Slate Corp. Announces Six OEM Alliances; Agreements Will Speed the Adoption of the Day-Timer Pen Scheduler Software

Feb. 19, 1992 — Slate Corp. Wednesday announced six agreements with leading pen hardware manufacturers that will help speed the early adoption of its Day-Timer Pen Scheduler software.

The software, built for pen computers, is designed around the best-selling Day-Timer daily planning system, and runs on both the Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing and the Go PenPoint operating systems. By establishing new avenues by which Slate’s technology can reach the market, these agreements promise to increase the initial distribution and acceptance of the Day-Timer Pen Scheduler software.

Individual agreements were made between Slate and six companies: MicroSlate, Momenta Corp., NEC, NCR, Poqet Computer Corp. and Samsung.

”Partnerships are especially critical during this early growth stage in the pen computing market,” said Vern Raburn, chairman of Slate. ”We are all concerned with establishing pen computers as a broad horizontal market, so these agreements are very encouraging.  Our relationships with OEMs will ensure that, within the year, the Day-Timer Pen Scheduler software will be available to the majority of pen computer users.”

In licensing agreements with NEC and Samsung, each company plans to bundle Slate’s Day-Timer Pen Scheduler software with its pen hardware.

In an agreement with NCR, the two companies will work together to offer the Day-Timer product on the NCR 3125 pen-based computer.

And in another alliance announced today, Slate and Poqet have agreed to work together to utilize the Day-Timer Pen Scheduler software technology in developing handheld, pen computer products. Poqet will combine its expertise in handheld computer technology with Slate’s knowledge of pencentric software technology to focus on creating a new category of portable, palm-sized, personal productivity tools.

In addition, separate co-marketing agreements have been made with MicroSlate and Momenta. Under terms of these agreements, the companies will partner with Slate to develop sales and marketing programs.

Slate, headquartered in Scottsdale, is the leading provider of application software for pen computing.  Slate offers a complete range of products that include vertical application development tools like Slate PenApps application builder, horizontal applications like Slate At-Hand spreadsheet and the Day-Timer Pen Scheduler software, utilities like Slate SafetyPen Utilities for password protection and data backup, and Slate LapLink Pro file transfer software for PenPoint, and new pen categories like Slate PenBook electronic book software.

Slate began shipping products in March 1991.

Note to Editors: PenApps, PenBook, At-Hand, SafetyPen and Tiny Text are trademarks of Slate Corp. Day-Timer is a registered trademark, and Pen Scheduler is a trademark, of Day-Timers Inc.  LapLink is a registered trademark of Traveling Software Inc. Other brands and products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.

CONTACT:
Slate Corp.
Maurice Voce, 602/443-7322
or
Wilson McHenry Co.
Julie McHenry or Alisha Farris, 415/592-7600