Redwood City, CA Ð NeXT continues to close major sales in its target markets with sales to the Toronto police and a Connecticut financial-services firm.
The trading company, which asked not to be named for competitive reasons, reportedly has committed to 500 NeXT machines and is taking delivery of the first 50. According to a manager at the company, the machines will be used in trading-floor and database applications.
NeXT beat strong competition from both Sun and Compaq to close the deal. The units, to be purchased directly from NeXT, were selected for their advantage in developing in-house applications, the manager said.
Toronto's police department will use up to 70 NeXTs for a system called RICI-Mug, which helps match suspects to mug shots using image processing technology. The system is being developed by Comnetix, a new NeXT VAR with experience in police technology.
"NeXT workstations' extreme power and flexibility, coupled with low price, were what let us make RICI-Mug a reality." said Comnetix president Edward Escubedo. "The software could also be useful for talent agencies, real-estate companies, product cataloging, and security organizations."