Coca-Cola Enterprises to Roll out Ruggedized Handheld Computers from Symbol Technologies to 28,000 Mobile Workers

"Coca-Cola Enterprises considers Symbol a strategic technology partner with a superior enterprise mobility vision and product roadmap. Symbol is committed to working closely with us to keep us in a technology leadership position. As a result of this partnership, we have developed a high-performance, ruggedized handheld computer customized for the beverage industry. This new technology will provide the foundation for delivering innovative mobile solutions that enhance productivity and maximize customer value," said Christopher Koterski, program manager of Mobile Computing, Coca-Cola Enterprises.

"Coca-Cola Enterprises is a pioneer of the beverage industry and has become a leader in mobile workforce enablement by providing its field team with technology that delivers information at the point of decision and allows them to better service their customers. We are delighted that Coca-Cola Enterprises selected Symbol as its strategic enterprise mobility partner," William Nuti, Symbol president and CEO said. "Coca-Cola Enterprises is counting on our mobile computing technology to set new benchmarks in the delivery of enterprise mobility solutions. We look forward to a long-term successful relationship with Coca-Cola Enterprises."

The new Symbol handheld computer developed with Coca-Cola Enterprises, a variation of the recently introduced Symbol MC9000-G, is rugged and reliable enabling it to work in extreme temperatures and weather conditions. It has important features that benefit Coca-Cola Enterprises workers including a bright, high-resolution color screen for easy reading indoors and outdoors; Symbol Wi-Fi wireless networking; Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Software for Pocket PC for robust application development; the powerful 32-bit XScale(TM) processor from Intel; and rechargeable, extended-use lithium-ion batteries. The MC9000 incorporates the new Symbol imaging engine, which at one-fifth of a cubic inch is the smallest miniature bar code imaging system, combining CCD sensor technology with "Smart Focus" technology from Symbol plus proven intuitive laser-aiming guidance and self-illumination. The resulting benefits include outstanding performance reading both one-dimensional and two-dimensional bar code symbols from multiple angles as well as excellent image capture quality.