Press Releases

UPEKŪ Fingerprint Authentication Solution Protects Toshiba Notebook Computers with Biometric Security

Newest TouchStrip™ Fingerprint Authentication Solution Offers Industry-Leading Authentication Security to Tecra®, Portégé®, Satellite® and Qosmio® Product Lines

Tecra M5BERKELEY, Calif. – April 10, 2006 – UPEK, Inc., the leading brand of biometric fingerprint authentication solutions, today announced that Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division is integrating UPEK’s newest fingerprint authentication solution on select models of its Tecra, Portégé, Satellite and Qosmio notebook computers.  Toshiba platforms with UPEK’s TouchStrip fingerprint authentication solution offer a convenient means to authenticate users and protect local and network data. UPEK TouchStrip solutions lead the PC market for fingerprint authentication and have been the preferred choice of leading PC OEMs.

UPEK’s newest TouchStrip sensor and companion chip enable multi-factor authentication by working with the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), an industry standard security chip that is included in all notebooks designed to support secure computing. The authentication solution integrated by Toshiba incorporates new sensing technologies and a direct, low-level communication interface to the TPM, creating one of the strongest authentication security architectures available on notebook computers. In addition, Toshiba platforms with the UPEK fingerprint authentication solution feature UPEK’s exclusive TBX Pre-Boot Authentication module to provide secure authentication during system power-on and before the operating system starts. This extra layer of protection ensures that unauthorized users cannot power up the notebook, leading to reduced theft of hardware and sensitive data.

“For Toshiba’s customers data security continues to be an area of concern,” said Jeff Barney, vice president of marketing, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems.  “Integrating UPEK’s leading authentication solution in select models of the Tecra, Portégé, Satellite and Qosmio product lines demonstrates our commitment to providing a secure and convenient computing experience.  Toshiba continues to challenge the industry with more innovative platform features designed to meet the ever-increasing security and usability needs of our customers.”

“UPEK continues to lead the PC market with innovative authentication solutions that leverage existing notebook security architectures while simultaneously raising the bar for overall performance and ease-of-use” stated Greg Goelz, VP of marketing, UPEK, Inc.  “Once again, we have demonstrated our superior security, performance, convenience and cost-effectiveness through a design win with one of the largest and most successful OEM notebook pioneers in the world.”

About Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS)

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS is comprised of four business units: Digital Products Division, Imaging Systems Division, Storage Device Division, and Telecommunication Systems Division. Together, these divisions provide mobile products and solutions, including industry leading portable computers; projectors; imaging products for the security, medical and manufacturing markets; storage products for automotive, computer and consumer electronics applications; and telephony equipment and associated applications.

TAIS provides sales, marketing and services for its wide range of information products in the United States and Latin America.  TAIS is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, which is a global leader in high technology and integrated manufacturing of electrical and electronic components, products and systems, as well as major infrastructure systems. Toshiba has worldwide sales of over $54 billion and approximately 300 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide.   For more information visit the company’s Web site at www.toshiba.com.

About UPEK, Inc.

UPEK, Inc., the global leader in biometric fingerprint security solutions, offers integrated end-to-end solutions including comprehensive design & integration services to the world’s leading consumer and industrial products companies. UPEK solutions enable the strongest fingerprint authentication security available, packaged for high user convenience and rapid integration into existing products and network architectures.  The company has been pioneering biometric fingerprint technology since 1996 and shipping product in volume since 1999.  UPEK is headquartered near Berkeley, California, with offices in Prague, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo. For more information, please visit www.upek.com

Contact:

Steve Hahm
+1.510.420.2630
steve.hahm@upek.com

Nicole Colwell
Citigate Cunningham for UPEK, Inc.
+1.415.618.8732
ncolwell@citigatecunningham.com

UPEK, the UPEK logo, and TouchStrip are the registered trademarks or trademarks of UPEK, Inc. in the United States and other countries.  All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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