bar code reader that can decode the emerging Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) has hit the market.

Available in triggered and triggerless configurations for optimized "aim and scan" or contact bar code reading, the Cobra LS 1900 will come with a host of features usually found in higher-end offerings, including Advanced Data Formatting (ADF), flash memory and RSS decode capabilities. Introduced by Symbol Technologies Inc., the Cobra readers are compatible with Symbol's universal cables, which ensure connectivity to any host.

Featuring one of the broadest connectivity and flexible range of interface options on the market, the Cobra LS 1900 offers design elements and features previously found only in more expensive products, according to Brian Viscount, Vice President of the Scanning Product Division at Symbol.

"For example, by adding RSS, the new bar code driven by the UCC/EAN standards organizations, customers are able to read extended product information, such as variable weights, prices and dates," says Viscount. "Customers investing in new Cobra products today won't need to upgrade their hardware in six months to accommodate the emerging RSS codes."

The Cobra LS 1900 Series will showcase design enhancements, such as a large, bright two-color LED and adjustable volume beeper for strong visual and audible feedback on decodes. Detailed attention to the handheld ergonomic includes a curved rubber nose for easy scan beam orientation - even when scanning on contact - as well as a lightweight balanced form maximized for operator comfort.

The Cobra LS 1900 will come with a five-year warranty against defects as well as a lifetime warranty on the patented Mylar scan element.

"The Cobra LS 1900 expands our already deep product offering to our business partners," said Stanley P. Jaworski Jr., Vice President and General Manager, Symbol Worldwide Channels and Alliances. "Indirect sales have been an increasing part of Symbol's overall revenue, and with products like the Cobra series, we increase the competitiveness of our product portfolio and ultimately increase our sales to second- and third-tier retail customers."

Symbol Technologies, winner of the National Medal of Technology for its barcode/laser advances, is a leading provider of mobile data transaction systems, providing innovative customer solutions based on wireless local area networking for data and voice, application-specific mobile computing and bar code data capture.

Today, 10 million Symbol bar code scanners, mobile computers and wireless LANs are utilized worldwide in markets ranging from retailing to transportation and distribution logistics, manufacturing, parcel and postal delivery, government, health care and education.

For more information on the Cobra, visit www.symbol.com.