Appairent Technologies Demonstrates First IEEE 802.15.3 Radio at the Wireless Ventures 2003 Conference.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 29, 2003

Company Working with Consumer

Electronics Manufacturers to Enable True Multi-media-Wireless

Networking

Appairent Technologies Inc. today announced that leading consumer electronics manufacturers have elected to work with its Transpairent(TM) Radio development system, a new technology that enables consumers to run multimedia applications, such as streaming video and audio, over ad hoc wireless networks at speeds of up to 55 megabits per second.

Consistent with the IEEE 802.15.3 standard, the Transpairent(TM) Radio has been designed to address the requirements of portable and stationary multi-media devices. In addition to high data rates and ad hoc networks, other attributes include guaranteed quality of service, battery friendliness and low cost.

Consumer electronics manufacturers are working to utilize the Transpairent(TM) Radio within a wide range of devices, including residential gateways, DVD players, TVs, set-top boxes, audio systems, digital still cameras and digital camcorders. The company's Transpairent Radio is the first IEEE 802.15.3 compatible radio transceiver system. The low-power and low-cost technology delivers streaming multimedia throughout the home and beyond.

According to Instat/MDR, the home networking market will grow to $5.3 billion in 2007. Within that market, multimedia networking in the home will account for approximately 49 percent or $2.6 billion.

"We have identified a unique and largely untapped market to wirelessly network the more than one billion consumer electronics purchased annually," said James Allen, president, Appairent Technologies. "The interest we're seeing from consumer electronic manufacturers underscores the value of this technology and the need for wireless home networking solutions for high-bandwidth multimedia, such as high-quality audio and video. Our technology is also extensible to high throughput radio systems, such as ultra-wideband."

The TranspairentTM Radio module will consist of an RF and Digital/Baseband IC and all the external components needed to implement a standardized IEEE 802.15.3-compatible, radio transceiver system. It supports advanced power management features and transmits data up to 100 meters. The module provides network connectivity that does not require user configuration. Presently, the company is selling Field Programmable Logic Array-based (FPGA) evaluation kits to manufacturers to test with various consumer electronics products. The company will demonstrate its technology at the Wireless Ventures 2003 conference (held in the Sofitel Hotel in Redwood City, Calif.) through the week of April 28.

Appairent Technologies was spun out from Eastman Kodak Company in January 2002. Appairent Technologies is a provider of standards-based wireless modules, chips and protocol stackware designed for use in consumer electronic products and applications. Appairent's Transpairent(TM) embedded high-speed radio system takes advantage of the IEEE 802.15.3 standard to enable multimedia distribution between stationary and portable PC and consumer electronics devices. For more information, visit the Appairent Web site at http://www.appairent.com.