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NORRIS TO LICENSE FLASHBACK(R) TECHNOLOGY: OEM DIVISION OFF TO PROMISING START
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<a href="http://www.thefreelibrary.com/NORRIS+TO+LICENSE+FLASHBACK(R)+TECHNOLOGY%3A+OEM+DIVISION+OFF+TO...-a017616766">NORRIS TO LICENSE FLASHBACK(R) TECHNOLOGY: OEM DIVISION OFF TO PROMISING START</a>
Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Norris Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: NORRF) today announced an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and ) sales division has been created to meet the demand for their award- winning Flashback(R) technology. "This digital voice recording system employing flash memory is targeted to replace mechanical tape recorders. It can be used in everything from flight data recorders to micro answering machines to office dictation devices. Our three goals are to (1) license our microprocessor & software, (2) design & manufacture custom products, and (3) offer private label branding of current Norris products," stated Alfred H. Falk, Vice President of Corporate Development, who will lead the division.
Although flash memory can be difficult to integrate, it is preferred to other types of solid state memory because of its stability and low power requirements. Norris uses methods to compress sound into digital form specifically for flash memory chips. This way, flash memory can emulate hard drive flexibility, long recording time, and instant access to stored data.
"Today, our development efforts are far beyond that of the industry," said Bob Root, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. and President of Norris. He also stated, "We have put considerable effort into the development of inputting digital voice recordings into the computer environment, and we're able to get far more information on less flash memory than anyone else. While most of the industry has been using flash in simple data applications, we have been perfecting sound and voice recording on this new medium."
Michael Peterson, President of Strategic Research Corporation said, "Norris Communications' `Flashback' technology is at least two years ahead of the competition. Their implementation of flash memory as a primary storage device for voice and sound recording has already broken through all of the barriers which others have not yet discovered. The decision to license the technology is excellent and clearly a market expansion move. `Flashback' is poised to become the key, unlocking voice as a computerdata type."
In August 1995, Norris announced that the first patent for its Flashback technology had been allowed by the U.S.Patent Office and is now awaiting final issuance. "The anticipated issuance of this first patent, which we believe is imminent, strengthens our position and allows us to move aggressively toward licensing our technology," Mr. Root said.
Mr. Falk stated, "The Norris FlashFile(TM) System is the first of its kind capable of supporting recording times of nearly 20 hours. The data can be played back, stored in a computer or sent in standard data/sound format over a modem. The entire memory management system is exceptionally flexible, facilitating many custom features and data formats."
Norris' brand-name product using this technology is "Flashback." This 3 oz. digital voice recorder plays recorded material instantly, performs variable-speed playback without changing voice pitch, and features the built-in ability to edit voice recordings, i.e. insert a message within a message without recording over what's already there.
Flashback's awards include Popular Science magazine's "Best of What's New" award for "The Year's 100 Greatest Achievements in Science and Technology" (December 1994) and the "Innovative Product of the Year" award from the Consumer Electronics Show (June 1994). The Flashback recorder is the only device of its kind providing a removable and interchangeable storage medium. It is currently capable of storing up to 36 minutes of voice recording on the removable, reusable SoundClip(R).
If Flashback were a tape recorder tape recorder, device for recording information on strips of plastic tape (usually polyester) that are coated with fine particles of a magnetic substance, usually an oxide of iron, cobalt, or chromium. The coating is normally held on the tape with a special binder. , the SoundClip would be the tape. SoundClips are removable and interchangeable, plugging into Flashback with a PC Card-style connector. This removability means that conversations can be recorded, removed, labeled and filed for safekeeping. Because they contain flash memory chips, SoundClips do not require a battery backup See UPS.
..... Click the link for more information. to preserve their memory. SoundClips are currently sold in 18- and 36-minute capacities (1MB and 2MB).
"Removability provides users with virtually unlimited recording time, similar to tape recorders using micro-cassettes. Users can record meeting minutes, messages, memos, or voice annotations for data or image files, then remove the SoundClip(R) and send it to others. In the near future a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, San Jose, CA, www.pcmcia.org) An international standards body and trade association that was founded in 1989 to establish a standard for connecting peripherals to portable computers. PCMCIA created the PC Card. See PC Card.
..... Click the link for more information. (PC Card) connection peripheral will be available to download voice files directly into the computer for transcription, modeming or annotation 1. (programming, compiler) annotation - Extra information associated with a particular point in a document or program. Annotations may be added either by a compiler or by the programmer. to critical files," said Root.
Root added, "Our technology is not limited to a defined storage capacity, nor is it limited to flash memory. Larger flash memory arrays, conventional hard disks, and PCMCIA disks can be used to extend recording times to hundreds of hours. Applications such as flight recorders, geophysical recording and many other uses commonly associated with digital tape are all prime uses of our technology. Applications are limited only by the design engineers' imagination."
Speech To Text
Norris is poised to take advantage of the emerging voice recognition and speech-to-text movement. "Already," Root continued, "we are experimenting with recordings dictated into Flashback, played back and transcribed automatically into text using qualified third party voice recognition programs."
