Phoenix Announces Program to Provide Fully Integrated Software Set for New Class of Ready-to-Use ”Companion PCs” in Cooperation with Lotus and Microsoft
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — October 28, 1991 — Phoenix Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:PTEC) announced today that it has licensed a suite of Lotus Development productivity and personal organizer applications and a ROM-based version of Microsoft MS-DOS 5.0 that, along with Phoenix BIOS and power management software, will allow PC manufacturers to rapidly develop a new class of 16-bit, character-based, ready-to-use ''Companion'' PCs. The announcement was made at the Phoenix Portable Systems Conference.
Defined by being ready-to-use right out of the box, a form factor approximately six-by-ten inches and low power consumption characteristics, the Companion PC will offer users a full-size keyboard and display, industry standard ROM-based Microsoft MS-DOS 5.0, and a suite of ROM based, character-based integrated applications developed by Lotus for business productivity and personal information management.
The applications will be based on Lotus' System Manager and personal organizer tools resident in the HP 95LX, as well as selected modules from LotusWorks, an easy-to-use, multi-function software product. Lotus will adapt the software specifically for Phoenix's Companion PC reference design.
In order to facilitate the development for Companion PCs, Phoenix will provide a hardware reference design for the integrated Companion product set software. The Companion PC reference design will serve as a concept demonstration of both the hardware and software for optimal battery life using AA batteries. Using this reference design as a foundation, a PC manufacturer can significantly reduce engineering and product time-to-market cycles, eliminate most system integration issues, assure compatibility, and focus engineering resources on product differentiation.
''Phoenix, Microsoft, and Lotus believe that tremendous market opportunity exists for fully functional, ready-to-use, companion-class MS-DOS PCs that will provide users with substantial computing capability right out of the box from a system that operates on AA batteries,'' said George Adams, vice president of PC operations, Phoenix Technologies. ''Our market analysis concludes that to offer a viable Companion product, OEMs must provide a full-function, ready-to-use system at a price point well below most of the portable computer systems that exist today. The program that we are announcing today will make this possible by offering a cost-efficient design platform that integrates the operating system, applications, and system-level software that will allow an OEM to focus on product differentiation and other critical marketing issues.''
''By combining the integrated suite of computing applications first embedded in the highly successful HP 95LX with the essential software applications capabilities found in LotusWorks, this reference design will result in portable products that fully meet users' business and personal computing requirements,'' said Leon Navickas, general manager, R&D for Lotus. ''Further, including Lotus' System Manager in the reference design opens the system to enhanced integration with third-party software.''
''The Companion PC reference design demonstrates the usefulness and flexibility of MS-DOS 5.0 for this entirely new class of character-oriented, mobile PCs,'' said Joachim Kempin, vice president of OEM Sales at Microsoft.
According to Andy Seybold of Dataquest, ''I believe the Companion PC program, with support from Phoenix, Microsoft, and Lotus, will create one of the most successful new portable product categories in many years. We've all been waiting for something like this to allow OEMs and software suppliers to truly break the portability barrier.''
Companion PC Program
Each of the participating software companies will provide a significant technological investment to the program. In addition, Chips & Technologies, San Jose; Distributed Information Processing (DIP), Guildford, England; Duracell, Bethel, Conn.; and Intel Corp., Santa Clara, Calif., will play a role in the development of the Companion PC program.
Phoenix: Acting as the Companion PC program system integrator, Phoenix will design and develop the integrated software/hardware reference design. It will be responsible for the integration of all sub-system components, operating system, applications and peripherals and all specifications for the system shell, applications, and BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). Phoenix will also provide PC Card system support for the Intel 82365SL chip and will provide the Phoenix PC Card Manager software to support Intel's Exchangeable Card Architecture (ExCA). Phoenix will sell the Companion PC reference design software and hardware to PC manufacturers worldwide and will also off them sub-notebook customization services.
LOTUS: Lotus Development Corp. will provide a full suite of software applications for the Phoenix reference design, along with the Lotus System Manager, which provides a multi-task switcher, clipboard cut and paste, and common file system interface for add-on applications to portable PCs.
Five personal organizer tools are included: an appointment and to-do scheduler, phone book, calculator, file and link manager, and data communications. Four LotusWorks business software applications will be included: a spreadsheet (1-2-3 file compatible) and graphics, a full-function executive-style word processor and a dBase-compatible database. These applications will be customized by Lotus specifically for the Companion PC reference design.
MICROSOFT: A fully compatible, custom version of Microsoft ROM DOS, Version 5.0, will be licensed through Phoenix for the Companion PC reference design. Phoenix will integrate this version of MS-DOS for the Companion PC design and can also license Microsoft Works as an option for PC manufacturers electing to provide this MS-DOS-based application.
INTEL: The companion PC reference design will support Intel's PC Card architecture, ExCA, and the Intel 82365SL chip, and will be compliant with PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) Release 2.0 specifications for I/O and memory cards.
CHIPS & TECHNOLOGIES: Will provide PC/Chip, the industry's first single chip PC, as the hardware platform for the Phoenix Companion PC reference design. PC/Chip integrates a fast 8086 instruction set compatible processor, CGA graphics controller, the systems logic and serial port on a single chip. PC/Chip also supports direct battery drive. For sub-notebook computer designs, PC/Chip features SuperState, an advanced System Management Architecture that can support power management capabilities, device emulation, and other customer-specific feature sets.
Distributed Information Processing Limited (DIP): Pivotal in the development of both the Atari Portfolio and the new Sharp PC-3000 palmtop designs, DIP will leverage this expertise to play a key role for the Phoenix Companion PC reference design. DIP will work with Phoenix in developing and integrating the subsystem software and apply its expertise in AA battery-based computer systems.
Duracell: Will provide advanced battery technology to OEMs subscribing to the Phoenix reference design and participating with Phoenix in a market research effort to provide additional data on companion-class product power issues to the reference design program of OEMs.
Program Options
Phoenix will be providing a series of software options to extend functionality for Companion PCs in the areas of personal and business productivity and communications. Initial options include the MS-DOS based Microsoft Works and the System Manager compliant Lotus Connectivity Pack. Phoenix will announce additional options as they become available.
The cost and delivery schedule of the reference design will be released to interested OEMs under non-disclosure. Companies interested in learning more about the sub-notebook Companion PC reference design should contact Stephen Harper, senior product marketing manager for the Companion Program, Portable Computer Systems, Phoenix Technologies; (408) 452-6550.
The original compatibility vendor, Phoenix Technologies is the leading supplier of BIOS (Basic Input Output System) software for personal computer manufacturers. Software code embedded in a ROM (Read Only Memory) chip or Flash ROM on a system's motherboard, the BIOS integrates a system's hardware platform with its operating system environment, ensuring compatbility with the large library of DOS, Windows, and OS/2 applications written for the PC system. Phoenix products have enabled more than 250 OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to quickly bring fully compatible, feature-rich products to market.
Headquartered in Norwood, Mass., Phoenix (NASDAQ:PTEC) maintains worldwide research, marketing, and sales facilities in San Jose, Calif.; Cambridge, Mass.; Taipei, Taiwan; London, England; and Valbonne, France.
CONTACT:
Phoenix Technologies Ltd.,
Stephen Harper, 408/452-6550
Michael Deutsch, 617/551-4184
or
Walt & Sommerhauser
Robert Walt, 408/496-0900