UPEK Provides Fingerprint Security Solution to Leading Ultraportable Notebook Provider

Business Wire, April 6, 2005

BERKELEY, Calif. -- IBM(R) Offers UPEK(R) TouchStrip(TM) Fingerprint Reader on Select ThinkPad(R) X-Series Notebooks Targeting Executive and Corporate Users

UPEK, Inc., the leading supplier of fingerprint authentication solutions, today announced that IBM has extended its use of the UPEK fingerprint reader to select new, ultraportable ThinkPad X-Series notebooks. IBM already uses UPEK's unique TouchStrip(TM) authentication solution in select T-Series notebooks and now the users of IBM's new X-Series notebooks will be able to secure their data with the swipe of a finger.

"We are pleased that IBM is working again with UPEK to help bring its users a secure computing experience," said Alan Kramer, president and CEO of UPEK, Inc. "These IBM X-Series notebooks are targeted at the most influential business decision makers in the world and UPEK is proud to offer a part of the technology powerful enough to secure such mission-critical data."

These IBM X-Series notebooks incorporate UPEK's TouchStrip chipset with the IBM Embedded Security Subsystem, providing boot-level log-in security and allowing users to enroll and then replace numerous passwords with the swipe of a finger and a single password. IBM is actively marketing these notebooks, which will begin shipping during Q2 2005, as the most secure notebooks available, with no other PC manufacturer offering stronger security as a standard feature. UPEK's technology is a key security enabler in IBM's solution.

About UPEK

Headquartered near Berkeley, Calif., with offices in Prague, Singapore, and Tokyo, UPEK, Inc. is a privately-held biometric fingerprint solutions company launched as a venture-backed spin-off from STMicroelectronics in 2004. The fingerprint authentication solutions offered by UPEK under the TouchChip(R) and TouchStrip(TM) brands have been shipping in volume since 1999 and have been integrated into a broad range of commercial and consumer applications. UPEK offers the full range of capabilities needed to deliver end-to-end solutions, including silicon fingerprint sensors, biometric algorithms, companion processors, and application software. For more information, visit www.upek.com.

UPEK, the UPEK logo, TouchChip and TouchStrip are trademarks and registered trademarks of UPEK, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.