Included in EPS were net charges totaling $0.23 per share consisting of $0.11 per share for early retirement of debt, $0.05 per share from the restructuring program and $0.07 per share from divestitures.

Revenue grew 13 percent to $10.4 billion, with organic revenue growth of 7 percent in the quarter. Net income was $454 million, compared with a net loss of $297 million in the fourth quarter of 2003. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />

Cash flow from operating activities totaled $1.4 billion and the company had free cash flow of $1.4 billion in the quarter. Both were reduced by approximately $400 million due to voluntary pension contributions.

For the full year, the company had revenue of $40.2 billion, with organic revenue growth of 5 percent. Diluted GAAP EPS was $1.35 per share compared with $0.49 per share in 2003.

Cash flow from operating activities totaled $5.4 billion and the company had free cash flow of $4.8 billion for the year. Both cash flow measures were reduced by approximately $575 million of voluntary pension contributions.

“Our results this quarter were a strong finish to a year of important operational progress for Tyco,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ed Breen. “Over the course of 2004, we experienced good growth in revenue, we expanded our margins and we used our strong cash flow to further strengthen Tyco’s balance sheet.”

“The combination of two RFID technology leaders like Philips and Indala is impressive to say the least,” said Marc Freundlich, Indala president. “Philips’ worldwide leading contactless MIFARE platform has a strong track record in Europe and <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Asia.  And in the U.S. market, MIFARE DESFire is the first secure contactless smart card chip solution to meet the Government Smart Card Interoperability Standard (GSC-IS). There is no doubt that Indala customers worldwide will benefit from this alliance, and can be assured of a broad range of high quality product solutions from Indala in the near future,” he continued.

According to Manuel Albers, Americas’ Director Business Development for the Identification Business at Philips Semiconductors, “Indala has performed as a solid leader in the security industry for many years and continues to grow through advanced technology. We are pleased about Indala’s decision to use Philips MIFARE Standard and MIFARE DESFire products for open, secure, contactless solutions,” he said.

DreamBox is an embedded hardware and software product that integrates a number of CCTV related applications into one box. It contains twelve different applications, including Digital Video and Audio Recording, Video & Audio Matrix Switcher, Outdoor and Indoor Video Motion Detection System (VMD), Security Management System (SMS) and Transmission system.

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The system is economical, compact and avoids the use of complicated cable installations and network protocols integration.   

Multiple DreamBox units connect to each other using a distributed network topology.  This architecture doesn’t require any central server and thus has no single point of failure. 

Processing, data and storage space are easily shared between units over redundant data paths, which insure maximum system uptime in almost any event.

DreamBox is substantially lower in price than the cost of the individual technologies combined, which positions DreamBox as an affordable security solution for strategic facilities.

Its target markets include government, institutional and other sensitive facilities, such as: airports, train stations, seaports, prisons, casinos and hospitals, all of which require the use of high quality CCTV applications

Mace’s new advanced product is a sticky gel that has a 10% pepper formulation. The sticky gel can be contained in various sized canisters, and is propelled out of the canister by compressed air.

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The product is a less-than-lethal personal defense device that has the ability to neutralize an assailant from up to 25 feet away. Mace believes that there are no other less-than-lethal personal defense devices on the market, including a stun gun, Taser(R) (1) and similar weapons, with the ability to neutralize an assailant from this distance.

The new product, which will be called Mace Gel(TM) in the civilian market and Pepper Gel(TM) in the law enforcement and military market, has been tested and will be launched into the marketplace this quarter.

Mace’s tests have concluded that its new gel defense device will not be ignited by a stun gun, Taser(R) (1) and similar weapons. This is an important feature for law enforcement and military agencies currently utilizing electronic weapons.

The new product has a unique formulation because it is suspended in a gel instead of a liquid stream. The gel formulation results in several new advantages.

    –  Longer Distance: The new product’s spray distance has

        increased to up to 25 feet. (Conventional aerosol sprays

        travel up to approximately 15 feet in distance. Most Taser(R)

        (1) devices shoot up to 21 feet and two darts must stick into

        an assailant to be effective. Stun guns are only effective at

        an arms-length distance.)

