RFID technology provider Convergence Systems Limited (CSL) recently announced breakthrough performance for its CS101 UHF Gen2 RFID handheld reader, establishing new benchmarks of read range and inventory throughput far exceeding competitive offerings. CSL also unveiled its price structure for the CS101 and announced the first set of North American solution providers authorized to resell the CS101.

With a read range exceeding 25 feet with standard dipole passive tags and a throughput reaching 400 tags per second, the CS101 delivers performance equivalent to that of a fixed reader, a first in the industry and over twice the performance level of similar high-end readers.

"The amazing performance of the CS101 opens new doors for SimplyRFID to develop new asset tracking and supply chain management applications in our target markets of Defense, logistics and security," said Carl Brown, CEO of SimplyRFID. "UHF handheld readers have long been pricey pieces of equipment offering medium performance compared to fixed readers - the CS101 fundamentally changes this state of affairs."

The CS101 also features the industry's first high-performance "Geiger counter" tag search and item locate function.

"Boeing is very impressed with the functionality of the CS101's 'Geiger counter' mode," said Steve Villa, research engineer at The Boeing Company. "In this mode, the reader's ability to singulate and locate tags, even in a highly reflective environment, is excellent."

The CS101 is a fully integrated stand-alone reader based on the Microsoft Win CE 5.0 Professional operating system. Manufactured in CSL's ISO 9001 facilities, the CS101 including main accessories retails between $1,950 and $2,500 depending on volume (end user price). A plug-on GSM/GPS module providing global connectivity and real-time positioning will be offered in the coming months.

About Convergence Systems Limited

Founded in 2000, Convergence Systems Limited (CSL) is a leading engineering company and manufacturer of RFID (radio frequency identification) readers, antennas, RFID modules, and RFID tags. CSL's readers have built-in middleware and edge server application software supporting iPx and EPC Gen2 specifications. CSL was established to deliver a broad portfolio of RFID products to distributors and system integrators in logistic management, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, access control, asset and security management, transportation, and retail industries around the world. CSL is a member of EPCglobal. www.convergence.com.hk