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Technology Stocks : Ascend Communications (ASND) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: pat mudge who wrote (41495)	3/30/1998 7:02:00 AM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Respond to of 61433

*****OT***** Radio Frequency ID Readies for Transition from Fuel Island to Checkout Counter Point-of-Sale Business Wire - March 30, 1998 06:16 %TEXAS-INSTRUMENTS TXN %ILLINOIS %TEXAS %COMED %COMPUTERS %ELECTRONIC V%BW P%BW CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 30, 1998--Texas Instruments announced today that it is working with Verifone to develop an in-store, point-of-sale radio frequency ID (RFID) tag reader system that will help propel the automated payment technology deeper into the retail mainstream. The arrival of the new tag reader system is expected to trigger wider retail adoption of RFID, as the technology makes its way onto the checkout counter and becomes a more familiar part of the shopping experience. More than 1.2 million consumers nationwide are using TIRIS, the brand name of TI's RFID technology, to make purchasing gasoline easier and faster. Available in either keyring or vehicle-mounted form, the TIRIS tags can now be used at over 2,500 stations across the country. In this application, a small TIRIS reader unit located inside the fuel dispenser communicates with either keyring or vehicle-mounted tag when they enter the read zone. The read zone is a defined area in front of the dispenser where coded signals are passed between tag and reader. After capturing a tag's code, the reader transmits the data to the station's resident POS system for credit approval purposes. "The upside to RFID is that it is extremely simple for the consumer to use and also an affordable technology upgrade for the retailer," said Joe Pearson, TIRIS retail program manager. "We're witnessing a high level of success with the technology right now out on the fuel island, but the greater retail potential is still largely untapped in our estimation." The next step is to expand tag-holder benefits by making it possible to use the keyring tags not only for at-pump transactions but also within the convenience store. Progress on this front is gaining considerable momentum. Working with TI, Verifone is now integrating TIRIS capability into the widely used Everest customer input device. The new in-store units are expected to be available later this year. NOTE TO EDITORS: Texas Instruments Incorporated is a global semiconductor company and the world's leading designer and supplier of digital signal processing solutions, the engines driving the digitization of electronics. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company's businesses also include materials and controls, educational productivity solutions and digital imaging. The company has manufacturing or sales operations in more than 25 countries. Texas Instruments entered the radio frequency identification (RFID) market in 1991 with the worldwide introduction of TIRIS (Texas Instruments Registration and Identification System). Fusing together core competencies in advanced semiconductors, microelectronic packaging and computer system design, TIRIS has become a standard-setting technology used in thousands of object tracking and data collection applications around the world. Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Wed at ti.com. CONTACT: Bridgeman Communications Dave Blackburn, 617/742-7270 or Texas Instruments Susy d'Hont, 972/917-1451

To: pat mudge who wrote (41495)	3/30/1998 9:40:00 AM
From: Dennis R. Duke	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 61433

As to the rest of the world, remember the old Cascade focused on North America Only. The new Ascended Cascade has a world focus. The size of the new Siemems/Newbridge ATM is said to be very large, and unexpectedly so for their prospective clients. So ASND may have an advantage. Let's hope so. Or as you had said Pat, there is enough demand in the future for both companies to do well. Let's wish them both well. My portfolio roots for ASND to be stronger. Dennis