LEUVEN, Belgium – October 21, 2008 – Option N.V. (EURONEXT Brussels: OPTI; OTC: OPNVY) the wireless technology company, today announced that its GTM501 embedded module is providing 3G HSPA connectivity to a new ultra-compact Mobile Internet Device (MID) from USI (Taiwan Stock Exchange: 2350.tw). The new MID also includes GlobeTrotter Connect for Linux, the connection management software specially developed by Option for MIDs.
Established in 1976, USI – Universal Scientific Industrial Co., Ltd. – is a Taiwanese company that partners with global brands to design and manufacturer high quality, value-added and cost-competitive products for the computing, communications, consumer electronics and automotive electronics sectors. The company had 2007 revenues of more than US $ 2 billion.
USI’s latest device, the MID-160, is a Mobile Internet Device incorporating an Intel® Centrino® Atom™ processor, 800×480 pixel 5-inch touch screen, 512 MB of Memory, an 8GB SSD hard disk, and GPS combined with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HSPA connectivity. Weighing 250g and with a thickness of just 1.5cm, the MID-160 is the smallest and lightest MIDs to date.
“USI’s MID-160 is another important milestone in our initiative to become the leading supplier of 3G wireless broadband connectivity to MID designers. This attractive product is further evidence of the importance of compact connectivity solutions, such as our GTM501, to the realisation of truly pocketable MIDs,” said Jan Callewaert, CEO of Option.
Gilbert Wei, President of USI, commented: “The MID-160 is designed to empower its users to enjoy PC-like Internet experiences anywhere and anytime. With Option’s compact and high performance embedded wireless module, USI offers such a razor-thin device to the growing number of mobile users worldwide.”
Incorporating multi-band HSPA, UMTS and GSM, Option’s GTM501 embedded wireless module offers manufacturers the opportunity to market MIDs incorporating wide area wireless broadband connectivity in hundreds of countries worldwide. Measuring just 25 x 30 x 2.5mm, the GTM 501 is the only 3G HSPA embedded module available in the ultra-compact LGA form factor that offers a significant space saving compared with PCI Express MiniCards. It also adds significantly to overall product reliability through its excellent thermal dissipation properties and superior resistance to shocks, vibration and humidity.
ABOUT USI (UNIVERSAL SCIENTIFIC INDUSTRIES CO., LTD)
Established in 1976, Universal Scientific Industrial Co., Ltd. (USI) is a global leading design and manufacturing service (DMS) company. With its design-to-distribution total solutions and module-to-systems product offerings, USI is recognized as the strategic DMS partner for global IT and communications brands in the 4C (Computing, Communications, Consumer Electronics and Car Electronics) industries. Its solutions integrate core technologies of computing, wireless communications and video/audio processing, therefore offering high quality, value-added and competitively priced products. USI Website: www.usi.com.tw.