Ex Machina Introduces PocketCall for Motorola’s Envoy Personal Wireless Communicator
SAN JOSE, Calif. — March 7, 1994 — Users of Motorola's Envoy personal wireless communicator will be able to tap into thousands of on-line news, data and information services with PocketCall, a new communications application demonstrated Monday by Ex Machina Inc. of New York that will work over both wireless and standard telephone connections.
PocketCall is one of the first third-party communications applications for the new Motorola personal wireless communicator. It includes both full-featured terminal emulation for manual on-line use, as well as the ability to accept add-in modules providing comprehensive single-touch access to a host of existing electronic services. PocketCall, which will appear on the visually-oriented Envoy as a new pavilion in Downtown, takes advantage of the easy-to-use Magic Cap graphic interface on which the Motorola communicator is based.
"The Motorola Envoy personal wireless communicator is the first of the new Magic Cap personal assistants," said David S. Rose, president and chief executive officer of Ex Machina, at the launch of the new device. "PocketCall takes advantage of the powerful built-in wireless and wireline modems of the Envoy to provide an information superhighway on-ramp right in your pocket."
As an advanced terminal program, PocketCall allows Envoy owners to access thousands of existing on-line services, including news, weather, sports, airline schedules, financial quotes, home shopping and automatic check-paying. Through connections to major information providers such as Mead Data Central and Dialog Information Services, PocketCall users can retrieve information from databases ranging from Accounting and Tax News to Zoological Record. With its ability to emulate popular computer terminals including TTY, VT52, VT100 and ANSI, PocketCall enables the new Motorola communicator to be used as an integral part of existing corporate, academic and institutional computer systems.
Once connected to a host service, a user can communicate with the remote system by simply touch-typing on the Envoy's on-screen keyboard. Incoming information can be viewed on the communicator's screen or automatically saved into a file folder in the user's on-screen desk. To speed on-line sessions, PocketCall provides instant touch-access to multiple sets of pre-stored words and phrases, allowing interaction with on-line information services without the need for any direct text entry. Using the Magic Script programming tool, PocketCall gives power-users and other software developers the ability to create customized communications applications.
The most innovative feature of PocketCall is its facility for accepting add-in modules tailored for many of the most popular database, corporate and consumer information systems. These PocketPacks simplify and automate communications sessions, storing information about the content and structure of specific services, offering instant set up and minimizing on-line time. PocketPacks will initially be available for Compuserve Information Service, GENIE, Official Airlines Guide, Lexis/Nexis, Dialog Information Services, Dow Jones, MCI Mail and SprintMail, as well as for one-way wireless messaging through radio paging networks including SkyTel, MobileComm, PageNet and MobileMedia. Multiple PocketPacks can be used simultaneously, enabling sessions that encompass more than one service.
Ex Machina's PocketCall is the first communications application expressly designed for personal wireless communicators and personal digital assistants. It is already shipping for devices based on the Newton technology platform from Apple Computer, and will be available for other mobile systems as well, taking advantage of the specific features and user interface of each system. All PocketPacks are completely cross-platform compatible, and will run unmodified on all devices.
Ex Machina Inc., based in New York, is a privately held computer software company that develops and markets products merging mobile computing and wired and wireless remote communication technologies. It is a leader in wireless communications software products utilizing the nationwide radio paging infrastructure, and is one of the first software developers providing communications software for personal digital assistants and communicators. Among Ex Machina's products are Notify!, the wireless messaging server; Update!, the wireless in-box, and PocketCall, the intelligent communications assistant.
For sales and ordering information, Ex Machina Inc., 45 East 89th Street, Suite No. 39-A, New York, NY 10128-1232, 718/965-0309, 800/238-4738, 718/832-5465 fax.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Notify! and Update! are registered trademarks of Ex Machina Inc. PocketCall and PocketPack are trademarks of Ex Machina Inc. Envoy is a registered trademark of Motorola Inc. Magic Cap and Telescript are trademarks of General Magic Inc. Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc. Newton is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc. All other product and service names used are U.S. trademarks, service marks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
CONTACT:
Ex Machina Inc.
David S. Rose, 718/965-0309 x11 voice
800/SKY-GRAM pin 2710744
[email protected]