Empower Technologies™ Third Quarter Report Ended September 30, 2007
Richmond, British Columbia – November 29, 2007 – Empower Technologies Corporation (TSX-V: EPT) has filed financial statements for the third quarter ended September 30, 2007. Empower (“the Company” or “Empower”) is a Linux operating software developer for Linux-based embedded system technologies and solutions for the embedded computing industry.
Highlights for the quarter ended September 30, 2007 (“the Quarter”) include:
- On August 16, Empower introduced LEOs for Texas Instruments' DaVinci™ technology.
- On September 5, the Company joined forces with Global Upholstery (Global) to open the digital furniture market for Empower products. Under this arrangement, the Company licensed Global to manufacture, market and sell Empower's PowerPlay branded 5.1 Pro Media Chair through Global's own sales and distribution channels; and further, Empower and Global will work together to develop and to create new digital furniture that appeals to the professional, office, and healthcare markets.
- On September 18, Empower contracted with Arrow Electronics, Inc. for Arrow to distribute our Linux development kit for Texas Instruments' OMAP™ dual-core processor. Leveraging the performance and DSP/BIOS M Link provided by TI's OMAP™ dual core processors, our development kit runs Empower's LEOs® operating software out of the box and can be leveraged by developers as a powerful design reference for both hardware and software to significantly reduce device development time and cost.
- Earnings per share for the Quarter was (2) cents, compared to (3) cents for the same Quarter in 2006; year to date, earnings per share was (7) cents, compared with (9) cents for the year to September 30, 2006.
- Revenues generated for the Quarter were $17,834 compared with $19,971 for the three months ended September 30, 2006. Year to date, revenues increased to $149,204, an increase of $92,527 compared with 2006. This increase is attributed to our decision to change the sales and marketing team to align with the change in the sales focus from distributed and end of life products to the Company's core enabling embedded technology: LEOs (LunuxDA Embedded O/S) and LDK591x.
- General and administrative expenses without stock-based compensation and R&D costs for Quarter decreased to $414,584 from $560,094 for the three months ended September 30, 2006 due to changes in the sales and marketing team, programs and tradeshow exhibition mixes. Year to date, the decrease was $362,631 from $1,856,441 in 2006 to $1,493,810 in 2007.
- Research and Development costs (“R&D costs”) costs for the Quarter decreased from $353,667 for the quarter ended September 30, 2006 to $270,810. Year to date, to September 30 th , R&D costs were $853,901 compared to $1,091,391 for the nine month period ended September 30, 2006.
- Subsequent to the end of the Quarter, the Company announced our intent to proceed with a Short Form Offering (the “Offering”) to raise up to $2,000,000. The Offering is not subject to any minimum and is to be comprised of up to 2,666,667 units (the “Units”) at $0.75 per Unit, with each Unit consisting of one share and one half warrant. Each whole warrant is exercisable into one common share for a period of two years at $0.90 per share. The warrants will be non-transferable.
- Also subsequent to September 30 th , Empower announced a plan to reprice the 895,000 share purchase warrants (“the Warrants") that currently have an exercise price of $1.25 and expire on February 20th, 2008. The Company proposes to reduce the exercise price to $0.90 per share. T he proposed repricing of the Warrants is subject to TSX Venture Exchange and warrant holders' approval.
Our technological teams continued their achievements on our product base during the Quarter:
LEOs III (LinuxDA Embedded O/S III)
The next version of LEOs for Texas Instruments' (TI) latest DaVinci TM dual-core microprocessor – DM6441 was completed.
LDK6441 Development Kit
LEOs III for TI DM6441 Development Kit (LDK6441) is in the prototype stage. This will be a brand new kit made specifically for TI's new DaVinci TM family of dual-core microprocessors.
PowerPlay iH
This mobile data terminal model is near the end of development. It was previously named “PowerPlay 1x”. The letters “iH” stands for “industrial Handheld”. The Company is working on the industrial design of the housing of the unit. Besides the regular PDA functions, this new model will have wireless communication capability. The “PowerPlay iH” is targeted toward the industrial control market.
Portable Navigation Device
This is the Portable Navigation Device (PND) reference design Empower is developing using map engine technology licensed from its partner Navigon. The first prototype was exhibited at the SEMA2007 trade show in Las Vegas between October 30 and November 2, 2007.
“It was a good, solid quarter of progress.” said Paul Leung, Empower's Chairman, President & CEO. “We anticipate revenue to continue to improve through the new sales and marketing strategies that Empower has devised during the course of our marketing transition:
- Creating an efficient sales network that will consist of manufacturer's representatives and major electronics and technologies distributors to market and to sell LEOs and LDK platform development kits among developers, manufacturers, value-added resellers, and system integrators.
- Advancing, since April, from zero to five Manufacturers Rep Agencies (approximately equivalent to having at least 10 commissioned salesmen) that have a sales territory covering most of the major technology markets in the United States of America.
- Widening the focus of the Company's sales and marketing efforts from the consumer electronics market to the broader embedded-system market, which includes the automotive, RFID, industrial control and medical devices sectors.
- Accelerating the process of turning Empower customers choosing our technology as their development platforms (“design wins”) into engineered products and the purchase of LEC's when they are ready to go into production.
The increase in revenue to date this year signals that turning design wins into engineered products is progressing well and reinforces the benefits of this marketing strategy.”
About Empower Technologies™
Founded in 2000, Empower Technologies (TSX.V: EPT) is an innovative company that brings the power and flexibility of the LEOs® (LinuxDA™ Embedded Operating System) to the dynamic embedded computing Industry and the emerging Intelligent Appliance Market, through their development of Linux-based operating software, embedded system technologies and solutions.
The products and services that form the base of its business activities include an embedded system development platform for LEOs®, based on Texas Instruments™ embedded CPU platform, that fulfill the needs and demands of developers and the embedded computing Industry. Empower is continuing to develop LEOs® and newer versions of embedded CPUs in line with Texas Instruments™.
By uniting top professionals from within the computer industry and developing quality partnerships and strategic alliances, Empower is committed to being the leading developer of Linux-based operating software and embedded system technologies and solutions for electronics manufacturers and developers.
Empower's brands are “LEOs®”, “LinuxDA™”, Linux-based embedded operating systems and “PowerPlay™”, smart consumer electronics.
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