General Magic Technologies Basis for Test Communication Service in Japan NTT Fan Paseo Service to use Telescript and Magic Cap Technologies
SUNNYVALE, Calif. — February 16, 1996 — General Magic, Inc. (Nasdaq: GMGC) announced today that NTT FAN has completed preparations for a trial on-line service in Japan based on General Magic's Telescript and Magic Cap technologies. NTT FAN expects this test service, named Paseo, to begin operations on March 12, 1996 and to support 5,000 users. It is intended as a prelude to a possible full-scale Japanese language service.
Today's announcement continues the work of NTT FAN since its establishment last September as a joint venture between Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT), AT&T, and Sony to test an on-line multimedia communications service in Japan. Sony and Matsushita are also participating in the Paseo trial service, along with Oki, Sanyo, and Mitsubishi Electric. The results of the Paseo service will be evaluated on an ongoing basis to determine whether the service will be made more widely available in Japan.
"The start of operations of NTT FAN's Paseo service represents an important first step in propagating products and services based on General Magic's technologies in Japan," said Marc Porat, chairman and chief executive of General Magic. "We took forward to the results of the collective efforts of those members of the General Magic Alliance working on Paseo."
Subscribers are expected to access the Paseo service through communicators running the Magic Cap platform, such as Sony's Magic Link(R) Personal Intelligent Communicators (PICs) and Matsushita's Personal Intelligent Communicators. NTT FAN is evaluating Magic Cap for Windows to provide PC access to the Paseo service. The Paseo service uses Telescript technology to support smart messaging, Internet mail connectivity, pager services, fax services, and multimedia messages incorporating text, digital ink, sound and animations, and to host a variety of service providers. Services available to Paseo subscribers are expected to include a game information service from SEGA Enterprises Ltd., event information by PIA Corporation, and English education services by Alc Press Inc.
The Magic Cap platform integrates today's popular modes of communication including fax, public electronic mail services, paging, and telephones and features an intuitive, easy to use interface. It also integrates personal organization tools that help people prepare, track and follow up on important messages and activities. Telescript technology is designed to enable users to launch software surrogates, called agents, into communications networks to search for and monitor information and to interact with services and other agents on a user's behalf. Telescript technology includes an extensible, object-oriented remote programming language for creating active, agent-based network services.
General Magic co-founder Andy Hertzfeld will demonstrate aspects of the Paseo service on February 22, 1996 as part of his keynote at MacWorld Expo/Tokyo '96. NTT FAN anticipates distributing applications for participation in the trial service at MacWorld Expo/Tokyo '96, from February 21 to 24, 1996. An initial test operation of the service is expected to last until the end of April 1996, with the formal trial service expected to start operation in May 1996. Further information regarding participation and pricing is available from NTT FAN.
General Magic, Inc. was founded in May 1990 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Its mission is to participate in the electronic marketplace by developing and licensing software to leading providers of communication products, network services and network applications. The General Magic Founding Partners Council includes AT&T, Cable & Wireless, France Telecom, Fujitsu, Matsushita, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric, Motorola, Nortel, NTT, Oki, Philips, Sanyo, Sony, and Toshiba. General Magic's World Wide Web address is http://www.genmagic.com/.
NOTE: Magic Cap and Telescript are registered trademarks of General Magic Inc. General Magic acknowledges the rights of the trademark owners for all trademarks referred to herein.
CONTACT:
Tom Hershenson of General Magic, 408-774-4343 or [email protected]