Quatech and Sun(TM) co-develop a convenient, economical solution for connecting serial devices

AKRON, OHIO, February 12, 2002 -- Quatech Inc., a leading manufacturer of data communication products, today announced the release of a USB to serial adapter, the first single port adapter supported by Sun Ray(TM) thin clients from Sun Microsystems, Inc. The Quatech SSU-100 enables serial devices, such as the Palm handheld computer, to connect with Sun Ray clients.

For some applications, an adapter is the only solution for connecting serial devices to newer computer systems, such as Sun Ray thin clients.

"When the opportunity arose to co-develop a serial-to-USB adapter for Sun Microsystems' thin client products we were immediately enthusiastic about the project," said Steve Runkel, Quatech's President and CEO. "This new adapter leverages Quatech's extensive technology base to develop application-specific designs for large industry players, and is a significant part of Quatech's growth strategy."

"Sun Ray thin clients continue to gain momentum in several markets, including education, government, financial services and technical markets," said Brian Healy, group marketing manager in Sun Microsystems' Client and Technical Market Products group. "This adapter solution will provide more options for our customers, and we're delighted to have Quatech's support and expertise behind the new offering."

Part of the FreedomUSB(TM) Series, Quatech's newly redesigned SSU-100 supplies a single-port serial-to-USB interface for thin clients like the Sun Ray, as well as for PCs, handheld computers, and terminals. It provides a high-speed 460.8kbps connection via a RS-232 DB9-connector. The adapter supports serial transmission at all common legacy device bit rates. It was designed to allow the continued use of existing application software created for legacy serial devices, thus the SSU-100 enumerates itself as a standard COM port, and consistent identification is ensured with internal unique electronic serialization. The SSU-100 is a low-powered device that conveniently draws its power from the USB bus itself. It supports suspend and resume operations, and remote wake-on-ring. As well as support for Sun Ray Server Software version 1.3, the SSU-100 provides support for Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP, and thus is also an ideal solution for PC-based systems.

Freedom USB Series
Quatech's FreedomUSB line provides users the freedom to implement the system they want with the resources they have and the code they have created. Users have the freedom to use USB enabled devices with non-USB devices, to transfer data between USB compliant and non USB compliant computers, and to expand a computer's built-in USB ports to accommodate large numbers of USB and legacy serial devices.

About Sun Ray Thin Clients
Simplifying the desktop and lowering the total cost of ownership, Sun Microsystems' Sun Ray thin clients not only bring the power of the server to the desktop, but are also easy to set up and deploy. Sun Ray thin clients are stateless devices that consolidate resources on the server and require no client administration or upgrades. The Sun Ray systems enable users to gain instant access to existing applications and resources on the network, regardless of the underlying platform including Sun's Solaristm Operating Environment, Java(tm) technology-based, multimedia or Windows NT applications. For more information about Sun Ray thin clients, please visit www.sun.com/SunRay.

Quatech's SSU-100 lists for $79. Volume pricing for Sun Ray Thin Client deployments is available. For more information about the SSU-100and applications for the Sun Ray please call 1-800-553-1170 and talk with a sales engineer about your application, or email sales@quatech.com.

About Quatech
Quatech, Inc. is an ISO 9001 registered manufacturer of data communication and data acquisition products for Windows, Linux, Solaris and OS/2 based systems. Its customer base includes Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and major universities, as well as many small companies and individual users. Its products are used in a wide variety of vertical markets including banking, retail, hospitality, airports, medical, and security. Amongst the leading applications in these markets are Point of Sale terminals, Kiosks, automotive testing, industrial control and process monitoring. Founded in 1983, and headquartered in Akron, OH, the company has a worldwide presence, selling its products through a network of representatives and distributors. Website: www.quatech.com.
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FreedomUSB is a tradename belonging to Quatech, Inc. Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Sun Ray, Java, Solaris and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Download a high-resolution photo of Quatech's SSU-100 in a Palm Application (Note: This is a large file.)
Learn more about Sun Ray Thin Clients on the Sun Microsystems Website