The company speaks:
In the recent PC Magazine article, SAF/NT was tested with a fingerprint scanner from Keytronic. Is this the Identicator product or the old NRI/Keytronic product? Secondly, if someone wanted to implement your product with fingerprint ID, how much would the hardware cost and when would it be available? From what I understand NRI's software is compatible only with Veridicom, Who?Vision, and Cross Check, right? To my knowledge, none of these companies have a product available yet. Any idea as to when their prodcts will be available? Also, I am assuming there would be volume discounting for both hardware and software, right?
Beyond fingerprints, has there been much demand and/or inquiry into theother two forms of biometric ID available from your company? That is to say, your SAF/NT product comes standard with fingerprint ID for a reason, right?
Finally, looking at the company in whole: Does Home Shopping Network still have an investment in NRI? And, when will the quarterly results come out?
I apologize for the glut of questions, but I worry about NRI all the time. In a good way, though...
Sir,
Thank you for your e-mail message.
Regarding your questions, I can provide the following additional information:
1) The test center comparison conducted by PC Magazine used the older Key Tronic optical scanner technology that has been in the market for the last two years.
2) SAFLINK has an agreement with Veridicom, Inc. to supply their new
capacitance sensor technology for fingerprint-based biometric applications. Production units of the Veridicom VFS II parallel port sensor module will be available in late March and will carry a SAFLINK list price of $179.00. We are currently shipping pre-production units of this sensor in low quantities for evaluation by our customers.
3) SAFLINK application software products are compliant with the Human
Authentication API specification standard. By definition, they are compatible with any manufacturer's fingerprint device and matching algorithm that provides a Biometric Service Provider (BSP) module that meets the specification. We have actually qualified fingerprint devices from the three companies that you mention, but we are aware that other manufacturer's are developing products that also meet the specification.
4) We are not in a position to speak for the various manufacturers as to what the availability is for new products that they are developing. You should contact these companies directly for this information.
5) For products that we are selling directly to our customers, we do provide discounts on both the hardware and software based on volume purchases.
6) There is considerable interest in facial image and voice authentication biometrics within our customer base. Each technology has its "best fit" scenario for different environments and individual situations. Our SAFtyLatch product is bundled with speech technology for the mass distribution market because of its low cost of ownership since no special peripheral devices are required. We intend to continue to expand the list of technologies that will work with our products as they become commercial available and technologically proven. For example, iris recognition has a lot of promise as a biometric technology and the target applications for iris will increase as the price for these devices continue to drop. Currently, fingerprint does come standard with our products since it is the most widely used of the available technologies. However, this could change in the future as technologies mature and user preferences become more defined.
7) Home Shopping Network still has an investment in NRI. This is a matter of public record.
8) Our CFO advises me that we plan to issue financial results within the next two weeks.
No problem for the "glut of questions". We appreciate your interest and continued support. By the way, you should check out this article in Fortune Magazine
pathfinder.com
To clarify our strategy, let me just say that SAFLINK is a software company. We are not in the hardware business. Our goal is to sell software that works with as many biometric capture devices as possible. While we may, from time to time, provide hardware as a convenience to customers to expedite their evaluation of our software, we fully expect the large customer to order the hardware directly from the manufacturer or their distributor. The manufacturer will ultimately set the price...not SAFLINK. As you know, the price for fingerprint sensors is dropping rapidly as more new technology is released. We want our products to work with all proven fingerprint hardware in the market and we are working toward that goal. A key to achieving this is the widespread adoption of interface standards on the part of the biometrics vendors. We are deeply involved in leading this effort. Whatever popular standards emerge from this process, we will support.
Best regards,
Walter Hamilton
Director, Business Development
SAFLINK Corporation
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That should answer some questions...
Regards,
Bob |
