended
January 31, 2007:
Number
of
options |
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
||||||
Outstanding
at October 31, 2006
|
2,889,872
|
$
|
2.27
|
||||
Granted
Stock Options
|
—
|
—
|
|||||
Exercised
|
—
|
—
|
|||||
Cancelled
|
(482,176
|
)
|
3.32
|
||||
Outstanding
at January 31, 2007
|
2,407,696
|
$
|
2.06
|
||||
As
of January 31, 2007:
|
|||||||
Options
exercisable
|
1,247,916
|
$
|
2.23
|
||||
Shares
available for grant
|
310,202
|
There
were no options granted or exercised during the three months ended January
31,
2007. The weighted average grant date fair value of options granted during
the
three months ended January 31, 2006 was $1.94 and the total intrinsic value
of
options exercised during the three months ended January 31, 2006 was
$3,400.
Restricted
Stock Awards
On
March
21, 2006, our Board approved restricted stock grants to all employees in order
to continue to motivate and retain our employees. The shares of restricted
stock
granted vest 25% on the first anniversary of the initial grant date with the
remainder vesting monthly thereafter for the following six months. A total
of
297,000 restricted shares of our common stock have been issued to employees
under the restricted stock grants. Since March 21, 2006, a total of 102,000
restricted shares issued to employees who have terminated their employment
prior
to vesting have been cancelled. The total fair value of the restricted stock
grants on the date of issuance is $303,000 and is to be amortized over the
18-month vesting period. For the three ended January 31, 2007, we recorded
$14,000 of amortization expense related to the restricted stock
grants.
Weighted
Average
Shares Unvested Stock Units |
Average
Grant Date Fair Value |
||||||
Unvested
at November 1, 2006
|
242,000
|
$
|
1.04
|
||||
Granted
|
—
|
—
|
|||||
Vested
|
—
|
—
|
|||||
Cancelled
|
(47,000
|
)
|
1.04
|
||||
Unvested
at January 31, 2007
|
195,000
|
$
|
1.04
|
-12-
Stock-For-Pay
Plan
On
January 12, 2006, our Board approved a company-wide 30% reduction in employee
base salaries, effective January 16, 2006. In order to continue to motivate
and
retain our employees despite such salary reductions, the Board approved stock
grants to all of our employees pursuant to the 1996 Plan and 2006 Plan.
Effective April 1, 2006, the Board modified the 30% across the board reduction
in employee base salaries to a cash salary reduction ranging from 10% to 38%
of
the employees’ base salaries, coupled with stock grants. The level of reduction
of the cash portion of the salary for each employee is dependent on their
respective position and base salary, and employees with lower salaries generally
have lower reductions. A total of 991,641 shares of our common stock have been
issued to employees since January 1, 2006 pursuant to the stock-for-pay plan.
For
the
three months ended January 31, 2007 and 2006, we recorded approximately $71,000
and $80,000, respectively, of stock-based compensation associated with such
stock grants.
In
addition, the Board approved the suspension of all cash payments of Board and
Board committee fees until further notice. A total of 158,295 shares of our
common stock has been issued to Board members in lieu of such fees under the
stock-for-pay plan since January 1, 2006. For
the
three months ended January 31, 2007 and 2006, we recorded approximately $0
and
$11,000, respectively, of stock-based compensation and director expense
associated with the stock-for-pay plan.
On
August
21, 2006, the Board suspended the stock-for-pay program for all of our directors
and officers, effective as of August 1, 2006 for all directors and August 16,
2006 for all officers. Despite suspension of the stock-for-pay program, the
previously-announced salary reductions for the officers and cessation of cash
compensation for the directors will remain in effect until such time as the
Board shall determine. The Board adopted a bonus plan for the affected
individuals that will pay a prescribed amount of cash or stock upon our
completion of one of a number of specified milestones set forth in the written
bonus plan, provided that the affected individual remains employed by the
Company or a member of the Board at the time such milestone is achieved. All
non-officer employees will remain on the stock-for-pay plan until such time
as
the Board shall determine.
The
following table summarizes stock-based compensation expense related to employee
stock options under SFAS 123(R), restricted stock awards, stock-for-pay and
non-employee consultant for the three months ended January 31, 2007 and
2006, which was allocated to product costs and operating expense as follows
(in
thousands):
Three
Months
January
31, 2007
|
Three
Months
January
31, 2006
|
||||||
Cost
of hardware products and other revenue
|
$
|
15
|
$
|
5
|
|||
Product
research and development
|
121
|
37
|
|||||
Sales
and Marketing
|
47
|
56
|
|||||
General
and administrative
|
107
|
347
|
|||||
Total
|
$
|
290
|
$
|
445
|
-13-
6.Revenue
Recognition and Concentration of Risk:
Our
policy is to recognize revenue for hardware product sales when title transfers
and risk of loss has passed to the customer, which is generally upon shipment
of
our hardware products to our customers. We defer and recognize service revenue
over the contractual period or as services are rendered. Our policy complies
with the guidance provided by Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104, Revenue
Recognition in Financial Statements,
issued
by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
We
also
account for the licensing of software in accordance with American Institute
of
Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Statement of Position 97-2, Software
Revenue Recognition
(SOP
97-2). The application of SOP 97-2 requires judgment, including whether a
software arrangement includes multiple elements, and if so, whether
vendor-specific objective evidence (VSOE) of fair value exists for those
elements. For one customer we began recognizing software license fee revenue
and
related engineering support revenue by amortizing previously deferred revenue
related to engineering services over 36 months beginning in March 2006, which
was the month the first software license for this customer was activated. The
36-month amortization period is the estimated life of the related software
product for this customer. We also amortize all fees related to the licensing
of
our software to this customer over 36 months beginning with the month the
software license is activated. In the three months ended January 31, 2007,
we
recognized $10,000 of software license fees to this customer and $10,000 of
deferred revenue related to engineering services to this customer.
We
typically charge annual software maintenance equal to 20% of the software
license fees. With the exception of the one customer previously discussed,
we
defer
all revenue related to the software license agreement until such time that
we
establish VSOE for the software maintenance fees. We
also
defer
revenues that represent post-delivery engineering support until the engineering
support has been completed and the software product is accepted.
In
the
first three months of fiscal 2007 and 2006, most of our sales were attributable
to sales of hardware products related to our embedded hardware business. Our
sales are derived from a limited number of Original Equipment Manufacturer
(OEM)
customers. Sales to Data Connection Limited (DCL), ACAL Technology Limited
(ACAL), Nortel Networks (Nortel) and Option + accounted for 32%, 19%, 16% and
11% of our net sales, respectively, for the quarter ended January 31, 2007
as
compared to sales to DCL, Nortel, and True Position, Inc., which accounted
for
41%, 12% and 10% of our net sales, respectively, for the same quarter ended
January 31, 2006. No other customer accounted for more than 10% of our net
sales
in either quarter. DCL and ACAL accounted for an aggregate of 64% of our
accounts receivable at January 31, 2007. A significant reduction in orders
from
any of our OEM customers, or a failure to collect outstanding accounts
receivable from any of our OEM customers, could have a material adverse effect
on our business, operating results, financial condition and cash
flows.
International
sales constituted 63% and 58% of net sales for the three month periods ended
January 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively. International sales are primarily
executed in Europe with 51% and 44% of our sales to customers in the United
Kingdom for the three-month periods ended January 31, 2007 and 2006,
respectively. All international sales are executed in U.S. dollars.
-14-
7.Warranty
Obligations and Other Guarantees:
The
following is a summary of our agreements that we
have
determined are within the scope of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)
Interpretation (FIN) No. 45 Guarantor's
Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, including Indirect
Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others—
an
interpretation of FASB Statements No. 5, 57 and 107 and rescission of FIN
34.
We
accrue
the estimated costs to be incurred in performing warranty services at the time
of revenue recognition and shipment of the products to
our
customers.
