NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., June 8, 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 a range of advanced Industrial Grade RFID Devices incorporating Hitachi u-Chip secure protocol technologies and AT&T required 3G wireless and battery certifications.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6252
"NDT in collaboration with III and ITRI are ready to start exclusively distributing a range of advanced RFID technologies including an IP67 Industrial grade Handfree Reader, an Industrial Monitor with an embedded reader, the world's smallest EPC Global reader module, Fixed and Handheld Readers are but a few of the products that will be released for distribution this year that contain the Hitachi u-Chip UHF protocol, a first for North America," said Richard Damion, CEO of NDT. The devices will all contain this unique security protocol which can read under the EPC Global Gen 2 layer on the RFID chip, allowing for a manufacturer, distributor, importer, distribution center and retailer to each have their own secure password protected 256K bit layer to place their confidential data within this single chip."
"The chip has a 2K memory, the largest memory in the industry with deactivation, range adjustment and read/write features as well as five password protected secure layers. We anticipate that by increasing the yield on the wafer, we can eventually see a two cent chip, the technical challenges have been great and required multi-national support. These chips and readers will be targeted at the Wal-Mart vendor supply chain, offering them the lowest cost solution in the industry, and assuring a quick ROI," said Elsie Kao RFID Project Manager at III. This is an International Project and we are collaborating with teams of Hardware, Software, Middleware, Testing and SI Engineers in Taiwan, Japan, Europe along with a major USA Retailer.
"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. Millions of dollars have been invested in the development, testing and certifying of these range of products and anticipate major sales and distribution announcements to come out from NDT within the next few weeks."
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 Ph.D. degree in Engineering Science. III is the largest system integrator in Taiwan and has extensive core competencies in RFID Technology with focus on software development.
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 serve 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.
The photo is also available at NewsCom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
