Phoenix PenBIOS Now Provides CIC PenDOS Compatibility

November 10, 1992 — Phoenix Technologies Ltd.  (NASDAQ:PTEC) and Communication Intelligence Corp. (NASDAQ:CICI) announced today that CIC’s PenDOS pen operating environment for the DOS platform is now fully compatible with the Phoenix pen digitizer interface, PenBIOS.

PenDOS will now run without customization on all pen computing hardware platforms utilizing Phoenix’s PenBIOS.

This standardization of communication, between the BIOS, or the Basic Input Output System of the computer, and the computer’s operating environment, allows Phoenix and CIC’s mutual hardware manufacturing customers to bring advanced pen-based computing products to market much more quickly and cost effectively. 

Phoenix’s pen digitizer interface, PenBIOS, allows multiple operating environments and systems, including PenDOS, to communicate with a wide variety of pen computing hardware platforms. Moreover, PenBIOS allows these multiple operating environments and systems to run seamlessly on a single pen computer. Ultimately, by standardizing the communications between the pen operating environment and pen hardware, PenBIOS enables the hardware manufacturer to offer the end-user their choice of operating system for a truly open architecture for pen solutions. Furthermore, PenBIOS allows the hardware manufacturer to shorten the time to develop and deliver hardware products to market.

PenBIOS also includes services that provide a general interface to a set of hardware-specific routines for the installed pen-digitizer device. Phoenix supports the unique implementations of various digitizer technologies, including devices from Wacom, Scriptel, Logitech, Calcomp, Kurta and MicroTouch. Phoenix is working closely with all the major digitizer vendors to support their products as they become available. The PenBIOS digitizer interface, insulating the operating system, as well as the end-user, from the specific hardware implementation requirements, also relieves the operating system vendor from the burden of writing different device drivers for each different digitizer device.

Additionally, Phoenix will include support for PenDOS, along with Windows for Pen Computing and PenPoint, on its multi-mode Pen Leader hardware reference design — Phoenix’s integrated platform for hardware manufacturer’s accelerated pen systems development.

“Phoenix’s support of CIC’s PenDOS is a natural extension of our strategy to help customers develop hardware that is compatible with the key emerging pen operating environments,” said Richard Sorkin, director of Nomadic Systems, for Phoenix Technologies. “In return, CIC’s support for PenBIOS provides our mutual OEM customers with a built-in platform for a full range of low cost to high-end pen systems that are ready to use, reducing the time and money required to get their products to market.”

Director of Business Development for CIC, Madeline Duva says, “Our work with Phoenix-developing the interface between the installed pen device and the PenDOS operating environment — makes it very easy for hardware manufacturers to ship systems running with PenDOS that are ready to use. Additionally, with PenBIOS, CIC can focus its re-sources on developing superior pen based computing products, and Phoenix on its expertise in device-level compatibility software. Everyone wins — the manufacturer, the end-user, and both CIC and Phoenix.”

Phoenix Technologies Ltd., headquartered in Norwood, Mass., is a leading independent designer, developer, and marketer of systems software products for personal and portable computers and printers.  Its products allow OEMs to offer their customers products that are compatible with industry standards. More than 200 of their major personal and peripherals manufacturers rely on Phoenix for its system-level software and hardware compatibility expertise.

CIC is a leading worldwide supplier of pen computing products, including: multilingual (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese) Handwriter Recognition Systems and Handwriter Dynamic Signature Verification, with interfaces for all major operating systems, and CIC’s own PenDOS and MacHandwriter pen operating environments. CIC’s MacHandwriter, a desktop pen extension to the Macintosh computer, is distributed by Apple Japan Inc. CIC is headquartered in Redwood Shores, Calif., and has a subsidiary in Tokyo.

CONTACT:
Phoenix Technologies Ltd., Norwood
Debbie Schultz, 408/652-6833
Michael Deutsch, 617/551-4184
or
Communications Intelligence Corp., Redwood Shores
Germaine Gioia, 415/802-7888