HP Gets Printer Happy as Oracle Retaliates in Court
Alongside its lengthening legal clash with Oracle, Hewlett-Packard is doing some damage control under head Meg Whitman following several major blunders by the two previous CEOs. Whitman, the former chief executive of eBay, stated that her company won’t be doing any more big acquisitions in the near future, but HP is still evidently pursuing smaller firms that can contribute to its portfolio.
Today the manufacturer acquired German printing solutions maker Hiflex Software for an undisclosed amount. Hewlett-Packard the deal will be used to integrate Hiflex’s solutions into its growing line-up of cloud printing solutions.
“Hiflex’s product portfolio includes a management information system for the print industry and a Webshop platform, which can be used by businesses to offer customized printing products — including business cards, flyers and brochures — that can be ordered online. The platform is based on open-source content management system Drupal.”
This does have the potential of rounding out HP’s cloud printing solutions, which are currently offering less extensive functionality than what Hiflex’s software has to offer.
At the same time, Hewlett-Packard is also working on the hardware part of its cloud printing strategy. The TopShot LaserJet Pro M275 has some interesting features including 3D image printing, the ability to upload documents independently via WiFi and even iOS integration. In addition we’ve recently learned that, while unfortunately not available with the Pro M275, earlier LaserJet printers have built-in spontaneous combustion capabilities.
Moving beyond its printer business, Hewlett-Packard got itself tangled up in a legal battle with Oracle over the latter’s decision to shut down the production of new software for Intel’s Itanium chip line, which powers a sizable portion of HP’s servers. This week Oracle fired back with a countersuit that includes seven counts against its rival, including an accusation that ties in HP’s CEO drama with what Oracle’s lawyers have referred to as a “multi-year campaign of secrecy and deception.”
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