Our
estimate
of costs
to service our warranty obligations is based on historical experience and
expectation of future conditions. To the extent we experience increased warranty
claim activity or increased costs associated with servicing those claims, the
warranty accrual will increase, resulting in decreased gross
margin.
The
following table sets forth an analysis of our warranty reserve (in
thousands):
|
|
|
January
31,
|
October
31,
|
|||
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
Warranty reserve at beginning of period | $ | 13 | $ | 22 | |||
Less: Cost to service warranty obligations | (10 | ) | (9 | ) | |||
Plus: Increases to reserves | 4 | — | |||||
Total warranty reserve included in other accrued expenses | $ | 7 |
$
|
13
|
We
have
agreed to indemnify each
of
our
executive
officers
and directors for certain events or occurrences arising as a result of the
officer or director serving in such capacity. The term of the indemnification
period is for the officer's or director's lifetime. The maximum potential amount
of future payments we could be required to make under these indemnification
agreements is unlimited. However, we have a directors’
and
officers’
liability insurance policy that we expect would
enable
us to
recover a portion of future amounts paid. As a result of our insurance policy
coverage, we believe the estimated fair value of these indemnification
agreements is minimal and have no liabilities recorded for these agreements
as
of January 31, 2007 and October 31, 2006,
respectively.
We
enter
into indemnification provisions under our agreements with other companies in
the
ordinary course
of
business, typically with business partners, contractors, customers and
landlords. Under these provisions, we generally indemnify and hold harmless
the
indemnified party for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party
as a
result of our activities or, in some cases, as a result of the indemnified
party's activities under the agreement. These indemnification provisions often
include indemnifications relating to representations made by us with regard
to
intellectual property rights. These indemnification provisions generally survive
termination of the underlying agreement. The maximum potential amount of future
payments we could be required to make under these indemnification provisions
is
unlimited. We have not incurred material costs to defend lawsuits or settle
claims related to these indemnification agreements. As a result, we believe
the
estimated fair value of these agreements is minimal. Accordingly, we have no
liabilities recorded for these agreements as of January 31, 2007 and October
31,
2006,
respectively.
-15-
8.Nasdaq
Notice of Non-Compliance:
On
July
14, 2006, we received a notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq) indicating
that for the preceding 30 consecutive business days, the bid price of our common
stock closed below the $1.00 minimum bid price required for continued listing
by
Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(4) (the Rule). The notice stated that we had
until January 10, 2007, to regain compliance with the Rule. On January 11,
2007,
we received a notice from Nasdaq that our stock was subject to delisting due
to
our failure to regain compliance with the Rule. We filed an appeal of the
staff’s determination to the Nasdaq Listings Qualifications Panel (the Panel).
Delisting of our stock from Nasdaq is stayed pending the determination of the
Panel. The appeals hearing was held on February 22, 2007 and we are awaiting
the
Panel’s determination. The Panel may grant us an extension such that if we
complete a reverse stock split sufficient to increase our bid price to $1.00
or
more prior to the extension date, our shares may remain listed on the Nasdaq
Capital Market. We are seeking stockholder approval of such reverse split at
the
same time as we seek stockholder approval of the One Stop Systems transaction.
We will need to comply with the Nasdaq initial listing criteria, which requires
a $4.00 minimum bid price, in connection with the Neonode transaction so, if
required, we may effect an additional reverse split in connection with that
transaction.
9.Sale
of Embedded Hardware Business:
On
January 11, 2007, we entered into an Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of
Assets with One Stop Systems, pursuant to which we agreed to sell all of the
assets associated with our hardware business (excluding cash, accounts
receivable and other excluded assets specified in the asset purchase agreement)
to One Stop Systems for $2.2 million in cash plus One Stop Systems’ assumption
of the lease of our corporate headquarters building and certain equipment
leases. Our hardware business represents substantially all of the Company’s
revenue to date. The purchase price will be reduced dollar-for-dollar to the
extent our hardware business inventory has a net book value of less than
$680,000 as of the closing date. The purchase price will be increased
dollar-for-dollar to the extent our hardware business inventory has a net book
value of more than $800,000 as of the closing date. A total of $500,000 will
be
held back from the purchase price for a period of 60 days and will be used
to
pay certain liabilities of the embedded business and satisfy any indemnification
obligations to One Stop Systems that arise under the asset purchase agreement
during such period. Any funds not used will be released to us after 60
days.
The
asset
purchase agreement contains customary representations and warranties, covenants
and closing conditions. In addition, we have agreed that for four years
following the closing of the asset sale, we will not directly or indirectly
engage in the hardware business or have any interest in any entity engaged
in
the hardware business. Each party has agreed to indemnify the other party for
damages arising for any breach of any of the representations or warranties
or
covenants or obligations in the Purchase Agreement. We have also agreed to
indemnify One Stop Systems for any liabilities arising out of the ownership
or
operation of the hardware business prior to the closing of the transaction.
All
representations, warranties and covenants will expire on the first anniversary
of the closing. Our liability for indemnification claims made by One Stop
Systems pursuant to the asset purchase agreement is capped at $2.2 million
in
the aggregate.
-16-
A
special
meeting of our stockholders has been scheduled for March 29, 2007 to approve
this transaction and to approve a proposed 1 for 5 reverse stock split to enable
us to comply with the Nasdaq Capital Market’s continued listing criteria. A
proxy statement detailing the transaction and reverse stock split has been
mailed to all our shareholders of record as of March 6, 2007.
10.Merger
and Reorganization:
On
January 19, 2007, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger and
Reorganization with Neonode. It is anticipated that our name will be
changed to “Neonode Inc.” upon completion of the merger. The securities offered
in the merger will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933 and may
not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable
exemption from registration requirements.
Although
the exact number of shares to be issued in the merger will be determined at
closing according to a formula contained in the merger agreement, it is
currently estimated that we will issue approximately 57 million shares of our
common stock in exchange for outstanding shares of Neonode common stock and
will
assume Neonode’s options and warrants exercisable for approximately 17 million
additional shares of our common stock.
We
expect
to complete the transaction in our third quarter of fiscal 2007, subject to
satisfaction of closing conditions set forth in the merger agreement. In
addition to customary closing conditions, the transaction is subject to the
approval of both our and Neonode’s shareholders and a reverse split of our
outstanding common stock. The number of shares referenced above is presented
on
a pre-split basis. After
the
merger is completed, the combined company's headquarters will be in Stockholm,
Sweden, where Neonode’s corporate headquarters and research and development
activities are located. The combined company’s stock is expected to continue to
trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
Item
2. Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Forward
Looking Statements
The
following Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements that involve risks
and
uncertainties. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "intends"
and
similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but
are
not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Readers are cautioned
that the forward-looking statements reflect our analysis only as of the date
hereof, and we assume no obligation to update these statements. Actual events
or
results may differ materially from the results discussed in or implied by the
forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include,
but are not limited to, those risks and uncertainties set forth under the
caption "Risk Factors" in
Part
II of this report.
-17-
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Financial Statements
and the Notes thereto included in Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
and in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2006.
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis
Overview
During
the past twelve months, we experienced a decline in our sales volume of our
embedded hardware products and a lack of market acceptance for our storage
software that dramatically affected our operating cash flow. Because of the
continuing decline of our cash balance, we have evaluated strategic alternatives
to return the Company to cash flow positive and unlock value for our
shareholders. Our
Board
of Directors and management believe that the best course of action is to sell
our embedded hardware to One Stop Systems, Inc. (One Stop Systems), seek a
buyer
for our storage software business and merge with Neonode Inc.
(Neonode).
On
January 11, 2007, we signed an asset purchase agreement with One Stop Systems,
pursuant to which we agreed to sell all of the assets associated with our
hardware business (excluding cash, accounts receivable and other excluded assets
specified in the asset purchase agreement) to One Stop Systems for $2.2 million
in cash and One Stop Systems’ assumption of the lease of our corporate
headquarters building and certain equipment leases. A
special
meeting of our stockholders has been scheduled for March 29, 2007 to approve
this transaction and to approve a proposed 1 for 5 reverse stock split to enable
us to comply with the Nasdaq Capital Market’s continued listing criteria. A
proxy statement detailing the transaction and reverse stock split has been
mailed to all our shareholders of record as of March 6, 2007.