    –  Price: Less expensive than electronic less-than-lethal

        personal defense devices in the marketplace.

    –  Shelf Life: Lasts up to three years. (No batteries are

        necessary. Electronic weapons must be powered by batteries.)

    –  Sticks Like Glue: The gel formula sticks to the face of an

        assailant leaving them temporarily blinded, which allows for

        safe detaining by law enforcement and military officials,

        and/or a safe escape by civilians.

    –  Super Powerful 1.4% Capsaicinoid Concentration (non-toxic):

        The new product is hotter than other pepper sprays on the

        market. The unit is non-toxic and only causes temporary

        discomfort.

    –  Non-Flammable: This feature will allow police officers to use

        Pepper Gel(TM) in conjunction with the use of a stun gun,

        Taser(R) (1) and similar weapons.

    –  Less Contaminating: The gel formula is ideal for indoor use

        and minimizes cross-contamination. This is important because

        streaming pepper sprays can contaminate a home, mall,

        hospital, business, prison cell or police car with an

        uncomfortable pepper scent that will take several hours to

        dissipate. The gel formula allows an assailant to be sprayed

        without contaminating the entire area. The pepper scent sticks

        to the affected area as it is suspended in the gel.

    –  Easy Decontamination: The gel allows for easy and quick

        decontamination of an assailant by using soap and water or a

        decontamination spray.

Borg brings with him extensive knowledge and depth of experience to Bosch’s CCTV team. Borg has more than 15 years industry experience in the surveillance industry. “Bosch CCTV has seen dramatic growth recently partly due to their significant increase in CCTV Technology in 2004, their focus on future proofing their Dinion/DinionXF camera and DVR technology, is changing the CCTV industry and I look forward to working with and assisting the growth of the NSW operations” said Borg.

Other news from Bosch Security Systems is that the company has appointed National Audio Systems (NAS) as the major distributor for Bosch PLENA Public Address products servicing the Australian audio market. For further information contact Chris Dellenty at Bosch Security Systems on 02 9672 1777.

Investigators take high resolution images to produce a 3D computerized rendering of smudges for more intensive analysis.

The result is a real-time magnetic imaging system that enables criminal investigators to “see” signs of tampering in audiotapes—erasing, overdubbing and other alterations—while listening to the tapes has been developed by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

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The new system, which permits faster screening and more accurate audiotape analysis than currently possible, was recently delivered to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and will be evaluated for its possible routine use in criminal investigations.

The FBI’s Forensic Audio Analysis Unit receives hundreds of audiotapes annually for analysis. Representing evidence from crimes such as terrorism, homicide and fraud, these tapes come from a wide variety of devices, including answering machines, cassette recorders and digital audiotape recorders.

At the heart of the NIST technology is a cassette player modified with an array of 64 customized magnetic sensors that detects and maps the microscopic magnetic fields on audiotapes as they are played. The array is connected to a desktop computer programmed to convert the magnetic data into a displayable image.

Authentic, original tapes produce images with non-interrupted, predictable patterns, while erase and record functions produce characteristic “smudges” in an image that correlate to “pops” and “thumps” in the audio signal.

An examiner can also use the new system to help determine the authenticity of a

tape or if that tape is a copy.

“We are the first to implement real-time magnetic imaging of audiotapes, and now, users can listen to the tape at the same time,” says project leader David Pappas of NIST’s <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Boulder, Colo., laboratories.

A second-generation audiotape imaging system is under development, which is expected to provide ultrahigh image resolution of 1,600 dots per inch. That system will use 256 microscale sensors designed by NIST.

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Whitehead has extensive experience in the surveillance industry. You can contact him on 0408 518 890 or at swhitehead@vangren.com.

Invoiced sales rose MSEK 1,784 (1,654); organic growth was 2 per cent. The result after financial items was a profit of MSEK 84 (84). The profit after tax amounted to MSEK 59 (64). Earnings per share amounted to SEK 1.35 (1.45). Gunnebo’s security products mainly include fire and burglar resistant safes, security products for banks and cash handling, electronic security systems, fire protection, entrance control and access control, alarm centres and indoor and outdoor perimeter protection.