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Franklin Electronic Publishers posted a sharp loss for its fiscal fourth quarter and ended the year in the red as the result of slow sales and write-downs and, the company said, it is now evaluating the future of what were supposed to be its hottest products -the REX handheld PC-compatible organizer line and the new Rocket eBook line.
For the three months to March 31, Franklin reported a net loss of $21.4 million, up from a year-earlier deficit of $867,000, while sales, at $16.2 million, declined 26%. For the year the producer of handheld electronic reference products had a net loss of $30.2 million, against fiscal-1998 earnings of $1.43 million. Sales edged up 3.5% to $103.8 million.
For the year, Franklin said, sales of its core reference products declined 8.7% to $72.2 million, REX product sales rose...