Reference Design to be Showcased at CARTES show - Stand 4M120
SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ZiLOG(R), Inc., a
leading provider of integrated microcontrollers (MCUs), universal remote
control and secure financial transaction solutions, today announced details of
a series of strategic collaborations that it has formed with key companies in
the Point-of-Sale (POS) and secure financial transactions markets to develop
the 'ZiLOG ECOSystem,' a comprehensive POS reference design kit for the
company's ZA9L ARM-9(R) ASSP family that delivers all the elements necessary
for companies to design and bring to market POS and secure financial
transaction products quickly and easily. ZiLOG will showcase the ZiLOG
ECOSystem POS reference design kit on stand 4M120 at the CARTES security show
in Paris from November 7-9 2006.
The ZiLOG ECOSystem is a collaboration between ZiLOG, Advance Printing
Systems, Inside Contactless, MPC Data and VirtualLogix, each of whom bring
their expertise to the reference design. The result is a complete development
environment which includes all the functionality needed to develop a payment
solution, including certified EMV Level 1, secure Real-Time Virtualization(TM)
software, a complete Linux port, low-cost, compact thermal printer and
drivers, multi-standard contactless readers and drivers, and the ZA9L high
performance ARM-9 ASSP. The combination of these elements reduces design and
certification time and risk for customers, who can take the ZA9L POS reference
design kit, which is fully customizable, and use it to develop and bring to
market their own products cost effectively, securely and rapidly.
Commenting on the announcement, ZiLOG Interim CEO Robin Abrams said: "The
development and introduction of the ZiLOG ECOSystem collaborations builds on
the company's focus on solutions, rather than simply a supplier of silicon, a
factor that really differentiates us from our competitors in this space. This
approach provides our customers with a nearly complete system design, PCI PED
compliant hardware and EMV Level 1 certified solutions for faster time to
market, reduction in development cost and minimized risk. In addition to this
initial set of ZiLOG ECOSystem collaborators, we are looking to expand our
ZiLOG ECOSystem solutions specifically in the design services area with
experienced partners specializing in the POS field that enables our customers
to design their products quickly utilizing the design knowledge of already
having worked with the ZA9L POS ASSP Family of devices."
ZiLOG is also working with Eigen Development Ltd. (www.eigendev.com) to
combine Eigen's EMV Level 2 kernel with ZiLOG's EMV Level 1 certified drivers
to enable a complete EMV solution. Eigen Development provides innovative
payment processing solutions to merchants and financial institutions. It
offers a complete suite of products including software development/licensing,
hardware design/ licensing, consulting and transaction management services.
The EMV Level 2 application kernel is the latest addition to Eigen's suite.
Customers rely on Eigen's eighteen years of experience and large array of
products to help meet all their transaction processing requirements. Eigen
will be previewing an alpha version of its EMV Level 2 kernel at ZiLOG's booth
at the CARTES. The kernel will be running on ZiLOG's ZA9L POS Reference Design
Kit.
At the core of the POS reference design kit is ZiLOG's ZA9L Series of
high-security, high-performance, 32-bit RISC ARM-9 microcontrollers offers
unparalleled security, performance and communications features tailored to the
specific requirements of secure transactions markets - POS terminals, PIN
pads, ATMs, vending kiosks, ticketing and postage meters. The ZA9L embeds a
number of system peripherals, such as card readers, physical and environmental
protection and communications peripherals, into a small, low power device.
About the ZiLOG ECOSystem collaborators
Advanced Printing Systems (www.aps-printers.com) is an international
company specializing in the design, manufacturing and customization of thermal
printer mechanisms, controller boards and OEM finished printers. Established
in 1995, APS achieved important results in just a few short years, becoming
the world leader in its market segment thanks to its wide range of products
and solutions for any specified industrial and retail applications. APS'
patented easy loading printing solution for portable and industrial
application is well known globally in the POS market. The company's latest
printer mechanism and software drivers are being demonstrated with ZiLOG's POS
Reference Design Kit.
INSIDE Contactless (www.insidecontactless.com) is a leading fabless
semiconductor provider, delivering the most flexible, innovative, cost-
effective, and trusted platform for contactless applications including bank
card payments and Near Field Communications (NFC). INSIDE is involved in
numerous industry initiatives, including the NFC Forum, which is driving the
standardization of NFC. INSIDE's PicoRead(TM) RF chip, the pioneer and front
runner in contactless Smart Card reader Interface Chips, integrates seamlessly
into the ZiLOG ECOSystem Reference Design Kit.
MPC Data (www.mpc-data.co.uk) are embedded software specialists with a 22-
year track record of delivering solutions to multinational clients. Working
closely with those clients, MPC Data offers extensive knowledge of operating
systems, device support and application development to complement in-house
development teams enabling earlier, lower risk product entry into highly
competitive markets. With over 15 years Linux development experience, MPC Data
is the perfect choice to provide feature rich operating platforms for ZiLOG's
ZA9L POS ASSP Family. Linux is the first 32-bit operating system to fully
utilize the security features of the ZA9L and provides a wealth of device
drivers including soft modem, smart card and magnetic card readers, Ethernet
and USB.
VirtualLogix(TM) (www.virtuallogix.com) VLX Real-Time Virtualization
software enables ZiLOG to deliver a single-chip, low-cost solution to Point of
Sale (POS) terminal manufacturers. The joint solution gives manufacturers the
ability to add rich, Linux-based applications on a single-chip using the ZA9L
POS ASSP Family of processors, while maintaining strong PCI PED security
between the open OS and the core payment services. With the rising demand for
new features, increased adoption of Linux, and growing level of malware,
VirtualLogix secure software architecture enables POS terminal manufacturers,
Service Providers and Financial Services Operators to deliver more reliable,
lower-cost POS terminals with a secure & fault tolerant architecture to the
market.
Further information on CARTES can be found at www.cartes.com. Further
information on ZiLOG's portfolio of product and services can be found at
www.zilog.com.
About ZiLOG, Inc.
ZiLOG, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZILG) Founded in 1974, ZiLOG won international
acclaim for designing one of the first architectures in the microprocessors
and microcontrollers industry. Today, ZiLOG is a leading global supplier of 8-
bit micro logic devices. It designs, manufactures and markets a broad
portfolio of devices for embedded control and communication applications used
in consumer electronics, home appliances, security systems, point of sales
terminals, personal computer peripherals, as well as industrial and automotive
applications. ZiLOG is headquartered in San Jose, California, and employs
approximately 500 people worldwide with sales offices throughout Asia, Europe
and North America. For more information about ZiLOG and its products, visit
the Company's website at: www.ZiLOG.com.
ZiLOG is a registered trademarks of ZiLOG, Inc. in the United States and
in other countries. Other product and or service names mentioned herein may be
trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.
ARM-9 is a registered trademark of ARM Ltd.
PicoRead(TM) is a trademark of INSIDE Contactless
VirtualLogix(TM) and Real-Time Virtualization(TM) are trademarks of
VirtualLogix
SOURCE ZiLOG, Inc. 11/06/2006
CONTACT: Stew Chalmers of Positio Public Relations, +1-408-453-2400 or
stew@positio.com, for ZiLOG, Inc.
Web site: http://www.zilog.com
(ZILG)
8779 11/06/2006 08:00 EST http://www.prnewswire.com
