Press Release Source: Applied Digital Solutions
VeriChip Corporation Launches National ``Get Chipped'' Promotion
Thursday October 24, 9:15 am ET
First 100,000 Registrants and All Qualified ADSX Shareholders Eligible for $50 Introductory Savings
PALM BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Oct. 24, 2002-- New Authorized VeriChip Centers for "chipping" and distribution
established in Arizona, Texas and Florida
Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. an advanced technology development company, today announced the launch of a national
"Get Chipped"(TM) promotion for VeriChip, a subdermal personal verification microchip. The first 100,000 registrants and
all qualified ADSX shareholders will be eligible for a special introductory savings of $50 at the time of "chipping."
Details on the "Get Chipped" promotion will be posted soon on the Company's website: www.adsx.com.
The Company also announced that it has established four new Authorized VeriChip Centers for "chipping" and distribution
in Arizona, Texas and Florida. Including these new centers, there are now seven Authorized VeriChip Centers in the
United States: Phoenix, Arizona; San Antonio, Texas; Naples, Florida; Port St. Lucie, Florida; McLean, Virginia; Boca
Raton, Florida; and Sunrise, Florida.
The "Get Chipped" registration program will assist the Company in determining where and when to establish future
Authorized VeriChip Centers. The Company's fully equipped mobile center - ChipMobile(TM) - has increased its marketing
efforts in the Southeast region, maintaining a full schedule of visits to recreational and stadium events and general
"awareness" locations. The ChipMobile itself is a distribution center and mobile "chipping" facility. Those interested
in seeing a photograph of the ChipMobile, or in learning more about its schedule of community visits, are invited to
visit www.adsx.com.
Today's announcement comes two days after the Company issued a press release describing a ruling by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) that VeriChip is not a regulated medical device "for security, financial, and personal
identification/safety applications."
As previously described by the Company, the marketing of VeriChip involves these three main categories:
- VeriChip Subscribers (individuals who decide to "Get Chipped");
- Authorized VeriChip Centers (healthcare facilities/distribution points where the sales of VeriChip and "chipping"
procedures take place); and
- VeriChip System Affiliates (locations that use proprietary VeriChip scanners and password access to the GVS Registry).
These three categories are all supported by the Global VeriChip Subscriber (GVS) Registry, which provides immediate
access to a secure database containing subscriber-supplied, personal verification information. The GVS Registry service
is hosted and maintained by Digital Angel Corporation's state-of-the-art operations centers in Riverside, California,
and Owings, Maryland.
Those interested in becoming VeriChip subscribers, in establishing an Authorized VeriChip Center, or in becoming an
affiliate or partner in marketing VeriChip are invited to subscribe on-line or call this toll free phone number: 1
800-970-CHIP (2446).
With the FDA's recent ruling, the Company will focus initial U.S. marketing efforts on very promising applications for
VeriChip related to security, financial anti-fraud and personal identification/safety.
In the security field, VeriChip can be used in a variety of security, defense, homeland security and secure-access
applications. These applications include using VeriChip to control authorized access to government installations and
private-sector buildings, nuclear power plants, national research laboratories, correctional facilities, and sensitive
transportation resources. VeriChip is able to function as a stand-alone, tamper-proof personal verification technology
or it can operate in conjunction with other security technologies such as standard ID badges and advanced biometric
devices (e.g. retina scanners, thumbprint readers or face recognition devices). The use of VeriChip as a means for
secure access can also be extended to include a range of consumer products such as PCs, laptops, cars, cell phones, and
even homes and apartments.
In the financial arena, VeriChip can be used as a personal verification technology that could help to prevent fraudulent
access to banking (especially via ATMs) and credit card accounts. VeriChip's tamper-proof, personal verification
technology can provide banking and credit card customers with the added protection of knowing their accounts could not
be accessed unless they themselves initiated -- and were physically present during -- the transaction.
VeriChip can also be used in identity theft protection. Crime statistics show that identity theft claims hundreds of
thousands of victims every year. VeriChip offers a simple solution: a tamper-proof, personal verification technology
that will deter identity theft by making it virtually impossible for criminal elements to access someone else's
financial accounts and records.
About VeriChip(TM)
VeriChip is a miniaturized radio frequency identification device (RFID) that can be used in a variety of security,
financial, emergency identification and healthcare applications. About the size of a grain of rice, each VeriChip
product contains a unique verification number and will be available in several formats, some of which will be insertable
under the skin. The verification number is captured by briefly passing a proprietary scanner over the VeriChip. A small
amount of radio frequency energy passes from the scanner energizing the dormant VeriChip, which then emits a radio
frequency signal transmitting the verification number. "Getting chipped" is a simple, outpatient procedure that lasts
just a few minutes and involves only local anesthetic and insertion of the chip. VeriChip Corporation is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions.
About Applied Digital Solutions, Inc.
Applied Digital Solutions is an advanced technology development company that focuses on a range of life-enhancing,
personal safeguard technologies, early warning alert systems, miniaturized power sources and security monitoring systems
combined with the comprehensive data management services required to support them. The Company's Advanced Technology
Group offers a complete CRM solution to commercial and government customers, as well as a full array of security-related
data collection, value-added data intelligence and complex data delivery systems for a wide variety of end users
including commercial operations, government agencies and consumers. Applied Digital Solutions is the beneficial owner of
a majority position in Digital Angel Corporation. For more information, visit the Company's website at
http://www.adsx.com.
Statements about the Company's future expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other statements in
this press release other than historical facts are 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties
and are subject to change at any time, and the Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results.
The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or
circumstances.
ENDS