On
January 19, 2007, we entered into a merger agreement with Neonode, a Delaware
corporation. Neonode was founded in Sweden in 2001 to develop, manufacture
and
sell multimedia mobile phones with a focus on unique design, enhanced user
experience and customization. Over the past four years Neonode developed a
unique multimedia mobile phone that converts the functionality of a desktop
computer to a mobile phone interface. Neonode’s multimedia mobile device is more
than just a mobile phone. In addition to connecting to any GSM supported
cellular telephone network, Neonode’s multimedia mobile phone allows the user to
watch movies in full screen, play music videos, play music, take pictures with
its two mega pixel camera and play games, all with internet pod casting
capabilities. What makes Neonode’s mobile phone unique is that their patented
user interface incorporates true one hand - on screen - navigation with a simple
user interface that recognizes gestures rather than defined keys. As a result,
Neonode’s unique interface allowed them to design and manufacture a mobile phone
with a large display without physical buttons using the smallest form factor
in
the mobile phone industry. Neonode’s design is based is on their patented zForce
™ and Neno™ software technology. zForce™ is a new software based input system
that supports one-hand navigation. It allows the user to operate the
functionality of the phone with one finger.
In
February 2007, Neonode showcased its new mobile phone, the N2, at the 3GSM
World
Congress in Barcelona, Spain to critical acclaim.
-18-
Nasdaq
has deemed that the merger transaction qualifies as a “reverse merger” under
Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4340(a). Therefore prior to consummation, the
post-transaction company will be required to submit an initial listing
application and meet all initial inclusion criteria on the Nasdaq Capital
Market. It is anticipated that we will change our name to “Neonode Inc.” upon
consummation of the merger. This transaction requires the approval of our
stockholders, and we are in the process of preparing a proxy statement for
such
purpose.
Historically,
we have been a designer, manufacturer and seller of embedded hardware products
including wide area network (WAN) and local area network (LAN) network interface
cards (NICs) and central processing units (CPUs) to original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) who
embed
our hardware products into their products for the communications
markets.
Our
embedded hardware products perform critical, computing and Input/Output (I/O)
tasks in diverse markets such as
high-end
enterprise level computing servers, Linux super-computing clusters,
workstations, media gateways, routers and Internet access devices. Our embedded
hardware business generates the overwhelming majority of our sales and net
cash
flow. When
the
divesture of our embedded hardware business to One Stop Systems is completed,
we
will no longer participate in the embedded hardware markets. We will transfer
all our inventory and the engineering and test equipment associated with the
embedded hardware business to One Stop Systems.
Since
the
purchase of PyX Technologies, Inc. in July 2005, we have been designing and
providing software-based storage networking solutions for an extensive range
of
business critical applications, including Disk-to-Disk Back-up and Disaster
Recovery. Our products deliver an affordable, expandable, and easy-to-use
portfolio of software solutions designed to enable optimal performance and
rapid
deployment across a wide range of next generation storage systems. We sell
standards-based storage software solutions to OEMs, system integrators and
value
added resellers (VARs) who embed our software into their IP
storage area network (IP SAN) and network attached storage (NAS) systems
to provide data storage solutions for the small and medium business (SMB)
enterprise storage markets. Our storage software products have not gained wide
acceptance in the storage markets and have not generated significant sales,
to
date. We are evaluating strategic alternatives regarding our storage software
business, including selling the business.
Our
business is characterized by a concentration of sales to a small number of
OEMs
and distributors who provide products and services to the communications and
data storage markets. Consequently, the timing of significant orders from major
customers and their product cycles cause fluctuation in our operating results.
DCL was our largest customer, representing 32% and 41% of our sales in the
first
quarters of fiscal 2007 and 2006, respectively.
During
the quarters ended January 31, 2007 and 2006, $154,000, or 13% of sales, and
$78,000 or 5% of our sales, respectively, were sold to distributors. Our
reserves for distributor programs totaled approximately $7,000 and $13,000
as of
January 31, 2007 and October 31, 2006, respectively.
-19-
On
January 31, 2007, we had a sales backlog of product orders of approximately
$1.4
million compared to a sales backlog of product orders of approximately $1.1
million at October 31, 2006. Substantially all of our sales backlog at January
31, 2007 is associated with the embedded business that we are selling to One
Stop Systems.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles in the United States of America requires management to
make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date
of
the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses
during the reporting period. Such estimates include levels of reserves for
doubtful accounts, obsolete inventory, warranty costs and deferred tax assets.
Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Our
critical accounting policies and estimates include the following:
Revenue
Recognition:
Hardware
Products
Our
policy is to recognize revenue for hardware product sales when title transfers
and risk of loss has passed to the customer, which is generally upon shipment
of
our hardware products to our customers. We defer and recognize service revenue
over the contractual period or as services are rendered. We estimate expected
sales returns and record the amount as a reduction of revenue and cost of
hardware and other revenue at the time of shipment. Our policy complies with
the
guidance provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Staff
Accounting Bulletin (SAB) No. 104, Revenue
Recognition in Financial Statements.
Judgments are required in evaluating the creditworthiness of our customers.
Credit is not extended to customers and revenue is not recognized until we
have
determined that collectibility is reasonably
assured. Our sales transactions are denominated in U.S. dollars.
The
software component of our hardware products is considered incidental. Therefore,
we do not recognize software revenue related to our hardware products separately
from the hardware product sale.
When
selling hardware, our agreements with OEMs such as DCL and Nortel, typically
incorporate clauses reflecting the following understandings:
·
|
all
prices are fixed and determinable at the time of
sale;
|
·
|
title
and risk of loss pass at the time of shipment (FOB shipping
point);
|
·
|
collectibility
of the sales price is probable (the OEM is creditworthy, the OEM
is
obligated to pay and such obligation is not contingent on the ultimate
sale of the OEM’s integrated
solution);
|
·
|
the
OEM’s obligation to us will not be changed in the event of theft or
physical destruction or damage of the
product;
|
·
|
we
do not have significant obligations for future performance to directly
assist in the resale of the product by the OEMs;
and
|
·
|
there
is no contractual right of return other than for defective
products.
|
-20-
Our
agreements with our distributors include certain product rotation and price
protection rights. All distributors have the right to rotate slow-moving
products once during each fiscal quarter. The maximum dollar value of inventory
eligible for rotation is equal to 25% of our products purchased by the
distributor during the previous quarter. In order to take advantage of their
product rotation rights, the distributors must order and take delivery of
additional products of ours equal to at least the dollar value of the products
that they want to rotate.
Each
distributor is also allowed certain price protection rights. If and when we
reduce or plan to reduce the price of any of our products and the distributor
is
holding any of the affected products in inventory, we will credit the
distributor the difference in price when they place their next order with us.
We
record an allowance for price protection at the time of the price reduction,
thereby reducing our net sales and accounts receivable. The allowance is based
on the price difference of the inventory held by our stocking distributors
at
the time we expect to reduce selling prices. We believe we are able to fully
evaluate potential returns and adjustments and continue to recognize the sale
based on shipment to our distributors. Reserves for the right of return and
restocking are established based on the requirements of
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 48,
Revenue
Recognition when Right of Return Exists.
Software
Products
We
derive
revenues from the following sources: (1) software, which includes new iSCSI
software licenses and (2) consulting services. We
account for the licensing of software in accordance with of American Institute
of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Statement of Position (SOP) 97-2,
Software
Revenue Recognition.
SOP 97-2
requires judgment, including whether a software arrangement includes multiple
elements, and if so, whether vendor-specific objective evidence (VSOE) of fair
value exists for those elements. These documents include post-delivery support,
upgrades and similar services. We typically charge annual software maintenance
equal to 20% of the software license fees.
