General Magic Purchases Rights to Internet Solutions Software from Active Paper
AUSTIN, Texas — April 29, 1996 — Active Paper Inc. (Nasdaq: GMGC), developer of Internet connectivity applications, and General Magic, Inc., developer of the Magic Cap(TM) platform for personal communicators, today announced that General Magic has purchased the Presto!Mail 1.5 and Presto!Links 1.0 Internet applications developed by Active Paper. The acquisition of these two applications are expected to enable General Magic to more tightly integrate Internet and Web functionality into the Magic Cap platform.
General Magic now owns the applications and associated software code, and will market and sell the applications as its own products. The terms of the purchase included cash and stock, as well as payment for consulting services supporting the future development and integration of Presto!Mail and Presto!Links into the Magic Cap platform. In addition, Active Paper will receive royalties based on the sale of Magic Cap communicators integrating the two products.
The Presto!Mail 1.5 and Presto!Links 1.0 applications, announced today in a separate announcement, are intended to provide the first on- the-go integrated Internet and Web access for users of Magic Cap communicators, such as Sony's Magic Link or the Envoy from Motorola. These applications are designed to allow users of personal communicators to browse the Web, send and retrieve electronic mail via Internet accounts, and access corporate information using open standards protocols including PPP, HTTP, POP3, SMTP and MIME.
"The growth of the Internet, the Web, and corporate intranets brings new requirements for mobile communications solutions," said Steve Schramm, vice president for Magic Cap at General Magic. "The products we have acquired from Active Paper are intended to address those requirements by providing our customers with access to the World Wide Web and enabling access to their corporate e-mail and database systems. Today's announcement underscores General Magic's commitment to pursuing the opportunities presented by these expanding markets."
"We believe users consider mobile access to the Internet to be crucial," said Steve Vandegrift, CEO of Active Paper. "Magic Cap communicators, combined with Presto!Mail 1.5 and Presto!Links 1.0, help address the needs of users to fully access this growing network infrastructure."
"We view this agreement as a confirmation of the value, innovation, and quality of Active Paper's technological achievements," said Vandegrift. "We have enjoyed a close working relationship with General Magic, and look forward to working with Magic to integrate these technologies into Magic Cap and help establish it as a leading Internet Platform."
Active Paper (Austin, TX) was founded in October 1993 to develop enabling technologies, communicating applications, and services for the consumer computing market. Active Paper became a Magic Cap developer in 1994. It developed and brought to market Presto!Mail 1.0, the first open Internet email solution for Magic Cap communicators. Presto!Mail 1.0 won the Mobilis Magazine 1996 Readers' Choice Award for Best Magic Cap Software.
Active Paper is committed to providing Internet and other communications solutions for a variety of consumer computer needs. Active Paper is currently developing the Presto!Plus Server, a Java- based proxy server intended to enhance performance and functionality of Web and other Internet-based services and applications. Active Paper's Web site can be found at http://www.apix.com.
General Magic was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA. Its mission is to help establish the electronic marketplace by developing and licensing software to leading providers of communications 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. Presto!Mail and Presto!Links are trademarks of General Magic. Active Paper is a trademark of Active Paper Inc. Any other products referred to in this release are the trademarks of their respective companies.
CONTACT:
Tom Hershenson of General Magic, 408-774-4343 or [email protected], or http: