Readers Bridge the Net and Print Gap

A microelectromechanical scanning reader under development by Microvision Inc. of Bothell, Wash., promises to link print media to the Internet. The company has announced that it will ship samples of the device next year; it expects the readers, which are based on its silicon micromirrors and actuators, to be in full production by the end of 2001.

The devices would scan links that would be embedded in periodicals as printed text or symbols such as 2-D bar codes. The information would give users of mobile Web browsers access to Web pages or enable them to instantly purchase items from a print catalog.