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Before you all throw in the towel on this one, consider the following news which has already sent the stock up nearly 40% today:
SMYRNA, Georgia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 20, 1997--
AER Energy ships long run-time batteries for use with
Mitsubishi OmniQuest(TM) Satellite Telephone System
AER Energy Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ: AERN) today began shipping
zinc-air batteries to be used with the OmniQuest satellite telephone.
The Omni Quest satellite telephone is manufactured by Mitsubishi
Electric Corporation for American Mobile Satellite Corporation
(AMSC), a provider of mobile satellite voice and data communication
services and equipment. The battery, marketed under private label as
the PowerLink(TM), will be supplied to end-users as an accessory by
Alegna Inc., a sales agent for AMSC.
Dan Coole, director of product management for Mitsubishi Electronics
America stated, "In an evaluation of technologies for our satellite
phone application, we found that AER Energy zinc-air technology was
the only technology that could provide the long run-time required by
our target end-users. The PowerLink battery enables the OmniQuest to
be used for up to 8 hours in continuous talk mode or up to 50 hours
in stand-by mode. Now the user can focus on the task at hand without
worrying about running out of battery power."
The PowerLink, a 10 volt long run-time accessory battery, uses AER
Energy's recently announced smaller, thinner zinc-air cells and
should increase telephone operating time by up to a factor of 5 over
the NiMH battery used in the OmniQuest satellite telephone. The
PowerLink battery includes the following features:
-- AER Energy rechargeable zinc-air technology for high
energy density by weight
-- 170 watt hours of energy to provide up to 8 hours of
talk time or up to 50 hours in standby
-- 3.4 pound battery with more energy per pound than other batteries
-- "fuel gauge" to let users know how much charge is in the battery
-- alarm to warn users of low battery capacity
-- low self-discharge rate for long storage life
-- charged battery which is ready to use right out of the box.
"The PowerLink is designed to run the satellite telephone in talk
mode for a full workday before requiring a recharge," explained
Frank Harris, vice president of marketing and sales at AER Energy.
"We're excited about this application because it demonstrates our
ability to apply the zinc-air technology developed for portable
computers to other microprocessor-based portable electronic
products--like satellite telephones."
Using the latest electronic components for satellite communications,
the OmniQuest satellite telephone is a light-weight 5.3 pound
microprocessor-based system. The new telephone is about the size of
a notebook computer and is the smallest, lightest telephone for use
with SKYCELL Satellite Communication Services. Together, the
OmniQuest satellite telephone and PowerLink battery weigh 8.7 pounds.
The OmniQuest satellite telephone provides voice, data, voice
dispatch and fax communication by sending and receiving signals from
the AMSC-1 geostationary satellite (GEO) some 22,000 miles above the
earth. An earth station connects the signals from the satellite to
the ground-based local and long-distance telephone system.
The satellite communications industry's trends include smaller,
lighter and lower cost systems, expanded coverage, and new services
with lower air-time costs, all of which position the industry to grow
over the next few years. These trends are opening up mobile worker
applications where usage patterns and physical location have made
land-line or cellular calling impossible or impractical. "We see the
long run-time of the PowerLink accessory battery providing increased
productivity for OmniQuest satellite telephone users," said David M.
Wigglesworth, product manager for AMSC. "Longer run time coupled
with a greatly reduced system weight will serve applications in
industries such as insurance, emergency services, disaster relief,
exploration, construction, utilities and mining."
Alegna has introduced SPACELINK(TM), an integrated, self-contained
mobile communications unit, comprised of an OmniQuest(TM) satellite
telephone, dual PowerLink batteries, ruggedized notebook computer,
portable printer and scanner, PC-card Global Positioning System,
encryption devices for voice and data, as well as other custom
components. Angela Patel, president of Alegna stated, "We intend to
offer the long run-time PowerLink(TM) battery as an integral
accessory for mobile communication users. Using AER Energy(TM)
zinc-air technology gives us a competitive advantage and allows us to
provide the long run-time feature in a light weight package." Alegna
Inc. develops and distributes integrated mobile communication units,
as well as custom carrying cases.
AER Energy Resources, Inc. is engaged in the development and
commercialization of high energy density, rechargeable zinc-air
batteries that provide long, continuous run-time for portable
electronic products. The company is currently marketing batteries to
provide a portable computer users with full working day operation on
a single charge.
For more information about AER Energy's zinc-air battery technology,
contact AER Energy Resources at 1-800-769-3720, or via the Internet
at aern.com.
Note: This release contains statements which to the extent that they
are not recitations of historical fact, may constitute "forward
looking statements" within the meaning of applicable federal
securities laws. All forward looking statements contained in this
release are intended to be subject to the safe harbor protection
provided by applicable federal securities laws. For a discussion
identifying some important factors that could cause actual results to
vary materially from those anticipated in the forward looking
statements made in this release, see the Company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1996, including, but not
limited to, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Conditions and Results of Operations.
OmniQuest is a trademark of Mitsubishi Electronics America, Inc.;
PowerLink and SPACELINK are trademarks of Alegna Inc.; AER Energy is
a trademark of AER Energy Resources, Inc.
CONTACT:
Frank Harris or Todd Fogarty
AER Energy Resources, Inc. Kekst and Company
(770) 431-2084 (212) 521-4854
Fax: (770) 431-2091
f-harris@aern.com
KEYWORD: GEORGIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMED
OMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS
BW1097 MAY 20,1997
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