For
software license arrangements that do not require significant modification
or
customization of the underlying software, we recognize new software license
revenues when: (1) we enter into a legally binding arrangement with a customer
for the license of software; (2) we deliver the products; (3) customer payment
is deemed fixed or determinable and free of contingencies or significant
uncertainties and (4) collection is reasonably assured. We initially defer
all
revenue related to the software license and maintenance fees until such time
that we are able to establish VSOE for the maintenance fee related to our
software products. We
also
defer
revenues that represent undelivered post-delivery engineering support until
the
engineering support has been completed and the software product is accepted.
For
one
customer we began recognizing software license fee revenue and related
engineering support revenue by amortizing previously deferred revenue related
to
engineering services over 36 months beginning in March 2006, which was the
month
the first software license for this customer was activated. The 36-month
amortization period is the estimated life of the related software product for
this customer. We also amortize all fees related to the licensing of our
software to this customer over 36 months beginning with the month the software
license is activated. In the three months ended January 31, 2007, we recognized
$10,000 of software license fees for this customer and $10,000 of deferred
revenue related to engineering services to this customer.
-21-
Allowance
for Doubtful Accounts:
Our
policy is to maintain allowances for estimated losses resulting from the
inability of our customers to make required payments. Credit limits are
established through a process of reviewing the financial history and stability
of each customer. Where appropriate, we obtain credit rating reports and
financial statements of the customer when determining or modifying their credit
limits. We regularly evaluate the collectibility of our trade receivable
balances based on a combination of factors. When a customer’s account balance
becomes past due, we initiate dialogue with the customer to determine the cause.
If it is determined that the customer will be unable to meet its financial
obligation to us, such as in the case of a bankruptcy filing, deterioration
in
the customer’s operating results or financial position or other material events
impacting their business, we record a specific allowance to reduce the related
receivable to the amount we expect to recover. Should all efforts fail to
recover the related receivable, we will write-off the account.
We
also
record an allowance for all customers based on certain other factors including
the length of time the receivables are past due and historical collection
experience with customers. We believe our reported allowances are adequate.
If
the financial conditions of those customers were to deteriorate, however,
resulting in their inability to make payments, we may need to record additional
allowances which would result in additional general and administrative expenses
being recorded for the period in which such determination was made.
Warranty
Reserves:
We
accrue
the estimated costs to be incurred in performing warranty services at the time
of revenue recognition and shipment of the products to the OEMs. Because
there
is
no contractual right of return other than for defective products, we can
reasonably estimate such returns and record a warranty reserve at the point
of
shipment. Our
estimate of costs to service our warranty obligations is based on historical
experience and expectation of future conditions. To the extent we experience
increased warranty claim activity or increased costs associated with servicing
those claims, the warranty accrual will increase, resulting in decreased gross
margin.
Inventories:
Inventories
are stated at the lower of cost, using the first-in, first-out method, or market
value. We utilize standard cost, which approximates actual costs for certain
indirect costs.
We
are exposed
to a number of economic and industry factors that could result in portions
of
our inventory becoming either obsolete or in excess of anticipated usage, or
subject to lower of cost or market issues. These factors include, but are not
limited to, technological changes in our markets, our ability to meet changing
customer requirements, competitive pressures in products and prices, and the
availability of key components from our suppliers. Our policy is to establish
inventory reserves when conditions exist that suggest that our inventory may
be
in excess of anticipated demand or is obsolete based upon our assumptions about
future demand for our products and market conditions. We regularly evaluate
our
ability to realize the value of our inventory based on a combination of factors
including the following: historical usage rates, forecasted sales or usage,
product end-of-life dates, estimated current and future market values and new
product introductions. Purchasing practices and alternative usage avenues are
explored within these processes to mitigate inventory exposure. When recorded,
our reserves are intended to reduce the carrying value of our inventory to
its
net realizable value. If actual demand for our products deteriorates, or market
conditions are less favorable than those that we project, additional inventory
reserves may be required.
-22-
Income
Taxes:
We
account for income taxes in accordance with SFAS No. 109, Accounting
for Income Taxes.
SFAS 109
requires recognition of deferred tax liabilities and assets for the expected
future tax consequences of items that have been included in the financial
statements or tax returns. Deferred income taxes represent the future net tax
effects resulting from temporary differences between the financial statement
and
tax bases of assets and liabilities, using enacted tax rates in effect for
the
year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances
are
recorded against net deferred tax assets where, in our opinion, realization
is
uncertain. Based on the uncertainty of future pre-tax income, we fully reserved
our deferred tax assets as of January 31, 2007 and October 31, 2006. In the
event we were to determine that we would be able to realize our deferred tax
assets in the future, an adjustment to the deferred tax asset would increase
income in the period such determination was made. The provision for income
taxes
represents the net change in deferred tax amounts, plus income taxes payable
for
the current period.
Long-Lived
Assets:
We
assess
any impairment by estimating the future cash flow from the associated asset
in
accordance with SFAS No. 144, Accounting
for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets.
If the
estimated undiscounted cash flow related to these assets decreases in the future
or the useful life is shorter than originally
estimated, we
may
incur charges for impairment of these assets. The impairment is based on the
estimated discounted cash flow associated with the asset. Capitalized software
costs consist of costs to purchase software and costs to internally develop
software. Capitalization of software costs begins upon the establishment
of technological feasibility. All capitalized software costs are amortized
as
related sales are recorded on a per-unit basis with a minimum amortization
to
cost of goods sold based on a straight-line method over the estimated useful
life, generally two to three years. We evaluate the estimated net realizable
value of each software product and record provisions to the asset value
of
each product for which the net book value is in excess of the net realizable
value.
-23-
New
Accounting Pronouncements:
In
June
2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Interpretation
(FIN) No. 48, Accounting
for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.
FIN 48 clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized
in an enterprise’s financial statements in accordance with SFAS 109. This
interpretation prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute
for
the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken
or
expected to be taken in a tax return. FIN 48 also provides guidance on
derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim
periods, disclosure, and transition. FIN 48 will be effective for us
beginning November 1, 2007. We are currently evaluating this interpretation
to determine if it will have a material impact on our financial
statements.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS
No. 157, Fair
Value Measurements.
SFAS 157 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair
value as required by other accounting pronouncements and expands fair value
measurement disclosures. SFAS 157 is effective for fiscal years beginning
after November 15, 2007. We are currently evaluating the impact of
SFAS 157 on our financial statements.
Results
of Operations
The
following table sets forth, as a percentage of net sales, consolidated
statements of operations data for the three-month periods ended January 31,
2007
and 2006. These operating results are not necessarily indicative of our
operating results for any future period.
|
Three
Months Ended
January
31,
|
||||||
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
Net sales | 100 | % | 100 | % | |||
Amortization and impairment of acquired software and intellectual property | 16 | 73 | |||||
Cost of hardware and other revenue | 61 | 57 | |||||
Product research and development | 48 | 68 | |||||
Sales and marketing | 30 | 43 | |||||
General and administrative | 38 | 55 | |||||
Total operating expenses | 193 | 296 | |||||
Operating loss | (93 | ) | (196 | ) | |||
Interest income and provision for income taxes | — | 1 | |||||
Net loss | (93 | )% | (195 | )% |
Net
Sales
Net
sales
for the first quarter of fiscal 2007 was $1.2 million, a 14% decrease from
$1.4
million in the first quarter of fiscal 2006. This decrease was primarily
attributable to a decrease in shipments of our Highwire products. Sales to
DCL,
ACAL, Nortel and Option + accounted for 32%, 19%, 16% and 11% of our net sales,
respectively, for the quarter ended January 31, 2007. DCL, Nortel and True
Position, Inc. accounted for 41%, 12% and 10% of our net sales, respectively,
for the quarter ended January 31, 2006.
