10/24/2000
BOTHELL, Wash., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ — Microvision Inc. (Nasdaq: MVIS), today announced that their Imaging Solutions Group has successfully
demonstrated, several months ahead of schedule, a miniature hand-held scanning
device that will enable low-cost, low power bar-code scanners to be used by
consumers as input devices for applications such as mobile Internet.
The demonstration, conducted at Microvision headquarters, is a first step
in the group’s previously announced plans to develop a line of image scanning
products spanning a range of price/performance points. The company’s strategy
is to deliver enabling scan-engine products ranging from very low cost devices
aimed at the potentially explosive mobile internet market to very high
performance devices aimed at more sophisticated two-dimensional and
three-dimensional industrial and medical imaging applications.
The prototype device is about two and a half inches long, just over an
inch and a half wide and about three quarters of an inch thick, and fits
neatly in the palm of a hand. The company believes that the device, which
will be further miniaturized to less than half of its current size, has the
potential to be one of the smallest, most cost-effective and usable scanners
in the market, which is a key feature for devices targeting widespread use by
consumers.
“The consumer scanning space is very dynamic right now. We believe that a
portable input device that is small, cheap and easy to use could enable a
number of killer applications for mobile Internet. We see in the current
market the potential volume for this class of device to reach tens of
millions of units annually,” reported Chris Wiklof, Business Development
Manager for Microvision Imaging Solutions Group.
“The device unveiled today incorporates proprietary decode technology that
results in significantly higher scanning performance than other low cost
scanners at a cost that is intrinsically lower than alternative designs. As a
next step we’ll add some very novel scanning optics to further improve the
device. This demonstration is a confidence-builder because the device
performs very well, and the design would appear to enable our objectives of
very small size, very low power, and very low cost.”
“The prototype bar code scanner announced today will be used as a test bed
for measuring user interaction with the device, and we expect a
second-generation device incorporating improvements resulting from focus group
responses to be delivered by the end of January,” continued Wiklof.
“Simultaneous with the development of a very low cost consumer scanner,
Microvision is developing models with even better ergonomics as well as higher
performance devices. Depending on the interest level of our business
partners, we anticipate initial production of commercial barcode scanning
products in the second half of 2001.”
“Our electronics design makes use of very inexpensive components that
together produce an extremely forgiving scanner response,” said Bob Bogart,
Manager for Microvision’s newly-formed San Francisco Bay Area Development
(BAD) Team. “This allows a wide range of individuals with no scanning
experience to pick up our scanner and get immediate results. It’s important
for consumers to have a device that is intuitive and easy to use. People have
to be able to pick up a device and successfully scan within 15 seconds, or
else they won’t use these devices.”
Rick Rutkowski, Microvision’s President and CEO added, “We envision that
consumers will use very small portable scanners as mobile input devices to
electronically read symbols in catalogs, magazines and all manner of printed
media.
“One of the key challenges for handheld computing devices is the
difficulty of inputting information into them. A PC or a notebook computer
has a full-sized keyboard, a screen and a mouse, but mobile devices have none
of the above.
“Think about shopping from a catalog by reading links right off the page
with one of these devices. You will be able to activate links and perform
web-based transactions in the same way that you do using a mouse with your
personal computer: The pictures in the catalog take the place of the computer
screen — plus you can get better quality images in a fraction of the time
— and the scanner takes the place of the mouse. In a sense, we bring
e-commerce to a context that is more familiar and natural than using a
computer. You can look at it as making the computer disappear.”
A key aspect of Microvision’s strategy is to enable true portability.
“For our strategy to work, the user has to able to bring the scanner into the
world with them. It doesn’t make any sense for the user to scan items while
tethered to their computer, where you’ve already got a keyboard and a mouse.
At best that only saves a few keystrokes,” explains, Wiklof. “While initial
product plans call for devices to ‘store-and-forward’ links such that scanned
symbols are stored inside the device for later upload through a computer,
Microvision believes that the next step is for such input devices to be
present in wireless broadband products that perform real time transactions
including bringing electronic media content directly to the user.”
About Microvision Imaging Solutions Group:
Microvision Imaging Solutions Group was formed earlier this year to
develop new applications and markets for the company’s proprietary scanning
and imaging technology, which was developed to support the real-time,
high-resolution, requirements of the company’s retinal scanning display
technology. Focused on establishing “total solutions” in the imaging space,
the company believes that a broad range of imaging applications in the
business to business, business to consumer and high-end medical and industrial
markets can take advantage of the high performance, miniature size and mass
fabrication potential of the underlying components and optical systems
technology.
About Microvision:
Headquartered in Bothell, Wash., Microvision Inc. is the developer of the
patented Retinal Scanning Display technology and a world leader in micro
miniature optical scanning technology for display and imaging applications.
The company’s technology has application in a broad range of military,
medical, industrial, professional and consumer information products.
Forward Looking Statement
The information set forth in this release includes “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended, and is subject to the safe harbor created by those
sections. Certain factors that realistically could cause results to differ
materially from those projected in the company’s forward-looking statements
are set forth in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.