Be Names Former Apple Exec to Board

Menlo Park-based Be Inc. named former Apple Computer Inc. executive Heidi Roizen to its board, uniting two alumni of the struggling computer maker. Roizen, who left her job as a vice president at Apple in February, was the main contact for software developers at Apple and had the difficult role of preventing defections in the face of the growing dominance of computers based on Microsoft Corp. software and Intel Corp. chips. Be Chief Executive Jean-Louis Gassee was president of Apple’s product division before he founded Be in 1990. Be began as a rival to Apple, making a high-tech personal computer known as the Be Box. Roizen is expected to help Be build better relationships with software developers, analysts said. Cupertino-based Apple’s shares fell 25 cents to close at $21.50 on Nasdaq.