STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Feb. 28, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Anoto is starting a new company, Anoto Communications Ltd, to prepare for the launch of the Anoto concept in Japan. The new company aims to establish a consortium consisting of a large group of industrial parties that will act as a platform for the launch in the Japanese market in 2002-2003.
Anoto Communications Ltd. will manage the consortium and thus have a consultative role in connection with planning and production of services with Anoto functionality. Anoto Communications Ltd will also initiate market activities to continue to disseminate the Anoto concept in the Japanese market.
Anoto Nippon K. K. remains a wholly owned subsidiary of Anoto AB and will continue to market the pen, paper and server technology enabling Anoto functionality.
"Establishment of Anoto Communications Ltd. creates stronger opportunities for both Anoto Nippon K. K. and our strategic partners in Japan to be better prepared and coordinated for the future launch. Anoto Communications Ltd. will be fully financed through the membership of our Japanese partners," says Christer Fahraeus, CEO, Anoto AB.
At a press conference today Thursday February 28 in Tokyo, Japanese partners demonstrated proprietary services based on Anoto functionality via both PCs and 3G telephones.
The company Anoto AB was founded in Lund, Sweden in late 1999 as a fully owned subsidiary of C Technologies AB. The company Anoto currently has over 220 employees working in offices in Lund, Stockholm, Boston, Tokyo and Hong Kong. www.anoto.com
C Technologies AB (publ) was founded in 1996 and is a well-established Swedish high-technology company. C Technologies holds cutting-edge expertise in the fields of digital camera technology, image processing. The C Technologies Group, which also comprises the subsidiaries Anoto AB and WeSpot AB, currently has over 300 employees and offices located in Lund, Stockholm, Atlanta, Boston, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Major shareholders include company founder Christer Fahraeus, Capital Group and Ericsson. C Technologies' share is listed on the O-list of the OM Stockholm Exchange (Attract 40). www.ctechnologies.se
A global de facto standard for digital paper Anoto is currently creating a global de facto standard for digital paper. Anoto thereby unites one of mankind's most preferred ways of communicating, pen and paper, with the tremendous power of the digital world. This combination is Anoto functionality. There are several underlying technologies behind Anoto functionality, such as pen technology, server technology and paper technology as well as Bluetooth(tm) communication. It is all these technologies that make Anoto functionality as intuitive, spontaneous and individual as possible for the end user. Anoto functionality makes sure that pen and paper remains pen and paper even when digital services are available.
A network of partners Anoto is establishing the de facto standard through a network of partners from a wide range of industries: Mobile phone industry, traditional pen and paper industry, operators, software developers only to mention some. Till now, Anoto has established about 50 partnerships in Europe, USA and Asia.
Ordinary pen and paper, yet more... Anoto functionality turns handwritten notes, doodles and sketches digital. A pattern, almost invisible to the naked eye, is printed on to ordinary paper. A digital pen enabling Anoto functionality reads the pattern and can thereby determine its' position and copy the pen movement. The information can then via a Bluetooth(tm) communication node (e.g. a mobile phone) be sent to any computer, mobile phone, PDA, fax or information bank. Specific commands or functions can also be assigned to a certain area of the paper, thanks to the Anoto pattern. This enables services such as retrieving information or placing an order directly from a mail order catalogue, newspaper or magazine using the digital pen enabling Anoto functionality.
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