Xybernaut(R) Announces General Availability of New MA IV(TM) Wearable PC; Wireless, Hands-Free Computing
FAIRFAX, Va., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Xybernaut Corporation (Nasdaq: XYBR - news) today announced the general availability of the Mobile Assistant™ (MA IV™), its patented voice-activated wearable PC that allows the user to move hands-free while doing his or her job. It consists of a belt-worn computer, a color VGA head-mounted display or flat panel VGA color digitizing display, a 1 lb. long-lasting, hot-swappable battery pack, and integrated voice-recognition software. The MA IV allows hands-free access to computer information for applications in many industries, including discrete and process manufacturing for inspection, maintenance, inventory management and data collection applications, aircraft and heavy equipment maintenance, insurance claim adjustments, and telecommunications.
The MA IV wearable PC will be available for the first time through the end-user channel in December 1998 for prices starting at $4995. The MA IV includes up to a 233MHZ Intel Pentium MMX processor, up to 128 MB of RAM, and up to a 4.3GB hard drive, a hot-swappable battery, integrated speech recognition software, two PCMCIA Cardbus card slots, a full set of standard ports through its Xyberport™, and a built-in mouse. The body-worn computer measures 7.5'' x 4.6'' x 2.5'' and weighs just under 2 pounds.
The light-weight (15 ounces) head-mounted display is suspended in front of either eye, allowing users to see both the computer image and outside world simultaneously, either by glancing up or down at the screen, as adjusted by the user. It features a 640 x 480 color VGA monitor with an integrated noise-canceling microphone and earphone. The alternate 6.1'' flat panel VGA color digitizing display is tucked into the belt and easily pulls out when needed for note-taking, or it can be worn on the forearm, leaving the hands free for work. The MA IV can be worn on either the left or right side of the user's body and is ruggedized for industrial and most outdoor weather environments.
''The MA IV is the result of both our research and the customer feedback we have received on previous systems,'' stated Edward Newman, President & CEO of Xybernaut. ''It meets our objective of providing wearable computing for a full workshift, thanks to an integrated approach to power management that orchestrates software and hardware activity down to the component and board level. This combination of improved performance, hot-swappable batteries, smaller size and lower price should open new markets and applications.''
The basic MA IV includes the processor unit, battery pack, flat-panel or head-mounted display, small keyboard, Windows 98, and voice recognition software. Windows NT and SCO UNIX are optional. The MA IV is now available, starting at $4995 MSRP.
For more information, contact Xybernaut Corporation, 12701 Fair Lakes Circle, Suite 550, Fairfax, Virginia, 22033 ph: 703-631-6925, fax: 703-631-6734, Web site: xybernaut.com.
Xybernaut is a leader in hardware, software and service solutions for the wearable computing industry. The company's wearable computers are designed to allow users hands-free access to information in the computer's internal storage, in local area networks, and on the Internet on an as-needed, where-needed basis. Its software products are designed to provide users with the right information needed for the task at hand using consistent navigation techniques and screen presentations. Xybernaut's customers include leading corporations and the government for many mobile knowledge delivery system applications including maintenance, diagnosis, inspection, inventory control and manufacturing.
Mobile Assistant is a registered trademark of Xybernaut Corporation. MS-DOS, Windows 3.1, Windows 95 and Windows NT are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. SCO UNIX is a trademark of Santa Cruz operations.
SOURCE: Xybernaut Corporation |
