PenSoft Demonstrates Personal Information Manager for Mobile Pen-Based Computers

January 22, 1991 — PenSoft Corp. Tuesday demonstrated a prototype of its Personal Information Manager (PIM) which runs under PenPoint, an operating system optimized for mobile pen-based computers from GO Corp.

“Time has finally come for truly useful technology like a PIM to be widely adopted,” said S. Jerrold Kaplan, co-creator of Lotus Agenda and co-founder of GO Corp. “The PenSoft approach is changing the definition of PIMs and helping to define mobile pen-based computing.”

PenSoft is breaking new ground in the PIM product category by: optimizing interaction for “real-time” usage; allowing users to personalize and VARs to customize the PIM environment and capabilities; and providing a seamless yet powerful connection between internal and external information sources.

While PenSoft PIM will have broad appeal, it will also provide an extensive foundation for VARs and corporate developers to build tailored solutions for their customers.

“A key difference between our approach and that of traditional PIM products,” said Michael Baum, PenSoft’s president, ” is that we are designing and optimizing our PIM for ‘real-time’ use. For this type of application to be truly useful it is critical that it provide the ability to capture and make use of information while in a meeting, on the phone, in an airplane or anywhere.”

While portability will be an important element of PenSoft PIM, an additional design goal is to overcome the rigid and static environment of traditional PIMs that are bound to the desktop.

“We want to give users the ability to personalize the way they interact with information,” Baum said. PenSoft’s PIM will supply ready-to-use and easily identifiable templates for appointments, contacts, to-do lists, expenses, notes and reports. PenSoft will be providing users with simple and approachable functionality for personally reshaping the product to suit individual needs.

Customization and program extension will allow PenSoft’s PIM to be integrated into existing or newly constructed systems, functioning as a mobile component to enterprise-wide or “fleet” solutions.  Applications range from sales force automation to management information systems.

“The ways our product may be set-up and programmed are almost unlimited,” said Diana Bury, product manager. “We will provide the ability to create custom templates, to modify or add data structures, and to define custom interactions and links with information,” Bury added.

Another fundamental design tenent is to allow data to be entered directly or to be extracted from various external data sources, such as dBase datafiles. Once the data is within the PIM, users will be able to establish links between data, building their own network of information.

In addition, links can be established with data from word processors, spreadsheets and other PenPoint documents — enabling the user to manage all of his data through the PIM.

Electronic mail will also be seamlessly integrated since E-mail capabilities will be included. A wider scope of information will not only be accessible, but can by synergistically combined, integrating it in a more powerful and useful way.

During the second and third quarters of 1991 a select group of pilot projects will be initiated using early versions of the software.  Commercial product availability is expected in late 1991. Pricing has not yet been determined.

PenSoft Corp., located in San Mateo, Calif., was founded in 1990 to develop general-purpose software applications for pen-based computing platforms. Initial funding was provided by Mohr Davidow Ventures, Menlo Park.

Note to Editors: The PenSoft logo and name are trademarks of PenSoft Corp. GO and PenPoint are trademarks of GO Corp. All other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of the manufacturers with which the marks are associated.

CONTACT:
PenSoft Corp., Menlo Park
Diana Bury, 415/358-1581 Hastings, Humble,
Giardini & Freedman Inc., Portland, Ore.
Delayne Giardini, 503/221-1063