Tech Briefs

CISCO ADDS TWO COMPANIES

Cisco Systems Inc. agreed to buy two companies for a combined$47.8 million to enhance its Internet-based telephone offerings.Cisco, the world's biggest maker of computer-networking equipment, isspending $28 million for Metreos Corp., whose products integrate acompany's business applications and communications. The San Jose,Calif.-based company is also buying Audium Corp., which providesautomated-voice services, for $19.8 million. Metreos, based inAustin, Texas, has 19 employees. Audium, in New York, has 26.

INTEL EARLY WITH NEW CHIP

Intel Corp. will sell a new microprocessor for server computersnext quarter, earlier than planned, as the world's biggest computer-chip maker speeds introductions to regain market share. The chip,code-named "Tulsa," is designed for use in computers that runcorporate networks and Web sites. Tulsa was originally slated forrelease in the fourth quarter.

VONAGE DEADLINE EXTENDED

Some Vonage Holdings Corp. investors, burned by a 31 percentdecline in the shares, are being given more time to pay for stockthey ordered in the Internet phone company's initial public offering.Citigroup Inc.'s Smith Barney division and UBS AG extended a May 30payment deadline to June 13. Smith Barney, UBS and Deutsche Bank AGsold shares to potential investors at $17 apiece, including Vonagecustomers, in the May 23 IPO. Vonage has yet to collect some of the$531 million it raised in the IPO after investors balked at thestock's 13 percent drop in the first day of trading and its declineto less than $12 since then. About 10,000 of Vonage's 1.6 millioncustomers signed up for the IPO.

GOOGLE PLANS WEB PAY SYSTEM

Google Inc. will start an online payment system this month thatwill challenge eBay Inc.'s PayPal and let Google offer more targetedads, an analyst wrote. GBuy, which will begin on June 28, will handlepurchases between shoppers and merchants, RBC Capital Markets analystJordan Rohan wrote Friday in a note to investors. Participatingsellers will be listed as "trusted GBuy merchant" in Google searchresults, he said.