DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS

Altek Previews World’s First Geotagging Camera with Geotate

LAS VEGAS, USA, 30 January 2008: Altek Corporation, a world leading digital still camera (DSC) ODM, is demonstrating at PMA (Booth G257) the world’s first DSC which delivers geotagging technology that secures an instant location estimate that is later processed into meaningful GPS information.

Geotate, the geo software company which delivers location-based solutions for consumer devices, has successfully provided its unique “Capture and Process” technology to Altek’s new DSC.  The “Capture and Process” approach uses software-based GPS technology to ‘geotag’, or mark with location data, digital files on portable devices such as digital cameras.

“With Geotate we have been able to design a state-of-the-art geotagging digital camera which allows the user to manage and share their digital content in a more intuitive way. The simplicity of this means that images are easily identified and the user can take advantage of the low power and processing requirements,” said Martin Liu, spokeserson at Altek Corporation. “We are confident that it will be the next critical application in the DSC world." 

“Altek’s advanced experience and design capability make them an ideal partner to help us bring our unique software to market quickly,” commented Hans Streng, Chief Executive Officer, Geotate.  “This DSC is unique as it can ‘geotag’ an image automatically, reducing the cost of embedding GPS into digital cameras, lowering battery consumption and improving performance.  Until now consumers have had to contend with a lag time of 30 seconds or more to get a GPS fix. The GPS system we are previewing with Altek addresses these fundamental industry requirements.”

About Geotate:

Geotate is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NXP which is in the final stage of spinout negotiations with an investor.  Final agreement is expected in the near future and closing by the end of the first quarter of 2008, after which NXP will hold a minority position.  Further details of the agreement, including the name of the investor and financial terms, are not disclosed. Geotate is a geo software company whose  solutions enable portable devices to automatically add a geotag to an object without compromising the user experience and the devices’ resources. Geotate’s patented approach captures raw GPS satellite signals in the available memory that are later unlocked via a web-based service. This disruptive technology enables instant, intuitive “auto geotagging”. 

About Altek:

Founded in 1996, Altek Corporation has become a world leading digital still camera (DSC) ODM.  Altek keeps making progresses in various technologies including optical, mechanical, electrical, system, image, software, and especially its in-house ASIC.  In 2007, the company had a workforce of 4,500 employees globally and achieved consolidated sales revenue of NT$24 bn. For more information about Altek, please visit http://www.altek.com.tw

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