General Magic Expands Alliance … Again

November 30, 1994 was an eventful day. Not only did this day herald the release of the first Beatles album in about 20 years, but it also featured an impressive array of computer, consumer, and communication companies jumping on the General Magic(al) mystery tour.

The five new partners announced on the 30th represent the typical General Magic investor—innovative, industry leading, big, well funded, big, and market savvy. These companies include: Oki Electric Industry Co., Northern Telecom, Sanyo North America, Mitsubishi Electronic America, and Cable & Wireless plc.

Oki says Okeydokey to General Magic

Oki Electric Industry, along with the other companies, will follow the regular routine by becoming an equity partner in General Magic, and signing a technology license agreement to use Magic Cap and Telescript. Each company plans to incorporate the new technology into products and fields that they already serve. For example, Oki plans to develop next-generation multimedia transaction systems, including portable multimedia products, while Northern Telecom will incorporate features into its terminal products.

Sanyo has stated that it plans to use General Magic’s technology to create multimedia products and services on the so-called infobahn. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi announced its plans to utilize Magic Cap in personal intelligent communication products. Finally, Cable & Wireless will concentrate on providing multimedia services that are easy to use for its customers.

For more information, please contact:

• General Magic—Jane Anderson, 408-774-4040, 408-774-4014 (fax)
• Oki Electric Industry Co.—Akiko Horiguchi, +81-3-3580-8950, +81-3-3581-5522 (fax)
• Northern Telecom—Wanda Baldwin, (615) 734-4980, (615) 734-4565 (fax)
• Sanyo North America—Michael Cabot, (212) 315-3232 x120
• Mitsubishi Electronic America—Sherry Hill, (408) 774-3188
• Cable & Wireless plc—Peter Eustace, +44 71 315 4495 ❑