Zebra Technologies First Company To Successfully Demonstrate Texas Instruments' GEN 2 Technology

Zebra Technologies (Nasdaq: ZBRA), a global leader in delivering on-demand printing solutions for business and process improvement, recently collaborated with Texas Instruments and ThingMagic to demonstrate EPC Gen 2 tags from Texas Instruments in a Zebra printer/encoder during the EPCglobal Fast Moving Consumer Goods Business Action Group meeting in Houston, Texas. Zebra is the only company to successfully demonstrate printer/encoder communication with Gen 2 inlays from several leading suppliers.

Highlighting the meeting's "Gen 2 Live" theme, the demonstration featured Zebra's R110Xi printer/encoder, embedded with ThingMagic's RFID reader module and Texas Instruments' EPC Gen 2 inlays incorporated into label rolls. Zebra is the only company to successfully demonstrate a print-on-demand solution using rolls of commercially available Gen 2 tags, which are designed for high-volume label conversion and printing.

"The success of this demonstration and the tenfold performance improvement of Gen 2 over Gen 1 proves that this new global standard is ready for CPG and retailer transition and adoption," said Julie England, vice president, Texas Instruments and general manager of Texas Instruments RFid Systems. Working with leading RFID technology providers such as Texas Instruments and ThingMagic, Zebra is bringing to market reliable and flexible RFID printing/encoding solutions that enable companies to meet RFID labeling requirements.

"Zebra and Texas Instruments first collaborated on high-frequency RFID technology more than a decade ago. We are still working together, now to advance Gen 2 adoption," said Bob Cornick, vice president and general manager of RFID for Zebra. "Zebra's valuable relationship with Texas Instruments enables us to support emerging technology and bring to market the industry's most sophisticated RFID printing/encoding solutions."

Zebra's R110Xi and R170Xi are the only printer/encoders to embed ThingMagic' s Mercury4e RFID reader module, which uses advanced software radio technology to read and encode virtually any EPC tag without compromising performance. The reader's unique software architecture allows remote firmware upgrades for new tags and protocols, as demonstrated with the Texas Instruments' Gen 2 inlays.

"We couldn't be happier with the success of the Gen 2 demonstration. Working with leading companies such as Zebra and Texas Instruments allows us to further strengthen our RFID technology capabilities," said Kevin Ashton, vice president of marketing at ThingMagic.

Zebra's R110Xi and R170Xi RFID printer/encoders as well as its R110PAX4 RFID print engine are available now, along with the assurance of an easy firmware upgrade that will read current and future Gen 2 protocols.

According to a Venture Development Corp. (VDC) study and AMR Research, Zebra is the RFID market leader with more printer/encoder sales and installations than any other company worldwide. An industry pioneer, Zebra first made its name helping customers harness the power of bar codes, and has now captured the largest installed base of both high frequency and EPC ultra-high frequency (UHF) models in every category and geographic region, covering the widest range of applications.

Zebra has been researching and developing RFID technologies for nearly 10 years. It was the first company to produce an integrated, on-demand RFID printer/encoder more than five years ago. Today, Zebra has the broadest printer/encoder product line for use in supply chain applications. Zebra is playing an active role in the development of RFID "smart label" technology, standards and applications for supply chain and business improvement programs designed to help suppliers to the U.S. Department of Defense, Wal-Mart and other retailers meet the RFID EPC compliance labeling requirements.

For more information on Zebra's RFID solutions, visit Zebra's RFID site on the Web or call +1 800 423 0442.

About Texas Instruments Incorporated
Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world signal processing requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company's businesses include Sensors & Controls, and Educational & Productivity Solutions. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25 countries. Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at www.ti.com. Texas Instruments is the world's largest integrated manufacturer of radio frequency identification (RFID) transponders and reader systems. Capitalizing on its competencies in high-volume semiconductor manufacturing and microelectronics packaging, TI is a visionary leader and at the forefront of establishing new markets and international standards for RFID applications. For more information, contact TI-RFid Systems at 1-888-937-6536 (North America) or +1 972-575-4364 (International), or visit the Web site at www.ti-rfid.com.

About ThingMagic, Inc.
Founded in 2000 and based in Cambridge, MA, ThingMagic is a leading developer of radio frequency identification (RFID), sensing and embedding computing technologies. Mercury4, ThingMagic's fourth generation agile RFID reader, builds on and substantially enhances the company's original platform created for early field tests of the Electronic Product Code (EPC). Designed to meet the business needs of a future where networked objects are pervasive, the Mercury4 line of RFID readers also includes an embedded reader, Mercury4e, and a handheld reader, Mercury4h. Mercury4 RFID readers are the only intelligent, network-ready RFID readers, and the only devices that can read any RFID tag. For more information, see www.thingmagic.com.

About Zebra Technologies
Zebra Technologies Corp. (Nasdaq: ZBRA) delivers innovative and reliable on-demand printing solutions for business improvement and security applications in 100 countries around the world. More than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies use Zebra-brand printers. A broad range of applications benefit from Zebra-brand thermal bar code, "smart" label, receipt, and card printers, resulting in enhanced security, increased productivity, improved quality, lower costs, and better customer service. The company has sold more than four million printers, including RFID printer/encoders and wireless mobile solutions, and also offers software, connectivity solutions and printing supplies. Information about Zebra bar code and RFID products can be found at http://www.zebra.com.