Hillcrest Labs Announces Availability of Integrated Freespace(R) Motion Control and Bluetooth(R) Turnkey Solution at CES

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Hillcrest Labs, a CES Innovations 2010 Awards Honoree, today announced that it has developed a design that integrates Hillcrest's Freespace® in-air pointing and motion control technology with Broadcom's Bluetooth® chipsets. A turnkey solution is now available to CE manufacturers that want to add Freespace technology and Bluetooth into a wide range of peripheral devices, including: remote controls, game controllers, mobile handsets, and PC peripherals. Hillcrest and Broadcom will showcase their integrated design at the International CES show, January 7-10, 2010, in Las Vegas, NV, in the Broadcom Meeting Room and the Hillcrest Labs suite at the Renaissance Hotel.

According to Strategy Analytics, TV viewers identified point and click controllers as the best type of control device for the next generation of TV-based media browsers(1). As Internet-connected TVs and other Web-enabled CE devices become more pervasive, there will be a concurrent need to improve user interfaces that enable consumers to access additional content. Hillcrest Labs notes that motion sensing remote controls that combine Bluetooth and Freespace in-air pointing and motion control technology will enable TV manufacturers and others to derive additional value from their investments in Internet-connected devices. Other advanced Bluetooth capabilities being added into CE devices include audio streaming, picture push from cell phones or cameras, and support for 3D glasses. As a result, Bluetooth is quickly becoming the RF technology of choice for replacing infrared remotes in the CE market.

"Broadcom continues to fuel innovation throughout the CE space with our Bluetooth products," said Craig Ochikubo, vice president and general manager of Broadcom's wireless personal area networking business unit. "We are pleased to team with Hillcrest Labs to incorporate their pioneering Freespace technology into our Bluetooth product line for customers looking to build a new class of differentiated products."

"Bluetooth is a powerful standard for CE companies as it enables TVs and set-top boxes to connect to wireless keyboards, mobile handsets, game controllers, headsets and other peripherals that can enhance the consumer experience," said Chad Lucien, vice president of Freespace Products at Hillcrest Labs. "The addition of Freespace motion control devices to this ecosystem makes it easy for CE manufacturers to create a new generation of interactive television products controlled by in-air pointing and motion."

Hillcrest's Freespace technology is a complete solution for in-air pointing and motion control. The technology enables highly precise and stable in-air pointing, allowing users to easily control a cursor from any position (standing, sitting or reclining) and giving users the freedom to move around a room while pointing or controlling on-screen activities. Freespace technology also enables full six degree-of-freedom motion control that can interact with immersive gaming applications and gestural interfaces. Hillcrest was recently selected as an International CES Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree for its Loop(TM) pointer. The Loop pointer, powered by Freespace technology, is an in-air mouse designed for the growing number of consumers who enjoy Internet entertainment on their PC or Mac® or connect their computer to a television. Other companies that have licensed Hillcrest Labs' patented Freespace technology for use in their products include: Eastman Kodak, Logitech, Universal Electronics (UEI), ZillionTV, and others.

Additional details about Freespace, or Hillcrest Labs, are available at www.hillcrestlabs.com.

About Hillcrest Labs

Hillcrest Laboratories (a.k.a. Hillcrest Labs) sells an interactive media system for TV called HoME(TM), which enables consumer electronics manufacturers and service providers to create unique interactive digital media products for TV and other digital media devices. Applications made with HoME are controlled by pointing and provide consumers an intuitive way to browse, discover, and interact with large volumes of digital media. Hillcrest Labs' pointing technology, called Freespace®, can be used in a wide range of consumer devices including remote controls, PC mice, and game controllers. Freespace technology is also used in Hillcrest's Loop(TM) pointer, a direct-to-consumer in-air mouse for TV that lets users control an on-screen cursor with a flick of the wrist and navigate the Web or their home media content on TV. The award-winning Loop pointer is round and ergonomic with just four buttons and a scroll wheel. HoME and Freespace have received numerous awards and recognitions including the CES Innovations Award, PC World's 100 Best Products and Greatest Tech Designs, ECN's Reader's Choice Tech, Popular Mechanics' Editors Choice, and others. Based in Rockville, Maryland, Hillcrest Labs was founded in 2001 by Dan Simpkins. The company is funded by NEA, AllianceBernstein, Columbia Capital, and Grotech Ventures. For additional information, visit www.hillcrestlabs.com.

All product and service names listed in this release remain property of their parent companies and do not indicate official support or endorsement for the Loop pointer or Hillcrest Labs. Mac® is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners Hillcrest Labs, Freespace, and the Loop are trademarks of Hillcrest Laboratories, Inc.

(1) -Source: February 2009 Strategy Analytics Study: "Consumer Imperatives for Digital TV Media Browsers"

SOURCE Hillcrest Laboratories