GO/Phoenix Announce Joint Development Agreement for Pen Computing Platform

June 4, 1991 — Phoenix Technologies Ltd.  (NASDAQ:PTEC) Tuesday announced an agreement with GO Corp. that will allow for the rapid development of portable pen computers.

Phoenix will provide computer manufacturers with a complete, tightly integrated system-level reference design based on GO’s PenPoint operating system, the Intel 386 SL microprocessor SuperSet, and the new Phoenix PenBIOS.

The Phoenix reference design will be based on GO’s second-generation prototype pen computer, which is optimized to run the PenPoint operating system. Phoenix has licensed the right to sell and enhance GO’s hardware design. GO created this design to showcase PenPoint and to supply developers and early customers with hardware prototypes.

Phoenix’s PenBIOS will satisfy systems software requirements for pen computers. PenBIOS will offer PC manufacturers a Dual-Mode solution by incorporating compatibility into the reference design so that it supports both GO’s PenPoint operating system and Microsoft’s PenWindows operating environment. PenBIOS will incorporate multiple technologies to supply system compatibility, power management, and pen support: PhoenixBIOS, PhoenixMISER power management software for the 386SL, and GO’s Machine Interface Layer (MIL) for PenPoint.

The MIL is to PenPoint what the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is to DOS: the lowest layer of software code specific to a particular hardware platform which insulates and frees the operating system and applications from machine-specific dependencies.

”Phoenix played a significant role in the formation of the ‘standard’ PC desktop market and is continuing in that role in the emerging notebook market,” said Lance Hansche, senior vice president, Phoenix Technologies. ”We are pleased to announce today that we are prepared to play again that role in the emergence and rapid deployment of pen-based systems. We will be supplying the system-level software and hardware prototypes that allow the industry to enter this new market and accelerate overall acceptance of the new pen idiom.”

”Over the past six months, our customers’ interest in pen computers has exploded,” added George Adams, vice president, PC Operations, Phoenix Technologies Ltd. ”Our customers recognize that portable computers are one of their biggest growth opportunities, and that these machines pose significant design and manufacturing challenges. Portable systems, particularly pen-based systems, require a tight integration of systems software and hardware for compatibility, power management, and pen I/O. We have worked with many companies on their notebook designs, and the GO/Phoenix partnership will greatly assist them in taking the next step in portability with pen computers based on PenPoint.”

”Pen computers provide the promise of true mobility and simplicity,” said S. Jerrold Kaplan, chairman, GO Corp. ”PenPoint is designed from the ground up for the pen, and delivers on this promise.  While laptops and notebooks are miniature desktop machines that are carried from one desktop to another, pen computers don’t require keyboards, disks, or full-sized screens, so they can be smaller, lighter, and more rugged.”

”PenPoint also provides a high degree of isolation between the software and the hardware, so that manufacturers can differentiate their designs while remaining compatible with the application base,” said Bill Campbell, president and chief executive officer, GO Corp.  ”Our agreement with Phoenix will enable a broad and varied market of PenPoint computers to develop quickly, with products from many manufacturers.”

The GO/Phoenix joint development will produce a standardized pen-based architecture, without sacrificing the freedom needed to innovate. Manufacturers benefit through fast time-to-market with unique designs, application developers benefit through wide availability of compatible computers, and consumers benefit through increased choice with consistent look and feel.

Phoenix Technologies Ltd., headquartered in Norwood, Mass., is the leading independent designer, developer, and marketer of systems software products for personal and portable computers and printers.  Its products allow OEMs to offer their customers computers and printers that are compatible with industry standards. More than 200 of the major personal computer and peripherals mnufacturers rely on Phoenix for its system-level software and hardware compatibility expertise.

GO Corp., a privately held company headquartered in Foster City, Calif., was founded in 1987 to develop pen computing technology. GO has developed PenPoint, a compact, 32-bit, fully object-oriented multitasking operating system designed expressly for mobile, pen computers.

CONTACT:
Phoenix Technologies
George Adams, 617/551-4125
Gerry Purdy, 408/452-6536
or
GO Corp.
Marcia Mason, 415/358-2000
or
Wilson McHenry Co.
Julie McHenry, 415/592-7600