NeoMedia Technologies, Inc (NEOM)

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DD: 'Big Screen' Video to Cell Phone Users

(this could be big, pun intended...)

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050707/75402.html?.v=1

Thursday July 7, 9:27 am ET
French Telecom's Orange SA to Launch Wireless Multimedia Service Pairing Samsung Phones with MicroOptical's Video Eyewear Powered by Kopin CyberDisplays


TAUNTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 7, 2005-- France Telecom's wireless unit, Orange SA, will soon roll out a new mobile video service that will let cellular phone subscribers view TV, movies, photos and broadband Internet content with a big screen viewing effect using Kopin®-enabled video eyewear from U.S.-based MicroOptical Corp. Kopin Corp. (Nasdaq: KOPN - News), the largest U.S. manufacturer of microdisplays for mobile consumer electronics and military applications, has received an order for CyberDisplay® 230K microdisplays from MicroOptical for this application.
Source: Kopin Corp.


· View multimedia news release




Orange SA, one of the world's leading wireless companies with 52 million customers in 16 countries, will bundle a MicroOptical binocular video eyewear with Samsung's SGH-D600 cell phone as part of its new "Orange World" wireless multimedia service. The bundled package, unveiled in June 2005 at the European Research and Innovation Exhibition in Paris, is scheduled to be available to Orange subscribers in October 2005.

MicroOptical's video eyewear contains two of Kopin's full-color, QVGA-resolution (320 x 240) CyberDisplay 230K microdisplays. The sleek eyewear allows users to privately view large-size video or pictures equivalent to a 12-inch screen as seen from three feet away, yet simultaneously view their surroundings thanks to the small size of the frame and MicroOptical's patented optics which allow the user to see around the screen. Europe's AFP news wire service called the bundled technology "a sure fire hit," saying that the eyewear's "big screen effect" is stunning, especially when combined with built-in stereo earpieces.

"Kopin CyberDisplays are becoming the standard microdisplays of choice for mobile video applications thanks to their ability to provide the highest video quality in the smallest footprint and with very low power consumption," said Dr. Mark Spitzer, MicroOptical's founder and CEO. "We are very happy with our partnership with Kopin and really excited about being a part of Orange's multimedia wireless service. We are ramping up the production to meet the initial customer demand."

"The mobile video revolution is unfolding in the cellular phone market as we speak," said Dr. John C.C. Fan, Kopin's president and CEO. "Consumers want to be able to watch movies, music videos and TV, browse the Web and check their e-mail on their cell phones on the go. But the phone's small screen has inhibited widespread consumer adoption. MicroOptical's innovative video eyewear is enabling the big screen capabilities that consumers demand, and yet is very lightweight and similar to eyeglasses."

The Kopin CyberDisplay 230K's tiny size (0.24-inch diagonal) enabled MicroOptical to design a featherweight (2.5 oz.), comfortable and stylish video eyewear solution for Orange SA. MicroOptical's binocular video eyewear delivers crisp, full-color video with a 17-degree field of view. The eyewear is connected to a cell phone through a thin cable, and allows up to five hours of video with three AAA batteries. Since it accepts composite video input (NTSC or PAL), the eyewear can be plugged into other devices with composite video outputs such as portable DVD players.

Built with nanotechnology, the CyberDisplay 230K with approximately 230,000 pixel dots in 0.24" diagonal is the highest resolution transmissive display of its size. In addition to displaying standard text and graphics, the display operates at traditional video speeds and consumes only five milliwatts of power. Kopin's power-efficient CyberDisplay 230K is ideal for a range of portable consumer and industrial applications such as video eyewear and viewfinders for digital cameras and camcorders.