-24-
Sales
by product
Product
|
Three
Months Ended January 31, 2007
|
Three
Months Ended January 31, 2006
|
|||||||||||
Adapter
|
$
|
742,000
|
61
|
%
|
$
|
737,000
|
53
|
%
|
|||||
HighWire
|
425,000
|
35
|
%
|
592,000
|
42
|
%
|
|||||||
Legacy
& other hardware
|
20,000
|
2
|
%
|
61,000
|
4
|
%
|
|||||||
Storage
software
|
20,000
|
2
|
%
|
10,000
|
1
|
%
|
|||||||
Total
|
$
|
1,207,000
|
$
|
1,400,000
|
Our
adapter products are used primarily in edge-of-the-network applications such
as
Virtual Private Network (VPN) and other routers, Voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP) gateways and security devices, whereas our HighWire products are
primarily targeted at core-of-the-network applications used primarily by
telecommunications central offices.
While
we
anticipated an increase in the sales volume of our storage software, adapter
and
HighWire products as certain
of our prior design wins went into production
and our
software products gained market acceptance, the expected sales growth did not
occur. Because of the decline in our sales volume and the lack of market
acceptance for our storage software, we evaluated strategic alternatives to
enhance shareholder value. As a result of our evaluation, we
entered into an agreement to sell our embedded hardware business to One Stop
Systems, a manufacturer of industrial-grade computing systems and components,
and an agreement to merge with Neonode, a designer and manufacturer of mobile
multi-media telephones. After the proposed sale of the embedded business and
merger transactions are completed, we will no longer be active in the embedded
hardware business and will change our name to “Neonode Inc.” and be active in
the design and manufacturing of mobile multi-media telephones with
patented buttonless touch screen mobile phones and gesture-based user
interfaces.
During
the quarters ended January 31, 2007 and 2006, $154,000, or 13% of sales and
$78,000 or 5% of our sales, respectively, were sold to distributors.
On
January 31, 2007, we had a sales backlog of product orders of approximately
$1.4
million compared to a sales backlog of product orders of approximately $1.1
million at October 31, 2006. Substantially all of our sales backlog at January
31, 2007 is associated with the embedded business that we are selling to One
Stop Systems.
International
sales constituted 63% and 58% of net sales for the three-month periods ended
January 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively. International sales are primarily
executed in Europe with 51% and 44% of our sales to customers in the United
Kingdom for the three-month periods ended January 31, 2007 and 2006,
respectively. All international sales are executed in U.S. dollars.
-25-
Amortization
and Impairment of Purchased Software and Intellectual
Property
We
recorded a software asset totaling $12.4 million when we acquired PyX in 2005.
We also continually upgrade our software by enhancing the existing features
of
our products and by adding new features and products. We often evaluate whether
to develop these new offerings in-house or whether we can achieve a greater
return on investment by purchasing or licensing software from third parties.
Based on our evaluations, we have purchased or licensed various software for
resale since 1996.
Recurring
amortization of capitalized software and intellectual property costs totaled
$188,000 for the three months ended January 31, 2007 compared to $1.2 million
for the three months ended January 31, 2006 and is included in amortization
and impairment of acquired software and intellectual property in our Condensed
Statements of Operations.
The
decrease in amortization
of purchased software and intellectual property
in 2007
over 2006 was due to the write down to expected realizable value in fiscal
2006
of our software asset that we acquired in the PyX acquisition.
In
the
fiscal year ended October 31, 2006, we recorded an asset impairment charge
of
$6.5 million against our earnings for the year, reducing our storage software
asset to $1.3 million at November 1, 2006. Prior to the write-down, we amortized
our storage software asset over 36 months at the rate of $339,000 per month.
We
began to amortize the remaining $1.3 million software asset over the remaining
21 month amortization period at the rate of $63,000 per month, effective
November 1, 2006.
Cost
of Hardware Products and Other Revenue
Cost
of
hardware products and other revenues consists of the direct and indirect costs
of our manufactured hardware products and the costs related to the personnel
in
our operations and production departments including share-based payment
compensation expense associated with the implementation of SFAS 123(R). Cost
of
hardware products and other revenues for the three months ended January 31,
2007
decreased by 9% to $734,000 compared with $803,000 for the three months ended
January 31, 2006. The decrease in cost of hardware products and other revenue
in
absolute dollars for both of the comparative fiscal periods was principally
due
to a lower volume of hardware sales that decreased the total direct and indirect
cost of our manufactured products.
Included
in cost
of
hardware products and other revenue expense
for
the first
quarter of fiscal 2007
is
$15,000 of non-cash stock-based compensation expense related to the
stock-for-pay program, stock option expense under SFAS 123(R) and the issuance
of restricted stock to employees compared to $5,000 for the same quarter in
fiscal 2006.
Gross
profit is calculated as net sales less the cost of hardware and other revenue.
Gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 39% and 43% for the three-month
periods ended January 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively. The decrease in our
gross
profit margin in our first quarter of fiscal 2007 as compared to 2006 is related
to the reduction in sales of higher gross margin products combined with
a
change
to
the
product mix of our sales and a lower sales volume not efficiently absorbing
our
second line production costs.
-26-
Product
Research and Development
Product
research and development (R&D) expenses for the three months ended January
31, 2007 were $585,000, a 38% decrease over $946,000 in the same quarter of
fiscal 2006. The decrease in R&D in 2007 as compared to 2006 is primarily
the result of an 89% decrease in cash spending for materials and consultants
working on development projects.
Included
in R&D
expense
for
the first
quarter of fiscal 2007
is
$121,000 of non-cash stock-based compensation expense related to the
stock-for-pay program, stock option expense under SFAS 123(R) and the issuance
of restricted stock to employees compared to $37,000 for the same quarter in
fiscal 2006.
With
the
planned sale of our embedded hardware business and lack of market acceptance
for
our storage software products, we reduced our R&D budget significantly and
have focused our R&D efforts on key storage management features to enhance
the value of our storage software business.
We
did
not capitalize any internal software development costs in the three months
ended
January 31, 2007 or 2006 and do not expect to capitalize internal software
development costs in the future.
Sales
and Marketing
Sales
and
marketing expenses for first
quarter of fiscal 2007 were
364,000, a 39% decrease from 598,000 in the same quarter of fiscal 2006. This
decrease is primarily related to a decrease in headcount. We had eight employees
in our sales and marketing groups in the three months ended January 31, 2007
compared to 13 in three months ended January 31, 2006. We also decreased our
marketing expenditures by 62% in the three months ended January 31, 2007
compared to the same three month period in 2006 as a result of reduced cash
expenditures across the company.
Included
in sales and marketing expense for the first
quarter of fiscal 2007
is
$47,000 of non-cash stock-based compensation expense related to the
stock-for-pay program, stock option expense under SFAS 123(R) and the issuance
of restricted stock to employees compared to $56,000 for the same quarter in
fiscal 2006.
We
are
not currently planning to attend trade shows or engage in product marketing
activities other than via our Web site and word of mouth.
General
and Administrative
General
and administrative expenses for the first quarter of fiscal 2007 were $462,000,
a 40% decrease from
$771,000 in the same quarter of fiscal 2006. This
decrease is primarily due to $347,000 of non-cash stock-based compensation
expense in the first quarter of fiscal 2006 compared to $107,000 for the quarter
ended January 31, 2007.
Net
Loss
As
a
result of the factors discussed above, we recorded a net loss of $1.1 million
in
the first quarter of fiscal 2007, as compared to a net loss of $2.7 million
in
the first quarter of fiscal 2006.
