General Magic Announces Mobile Internet Access Solutions
SUNNYVALE, Calif. — April 29, 1996 — General Magic (Nasdaq-NNM: GMGC) today announced new software for mobile access to the World Wide Web, Internet e-mail, and corporate intranet connectivity using portable Magic Cap(R) communicators. The two applications, Presto!Links(TM) 1.0 and Presto!Mail(TM) 1.5, are designed to provide the first on-the-go integrated Internet access for users of Magic Cap communicators such as the Sony Magic Link PIC-2000 or Envoy Personal Communicator from Motorola. Presto!Links allows users to browse Web pages and access Web-based corporate information, and Presto!Mail lets users send and retrieve electronic mail via Internet accounts, and access corporate information using open standards protocols, including PPP, POP3, SMTP, and MIME.
These new software solutions enable Magic Cap communicators to be a compact, easier-to-use, and less expensive alternative to laptops for mobile access to the Web, Internet and intranets. For companies deploying intranets, Magic Cap communicators and the applications announced today offer a way to deploy to more users than compared to buying laptops.
"Magic Cap communicators running Presto!Links and Presto!Mail give us a cost-effective, easy-to-use solution for our mobile workforce," said P. Jay Schliesman, senior vice president, Compass Management and Leasing, Inc. "We would like to see the combination of Magic Cap communicators and the applications announced today become a de facto standard for our workforce."
"Today's announcement addresses the growing market for mobile Web, Internet, and intranet access," said Steve Schramm, vice president, Magic Cap Division, General Magic. "Presto!Mail and Presto!Links provide the basis for Web browsing, Internet email, and intranet access on any Magic Cap communicator. This is an economical, compact solution for corporate users who do not require the full range of a laptop's functions."
Product Details
Presto!Links 1.0 and Presto!Mail 1.5 are based on technology acquired by General Magic from Active Paper Inc. Presto!Links 1.0 is a full-featured World Wide Web browser that runs on Magic Cap communicators. Presto!Links enables a user with a standard peer-to-peer protocol (PPP) based Internet Service Provider account to navigate the Web, follow hypertext links, access graphics and HTML forms. It features offline and background retrieval of Web pages, and lets users file and retrieve downloaded Web pages.
Presto!Mail 1.5 offers direct access to Internet Service Provider electronic mailboxes using the Internet standards. Presto!Mail allows users to send and receive Internet e-mail, manage the contents of their mailbox, and send messages with sounds, digital ink, animations, and graphical stamps to other Magic Cap communicators using Presto!Mail.
Presto!Links and Presto!Mail are expected to be available in six to eight weeks via on-line and retail channels for a combined price of approximately $50 to $70.
The Magic Cap platform from General Magic integrates today's popular modes of communication including fax, public electronic mail services, paging, and telephones. Users can choose Magic Cap communicators, such as the Sony Magic Link PIC 2000 and the Envoy Wireless Communicator from Motorola, as well as Magic Cap for Windows (a pre-release version of which is available free from General Magic's Web site). Version 1.5 of Magic Cap for communicators was released in October. Software solutions available for Magic Cap communicators now include direct corporate and Internet email connectivity, data collection and database access, and spreadsheet and personal finance applications.
General Magic, Inc. was founded in May 1990 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Its mission is to help establish 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/.
Magic Cap is a registered trademark of General Magic, Inc. Presto!Mail and Preto!Links are trademarks of General Magic. 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]; http: