Anoto, subsidiary of C Technologies, initiates collaboration with John Dickinson, UK's leading producer of stationery pr

Anoto, subsidiary of C Technologies, initiates collaboration with John Dickinson, UK's leading producer of stationery products Anoto is entering into an agreement with John Dickinson Stationery Limited, the largest manufacturer of paper stationery products in the UK. The agreement concerns manufacturing and distribution of digital paper products based on the Anoto technology. The initial joint products are expected to penetrate the market in Spring 2002. Anoto's concept is facilitated by three components: ordinary paper made digital by the almost invisible Anoto pattern, digital pens with Bluetooth communication, and services delivered to the market by a cellular network operator. No matter where you are, whatever you write and draw with the digital pen can be sent directly to your personal computer. "In collaboration with Anoto and assisted by the Anoto technology, some of our paper products will now turn digital - a traditional line of business undergoing revolutionary development. By establishing a global de facto standard for digital paper, together with a number of other renowned producers and distributors, presents an exciting challenge. This move further strengthens our strategy of developing new technology- based paper products, taking John Dickinson Stationery and our customers into the digital age," says Mark Shaw, managing director, John Dickinson. "The co-operation with John Dickinson, one of the most significant players in the British stationery market with a number of well recognised brand names, is very important to us. The fact that the company's products have a mark of excellence is of great importance and completely in line with Anoto's strategy of attracting collaborative partners well-reputed within their commercial sectors," says Christer Fåhraeus, president of Anoto. As a part of the agreement, John Dickinson will join Anoto's Partner Programme, the forum where partners exchange experience. The aim is to mutually strengthen the global de facto standard for digital paper. For more information, please contact: Christer Fåhraeus Birgitta Plyhm David Stevens President Information Manager Marketing Director Anoto AB C Technologies AB John Dickinson Stationery Ltd + 46 733-45 12 05 +46 702-07 36 32 Tel: +44 (0) 1223 830083 John Dickinson Stationery, part of David S Smith (Holdings) PLC, is the UK's leading producer of quality envelopes, books and personal stationery, manufacturing in excess of three billion envelopes per annum. With more than 200 years' experience of the market, one in seven envelopes in the UK is estimated to derive from John Dickinson, and its book and pad manufacturing resource has a capacity in excess of 30 million units per annum. John Dickinson produces a branded range of stationery, including Black n'Red, New Guardian, Plus Fabric and Basildon Bond at its manufacturing plants in Sawston, Cambridgeshire, Ledbury, Herefordshire and Washington, Tyne and Wear. For more information, please see www.johndickinson.co.uk. The Anoto concept intuitively connects paper and pen with the digital world. The concept consists of a pattern that can be printed on any paper, a digital pen with Anoto functionality that can read the pattern and record the pressure and movement of the pen, advanced image processing and the information structure pinpointing the pen's position on the pattern and which service the user has chosen to activate. Everything that is written on digital paper with Anoto functionality is stored in the digital pen and forwarded by a Bluetooth-enabled device (e.g. a mobile phone) to any computer or mobile phone in the world. The digital pen with Anoto functionality uses ordinary ink, but unlike the ordinary ballpoint pen, it also has a "scanning eye" consisting of an infrared camera and an advanced image-processing unit. The pen contains a Bluetooth radio transceiver. When writing with an Anoto pen on a paper printed with the Anoto pattern, digital snapshots of the pattern are taken continuously. Every snapshot contains enough information to make a calculation of the exact position of the pen. A digital trace is thus created by the movement of the pen. The digital pen with Anoto functionality does not only record what was written, but also how it was done. The application can therefore be used to verify and identify who wrote. The pen records simultaneously position, speed, pressure on the paper and the exact time. The information is transmitted, via a mobile phone or computer, as a graphical e-mail, fax, SMS or input to databases assisted by the infrastructure provided by the Anoto concept. The Anoto concept will be used in a number of services and applications. Later this year basic services enabling handwritten text to be transmitted directly as a graphical e-mail, fax or SMS will be launched. It will also be possible to save handwritten notes and Post-it® notes in the computer. Additionally the concept enables a large number of vertical applications, such as placing electronic orders, for example from an advertisement in a magazine, or filling in case records, order sheets and forms. Anoto AB was founded in Lund, Sweden in late 1999 as a subsidiary of C Technologies AB, which is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange O-list (Attract 40). The company currently has about 170 employees working in offices in Lund, Stockholm, Boston, and Tokyo. Ericsson holds a minority stake in Anoto and is also represented on the board. Anoto AB has created a de facto standard for digital paper. The concept is built around converting mankind's most common way of communicating, through pen and paper. Proprietary patterns, advanced image processing, Bluetooth wireless technology and an information infrastructure enables Anoto's system. Hand-written notes written on ordinary paper turn digital through the almost invisible Anoto pattern and can be sent directly through a computer, mobile phone, PDA, palm device or a fax. Even services such as paper- based digital orders can be handled with only pen and paper. www.anoto.com C Technologies AB (publ) was founded in 1996 and is a Swedish well- established high-technology company with cutting-edge expertise within the fields of digital camera technology, image processing and digital pens. The Company's primary product is the C-Pen digital pen, which has received several important international awards for best IT product. The C-Pen scans, stores, processes and transmits text to a PC, either by infrared or by cable. The pen can also translate, send e-mail, SMS and facsimiles as well as reading barcodes. The C Technologies Group currently has about 250 employees and offices located in Lund, Stockholm, Atlanta, Boston and Tokyo. Major shareholders include company founder Christer Fåhraeus, State Street Bank, Ericsson Mobile Communications and SEB Fonder. C Technologies' share is listed on the O- list of the OM Stockholm Exchange (Attract 40). The Group also comprises the subsidiaries Anoto AB and WeSpot AB. For more information visit our web site: www.ctechnologies.se or www.cpen.com ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/04/23/20010423BIT00490/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/04/23/20010423BIT00490/bit0002.pdf