-27-
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
We
do not
have any transactions, arrangements or other relationships with unconsolidated
entities that are reasonably likely to affect our liquidity or capital
resources. We have no special purpose or limited purpose entities that provide
off-balance sheet financing, liquidity, or market or credit risk support. We
also do not engage in leasing, hedging, research and development services,
or
other relationships that could expose us to liability that is not reflected
on
the face of the financial statements.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
As
of
January 31, 2007, we had $443,000 in cash, and we are not generating cash from
operations and have been incurring significant net losses. Unless we are able
to
increase our revenues or decrease expenses substantially, we will not have
sufficient cash generated from our business activities to support our operations
for the next 12 months. We have embarked on multiple initiatives to address
this
problem and maximize shareholder value. We signed definitive agreements to
sell
our hardware business to One Stop Systems and merge our remaining company
operations with Neonode. The majority of our cash flow from operations and
our
operating expenses have been generated from our embedded hardware business
that
we are selling. We are seeking to close the sale of our embedded hardware
business in our second fiscal quarter of 2007. We expect the $2.2 million cash
proceeds from the sale of our embedded hardware business to be sufficient to
support our remaining operations until the Neonode transaction closes, or for
at
least the next 12 months if the merger is delayed. We are also considering
other
strategic alternatives including liquidation and selling our storage software
business.
If
the
projected sales of our storage software products do not materialize or we are
unable to consummate the sale of our embedded hardware business and the merger
transaction, we will need to reduce expenses further and raise additional
capital through customer prepayments or the issuance of debt or equity
securities. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of preferred
stock
or debt, these securities could have rights, privileges or preferences senior
to
those of common stock, and debt covenants could impose restrictions on our
operations. The sale of equity or debt could result in additional dilution
to
current stockholders, and such financing may not be available to us on
acceptable terms, if at all.
Our
liquidity is dependent on many factors, including sales volume, operating profit
and the efficiency of asset use and turnover. Our future liquidity after the
merger with Neonode is completed will be affected by, among other
things:
·
|
actual
versus anticipated sales of Neonode’s
products;
|
·
|
our
actual versus anticipated operating
expenses;
|
·
|
the
timing of Neonode’s product
shipments;
|
·
|
our
actual versus anticipated Neonode’s gross profit
margin;
|
·
|
our
ability to raise additional capital, if necessary;
and
|
·
|
our
ability to secure credit facilities, if
necessary.
|
-28-
We
had
cash and cash equivalents of $443,000 and $1.2 million on January 31, 2007
and
October 31, 2006, respectively. In
the
three-month period ended January 31, 2007 $700,000 of cash was used by operating
activities,
primarily as a result of net losses. Our cash used was reduced by an
amortization and depreciation expense of $242,000 related to property and
equipment and capitalized software and $290,000 of stock-based compensation
expense that are included in the $1.1 million net loss but did not require
cash.
Our
working
capital (current assets less current liabilities) at January 31, 2007 was $1.1
million, as compared to $1.7 million at October 31, 2006.
In
the
three months ended January 31,2007, we purchased $4,000 of fixed assets,
consisting primarily of computers and engineering equipment.
We
continue to pursue cost cutting measures to reduce our cash expenditures. In
January 2006, we reduced the salaries for all officers and employees ranging
from 10% to 40% and eliminated the cash fees paid to our Board. For the period
from January 31, 2006 through August 31, 2006 payrolls, officer and employees
were paid a portion of their salaries in shares of our common stock and our
Board’s monthly fees were paid entirely in our common stock. In August 2006, our
Board suspended the stock-for-pay program for all directors and officers.
Despite the suspension of the stock-for-pay program, the previously-announced
salary reductions for officers and cessation of cash Board compensation will
remain in effect until such time as the Board shall determine. The stock-for-pay
program has continued for our non-officer employees. In addition to the salary
reductions, we continue to reduce cash expenditures across the company.
Item
3. Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Our
cash
and cash equivalents are subject to interest rate risk. We invest primarily
on a
short-term basis, principally in money market instruments with maturities of
less than three months. We have no other investments with significant interest
rate risks. If interest rates increased by 10%, the expected effect on net
income related to our financial instruments would be immaterial. We hold no
assets or liabilities denominated in a foreign currency. Since October 31,
2006,
there has been no change in our exposure to market risk.
Item
4. Controls
and Procedures
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
An
evaluation as of January 31, 2007 was carried out under the supervision of
and
with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer
and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation
of
the Company's "disclosure controls and procedures," which are defined under
SEC
rules as controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure
that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports it files
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within required time
periods.
As a
result of this evaluation, and since we continue to have a material weakness
in
our accounting for software revenue recognition, our Chief Executive Officer
and
Chief Financial Officer have determined that our internal controls are
ineffective.
-29-
During
the quarter ended January 31, 2007, our independent registered public accounting
firm communicated to management and the audit committee a material weakness
arising out of an adjustment to revenue related to our software contracts which
they identified during their review of our interim condensed consolidated
financial statements. The material weakness identified pertains to our revenue
recognition policies and procedures for software arrangements, which is new
to
us, and not adequately robust to identify vendor specific objective evidence
and
separate multiple element arrangements. We are working to establish
policies and procedures in this area.
Limitations
on the Effectiveness of Controls
A
control
system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable,
not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the controls are met. Because
of
the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls
can
provide absolute assurance that all control issues, if any, within a company
have been detected. Accordingly, our disclosure controls and procedures are
designed to provide reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives
of
our disclosure control system are met and, as set forth above, our Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded, based on their
evaluation as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report on
Form
10-Q, that our disclosure controls and procedures were sufficiently effective
to
provide reasonable assurance that the objectives of our disclosure control
system were met.
PART
II. Other
Information
Item
1.A. Risk Factors
In
addition to the other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q,
stockholders or prospective investors should carefully consider the risks
described below.
We
have
marked with an asterisk those risk factors that reflect substantive changes
from
the risk factors included in the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended October
31, 2006.
Risks
Related to Our Business
Our
future capital needs will require us to seek a merger partner and sell all
or
portions of our operating assets.
Our
existing cash balances and our anticipated cash flow from operations will not
satisfy our working capital needs for the foreseeable future. Because
of the decline in our sales volume and the lack of market acceptance for our
storage software, we evaluated strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder
value. As a result of our evaluation, we
entered into an agreement to sell our embedded hardware business to One Stop
Systems for $2.2 million in cash and the assumption of the lease on our
headquarters building. We also signed an agreement to merge with Neonode. Both
of these transactions are subject to the approval of our stockholders. After
the
sale of the embedded business and merger are completed, we will no longer be
active in the embedded hardware business and will change our name to “Neonode
Inc.” and be active in the design and manufacturing of mobile
telephones.
Historically, the overwhelming majority of our cash flow from operations has
been generated from our embedded hardware business that we are selling and
after
the sale of that business our future cash flow will be wholly dependent on
Neonode’s ability to execute on its business plan.
-30-
Our
future capital needs may exceed our ability to raise
capital.
We
do not
believe that our existing cash balances and our anticipated cash flow from
our
currently operations will satisfy our working capital needs for the foreseeable
future. Failure to sell our embedded hardware business to One Stop Systems
and
merge with Neonode will require us to seek additional financing in fiscal 2007.
There can be no assurance that additional financing, if required, will be
available on reasonable terms or at all. To the extent that additional capital
is raised through the sale of additional equity or convertible debt securities,
the issuance of such securities could result in additional dilution to our
stockholders.
If
our storage software products contain undetected errors, we could incur
significant unexpected expenses and experience product returns and lost
sales.
Our
storage software products are highly technical and complex. While our storage
software products have been tested, because of their nature, we can not be
certain of their performance either as stand-alone products or when integrated
with our customer’s product lines. There can be no assurance that defects or
errors will not arise or be discovered in the future. Any defects or errors
in
our storage software products discovered in the future could result in a loss
of
customers or decrease in net revenue and market share.
We
depend upon a small number of OEM customers. The loss of any of these customers,
or their failure to sell their products, could limit our ability to generate
revenues.
Orders
by
our OEM customers are affected by factors such as new product introductions,
product life cycles, inventory levels, manufacturing strategies, contract
awards, competitive conditions and general economic conditions. Our sales to
any
single OEM customer are also subject to significant variability from quarter
to
quarter. Such fluctuations may have a material adverse effect on our operating
results. A significant reduction in orders from any of our OEM customers could
have a material adverse effect on our operating results, financial condition
and
cash flows.
