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The IMS Company’s newest handheld IFE solution leverages emerging tablet technology with an operating system focus

In a game-changing approach, Android OS-based tablets are the basis for the newest EDGE™ portables with a 10.1-inch touch screen, and solid-state storage

| Brea, CA | 9-7-11 | — The IMS Company remains committed to the handheld IFE space, and will come to APEX in Seattle with a unique version of its EDGE™ product, based on an Android operating system (OS) and a tablet form factor, according to The IMS Company’s vice president sales and marketing Harry Gray.

"This is a completely new approach to portables deployment in IFE, " said Gray, "which we believe is a game-changer. "

The newest EDGE™ portable media player offers a 10.1-inch capacitive, multi-touch touch screen, with 1280x800 (WXGA) screen resolution, using the Android OS (Honeycomb). The lithium ion battery supports approximately 9 hours of video or 72 hours of music. Content is stored on SD (Smart Digital) cards allowing the airline to determine the size of storage needed to meet its content requirements. The use of SD cards for content storage is ideal for IFE and virtually eliminates content loading time and expensive terrestrial loading equipment.

 

EDGE™ is APEX 0403-compliant and supports content playback in MPEG4, H.264, WMV7 and WMV9 with AAC audio playback. The user interface is also compatible with RAVE™ embedded IFE, so the airline can now have a similar standard that is applied to both products, making the passenger experience virtually seamless.

IMS’ Android-based solution is not limited to a single device but is designed for use with a range of Android OS devices. So, as other Android-based devices become available, the IMS solution can be easily ported from this device to the next. The IMS Company entered the portables market by 2 repurposing consumer-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware, including Fujitsu and ARCHOS devices, and quickly took leadership in the IFE portables space as a result.

The operating system approach restores the benefits of leveraging COTS technology, says Gray. Since the Android OS is an open standard, we can more easily adapt this technology to support IFE requirements (including Early Window content) as compared to other COTS products using a proprietary operating system.

EDGE™ gives The IMS Company an opportunity to apply more than 15 years’ experience providing IFE expertise to the airline market. We now have a family of products – both handheld and a fully certified AVOD system, that offers airlines the ability to provide an enhanced and consistent passenger experience and branding strategy using different products across their fleet.

About The IMS Company: Founded in 1996, The IMS Company is an entertainment and communications solutions provider in the travel industry, and a systems and software solutions provider to the air transport, aerospace and government markets.

IMS Entertainment provides commercial airlines with embedded and portable entertainment systems, wireless communications solutions, and content management services.

IMS Engineering provides engineering services, software development, information architecture, workflow and cloud computing.

IMS Flight Deck produces Electronic Flight Bags and associated software applications for use on commercial and regional aircraft, and by individual pilots.

In 2007, 2008 and 2009, The IMS Company was named among the fastest-growing privately-held companies in technology-heavy Orange County California by the Orange County Business Journal

IMS Press Contact : Harry Gray, vice president sales & marketing hgray@imsco-us.com or Michael Childers mchilders@imsco-us.com. During APEX call on us at Booth 1210.