Thinking back now on my interview last month with Woody Hobbs, CEO of Intellisync Inc., I remember being struck by his view that hardware companies, rather than software companies, would be the main acquirers of wireless middleware developers.

I mentioned it in the story I wrote about Hobbs that appeared in the Nov. 4 issue of The Deal.

"Hardware companies such as Hewlett-Packard Co., Sony Corp. and Nokia Oyj could look to improve their wireless hardware margins via an expansion into software. Intellisync itself is a target by virtue of its relatively small valuation on the Nasdaq, its strong technology and valuable customer relationships."

It's nice to see there was some accuracy in that, but I wish I had been bolder in predicting about Nokia. That's because Wednesday, Nov. 16, Intellisync said it agreed for Nokia to acquire it for $430 million.

As I wrote in The Deal earlier this month, Hobbs did a good job turning Intellisync around via acquisitions, partnerships and technology development. His work has paid off; shareholders will receive $5.25 per share. The one-day premium is slim, but since the stock was trading at $3 per share as recently as August and less than $1 in 2002, the deal is good for shareholders. Bill Burnham has good answers to questions about the acquisition. — Joshua Jaffe

Go to story from The Deal
Go to Nokia's press release
Go to Bill Burnham's Q&A