Dell to add some Zing to its lineup

Dell said it would be doing some interesting things this year, and lo, it has: the company announced Monday it will purchase Zing Systems, maker of streaming audio technology.

Zing currently licenses its technology to SanDisk, for the Sansa Connect, and Sirius, for its Stiletto 100 product. Privately held Zing Systems is based in Mountain View, Calif., and all 120 of its employees are expected to be retained by Dell, said David Frink, a spokesman for Dell. Other details of the transaction were not released.

(Credit: Zing Systems)

After almost 20 years of very few acquisitions, Dell's latest streak of buying three companies in a matter of weeks--SilverBack Technologies, ASAP Software, and now this--probably qualifies as a shopping spree. But Dell says it's all part of the plan laid out earlier when it announced it would be expanding its retail offerings.

"We're looking at companies that can expand our capability to provide great product experiences," said Frink. "We think this is a company that can provide a great technology and entertainment experience."

Though it axed its own Dell-branded MP3 player earlier this year, Dell currently sells several different brands of portable media devices, including the Sansa Connect, as well as devices from Creative Technology, Samsung Electronics, Sony, Microsoft and Archos.