GO Introduces Messaging and Fax Capabilities for PenPoint; Communications Companies Developer Links to New GO Message Center

October 26, 1992 — 

GO Corp. announced today that it will provide a tightly integrated set of object-oriented messaging components, called the GO Message Center, as a standard part of the PenPoint mobile operating system. The new GO Message Center components include GO Mail, a full-featured electronic mail engine and universal messaging interface; an AT&T Mail communication link; the GO Address Book, a system-wide address directory accessible from any PenPoint application; and a Dialing Location Sheet that keeps track of information needed to access long distance or outside lines, or bill calls to a credit card. In addition, GO announced its first commercially available software application that builds on the GO Message Center — GO Fax. Both will be available in the fourth quarter of 1992.

The GO Message Center allows PenPoint users to connect to numerous public and private E-mail networks, and by taking advantage of PenPoint’s notebook-style user interface, makes messaging accessible, practical and easy. Because of GO’s object-oriented approach, users can easily create customized messaging interfaces. For example, users can copy interface elements such as send/reply buttons, recipient lists or subject fields directly from the GO Mail user interface to any PenPoint document, creating customized communication forms.

GO Fax, fully integrated with the GO Message Center, lets users easily send and receive Group 3 faxes (a standard fax protocol) from their PenPoint mobile computers. Using a familiar electronic fax cover sheet, users can communicate with standard fax machines, PCs with fax boards and other GO Fax users around the world.

“For the first time on any operating system, people can manage all types of messages in a single place, with a single, common interface,” said Bill Campbell, GO’s president and chief executive officer. “Unlike existing products which enable computer-to-computer communications, the GO Message Center addresses the needs of today’s mobile workers by enabling a more individual type of communications: person-to-person. “Users will be able to access and store all types of messages — including handwritten electronic ink, text, graphics or voice — and send any message or document to any E-mail address or fax number using a consistent, paper-like user interface. This is what people have been asking for — it will make messaging accessible to a much broader audience.”

GO Message Center: New Messaging Components Built into PenPoint Operating System

The new messaging components comprising the GO Message Center are built on top of PenPoint’s object-oriented mobile communications architecture. PenPoint’s systemwide In box and Out box provide deferred connectivity so mobile workers can send messages and faxes without being connected to a phone line or network. Stored messages are sent automatically as soon as the mobile computer is connected. If the user walks into range of a wireless network, PenPoint automatically establishes connections in the background to make that network available.

GO Mail is a general-purpose messaging application that offers users the simplicity of a single-user interface, with the flexibility of transparent connections to any number of messaging networks. It provides a single, paper-like user interface, so users are presented with a unified view of all messaging services. GO Mail connects to both wired and wireless messaging services via software modules called communications links.

The GO Address Book is a directory application for storing names, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, E-mail addresses and others. Since the address book is available across all PenPoint applications, it simplifies address management for users: all addressing information can be managed in a single place. And software developers benefit by leveraging existing code — there’s no need to develop proprietary address books.

Entries can be grouped, to simplify sending or faxing to mailing lists. The Address Book supports tab-delimited import and export, so it’s easy to keep addresses synchronized with external address books. The Dialing Location Sheet lets users specify the current area code and country code so that when picking a fax or phone number from the Address Book, the PenPoint operating system intelligently dials only the numbers needed.

Users can also specify outside line access, choose long distance services and automatically charge calls to credit card numbers. As part of its expanded relationship with AT&T EasyLink Services, GO will provide PenPoint users with a free communication link to AT&T Mail.

The AT&T Mail connection is significant in that it will tie together PenPoint users worldwide and give them access to numerous information sources and services, including electronic bulletin boards, store-and-forward fax services and electronic software distribution. It also connects PenPoint users via gateways to millions of existing desktop E-mail users. (See AT&T-issued press release.)

GO Mail will also connect to many wide and local area mail networks. Novell, a major networking vendor, is currently working with GO to build an MHS link that will allow PenPoint users to connect to the growing base of MHS E-mail networks. Da Vinci eMail, WordPerfect Office and Beyond Mail are examples of E-mail systems that use Novell’s MHS transport.

“Novell recognized the needs of the mobile computer user as an integral part of the messaging environment,” said Rick Bohdanowicz, director of Messaging Products marketing for Novell Inc. “The combination of highly popular MHS message service and the GO Message Center ensures that PenPoint mobile products can easily be used with NetWare.”

Leading wide-area wireless service companies will support GO Mail, providing PenPoint users with worldwide wireless communications capabilities:

— Motorola and GO have developed an EMBARC wireless communication link. EMBARC (Electronic Mail Broadcast to A Roaming Computer) is a wireless electronic mail and data service introduced this year by Motorola.

— SkyTel Corp., the leading nationwide pager-based messaging company, is working with GO on a communication link to provide the expansive coverage of SkyTel’s Nationwide Messaging System to PenPoint users.

— RAM Mobile Data is partnering with GO to provide two-way wireless packet-switched radio communications to PenPoint users, over RAM’s Mobitex network.

“We believe PenPoint is an ideal operating system for bringing wireless communications to a broad range of pen-based users for the mobile business person,” said David W. Garrison, president of SkyTel Corp. “We are pleased to be working with GO in expanding the technology that will enable pen-based systems of all kinds to receive wireless messages on a roaming basis throughout North America and overseas.”

GO Message Center Provides Building Blocks for Software Developers

GO is publishing the GO Message Center APIs, so both commercial and corporate developers can reuse the components, build replacement components or integrate messaging programmatically into their applications. (Although with no application code whatsoever, PenPoint provides a “send” command, so all applications are automatically “mail- enabled.”) Many PenPoint developers, including Pensoft, WordPerfect, PenMagic, Ink Development, Lotus, Notable, Slate, Sitka and aha!, are building exciting applications that take advantage of the GO Message Center.

GO plans to continue to focus its applications development on personal communications and related areas. “We want to develop applications and components close to the operating system so that other software developers can build upon them,” said Mike Homer, GO’s vice president of marketing. “By opening the GO Message Center to developers, and providing the worldwide AT&T Mail network to all PenPoint users, GO is building a foundation that will enable many innovative communications products and services.”

Price and Availability

OEMs who license PenPoint will provide the GO Message Center, along with the AT&T Mail communication link, as standard components of PenPoint by the end of the year free of charge. The Novell MHS link, Motorola EMBARC link, SkyTel link and RAM Mobile Data Mobitex link will be available in the first half of 1993.

GO Fax will be available in the fourth quarter of this year and has a suggested list price of $199.

GO Corp., a privately held company headquartered in Foster City, develops, markets and supports a pen-based mobile operating system and application designed for mobile computer users worldwide.

EDITOR’S NOTE: PenPoint is a trademark of GO Corp. All other products or brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

CONTACT:
Dayna Deaton of GO, 415-358-2028;
or
Kim Carsten of Regis McKenna, 415-354-4434, for GO