Because
of our dependence on single suppliers for some components, we may be unable
to
obtain an adequate supply of such components, or we may be required to pay
higher prices or purchase components of lesser
quality.
The
chip
sets used in some of our products are currently available only from a single
supplier. If this supplier discontinues or upgrades some of the components
used
in our products, we could be required to redesign a product to incorporate
newer
or alternative technology. The inability to obtain sufficient key components
as
required, or to develop alternative sources if and as required in the future,
could result in delays or reductions in product shipments or margins that,
in
turn, would have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results,
financial condition and cash flows. If sufficient components are unavailable,
we
may be required to pay a premium in order to meet customer demand. Paying
premiums for parts, building inventories of scarce parts and obsolescence of
existing inventories could lower or eliminate our profit margin, reduce our
cash
flow and otherwise harm our business. To offset potential component shortages,
we have in the past, and may in the future, carry an inventory of these
components. As a result, our inventory of components parts may become obsolete
and result in write-downs.
-31-
If
we fail to develop and produce new products, we may lose sales and our
reputation may be harmed.
The
markets for our products are characterized by rapidly changing technologies,
evolving industry standards and frequent new product introductions. Our future
success will depend on our ability to enhance our existing products and to
introduce new products and features to meet and adapt to changing customer
requirements and emerging technologies such as VoIP, third generation wireless
services (3G Wireless), SATA, iSCSI, SAS, Gigabit Ethernet, 10G and TOE. There
can be no assurance that we will be successful in identifying, developing,
manufacturing and marketing new products or enhancing our existing products.
In
addition, there can be no assurance that services, products or technologies
developed by others will not render our products obsolete.
We
have
focused a significant portion of our research and development, marketing and
sales efforts on HighWire, WAN and LAN adapters and storage software products.
The success of these products is dependent on several factors, including timely
completion of new product designs, achievement of acceptable manufacturing
quality and yields, introduction of competitive products by other companies,
market acceptance of our products and our ability to sell our products. If
the
HighWire, adapter products, storage software or other new products developed
by
us do not gain market acceptance, our business, operating results, financial
condition and cash flows would be materially adversely affected.
Our
storage software products will require a substantial product development
investment by us and we may not realize any return on our
investment.
The
development of new or enhanced products is a complex and uncertain process.
As
we develop new features for our storage software, our customers may experience
design, manufacturing, marketing and other difficulties that could delay or
prevent the development, introduction or marketing of new products and
enhancements. Development costs and expenses are incurred before we generate
any
net revenue from sales of the products resulting from these efforts. We expect
to incur additional research and development expenses relating to our storage
software product lines which could have a negative impact on our earnings in
future periods.
-32-
The
storage and embedded products market is intensely competitive, and our failure
to compete effectively could reduce our revenues and
margins.
We
compete directly with traditional vendors of storage software and hardware
devices, including Fibre Channel SAN products, open source “free” software, TOE
and application-specific storage solutions. We compete with communications
suppliers of routers, switches, gateways, NICs and other products that connect
to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and the Internet. In the future,
we expect competition from companies offering client/server
access
solutions based on emerging technologies such as Fibre Channel, switched digital
telephone services, iSCSI, SAS, TOE and other technologies. In addition, we
may
encounter increased competition from operating system and network operating
system vendors to the extent that such vendors include full communications
and
storage capabilities in their products. We may also encounter future competition
from telephony service providers (such as AT&T or the regional Bell
operating companies) and storage product providers (such as EMC Corporation,
Network Appliance, Inc. and Qlogic Corporation).
Increased
competition with respect to any of our products could result in price reductions
and loss of market share which would adversely affect our business, operating
results, financial condition and cash flows. Many of our current and potential
competitors have greater financial, marketing, technical and other resources
than we do. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete
successfully with our existing competitors or will be able to compete
successfully with new competitors.
We
signed
an agreement to sell our embedded hardware business and that business generates
substantially all our revenue and gross margin. We also risk the loss of
customers for our embedded hardware products by announcing the sale of the
embedded hardware business.
We
depend on our key personnel. If we are unable to retain our current personnel
and hire additional qualified personnel as needed, our business will be harmed.
We
are
highly dependent on the technical, management, marketing and sales skills of
a
limited number of key employees. We do not have employment agreements with,
or
life insurance on the lives of, any of our key employees. The loss of the
services of any key employees could adversely affect our business and operating
results. Our future success will depend on our ability to continue to attract
and retain highly talented personnel to the extent our business grows.
Competition for qualified personnel in the networking and software industries,
and in the San Francisco Bay Area, is intense. There can be no assurance that
we
will be successful in retaining our key employees or that we can attract or
retain additional skilled personnel as required.
We
may be unable to protect our software which could reduce any competitive
advantage we have.
Although
we believe that our future success will depend primarily on continuing
innovation, sales, marketing and technical expertise and the quality of product
support and customer relations, we must also protect the proprietary technology
contained in our products. We do not currently hold any patents and rely on
a
combination of copyright, trademark, trade secret laws and contractual
provisions to establish and protect proprietary rights in our products. There
can be no assurance that steps taken by us in this regard will be adequate
to
deter misappropriation or independent third party development of our technology.
Although we believe that our products and technology do not infringe on the
proprietary rights of others, there can be no assurance that third parties
will
not assert infringement claims against us.
-33-
Risks
Associated with Ownership of Our Common Stock
The
market price of our common stock is likely to continue to be volatile. You
may
not be able to resell your shares at or above the price at which you purchased
such shares.
The
trading price of our common stock is subject to wide fluctuations in response
to
quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in operating results, the failure to meet
analyst estimates, announcements of technological innovations or new products
by
us or our competitors, general conditions in the computer and communications
industries and other events or factors. Our common stock has historically had
relatively small trading volumes. As a result, small transactions in our common
stock can have a disproportionately large impact on the quoted price of our
common stock.
If
we continue to experience losses, we could experience difficulty meeting our
business plan and our stock price could be negatively
affected.
We
experienced a decline in our sales volume of our embedded hardware products
and
a lack of market acceptance for our storage software that dramatically affected
our operating cash flow. If we are unable to gain market acceptance of our
storage software solutions, we will experience continuing operating losses
and
negative cash flow from our operations. Any failure to achieve or maintain
profitability could negatively impact the market price of our common stock.
We
anticipate that we will continue to incur product development, sales and
marketing and administrative expenses. As a result, we will need to generate
significant quarterly revenues if we are to achieve and maintain profitability.
A substantial failure to achieve profitability could make it difficult or
impossible for us to grow our business. Our business strategy may not be
successful, and we may not generate significant revenues or achieve
profitability. Any failure to significantly increase revenues would also harm
our ability to achieve and maintain profitability. If we do achieve
profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain or increase
profitability on a quarterly or annual basis.
Our
merger with Neonode Inc. may not produce the desired
results.
In
September 2006, our Board of Directors and management determined that the best
course of action was to consider selling our embedded hardware and storage
software businesses and to consider seeking a viable merger candidate. On
January 11, 2007, we signed an asset purchase agreement with One Stop Systems
to
purchase our embedded hardware business for $2.2 million cash plus the
assumption of our corporate headquarters office lease and a lease for certain
engineering equipment. When the divesture of our embedded hardware business
is
completed, we will no longer participate in the embedded hardware markets.
On
January 19, 2007, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger and
Reorganization, with Neonode Inc. It
is
anticipated that our name will be changed to “Neonode Inc.” in connection with
the completion of the merger.
-34-
There
can
be no assurance that we will be successful in
obtaining the required approval of our stockholders to consummate the asset
sale
and the merger. Even if we obtain the requisite approval, we may not be
successful in increasing shareholder value and our stock price may be negatively
affected.
