Color MFP bizhub Series, "PageScope Mobile" and Konica Minolta Planetarium “Tenku” in TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN^® Win Good Design Awards 2012

Tokyo (October 5, 2012) - Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. (Konica Minolta) is pleased to announce that seven models of the color MFP (multi-functional peripheral) bizhub series, the core products of its Business Technologies business, PageScope Mobile for iPhone^® / iPad^™ / Android^™ (PageScope Mobile) and the Konica Minolta Planetarium “Tenku” in TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN (the Konica Minolta Planetarium “Tenku”) have been awarded with “The Good Design Awards 2012,” organized by Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP).

Konica Minolta’s award-winning color MFP bizhub series and PageScope Mobile were highly evaluated for their “user interface,” which enables them to operate seamlessly and consistently among various devices. the Konica Minolta Planetarium “Tenku” won the award for the first time at Konica Minolta in the category of “media for public.” JDP especially valued it as comprehensively pleasant facility providing comfort to customers in such a unique space as planetarium.

<Awarded Products/Application >

bizhub C754 / C654 / C554 / C454 / C364 / C284 / C224
PageScope Mobile for iPhone / iPad / Android

Comments from the screening committee of JDP

The award recognizes Konica Minolta's total document management system linking MFPs and PCs, tablets and smartphones for business usage with a proposal that implies a new possibility in the future. The user interface was thoughtfully designed to operate consistently among various devices.

< Awarded Facility >

The Konica Minolta Planetarium "Tenku" in TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN

Comments from the screening committee of JDP

The Konica Minolta Planetarium "Tenku" in TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN gives comfortableness to visitors through information of light, skillfully embedded in the limited dome space. Rows of seats are designed on a gentle slope as if they disappeared into the floor. Looking up at the show, visitors would experience an illusionary feeling of floating in a starlit sky.
The state-of-the-art high-contrast projector with 4,000 dots in the diameter produces an overwhelming galaxy. In addition, the operation device employs a touch panel with dimmer function not to distract the audience immersed in the outer space. Overall the facility is well done.

Under the communication message of “Giving Shape to Ideas,” Konica Minolta understands the problems our customers have from their point of view and creates new values by bringing the ideas into shape. Going forward, the company will continue to create innovative products, services and solutions that bring joy, give surprise and stir emotions for businesses and everyday lives across the world.

The color MFP bizhub series was made to respond to the diversifying requirements of customers, equipped with latest functions for the new work style linking with cloud services, smartphones, and tablet devices. It enhances the strength of connectivity with various applications and provides solutions for document optimization for users. Featuring a new intuitive electrostatic touch panel, the series provides simple operability for advanced functions under the design concept of INFO-Palette and introduces a new user interface. Additionally, the high environmental performance, with the adoption of recycled PC/PET through advanced proprietary chemical processing technology among others, contributes to increase power efficiency and reduce environmental footprint.

“PageScope Mobile” is an application that connects bizhub with mobile devices to browse, read and instruct printing of documents and images, as well as load scanned data from bizhub. With the launch of PageScope Mobile, Konica Minolta helps business users innovate their work styles with enhanced flexibility and efficiency. Additionally, it can also be used to establish a secured printing environment by utilizing the bizhub authentication system (user authentication, account track) and also contributing to TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) reduction in workplace.

"Tenku" in TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN is second Planetarium under Konica Minolta's management and was inaugurated on May 22, 2012. It has the latest projection system of "GEMINISTAR III TENKU" which integrates the INFINIUM S," an optical planetarium that reproduces beautiful realistic starlit skies, and the digital planetarium "SUPER MEDIAGLOBE-II 4K" that caters advanced 3D astronomical simulation function. By designing the seats on a gradual flight of stairs, the dome can precisely reproduce the position of stars while projecting images right at the front of the audience. That helps the customers concentrate more on the show and immerse themselves in the dynamic images. In addition, the foyer and the tunnel leading to the dome are designed with fantastic blue-and-white decoration to create special atmosphere, increasing customer's expectation. There are multiple shows scheduled in a day and customers can select to watch in accordance to their favorite themes or purposes.

* bizhub and PageScope are registered trademarks of Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

* Tenku is registered trademark of Konica Minolta Planetarium Co., Ltd.

* iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

* The iPhone trademark is used under license by Aiphone Co., Ltd

* Android is trademark or registered trademark of Google Inc.

* TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN is registered trademark of TOBU RAILWAY CO., LTD. & TOBU TOWER SKYTREE CO., LTD.

The Good Design Award is a comprehensive program for the evaluation and encouragement of design organized by JDP since 1998, succeeding the original award system founded by Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1957. For more than 55 years, the Good Design Award has been given to outstanding designs for the creation of culture for the new era in the pursuit of prosperous lives and industrial development. Approximately 38,000 Good Design Awards have been given in continuing these efforts, with submissions from a number of companies and institutions from inside and outside of Japan every year. Representing the honor of Good Design Award, “G Mark” has been widely recognized in the public as symbol of top-class design.