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Technology Stocks : Racom Systems (RCOM) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Gutterball who wrote (260)	8/15/1998 1:23:00 AM
From: Marty Lee	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 468

Ok.. ok.. I've read though the entire prospectus.. As of NOW, the most RCOM (at the most) has going for it is that "The company BELIEVES it was the first to successfully develop and introduce contactless Smart Cards using FRAM and batteryless, RF communications. P. 7.... so... Well enough... Risk factors in terms of competition keep us trading at the levels we do. RCOM may indeed have a superior product. But, as its prospectus clearly points out, it's a product that finds it difficult to compete with others who are doing just as well supplying the needs of consumers sufficiently with an inferior product for a cheaper price. Arthur will have to lead the company in more ways than one. Right now, RCOM needs more to "one up" its competition technologically than what it has or had. IMHO, Marty

To: Gutterball who wrote (260)	8/18/1998 2:36:00 PM
From: Gutterball	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 468

Siemens Ships Smart Card Industry's First 16-Bit Cryptocontroller New Design Targets Need for Added Security and Memory Capacity in a Broad Range of Next Generation Smart Card Applications CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 17, 1998-- The Security and Chip Card IC business unit of Siemens Microelectronics Inc. (SMI) announced today that it has begun volume shipments of the industry's first 16-bit cryptocontroller for smart card applications. The chip -- the SLE66CX160S, which is the first device in the 66 family of controllers -- enables development of a range of high-security applications for mobile communications, banking, healthcare, pay TV and access control. ''The Siemens SLE66CX160S is a cryptocontroller featuring what is currently the largest memory capacity in chip card controllers on an extremely small chip surface of less than 20 mm2,'' said Joerg Borchert, vice president of SMI's Security and Chip Card IC business unit in Santa Clara, Calif. The device features memory capacities of up to 32 Kbytes of EEPROM, 32 Kbytes of ROM and 1.2 Kbytes of RAM, which allows multi-application-compatible operating systems to be implemented on a single chip. According to Borchert: ''The chip provides a platform for the launch of genuine multi-application cards. ''Its processing power and flexibility will allow several service providers to offer their services on the same chip card.'' The new 66 family, which is based on a CPU developed specifically for chip cards, is six times faster than a standard 8051 controller. The family's controllers have a number of greatly enhanced security features and are the only controllers on the market today to support calculation of elliptical curves. The 66 family can process RSA algorithms with key lengths of up to 1024 bits in less than 900 ms. Memory encryption also guarantees the secrecy of data stored in EEPROM, ROM and RAM. A random number generator fully implemented in the hardware generates true random numbers thanks to its analog structure. Other high-performance peripherals in the 66 family include a 16-bit timer, a CRC module and interrupt logic to support processing of real time applications. The SLE66CX160S controllers feature extremely low power consumption, very high memory capacity and significantly better performance and security attributes. Siemens guarantees that every device in the 66 controller family is compatible with the previous 44 controller family, which currently plays a prominent role worldwide in virtually every relevant chip card project. The Siemens 66CX160S is available now. The average price per 100 parts is $4.25 per chip, or $4.80 per chip on module. For more information and project pricing, call 408/492-3213, or visit SMI's website at: smi.siemens.com. About Siemens Siemens Microelectronics, Inc. (SMI), based in Cupertino, Calif., develops and manufactures semiconductors, optoelectronics and passive components for the communications, automotive and computer peripherals industries. SMI offers one of the broadest product portfolios in the microelectronics industry, and is a market leader in communications ICs, smart power products, embedded DRAM technology and custom optoelectronics. A subsidiary of Siemens Corporation, based in New York, SMI is affiliated with Siemens AG Semiconductor Group and Passive Components Group, Munich, Germany.