BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Oct. 25, 2005 -- Planar Systems, Inc., a worldwide leader in flat panel display systems, is bringing the power of touchscreen technology to enthusiasts of Mattel's Hot Wheels® brand with an implementation at FAO Schwarz in Manhattan. The 17-inch Planar touchscreens serve as the consumer design center for the Hot Wheels® Custom Car Factory Kiosk. At the New York City FAO Schwarz, consumers can customize their own Hot Wheels® car with special colors, designs, wheels and rims using Planar touchscreen monitors. After nearly a year, FAO Schwarz has sold thousands of customized Hot Wheels® models using the kiosk.
Designing a car with the Hot Wheels® Custom Car Factory Kiosk application takes only a few minutes, and the customer receives a certificate of authenticity with the purchase. The price of a customized Hot Wheels® car is approximately $20. Mattel is currently using Planar 17-inch touchscreen monitors for consumer access and server control.
"We're thrilled to bring our 20 years of display expertise to a premiere brand like Hot Wheels®," said Rob Baumgartner, Planar's operations director. "On a recent business trip, I visited FAO Schwarz and experienced first-hand the unique experience of customizing a red Hot Wheels® Hummer. One little boy was so enthralled tailoring his car and watching the video of it being built, it made me want to bring back my daughter and let her create her own."
"Touchscreen technology provides an exciting way for consumers to interact with the Hot Wheels brand, allowing them to develop their own customized product," said Doug Wadleigh, vice president, Hot Wheels marketing, Mattel. "I've been delighted by the durability and reliability of Planar's touchscreen system, which ensures that every kid who visits FAO has a fun, engaging Hot Wheels experience."
Planar's touchscreen monitors, featuring 3M® world-class touchscreen technology, literally put the shopping experience at consumers' fingertips and help retailers and brands communicate with customers more effectively. Planar offers a full suite of standalone or open-frame touchscreen monitors, from point-of-sale ordering systems at athletic stores to point-of-information kiosks in museums and point-of-purchase ticketing systems in subways. Planar guarantees the performance of its standalone PT touchscreen monitors with its Customer First™ three-year warranty, which promises two-day advance replacement.
Both of Planar's touchscreen lines -- the PT touchscreen and LA open-frame monitor lines -- provide improved touch accuracy, superior optical performance and better protection against scratching. With either resistive or capacitive touchscreens, the PT and LA monitors support touch applications in both attended and unattended environments. In addition, the displays' human interface device (HID)-compliant drivers provide easy integration with programs running on any Windows 98 or newer operating system, shortening the time-to-market for integrators and OEMs developing or installing touch solutions.
Planar has an expanded, comprehensive suite of touchscreen monitors designed for OEMs, integrators and value-added resellers (VARs) targeting the growing markets for point-of-sale and point-of-purchase monitor systems in retail, hospitality and gaming environments.
Design and engineering support are available for the embedded LA models. To learn more about Planar's touchscreen solutions, please visit www.planar.com.
About Planar
Planar Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLNR) is a leading provider of flat panel display hardware and software solutions for demanding medical, retailing, industrial and commercial applications. Hospitals, shopping centers, banks and businesses of all sizes use Planar display technology to help connect people, information and ideas. Founded in 1983, Planar is headquartered in Oregon, with offices, manufacturing partners and customers worldwide. For more information, visit www.planar.com.
HOT WHEELS and associated trademarks and trade dress are owned by Mattel, Inc. � 2005 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
