Hi listers
To all those wondering why they hadn't heard anything about the Maestro,
maybe the answer's somewhere in the following which appeared in my in box.
Cheers,
Sandra.
January 20, 2005
Pulse Data International and VisuAide Merge
(Christchurch, New Zealand / Longueuil, Canada: 20th January 2005) The
Directors
of New Zealand-based Pulse Data International and Canadian-based VisuAide
are delighted
to announce the merger of their companies, and the creation of an exciting
new organisation
to serve the needs of people with visual impairment. The merged entity will
be known
as the HumanWare Group.
The HumanWare name has been widely used in North America since it was
adopted as
the name for Pulse Data's North American subsidiary in 1989. The name has
now been
reborn to define a caring and people-focused global company, dedicated to
providing
innovative, technology-based, solutions to enable people who are blind or
visually
impaired, to access information.
HumanWare combines two of the industry's most innovative companies - both
recognised
as world leaders in their respective fields. Products like the SmartView
video magnifier
and more recently myReader - the worlds first low vision auto-reader - are
redefining
the way people look at low vision while the Victor Reader family of digital
talking
book players has been at the forefront of the industry since its inception.
The BrailleNote
is the best-known solution in the notetaker market today, and this market
will be
expanded with the introduction of Maestro. Finally, the companies produce
the world's
only commercialised GPS based orientation solutions for the blind - Trekker
and BrailleNote
GPS.
Pulse Data International's CEO, Dr Russell Smith, will head the new
organisation.
According to Dr Smith, "Over the past few years, both Pulse Data and
VisuAide have
gained impressive reputations for providing outstanding products that enable
visually
impaired people to achieve equality of access to information. These
successes have
led to the strong growth of both organisations"
"We strongly believe that unifying the two organisations will accelerate the
achievement
of the companies' common vision and goals," Dr Smith said. "VisuAide shares
our dream
of developing, manufacturing and marketing world leading products that
enable people
with sight related disabilities to attain their greatest potential."
Following the merger, Gilles Pepin will become President and CEO of
HumanWare's Canadian
subsidiary. Both Mr. Pepin and Yves Boisjoli, VisuAide' s CFO, will become
significant
shareholders of the HumanWare Group. Pepin will also join the HumanWare
Group's Board
of Directors.
VisuAide's President and CEO, Gilles Pepin, is extremely enthusiastic about
the merger.
"Both our companies share the desire to be the best in the industry
- working together in such a talented and motivated team will be a positive
move
for our employees, partners and, most importantly, our customers", he said.
For many years, Pulse Data and VisuAide have shared a similar research and
development
philosophy and have invested heavily in ongoing product development.
HumanWare is
committed to retaining this focus on innovation and will maintain the
existing R&D
operations in both New Zealand and Canada. The combination of these units
will create
the largest R&D capability in the industry.
With a team of over 200 employees worldwide, HumanWare is one of the largest
companies
in the low vision and blindness industry. Sales offices are located in the
United
States, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, while the parent company
will
be based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
For more information contact:
Pulse Data International
Russell Smith
CEO
russell.smith@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tel: +64 21 362 765
Greg Thompson
International Sales & Marketing Manager
greg.thompson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tel: +64 21 528 003
Hassan Wong
Manager, Strategy and New Ventures
hassan.wong@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tel: +64 21 464453
VisuAide
Gilles Pepin
President and CEO
gillesp@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Tel: +1 514 217 5087
Ivan Lagacé
Vice President Business Development
ivanl@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Tel: +1 514 943 2043
Background
VisuAide was founded in 1988 with the encouragement of the Institut Nazareth
et Louise-Braille,
Canada's leading rehabilitation centre for the blind and visually impaired,
to conduct
research and development activities for such users. In 1996 VisuAide
obtained growth
capital from financial investors to expand its business. VisuAide is now
recognised
as the world leader with Victor Reader, its digital audio book solutions for
the
print disabled. The company also manufactures Trekker, a GPS-based
orientation and
mobility product for the visually impaired and Maestro, the first accessible
mainstream
PDA. Further information on VisuAide and its products can be found at
www.visuaide.com
Based in Christchurch, New Zealand Pulse Data International was also
established
in 1988. Since its inception the company has gained a reputation as a major
supplier
of integrated Braille and speech technology, a range of video magnification
solutions,
screen-reading software and speech synthesizers. Pulse Data is
internationally acclaimed
for its highly successful BrailleNote and SmartView product ranges, and in
recent
months has launched myReader, the worlds first low vision auto-reader. Pulse
Data
exports approximately 96% of its products to more than 30 countries
worldwide. Further
information on Pulse Data International and its products can be found at
www.pulsedata.com
Regards Sarah Smith
__________________________
Brand Manager
Pulse Data International Ltd
DDI: +64-3-353 2893
Fax: +64-3-384 4933
Mobile: 021 108 9898
Email:
sarah.smith@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Web:
www.pulsedata.com
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