But businesses ordered more fabricated metal products, machinery and motor vehicles.
Internet Commerce, based in New York, said the combined company would be able to offer a complete line of software to let businesses order supplies over the Internet.
Businesses ordering in bulk, defined by the company as over 100 units, will pay just €1,500 each.
New business orders recovered from a multiyear low in a rare sign of resilience.
Around 2,800 business orders were for the commercial version called the Powerpack.
In G.E.'s big industrial business, orders were down 10percentt in the quarter.
According to the United Nations, business orders for industrial robots jumped 18% in the first half of 2004.
Weak consumer spending and steady declines in business orders for large machinery and other capital goods are slowing factory output.
"I slam my forearm against the console," he writes, but quickly regains command, issuing back-to-business orders.
Examples of leading series include published data for new business orders, labour productivity, consumer demand, residential building contracts, stock market indices, and changes in business inventory.
At Abraham Natural Produce, a mail order halal meat business, orders have increased by 40% during Ramadan as families have been planning ahead for their Eid menus.
