FlashPoint, Motorola digital imaging pact

Electronic News, Dec 8, 1997

SAN JOSE, CALIF.--FlashPoint Technology, a start-up company that makes digital imaging software, will today reveal it has signed an agreement with Motorola Semiconductor Products sector to develop digital imaging processors based on FlashPoint's software technology and the PowerPC microprocessor.

At the same time, FlashPoint will today make its presence known in the market by introducing its first imaging technology product. The company will also unveil a variety of hardware and software development tools and related products for third-party software developers.

FlashPoint's business model is to license its technology, dubbed Digita, to manufacturers of digital imaging devices such as digital cameras, printers, video recorders and World Wide Web applications. Flashpoint also plans to form additional alliances with companies such as Motorola to port Digita to various processors for digital imaging applications.

Motorola has made no secret it wants to establish a leadership position in the digital imaging market for its processors, including the PowerPC, noted Stephen Saylor, VP of marketing and co-founder of FlashPoint. "When we talked with digital imaging manufacturers they said the PowerPC was a very good platform for digital cameras. So this, along with other processors we are looking at, will enable us to further our software technology as a standard for digital imaging."

FlashPoint was founded in November, 1996 by former members of Apple Computer. The founders acquired the company's key technology from Apple and formed alliances with camera, film, consumer electronics and printing companies to further FlashPoint's development and business strategy.

The company's design strategy is to develop a digital imaging software platform that provides quick time to market for digital imaging device vendors and ensures interoperability between all digital imaging devices using FlashPoint's software, Mr. Saylor said. By signing agreements with major processor manufacturers, FlashPoint enables digital imaging OEMs--such as Minolta and Cannon--to use the digital imaging processors of their choice while using FlashPoint's software.

Mr. Saylor said FlashPoint is looking at porting the Digita technology to various embedded processor cores including MIPS, Hitachi's SH core and certain other proprietary cores from Japanese companies. FlashPoint's agreement with Motorola is royalty-based and includes work on next generation products specifically for the digital imaging market.

However, the proliferation of digital cameras is currently stalled due to high prices for the cameras and the low availability of film. Mr. Saylor noted that FlashPoint has little control over the cost of digital cameras and other digital applications because of the display technology and the costs of the display technology. Until the cost of display technology comes down, digital cameras will continue to face a price hurdle. The physical implementation of silicon is not a barrier to bringing the cost of digital cameras down because advanced deep sub-micron processes lower production costs, he added.

"What sets us apart from most of the digital camera people is that all of them are built on the ideas of replacing film with silicon," said Mr. Saylor. "Our ideas are based on having a clear digital image and what you can do with that image after the photograph has been taken.