TORONTO, Ontario - cStar Technologies Inc. -- Friday, January 2, 2004

cStar Launched Cost-Effective Handheld Vending Route Management Solution For Direct DEX Data Collection

TORONTO, Ontario -  cStar Technologies Inc. has launched Route Manager^TM Professional solution to meet the operational and business needs of vending operators who are looking for a cost-effective route management solution.

In the highly competitive vending market, many vending operators -- especially those in expansion mode with operations across wide geographical regions – are seeking solutions to automate route management process and to increase operational efficiency.  cStar Route Manager^TM Professional solution is introduced to address those specific needs. The handheld solution allows vending operators to collect DEX data, such as stock, sales, cash and machine information directly from DEX-enabled machines with a palm size handheld computer and connection cable. The automated data collection solution eliminates  manual recording and substantially increases the accuracy of data collection. Data collected by the handheld device can be synchronized and transferred to a desktop or laptop computer system, thus allowing vending operators to view, store and manage sales information back in the office.

“cStar recognizes that effective inventory and cash management are crucial to the financial success of the vending operators,” said Stella Yoon, president and CEO of cStar Technologies Inc. “At the same time, many operators want to minimize capital investment on technology deployment. With Route Manager^TM Professional, vending operators have an effective tool to automate the process of collecting DEX information. More importantly, the cost-effective and easy to deploy solution can help vending operators to improve cash accountability, inventory control and customer service with accurate data trending.”

Besides providing the ability to collect DEX data directly from vending machines,

Route Manager Professional also offers flexibility and provides a foundation for future growth for vending operators. For non DEX enabled machines, operators can also use the handheld computer and software to record inventory and sales information manually. In another words, this allows operators to use the same handheld device to manage a mixture of DEX-enabled and non DEX-enabled machines on the same route. Furthermore, the same handheld device and software can be used with cStar’s wireless system in the future, when vending operators are ready to deploy remote data collection solution.

“Route Manager^TM Professional is more than an inventory management solution”, said Stella Yoon. “Vending operators can use it as a strategic tool to grow their business and expand their operations in an environment where operational efficiency is a key competitive advantage”.