*
Our common stock is at risk for delisting from the Nasdaq Capital Market. If
it
is delisted, our stock price and your liquidity may be
impacted.
Our
common stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Nasdaq has
requirements that a company must meet in order to remain listed on the Nasdaq
Capital Market. These requirements include maintaining a minimum closing bid
price of $1.00 and minimum stockholders’ equity of $2.5 million. Our
stockholders’ equity as of January 31, 2007 was approximately $2,482,000 and our
closing bid price on January 31, 2007 was $0.56.
On
July
14, 2006, we received a notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq) indicating
that for 30 consecutive business days prior to the notification date, the bid
price of our common stock closed below the $1.00 minimum bid price required
for
continued listing by Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(4) (the Rule). On January
11, 2007, we received a notice from Nasdaq that our stock is subject to
delisting due to our inability to comply with the Rule and that we would not
be
given an additional 180-day compliance period. Our shareholders’ equity was less
than the required $5.0 million and the market value of our public float was
less
than the required $5.0 million. We filed an appeal of the staff’s determination
to a Listings Qualifications Panel (Panel). Delisting of our stock from Nasdaq
is stayed pending the determination of the Listings Qualifications Panel. The
appeals hearing was held on February 22, 2007 and we are awaiting the Panel’s
determination. The Panel may grant us an extension such that if we complete
a
stock split sufficient to increase our bid price to $1.00 or more prior to
the
extension date, our shares may remain listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
We
are seeking stockholder approval of such reverse split at the same time as
we
seek stockholder approval of the One Stop Systems transaction. We will need
to
comply with the Nasdaq initial listing criteria, which requires a $4.00 minimum
bid price, in connection with the Neonode transaction so we may effect an
additional reverse split in connection with that transaction.
If
we
fail to regain compliance with the standards necessary to be quoted on Nasdaq
or
we are unsuccessful in our appeal of the delisting determination and our common
stock is delisted, trading in our common stock would be conducted on the OTC
Bulletin Board as long as we continue to file reports required by the Securities
and Exchange Commission. The OTC Bulletin Board is generally considered to
be a
less efficient market than Nasdaq, and our stock price, as well as the liquidity
of our common
stock,
may be
adversely impacted as a result.
-35-
Our
certificate of incorporation and bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation
Law
contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change in
control.
Our
board
of directors has the authority to issue up to 2,000,000 shares of preferred
stock and to determine the price, rights, preferences and privileges of those
shares without any further vote or action by the stockholders. The rights of
the
holders of common stock will be subject to, and may be materially adversely
affected by, the rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be issued
in the future. The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of making
it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding
voting stock. Furthermore, certain other provisions of our certificate of
incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes
in control or management which could adversely affect the market price of our
common stock. In addition, we are subject to the provisions of Section 203
of
the Delaware General Corporation Law, an anti-takeover law.
Item
6. Exhibits
and Reports on Form 8-K
(a)(3) List
of
Exhibits
Exhibit
Number |
Description
|
|
2.1(1)
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement with One Stop Systems, Inc., dated January 11,
2007.
|
|
2.2(2)
|
Agreement
and Plan of Merger and Reorganization, with Neonode Inc., dated January
19, 2007.
|
|
3.1(3)
|
Certificate
of Incorporation, as amended through December 15, 1997.
|
|
3.2(4)
|
Bylaws,
as amended through December 8, 1998.
|
|
3.3(5)
|
Certificate
of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation, dated March 26,
2004.
|
|
10.1(6)*
|
1996
Stock Option Plan, as amended.
|
|
10.2(6)*
|
2001
Non-Employee Directors' Stock Option Plan, as amended.
|
|
10.3(6)
|
1992
Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended.
|
|
10.4(6)
|
1998
Non-Officer Stock Option Plan as amended.
|
|
10.5(7)
|
2005
PyX Technologies Stock Option Plan.
|
|
10.6(8)
|
2006
Equity Incentive Plan.
|
|
10.7(9)
|
Lease
for 4000 Executive Parkway, Suite 200 dated July 27, 2005 between
the
Company and Alexander Properties
Company.
|
-36-
10.8(10)+
|
Letter
Agreement, dated October 30, 2001, amending (i) Amendment No. S/M018-4
dated April 3, 2001, and (ii) Purchase Agreement dated May 6, 1991,
each
between SBE, Inc. and Compaq Computer Corporation.
|
|
10.9(11)
|
Form
of warrant issued to associates of Puglisi & Co. ($1.50 exercise
price).
|
|
10.10(11)
|
Form
of warrant issued to associates of Puglisi & Co. ($1.75 and $2.00
exercise price).
|
|
10.11(12)
|
Unit
Subscription Agreement, dated May 4, 2005, by and between SBE, Inc.
and
the other parties thereto.
|
|
10.12(12)
|
Agreement
and Plan of Merger and Reorganization, dated March 28, 2005, by and
among
SBE, Inc., PyX Acquisition Sub, LLC, PyX Technologies, Inc. and the
parties identified on Exhibit A thereto.
|
|
10.13(12)
|
Investor
Rights Agreement, dated July 26, 2005, between SBE, Inc. and the
investors
listed on Exhibit A thereto.
|
|
10.14(12)
|
Form
of Warrant issued on July 26, 2005.
|
|
10.15(13)
|
Executive
Severance Benefits Agreement between the Company and Leo Fang, dated
May
24, 2006.
|
|
10.16
|
Executive
Severance Benefits Agreement between the Company and Kenneth G. Yamamoto,
dated March 21, 2006.
|
|
10.17(14)
|
Executive
Severance Benefits Agreement between the Company and David W. Brunton,
dated April 12, 2004.
|
|
10.18(14)
|
Executive
Severance Benefits Agreement between the Company and Kirk Anderson,
dated
April 12, 2004.
|
|
10.19(15)
|
Executive
Severance Benefits Agreement between the Company and Nelson Abal,
dated
August 4, 2006.
|
|
10.20(16)
|
Director
and Officer Bonus Plan, dated September 21, 2006.
|
|
31.1
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer.
|
|
31.2
|
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer.
|
|
32.1
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant
to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of
the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
*
|
Indicates
management contract or compensation plans or arrangements filed pursuant
to Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation
SK.
|
-37-
+
|
Certain
confidential information has been deleted from this exhibit pursuant
to a
confidential treatment order that has been
granted.
|
(1)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Current Report on Form 8-K dated January 12, 2007
and
incorporated herein by reference.
|
(2)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Current Report on Form 8-K dated January 19, 2007
and
incorporated herein by reference.
|
(3)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October
31,
1997 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(4)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October
31,
1998 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(5)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
July 31, 2006.
|
(6)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October
31,
2002 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(7)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Registration Statement on Form S-8 dated September
20,
2005 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(8)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Registration Statement on Form S-8 dated March 24,
2006 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(9)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October
31,
2005 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(10)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
April
30, 1001.
|
(11)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Registration Statement on Form S-3 dated July 11,
2003
and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(12)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Proxy Statement on Form 14A dated June 24, 2005
and
incorporated herein by reference.
|
(13)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Current Report on Form 8-K dated May 26, 2006 and
incorporated herein by reference.
|
(14)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
January 31, 2005.
|
(15)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Current Report on Form 8-K dated August 7, 2006
and
incorporated herein by reference.
|
(16)
|
Filed
as an exhibit to Current Report on Form 8-K dated September 21, 2006
and
incorporated herein by reference.
|
-38-
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized, on March 16, 2007.
SBE,
Inc.
|
||
Registrant
|
||
|
|
|
Date: March 16, 2007 | By: | /s/ Kenneth Yamamoto |
Kenneth
Yamamoto
|
||
Chief
Executive Officer and President
(Principal
Executive Officer)
|
Date: March 16, 2007 | By: | /s/ David W. Brunton |
David
W. Brunton
|
||
Chief
Financial Officer,
Vice
President, Finance and
Secretary
(Principal
Financial and Accounting
Officer)
|
-39-