Edison Best New Product Awards Taps 3M and Zargis

The 3M™ LITTMANN® ELECTRONIC STETHOSCOPE MODEL 3200 and the companion ZARGIS® CARDIOSCAN™ software from Zargis Medical were jointly named a finalist in the 2010 Edison Best New Product Awards on the 163^rd birthday of renowned inventor Thomas Alva Edison, at a press conference at the legendary Friars Club in New York City. Edison created many of the products and technologies taken for granted today. The announcement was webcast live by The Discovery Channel, a premier cable TV non-fiction network, at www.discovery.com/edisonawards, where it is archived and may still be seen. At the Friars Club event, presented by Discovery, the list of Edison Finalists was read by Sarah Miller Caldicott, great grandniece of Thomas Edison, co-author of the book, "Innovate Like Edison,” and chair of the Edison Awards steering committee.

The Edison Awards, a peer-review honor similar to the Oscars, is voted on by roughly 2,000 members of the not-for-profit Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG), America’s top executives and academics. The awards symbolize the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Alva Edison, inspiring America’s drive to remain in the forefront of innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the global economy. Thomas Edison created four industries without which modern life cannot function. The four, now among the world’s largest, are Electric Power Generation, Recorded Sound, Motion Pictures, and Electric Light Bulbs.

Edison also made crucial contributions to a host of other industries including the Storage Battery, Telecommunications, Cement, Chemicals, and Mining. Edison Awards are judged on Marketplace Innovation, Marketplace Success, Technological Innovation, Market Structure Innovation, Societal Impact, and Design Innovation.

The 3M™ Littmann® Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200 and the Zargis Cardioscan software share a finalist nomination in the Electronics and Computers category, one of more than 10 categories honored by the Edison Awards. The 3M™ Littmann^® Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200 is a next-generation auscultation device featuring Bluetooth^® technology that wirelessly transfers heart, lung and other body sounds to software for further analysis. The scope pairs wirelessly with both of Zargis Medical’s companion software packages: Zargis Cardioscan^™ software supports physicians in analyzing cardiac sounds for the identification and classification of suspected murmurs, which can be signs of heart disease, while Zargis StethAssist™ software allows clinicians to visualize heart, lung and other body sounds, play recordings at slow speeds to hear more clearly, and save recordings for comparison to future auscultations. The scope and software together mark a breakthrough in computer-aided auscultation that has the potential to reduce unnecessary referrals.

"Innovation is more important now than ever,” said Caldicott. "The finalists we announced today are the moving parts in the engine of economic growth. They inspire people to think outside the box and improve the lives of people around the world. My great, great uncle, Thomas Edison, mastered five different forms of innovation. Most often, we think of technological innovation as the only form of innovation, but actually there are many others. Edison knew this, and drew upon them all.”

"Pairing the Littmann Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200 with Zargis Cardioscan software is a gigantic step forward in changing the way clinicians listen to and interpret heart sounds,” said Debra Rectenwald, vice president and general manager, 3M Infection Prevention Division. "This award nomination is a testament to the spirit that drives 3M’s innovation to develop and create new ways to improve the delivery of healthcare.”

About the Edison Awards

The 2010 Edison Awards are sponsored by TV’s Discovery Channel, Google, The Nielsen Company (a leader in market research and intelligence best known for TV’s "Nielsen ratings”), and Strategyn, a global leader in innovation management. The Edison Awards are associated with The Thomas Edison Papers at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey.

About 3M Infection Prevention Division

The 3M Infection Prevention Division offers healthcare professionals leadership solutions to minimize the risks of healthcare-associated infections. Combining science and technology, 3M has introduced more than 40 distinct technology platforms and a comprehensive portfolio of quality products that help the healthcare industry define and address current infection prevention best practices. 3M Infection Prevention remains a trusted partner committed to helping customers lead the way in reducing the risk of infection. For more information, please visit www.3M.com/infectionprevention.

About 3M Health Care

3M Health Care, one of 3M’s six major business segments, provides world-class innovative products and services to help healthcare professionals improve the practice, delivery and outcome of patient care in medical, oral care, drug delivery and health information markets. Learn more at www.3m.com/healthcare.

About Zargis Medical Corp.

Zargis is a global medical device company focused on improving health outcomes and cost-effectiveness through diagnostic support software and innovation. Zargis is majority-owned by Speedus Corp. (NASDAQ: SPDE), and both 3M Company (NYSE: MMM) and Siemens Corporate Research, a division of Siemens AG (NYSE: SI), hold equity positions.