Smead Launches Flic

Smead Launches Microvision's Flic Laser Bar Code Scanner

Companies target medium to large businesses, with expansion plans into retail business centers



BOTHELL, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 13, 2004--Microvision, Inc. (Nasdaq:MVIS - News) announced today an OEM relationship with Smead® (www.smead.com), a leading provider of filing products and records management solutions. Smead intends to market and distribute Microvision's Flic Laser Bar Code Scanner, under the Smead brand, to medium and large businesses through its network of resellers. The companies are also working together to provide integrated solutions packaged for retail distribution to small and medium sized businesses; a market estimated to include over 5.6 million businesses in the U.S. alone.



Reporting 2003 worldwide revenue of $533 million, Smead offers a line of more than 5,000 organizational products that can be found in such business retail centers as Office Depot, Staples, Corporate Express and Costco Business Centers, as well as through a worldwide network of resellers and system integrators.



This month Smead will introduce a private label version of Microvision's Flic barcode scanner integrated with their Smeadlink® File Room product, an application for tracking physical files and documents in both a centralized and decentralized filing environment.



Howard Loos, Software Product Manager for Smead said of the relationship, "Integrating with the Flic scanner allows us to reduce the total cost of ownership of our existing product offerings that include a bar code scanner. File Room is the first product offering we've retrofitted to include the Flic handheld scanner. In the near future, we plan to announce some exciting new products that will also feature this innovative scanner."



Tom Sanko, Microvision's Vice President of Marketing stated, "We are excited to be building a relationship with Smead. The Smead brand is recognized and respected worldwide in the office products sector for products and solutions that help businesses stay organized. The Flic scanner's ease of use and flexible feature set make it especially well suited for document tracking and inventory and supply chain management applications in a variety of office, retail, and small business environments. We believe that bundling the Flic scanner with plug and play software solutions tailored to specific business activities is going to make bar code scanning more easily accessible and affordable for businesses of all types. Our relationship with Smead is a key step toward that very promising future. The Flic scanner now has access to a very large potential market with an established brand leader in the space."