Phoenix Technologies Enables Pen Market Momentum; Major OEMs Developing New Pen Systems with Phoenix PenBIOS

April 27, 1992 — Phoenix Technologies Ltd.  (NASDAQ:PTEC) announced Monday at the PenCentric ’92 Symposium in Tokyo, Japan, that the Phoenix PenBIOS software suite is being adopted by major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as their standard system-level software platform for pen computing.

Eight OEMs, including Dauphin, Hyundai, NEC, Samsumg and Sanyo, are using Phoenix BIOS products in pen-based portable computer products. More endorsements are expected as other OEM pen-based products come to market in the near future.

PenBIOS is a suite of integrated system software products that interface between the operating system and hardware platform to provide compatibility, power management, and pen-digitizer support. Phoenix PenBIOS supports multiple operating systems, including CIC’s PenDOS, GO’s PenPoint, and Microsoft’s Windows for Pen Computing.

“We are very encouraged by the reception that PenBIOS has received in the OEM community,” said Ron Fisher, Phoenix president and chief executive officer.

“I have encountered a strong conviction among our OEM customers that pen computing represents a fundamental shift in the PC market.  They cite our BIOS development for multi-mode pen-OS support as an important milestone in the emergence of pen computing.”

In a related development, Phoenix announced that it is working closely with all the major pen-digitizer vendors in order to extend Phoenix PenServices to provide operating system (OS)-independent support for pen-input devices. As part of the PenBIOS, Phoenix Penservices provides an extension to the standard AT-compatible BIOS and serves as a software interface to pen-input devices.

Phoenix is working with CalComp, Kurta, Logitech, MicroTouch, Scriptel, Summagraphics, and Wacom to create a standard BIOS-level interface for pen-input. By moving device support for pen digitizers from the OS to the BIOS, PenServices eliminates the need for OEMs to develop a separate device driver for each pen-input device and a different version for each operating system or shell. By designing a pen-system based on the Phoenix PenBIOS, with its support for multiple operating environments and pen-input devices, an OEM will possess the flexibility to support all standards and options.

“This latest development work on the PenBIOS is consistent with our Multi-mode design strategy. The uncertainty over which operating system and pen-input device will emerge as standards has been obstructing the rapid ramp-up of pen systems. The PenBIOS alleviates this design dilemma for OEMs and end users,” said Richard Sorkin, Phoenix’s senior marketing manager for Pen Systems.

“By extending BIOS-level support for major pen-input devices, PenBIOS can greatly accelerate a system’s time to market, since the device support issues have already been resolved.”

“Digitizers are the defining hardware component of the pen system, and Phoenix has made substantial progress in supporting this important, gating technology for the pen market. We have spent the last seven months carefully studying the digitizing technologies of the seven top digitizing companies in order to anticipate our customers’ needs,” said Debbie Schultz, technical marketing manager, Phoenix Technologies.

“We have designed a robust and modular architecture for the PenBIOS, so that we have been able to easily modify Interrupt Service Routines to handle the interrupts issued by the various pen digitizer technologies.”

Based on its commanding lead in developing system software for the portable PC market, Phoenix has been able to direct the focus of digitizer companies to successfully integrate this new peripheral into a system-wide strategy, especially with regard to component power management issues.

Like other peripherals in battery-powered pen-based notebooks, digitizers draw battery power and therefore require special power management software to manage their power consumption and extend battery life. PenBIOS uses PhoenixMISER code, Phoenix’s power management software, to manage the power modes of the pen-digitizer chip technology, including Local Standby, Global Standby and Suspend/Resume modes.

Phoenix Technologies Ltd., headquartered in Norwood, is the leading independent designer, developer and marketer of system software products for personal and portable computers and printers. Phoenix products allow OEMs to offer their customers systems that are compatible with industry standards. More than 250 of the major personal computer and peripherals manufacturers rely on Phoenix for its system-level software and hardware compatibility expertise.  -0-

Industry Support for Phoenix PenBIOS

Industry Analysts

“Phoenix is once again playing the role of market-enabler with its system software products and integration expertise. By helping manufacturers overcome market obstacles with their extensible BIOS architecture, Phoenix is giving manufacturers and end users choice in the next OS war, this time over the pen computer turf. Phoenix has made tremendous progress in this market, they’re doing all the right things, everywhere you look Phoenix is an early supporter of critical new technology. They have incredible momentum.”

Tim Bajarin
Executive Vice President
Creative Strategies Research International
408/748-3411

“NEC took an evolutionary approach of appealing to people who are going to buy a notebook and now will be able to buy a Pen notebook for a small increase in price. This evolutionary approach will appeal to the largest segment of the market in 1992. It is an extremely astute approach to a new technology.”

