Atigo®
Serves as Flexible Computing Platform for Appraiser
Data Collection in the Field; Expanded Joint Capabilities
Also Meet Needs of Inspection and Insurance Industries
FAIRFAX, VA and SAN ANTONIO, TX --
September 8, 2004 -- Xybernaut Corporation (NASDAQ:
XYBR) and APEX Software today announced the joint
integration of Xybernaut mobile/wearable computing
with industry-leading software for real estate
appraisal, property insurance and building inspection
industries.
Under terms of the partner relationship, the
Xybernaut Atigo® platform becomes the primary
mobile/wearable computer for a variety of APEX
Software technologies and solutions including:
• MobileSketch™ -- "drawing"
software that automatically sketches a floor-plan
and calculates areas using the laser measurements
and line directions sent to or from a mobile device
-- such as the Xybernaut Atigo.
• APEX IV™ -- comprehensive tool for
compiling collected measurements and related data
to create professional-quality floor plans with
automatic area calculation
• DISTO™ Plus -- a laser measuring
device by Leica Geosystems that automatically
measures distances and sends data to a mobile
device via Bluetooth® wireless communications
APEX, which is a leader in professional sketching
and measurement applications, has focused in recent
years on mobile data collection software and related
hardware technologies. The DISTO Plus, MobileSketch
and/or APEX IV combined with the Xybernaut Atigo
form a solid foundation of products that utilize
wireless communications to allow users to literally
draw and calculate areas while they are being
measured. This virtually eliminates the need to
re-key or re-enter information after the measurements
have been taken.
APEX Software currently enjoys an 80-90% market
share in the residential and commercial real estate
appraisal industry and approximately a 30% market
share in the government appraisal offices in the
United States and Canada. More recently, APEX
has expanded its influence in the property insurance
and inspections industries as the need for accurate
property descriptions and area calculations are
critical for loss control and insurance claim
services. Similarly, over more than a decade,
Xybernaut has established its presence as a premier
provider of anytime, anywhere computing in a wide
variety of industries.
"Combining APEX solutions and brand affinity
in these industries with proven Xybernaut mobile
solutions creates a killer computing platform,"
stated Steven A. Newman, president and COO of
Xybernaut. "Our integrated offering represents
one the most flexible yet affordable options for
both large enterprises and small businesses in
these data-intensive real estate market segments."
Opportunities moving forward include expanding
the APEX and Xybernaut solutions to the real estate
inspection, valuation, sales and marketing sectors.
Many innovative real estate professionals are
already incorporating highly detailed floor plans
and virtual property tours into sales packets
as competitive differentiators.
"The time-sensitive nature of real estate
related activities means that profit margins are
often improved or lost based on the ability to
access and provide information when and wherever
it is needed," stated Randall H. Garrett,
president and CEO of APEX Software. "The
introduction of mobile/wearable computing has
already proven its benefits to customers to which
we have introduced the technologies and has opened
doors to new opportunities."
Building on the initial integration of their
technologies, APEX and Xybernaut are already looking
at other areas where mobile/wearable computing
and detailed sketching and measurement solutions
could be utilized for productivity or to enhance
overall information and knowledge management.
About APEX Software
Headquartered in San Antonio, TX, Apex Software
is a business applications developer for the real
estate valuation market. The first APEX desktop
application was introduced to the real estate
appraiser market in the 1980's. By 1992, the APEX
Sketch Library was considered the industry standard
by all reasonable accounts. This was due in part
to Apex's commitment to establish a standard communication
protocol that allowed data to be shared with other
appraisal software programs. End users and developers
may visit the APEX Web site at www.apexwin.com
to learn more about their custom software solutions.
About Xybernaut
Xybernaut Corporation is the leading provider
of wearable/mobile computing hardware, software
and services, bringing communications and full-function
computing power in a hands-free design to people
when and where they need it. Headquartered in
Fairfax, Virginia, Xybernaut has offices and subsidiaries
in Europe (Germany) and Asia (Japan). Visit the
Xybernaut Web site at www.xybernaut.com.
Product photos are also available directly from
Xybernaut.
Xybernaut, the Xybernaut logo and Atigo®
are trademarks or registered trademarks of Xybernaut
Corporation in the USA and other countries. All
other brand and product names are or may be trademarks
of, and are used to identify products or services
of, their respective owners.
# # #
This press release contains forward-looking statements
within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”). In
particular, when used in the preceding discussion,
the words “plan,” “confident
that,” “believe,” “scheduled,”
“expect,” or “intend to,”
and similar conditional expressions are intended
to identify forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Act and are subject to the
safe harbor created by the Act. Such statements
are subject to certain risks and uncertainties
and actual results could differ materially from
those expressed in any of the forward-looking
statements. Such risks and uncertainties include,
but are not limited to, market conditions, the
availability of components and successful production
of the Company's products, general acceptance
of the Company’s products and technologies,
competitive factors, timing, and other risks described
in the Company’s SEC reports and filings.
6363 De Zavala Road, Suite 200, San Antonio, TX 78249
Sales: 800.858.9958 Support: 210.699.6666 Fax: 210.699.1150
Copyright 2004 Apex Software. All rights reserved.