SAN JOSE, CA — October 28, 2002 — OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: OVTI), a market-leading independent supplier of CMOS CameraChip™ solutions for high-volume imaging applications, today announced it is providing 1.3 and 2.0 Mega Pixel CameraChips™ for Polaroid brand digital still cameras. Marketed by World Wide Licenses Ltd. (WWL), a subsidiary of Character Group plc. (London Stock Exchange: CCT), OMNIVISION CameraChips™ will be used in more than 12 separate digital cameras. . In addition to the Polaroid branded products, OMNIVISION’s CMOS CameraChips™ will also be used in various Cool iCAM digital cameras also marketed by WWL. Polaroid brand cameras utilizing OMNIVISION CameraChips™ are expected in retail outlets in time for the holiday season.
“This is a great opportunity for OMNIVISION,” stated John Lynch, VP Sales and Marketing at OMNIVISION. “Polaroid is a household name in camera technologies, and WWL’s manufacturing and marketing strength can definitely help drive volume. This makes their selection of OMNIVISION’s CameraChips™ an important design win for us.”
“OMNIVISION is an ideal partner for WWL,” stated Giovanni Tomaselli, Managing Director for WWL. “They have a strong leadership position relative to high resolution CameraChip™ technology, and we wanted to partner with a company that could help us maintain a technology edge. We look forward to a long working relationship with OMNIVISION.”
Launched in November of 2001, OMNIVISION’s OV9620 is a 1.3 million pixel resolution color CameraChip™ for digital still cameras and requires minimal power to produce keepsake quality prints. Similarly, the OV2610 was announced in June of 2002 and is a 2 million-pixel resolution CameraChip™ that is pin-for-pin compatible with the OV9620. Both CameraChips™ utilize a 1/2-inch lens format and operate on 3.3 volts. The combination of high resolution and low power consumption enables camera manufacturers to provide competitive resolution camera solutions with greater battery life than competing CCD based solutions.
Pricing and Availability
OMNIVISION’s OV9620 CameraChip™ is available in production volumes for below $10.00. The OV2610 is available in production volumes for below $13.00. Please contact OMNIVISION via e-mail at sales@ovt.com or by visiting our website at www.ovt.com.
About OMNIVISION
OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. is an independent CameraChip™ solutions provider. Utilizing proprietary design technology for its highly integrated still-photo and video camera solutions for high-volume imaging applications, OMNIVISION integrates multiple image processing and capture functions into a single CameraChip™ design. With the addition of only a lens, the result is a low-cost CameraChip™ that consumes less power, has a greater environmental functioning range and has a smaller footprint than typical CMOS multi-chip image sensor solutions. OMNIVISION’s CameraChip™ solutions are in cell phones, personal digital assistants, automobiles and industrial machine vision applications, as well as surveillance and biometric security applications. OMNIVISION is based in Sunnyvale, California. For more information about the company, visit our Website at www.ovt.com.
About World Wide Licenses Ltd.
World Wide Licenses Ltd is the Hong Kong-based wholly owned subsidiary of The Character Group PLC. Founded in 1991, the Character Group PLC is fully listed in the London Stock Exchange, Media and Photography sector. World Wide Licenses Ltd designs and develops digital interactive products for global distribution. For more information, please visit www.cool-icam.com or www.polaroid-digital.com
About Polaroid Corporation
Polaroid Corporation is the worldwide leader in instant photography. The company supplies photographic cameras and films; digital imaging hardware, software and media; secure identification systems; and sunglasses to markets worldwide. Additional information is available on the company’s web site at www.polaroid.com.
“Polaroid” is a registered trademark of Polaroid Corporation, Waltham, MA 02451.
OMNIVISION and CameraChip™ are trademarks of OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. All other trade, product or service names referenced in this release may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding the number of digital cameras which shall incorporate OMNIVISION’s CameraChips™, the incorporation of OMNIVISION’s CameraChips™ in certain of Cool iCAM digital cameras; the expected timing of availability in retail stores of Polaroid cameras which incorporate OMNIVISION CameraChips™ and WWL’s manufacturing and marketing strength assisting to increase OMNIVISION’s sales are forward looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties, which could cause the forward looking statements and OMNIVISION’s results to differ materially, include, without limitation: the timely and continued development, manufacture and production of the 1.3 and 2.0 Mega Pixel CameraChips™ and the Polaroid and Cool iCAM’s line of digital cameras which shall incorporate such CameraChips™; the successful integration of OMNIVISION’s products into Polaroid and Cool iCAM’s digital cameras; the continued growth of markets for the OMNIVISION’s products; the risk of latent defects in OMNIVISION’s products; the continued good relations between the parties and the other risks detailed from time to time in OMNIVISION’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, OMNIVISION’s quarterly reports filed on form 10-Q. OMNIVISION disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward looking statement.