News release |
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Zi manages multilingual interface for ASE Telecom
Calgary, AB (June 28, 2001) - Zi Corporation’s (NASDAQ: ZICA) (TSE: ZIC) eZiText™ will be used to enhance wireless communication products from ASE Telecom Co. Ltd. Zi now has licensing agreements with 10 manufacturers in Korea.
"As production is outsourced to low-cost facilities, manufacturers in Taiwan and Korea are fast becoming the ODM choice for brand name handsets," says Gordon Tsang, director, Sales, Zi Corporation. "Zi has developed strong relationships with manufacturers in these centres by providing superior language expertise and proven engineering capability through our facilities in Asia."
Zi’s predictive input technology will initially be implemented in English and Chinese on a Tri-Mode CDMA handset expected to be available early 2002. Implementations are also planned on the GSM platform. ASE Telecom expects handset production to be in excess of 3 million units per year by 2004.
"The demand for handsets in Asia-Pacific is expected to continue to grow," said Pyo, Jung-yong, president, ASE Telecom. "With proven expertise in character-based languages such as Chinese and Korean, Zi manages all the complexities of a multilingual interface, allowing us to concentrate on our export strategy."
Under the agreement, ASE Telecom has licensed 21 languages including English, Chinese, Vietnamese and the latest version of eZiText™ Korean. Zi Corporation unveiled eZiText™ Korean version 4.5 at Expo Comm Wireless Korea. This latest version of the predictive software allows whole Korean phrases to be entered with only a few key presses.
Founded in 1999, ASE Telecom Co., Ltd. specializes in the production of wireless communication products including pagers, two-way radios, CDMA and GSM handsets. Focused on the export market, ASE Telecom has developed advanced research and development capabilities and production facilities to quickly adapt to the changing needs of the marketplace. With its market leading products, ASE Telecom is poised to become a leading OEM supplier to worldwide service providers.
Zi Corporation is a market-driven technology company delivering intelligent interface solutions to enhance the user experience of wireless and consumer technologies. The company’s core technology product, eZiText™ connects people to short messaging, e-mail, e-commerce, Web browsing and similar applications in almost any written language. Zi Services provides market-leading engineering design in Bluetooth, VoIP and man-machine interface. Zi supports its strategic partners from offices in Calgary, Beijing, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Shenzhen, Stockholm and Tokyo. A publicly traded company, Zi Corporation is listed on the NASDAQ National Market (ZICA) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (ZIC).
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For more information:
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Dale Kearns Zi Corporation Chief Financial Officer Phone: 403 233 8875 investor@zicorp.com www.zicorp.com |
Cho, Kyu Hun ASE Telecom R&D Software Director Phone: +82-2-680-1320 khcho@asetelecom.co.kr www.asetelecom.co.kr |