ZiLOG AHI Navigator Remote Allows Consumers to Manipulate TV Controls With Handwriting

Business Wire, Jan 6, 2000

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

CAMPBELL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 2000

Onboard Handwriting Recognition Software Enables Next-Generation

Home Entertainment and Internet Interface Devices

ZiLOG Inc.(R) (formerly ZLG on the NYSE), the Extreme Connectivity(c) Company, today launched a revolutionary new concept in home entertainment control devices with its Advanced Human Interface "AHI" Navigator(TM), a unique handwriting-recognition, preprogrammed, Z8(R) IR microcontroller.

When incorporated with a laptop-style TouchPad, the AHI Navigator enables manufacturers to differentiate their products by allowing users to access various forms of interactive digital entertainment and education tools such as television, video, e-mail and the Internet, by simply using their fingertips to create handwritten commands and messages.

With AHI Navigator, manufacturers can customize conventional products. For example, the AHI Navigator TouchPad can replace Internet navigation and e-mail input devices, such as an IR keyboard, and still perform standard TV remote control functions.

"The TouchPad with AHI Navigator is the perfect alternative to keyboards for e-mail, Web navigation and other TV-based interactive applications," said Alice Leeper, director of ZiLOG's IR Business Line. "Using the TouchPad is fun, like writing with your finger in the sand. The user simply writes commands or messages in block letters with a fingertip. The handwriting recognition software recognizes the characters immediately, so there is no time delay. And there's no stylus to misplace."

AHI Navigator is designed to perform the functions of standard remote controls for home entertainment equipment. Other modes of operation include "virtual" buttons activated by tapping in designated areas of the TouchPad and a full-motion cursor that simulates the PC mouse function.

AHI Navigator features award-winning smARTwriter(R) handwriting recognition software from Advanced Recognition Technologies (ART). ZiLOG partnered with ART to incorporate its patented handwriting recognition software into ZiLOG's Z8 microcontroller to make it part of the AHI Navigator product offering.

"The AHI Navigator is a breakthrough product that makes so much sense for e-mail, surfing the Web and interactive entertainment on the family TV," said Richard C. McCaskill, ART's Executive Vice President. "ART's award-winning smARTwriter handwriting recognition combined with ZiLOG's innovative vision will make the AHI Navigator a standard-setting product for home entertainment in the new millennium."

The AHI Navigator reference design is based on a standard Synaptics PS-2 TouchPad, the industry leader in touch pad pointing devices. The design requires 5 Kbytes of off-chip RAM. The initial release will support Western language character sets. ZiLOG plans to expand support to other languages in the near future.

Note to Editors: ZiLOG and Z8 are registered trademarks of ZiLOG Inc. AHI Navigator is a trademark of ZiLOG Inc. "Extreme Connectivity Copyright ZiLOG 1999". All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.