Portia Isaacson
Founder
Dream IT Inc.
617/354-2160

“Besides the significant products from NEC and Samsung, there are many Phoenix customers about to ship 386SL systems. Phoenix has a much wider base of SL products than anyone else.”

Andy Seybold
Outlook on Professional Computing
408/338-7701

“Phoenix is instrumental in enabling and expanding the pen market.  They are providing the de-facto standard for pen compatibility.”

David Mack
Vice President, Business Services
WorkGroup Technologies
Hampton, N.H.
603/929-1166

PC Manufacturers and Suppliers

“The design of our new Dauphin 5000 Pen-Notebook incorporates 2nd generation notebook technology with the convenience of pen input, supporting multiple operating systems and future pen-centric applications. Phoenix’s PenBIOS engineering team helped us meet all of our design criteria to have the widest user appeal possible. With Phoenix’s technology, our Pen-Notebook can indeed point to the future.”

Alan Yong
President
Dauphin Technology
708/627-4004

“Getting OEM hardware running PenPoint to market is extremely important to us. We are quite impressed with Phoenix’s commitment to PenPoint and their expertise in this area.”

Mike Homer
Vice President, Marketing
GO Corp.
415/358-2075

“We have found great value in the prototype system (PenLeader)…  We have also been extremely impressed with Phoenix’s unbiased view of the digitizer technologies and their help in evaluating options.”

Sharon Colman
Pen Product Manager
Hyundai Electronics
408/473-9379

“NEC is extremely pleased with the level of support we receive from Phoenix for our current pen product, the Ultralite SL/20P, and we look forward to working with them in the future. Phoenix’s early investment in critical enabling technologies contributes to NEC’s success in the market.”

Renee Bader
Manager of Strategic Marketing, Portable Systems
NEC Technologies, Inc.
508/264-8732

Pen Digitizer Vendors

“Integrating the power management capabilities of the new digitizer technology into a system-wide resource management architecture is an essential factor in advancing the pen market. We have been impressed with Phoenix’s expertise in this area, due to their success in SL notebooks, and have worked closely with their engineers to tap the advanced, power-saving features of our CalComp Advanced Function Technology pen-digitizer hardware.”

Gary Long
President
CalComp Digitizer Products Group
602/948-6540

“Our approach to digitizer power management benefited greatly from Phoenix’s vision and understanding of the future direction of the portable PC marketplace.”

Pierluigi Zappacosta
President and CEO
Logitec
510/713-4576

“MicroTouch appreciates the exceptional digitizer support offered in Phoenix’s PenBIOS and MISER power management software. MicroTouch Pen PC digitizers have shipped with Phoenix BIOS products in Tandy’s GRiDPAD, NEC’s UltraLite SL/20P and elsewhere since 1990. Both companies pioneered the pen computing market and are leaders in multi-mode Pen OS support.”

Bill Hilliard
General Manager, OEM Products
MicroTouch Systems, Inc.
508/694-9900

“We have a very close relationship with Phoenix. I believe our engineers have taught each other a great deal about digitizers, BIOS, and the integration into well-designed systems. This process will certainly help our mutual customers bring superior products to market faster than would otherwise be possible.”

Jim France
President
Scriptel Corp.
614/276-8402

“In order to accelerate the OEM development process for new pen systems, we worked with Phoenix on integrating Wacom’s unique, cordless, batteryless pen-input device in their reference design, PenLeader. We feel that this reference design and its BIOS interface will facilitate market expansion and provide more alternatives for system designers by insulating them from hardware idiosyncrasies.”

Richard Breen
Vice President, Technology
Wacom
415/960-1800

NOTE TO EDITORS: Trademarks/Owners: Phoenix, PenBIOS, PenServices, PhoenixMISER/Phoenix Technologies Ltd.; Microsoft, Windows/Microsoft Corp.; GO, PenPoint/GO Corp.; PenDOS/Communication Intelligence Corp.; NEC, UltraLite/NEC Corp.; Samsung/Samsung; Sanyo/Sanyo Electric Co.  Ltd.; Hyundai Electronics/Hyundai Electronics; Scriptel/Scriptel Corp.; Logitech/Logitech Inc.; Wacom/Wacom Inc.; GRiDPAD/Tandy Corp.; AT/International Business Machines Corp. All other trademarks and their owners are acknowledged.

CONTACT:
Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
Michael Deutsch, 617/551-4184
Richard Sorkin, 408/452-6552