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Home Office News

The Weekly Home Furnishings Newspaper
April 4, 1994

HOME OFFICE NEWS

New Norris Recorder

POWAY, Cal. - In its first thrust into the mainstream consumer electronics arena, Norris Communications Corp. has introduced a digital personal recording device that is fully PC-MCIA compatible and can download information to a computer or access e-mail.

The device, called Flashback, has no moving parts and does not use a tape cassette; instead it stores information on a removable 16-bit chip, said Elwood Norris, the firm's chairman. The information contained in the chips, which come in 30-and 60-minute versions, can be downloaded to a personal digital assistant (PDA) or PC.

The device, which weighs less than 3 ounces, will carry a suggested retail price of $199.95, with extra chips being priced at $69.96. It will start shipping to retailers in July.

Initial distribution will be through a network of independent dealers and the product should appear in large electronic chains and department stores, said Norris. It will be housed in plastic, showing off the unit's size, which is somewhat smaller than a tape cassette.

Norris said he expects to sell about 150,000 Flashbacks during its first year.

Flashback runs on two button-type batteries. Because there are no motors to drive the batteries, the device should run for about a year, said Norris.

Norris said there are many other possible applications to which this digital technology can be applied, including data storage. The device may be licensed, he added, and an OEM deal is in the works.

CAPTION:

Norris' Flashback

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