PRESS RELEASES
Alien Technology® Announces EPC Class 1 Gen 2 Compliant Firmware for ALR-9780 RFID Reader
April 11, 2005, Morgan Hill, CA - Alien Technology today announced plans to offer EPC Class 1 Gen 2 compliant firmware in all Alien ALR-9780 RFID Readers beginning in June 2005. The firmware will also be available to upgrade customers' existing ALR-9780 Readers enabling a seamless transition to implementation of Class 1 Gen 2 RFID tags. The popular ALR-9780 is currently installed in hundreds of retail and DoD-related RFID implementations.
The ALR-9780 with Gen 2 firmware implements the entire Gen 2 command set and modulation modes. With support for mixed populations of Class 1 Gen 1 and Gen 2 tags, Alien® will guarantee* compatibility of the upgraded ALR-9780 Reader for customers with EPC Class 1 Gen 2 compliant RFID tags.
"EPC Class 1 Gen 2 will offer customers more flexibility in the configuration of an RFID system for different applications and operating environments, including variable performance options and greater ability to optimize multiple readers operating in the same environment," said Tom Pounds, Vice President of Corporate Development at Alien Technology. "The ALR-9780 with Gen 2 firmware will enable Alien's customers to transition seamlessly as Gen 2 tags become available on a commercial scale from Alien and others toward the end of this year."
The EPC Class 1 Gen 2 specification, approved in December 2004, is expected to enable greater flexibility and performance of RFID systems. Benefits include a single global standard, and the potential for faster read speeds, improved readability, and the ability to address dense reader challenges.
The ALR-9780 with Gen 2 firmware retains the popular Alien Reader Protocol, which delivers powerful data collection, filtering and event management functionality. Field-proven in hundreds of applications, the Gen 2 upgraded ALR-9780 requires no software changes to the wide range of middleware and applications software packages that support it. For new implementations, there is a complete Software Developer's Kit including royalty-free Java and Visual Basic libraries, Hardware Setup guide, Reader Interface Guide with API definitions, Hardware Technical Specification, sample source code, antennas, RFID tags and accessories.
The ALR-9780 with Gen 2 Firmware will be available beginning in June 2005. The firmware upgrade will be available in June to customers who have purchased the Reader firmware upgrade license.
About Alien Technology
Alien Technology provides UHF Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) products and services to customers in retail, consumer goods, manufacturing, defense, transportation and logistics, pharmaceuticals and other industries. Organizations use Alien's RFID products and services to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and security of their supply chains, logistics and asset tracking operations. Alien's products include RFID tags, RFID readers and related training and professional services. Alien's patented Fluidic Self Assembly (FSA) technology and related proprietary manufacturing processes are designed to enable the manufacture of high volume, low cost RFID tags.
Alien was founded in 1994. The company's facilities include: its corporate headquarters in Morgan Hill, CA; an RFID tag manufacturing facility in Fargo, ND; the Alien RFID Solutions Center, in the Dayton, Ohio area, and sales offices in the US, Europe and Asia. Alien is a member of EPCglobal. More information about Alien is available at www.alientechnology.com.
Alien, Alien Technology, the Alien logo, Squiggle and FSA, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Alien Technology Corporation in the United States and other countries. Copyright 2007 Alien Technology Corporation. All rights reserved.
