NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 30, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Institute for Information Industry Taiwan and the Industrial Technology Research Institute, both of which are Taiwan quasi-government Research & Development organizations under the Ministry of Economic Affairs office, today announced an agreement with Newport Digital Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:IFDG) to distribute the World's smallest EPC Gen 2 Class 1 Passive Reader Module, which is the first of its kind in the industry.
"This is the first of many significant RFID products and solutions to come out of our collaboration with ITRI and III," said Richard Damion, CEO of NDT. "Having the smallest footprint of a Reader Module was imperative for the various RFID applications that we are developing in Medical, Agriculture, Asset Management, Asset Tracking, POS and Security. Integration into the Reader Module will be a very unique, Industry first, Security Protocol that is capable of reading under the EPC Global Gen 2 layer on our RFID chip, this chip which in Japan by our Japanese partner has a 2K memory, the largest memory in the industry with deactivation, range adjustment and read/write features." This Reader Module will not only read the EPC Global Gen 2 layer on our tag but will also provide access to five password protected secure layers, one layer for each section of a supply chain (Manufacturing, Transportation, Distribution, Warehouse and Retail). Both the Reader and Tag will be manufactured in Taiwan with the target price of US$150 for the Reader with Intel's R1000 chipset and $.05 for the tag and inlay.
III (www.iii.org.tw) and ITRI (www.itri.org.tw) combined have more end to end solution expertise then any single organization in the world.
"ITRI has significant experience in industrial RFID technologies from asset tracking to global container tracking systems" said Paul Chang, ITRI's Identification and Security Technology Center, (ISTC) Manager. "ITRI has managed the first EPC Global Certified Performance and Conformance Laboratories in Asia and has developed a whole range of RFID tags, devices and solutions."
"III's collaborative effort with NDT and its "Big Brother" Institute ITRI has been in the works for over a year leading up to this recent developmen," said Elsie Kao, III's International Group Program Manager. "This collaborative effort is expected to deploy over 300 RFID hardware, software and system integration engineers in Taiwan this year and is expected to help Taiwan become a global leader in RFID Technologies. Our objective is to make adoption by the Industry of RFID technologies easier by dramatically reducing the cost of entry. To achieve this objective we have partnered with one of the largest RFID technology companies in Japan and one of the world's largest retailers that is deploying RIFD."
The miniaturized RFID reader module is a cost performance leading front-end device specially designed portable reader. The reader module incorporates an R1000 chip set and is the world's smallest RFID reader and the only one currently passing the EPC Gen 2 UHF Protocol V.1.0.9 Certification which includes Conformance Test and Interoperability Test. Its operating frequency range is 902MHZ -- 928MHZ on 50 channels with one or two antenna options.
About the Institute for Information Industry:
III is one of the world's leading information technology institutes established in 1979, jointly sponsored by the Taiwan government and prominent private enterprises, for the purpose of strengthening the development of the information industry in Taiwan.
Since its inception, III has been a source of vision, innovation, technological excellence and a major contributor to Taiwan's development into a significant player in the global ICT arena. III has helped promote full utilization of ICT technologies hence advancing the establishment of modern information society in Taiwan. III has approximately 1500 Engineers, of which 70% have either a Master's or PhD degree in Engineering Science.
About the Industrial Technology Research Institute:
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) -- a national research organization that serves to strengthen the technological competitiveness of Taiwan.
Since its inception, ITRI has three mission statements: first, to expedite the development of new industrial technology; two, to aid in the process of upgrading industrial technology techniques; and three, to establish future industrial technology. However, in order to face a new economic era and serving as a nation's premiere technology research institute, ITRI must transform Taiwan's research capability from a "follower" to a "pioneer" in order to provide major advantage and opportunities for domestic industries. As of today more than 60% of the ITRI's 6,000 employees hold either a Master's degree or PhD in their respective field of studies.
The mission of Identification and Security Technology Center (ISTC)/ITRI, is to integrate technologies of identification, sensing, video surveillance, and wireless networks, to develop the next generation home and campus security system, and to uplift the domestic security industry from "point product manufacturer" to "security system integrator and/or service provider." In the meantime, ISTC develops RFID innovative application services, related software/hardware technologies, and global test and certification capabilities to promote RFID industrial development.
About Newport Digital Technologies, Inc.
NDT is a newly established technology company based in Newport Beach, California with the mission of developing, and marketing technologies from III and ITRI in three core competencies: RFID, WiMAX and eLearning. Many of these technologies were developed for exclusive distribution by NDT through tier-one channels around the world supported by NDT offices in Taiwan and Australia.