Bob Root said, "The technology fits an important niche in the transcription market, as well as in the mobile office and home office environments. For example, using a parallel port or PC Card connector, you could easily attach a recorded excerpt of a business meeting, legal deposition, insurance claim, interview, or doctor/patient interview to the written transcript of that event. It would make it simple to clarify and share information with your associates."
Root continued, "Our technology could be used to create a solid- state dictation system with a twist. A tiny portable recorder could capture and edit memos, letters, proposals on the fly. Then it could directly interact with a computer and turn voice into text using software made for that purpose, reducing the amount of time it takes to get from brainstorm to hard copy."
Licensing Norris FlashFile System(TM) (NFS (Network File System) The filesharing protocol in a Unix network. This de facto Unix standard, which is widely known as a "distributed file system," was developed by Sun. See file sharing protocol and WebNFS.
NFS - Network File System )
Norris' FlashFile System software can be used to manage all types of data, particularly multimedia data, in a flash memory environment. The feature-rich FlashFile System was designed to painlessly overcome the intricacies of dealing with flash memory, and to enhance multimedia applications. Sophisticated fault tolerance See fault tolerant.
(architecture) fault tolerance - 1. The ability of a system or component to continue normal operation despite the presence of hardware or software faults. This often involves some degree of redundancy.
2. increases MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) The average time a component works without failure. It is the number of failures divided by the hours under observation.
MTBF - Mean Time Between Failures (Mean Time Between Failure) and the useful life of flash memory; its basic architecture extends the application of flash memory beyond that of conventional file systems.
Mr. Falk said, "Our FlashFile System was developed specifically for use with flash memory. For licensees, this system will reduce time to market and save them the cost of developing an effective system from scratch. We used a broad approach, so our customers can configure our technology for their purposes, and we can create modules for any digital voice recorder or data storage applications."
In addition to the Norris FlashFile System, the Flashback core software and microcontroller A single chip that contains the processor (the CPU), non-volatile memory for the program (ROM or flash), volatile memory for input and output (RAM), a clock and an I/O control unit. are being licensed. The core code that drives the Flashback recorder is highly configurable and flexible, giving licensees many options in adjusting the hardware and software to fit their needs. Not only is the Flashback core system capable of supporting extended recording time (5, 10, and even 19+ hours), its feature set includes editing capability, variable speed playback without changing voice pitch, and other sophisticated data management and manipulation functions.
Custom devices
"The OEM sales division will use our technology to design and develop custom devices," Root said. "For example: cellular in-phone answering machines; built-in conference/speaker phone recorders; and long-recording digital devices for the legal, business and medical transcription
This article is an allied medical field. For other uses, see Transcription and MT disambiguation pages
markets."
"Norris technology also has application in the fast-growing field of two-way paging," Mr. Falk added. "The combination of extended recording times and compression technology would allow users of two-way pagers to leave longer messages-in their own voice, as opposed to a `canned' alphanumeric message -- and utilize less air time. We could also use our format and structure for text and data download to a pager; or a pager that could dump a file into your computer."
Private label Norris Flashbacks
Norris' OEM sales division is considering requests to produce Flashback consumer products under private label. In addition to the Flashback recorder, which is already on the market, Norris is developing new generations of Flashback-type recorders incorporating liquid crystal displays (LCDs), calendar/organizer functions, and doubling the recording times to 72 minutes or more. As mentioned earlier in this release, Norris is also developing different types of connection devices-PC Card, parallel port-to download voice files to a computer. Any combination of these products may be produced under private label. The OEM sales division predicts their technology will soon be in voice communication fields including dictation/transcription, voice-to-text, portable answering machines, digital in-computer recording, and voice mail, and is developing relationships with OEMs, VARs, and other potential licensees in these and other related areas. Mr. Root stated, "We are in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?"
midmost of negotiating an OEM Agreement. We anticipate announcing our first OEM Agreement within the next 90 to 120 days."
San Diego-based Norris Communications Corporation develops, manufactures and markets sophisticated electronic audio and data storage products. An innovator in consumer electronics with serious portable business applications, Norris markets its products directly to OEMs and sells Norris branded products through resellers to end users. Its founder, Chairman and Chief Technology Officer, Elwood Norris, holds more than 100 patents for a wide variety of electronic technologies.
Norris Communications will be demonstrating their consumer products and discussing their technology at Comdex in Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs va`g?s), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. , November 13-17. To meet with Norris at Comdex, please call 702-691-8264 (during the show only) to schedule an appointment, or drop by The Sands Convention Center meeting room #M5659R.
Norris' home page on the World Wide Web: http://www.norriscomm.com/
-0- 11/10/95
/CONTACT: R. Gordon Root, CEO, or Wendy Ravenel, Investor Relations Investor relations
The process by which the corporation communicates with its investors. , or Alfred H. Falk, VP of Corporate Development, of Norris Communications Corp., 619-679-1504/
(NORRF)
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