Nokia Chooses Kopin Microdisplay for Kaleidoscope I

September 7, 2004 | Mark Goldstein | Camera Phones | Comment |

Nokia Kaleidoscope IEditor’s Note: Nokia’s Kaleidoscope picture viewer will be available in a few days on the Nokia USA site for $299, according to Reiter’s Camera Phone Report.

Kopin Press Release 07/09/04

Nokia Chooses Kopin Microdisplay for ‘Kaleidoscope I,’ A Breakthrough Accessory for Camera Phone and Digital Still Camera Users

TAUNTON, Mass.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Sept. 7, 2004—Nokia selects Kopin CyberDisplay 180K, responding to strong customer demand for clear and crisp display of images to open a new dimension of cellular phone market

Nokia, the world leader in mobile communications, has selected the Kopin Corp. (NASDAQ: KOPN) CyberDisplay(TM) 180K as the color microdisplay for Nokia’s new Kaleidoscope I, an innovative picture-viewing and storage accessory for users of digital still cameras and next-generation mobile phone systems. The Kaleidoscope I, just introduced by Nokia, reveals the future of cellular phone technology and is the first major foray by a major cell phone company into high-resolution microdisplays.

The Nokia Kaleidoscope I takes the clarity and image quality of phone-based digital imaging to a new level, thanks to the Kopin CyberDisplay 180K, a color-filter microdisplay that contains 800 x 225 (180,000) pixel dots on a quarter-inch diagonal active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) surface.

The Kaleidoscope I is a stylish device the size of a salt shaker that can be worn as a pendant or tucked in a purse. The Kaleidoscope I uses infrared technology to receive images from a compatible imaging phone or digital camera, for the first time enabling users to create a mobile digital photo album. These images can then be viewed by looking through a viewfinder that contains Kopin’s CyberDisplay 180K. The Nokia Kaleidoscope I can store up to 24 high-resolution digital images internally and up to 750 images using an external 64MB memory card in the device’s memory card slot.

“How many of us have grown up with pictures of our children, grandchildren or friends in our wallets or pocketbooks?” said Dr. John C.C. Fan, Kopin’s president and CEO. “One of the best features of a camera phone or very small digital still cameras available today is their ability to capture spontaneous events worth viewing for a lifetime. The Nokia Kaleidoscope I ties these together. Now you have a device to store and view these moments as large virtual images in their full crisp and colorful glory. The trend-setting Nokia Kaleidoscope marks Kopin’s entry into telephone display technology with the world’s largest cellular phone manufacturer. We strongly believe the recent developments in advanced features in cell phones bode well for Kopin’s microdisplays.” Kopin is the largest U.S. manufacturer of microdisplays for consumer, military and industrial applications.

The Nokia Kaleidoscope I is compatible with Nokia products that have both infrared and the Foreground Send and Receive feature, including the Nokia 3200, Nokia 3650, Nokia 6220, Nokia 6600, Nokia 6650, Nokia 7600 and Nokia 7650 phones, the Nokia 9210 and Nokia 9210i Communicators, Nokia Medallions I and II, and other Nokia Kaleidoscope I viewers. The Kaleidoscope I also works with compatible PCs with an infrared connection, or images can be loaded from a compatible MMC card.

About Kopin
Founded in 1984, Kopin is pioneering the use of nanotechnology to manufacture nanosemiconductor products that make mobile electronic devices small, fast, bright, lightweight and power efficient. With an intellectual property portfolio of more than 200 issued and pending patents, Kopin supplies the world’s largest electronics manufacturers and government agencies with breakthrough semiconductor products. The Company’s liquid-crystal microdisplays, ultra-efficient transistors and high-brightness GaN LEDs enhance the delivery and presentation of voice, video and data. Kopin technology is currently used in nearly one-third of the world’s cell phones and camcorders and is the microdisplay standard for the U.S. military. For more information, please visit Kopin’s website at www.kopin.com.

Statements in this news release about the CyberDisplay 180K are made under the “Safe Harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could materially affect future results. Among these risk factors are: general economic and business conditions and growth in the flat panel display industry; the impact of competitive products and pricing; availability of third-party components; cost and yields associated with production of the Company’s CyberDisplay 180K product; loss of significant customers; acceptance of the Company’s products; continuation of strategic relationships; availability of integrated circuit fabrication facilities; and other risk factors and cautionary statements listed in the Company’s periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These include, but are not limited to, the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 and Form 10-Q for the period ended June 26, 2004.