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Motorola, PageMart, and 3Com Deliver New Messaging Solution



This si the official PR announcement. They are demo-ing it
at Comdex this week. Supposed to be available next spring.

bye,
Annette


------------- Begin Forwarded Message -------------

Date: Tue, 4 Nov 1997 11:39:15 -0800
Subject: Motorola, PageMart, and 3Com Deliver New Messaging Solution
From: "Pilot Developer Announcement List" <pilot-dev-announce@xxxxxxxxxxx>
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     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
     
     Media Contacts:
     Blair Ciecko             Edelman Public Relations 312-240-2690
     bciecko@xxxxxxxxxxx
     
     Bridget Cavanaugh        PageMart Wireless 214-706-3797
     bridgetc@xxxxxxxxxxxx
     
     Allen Bush
     A&R Partners             650-363-0982 allen_bush@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
     
     
     Motorola, PageMart Wireless and 3Com Team to Deliver New Wireless 
     Messaging Solution for Consumers and Mobile Professionals
     
     Pager Card for the 3Com PalmPilot connected organizer brings advanced 
     wireless technology and NAFTA-wide messaging service to market-leading 
     handheld computing platform
     
     Dallas, Tex., November 3, 1997 --  Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT), PageMart 
     Wireless, Inc. (Nasdaq:PMWI) and 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq:COMS) today 
     announced a strategic alliance to bring wireless messaging to a broad 
     range of consumers and business markets via the 3Com PalmPilot 
     platform.  As a result of the alliance, PageMart and Motorola will 
     deliver the Pager Card for PalmPilot, an integrated wireless messaging 
     device for the 3Com PalmPilot connected organizer.  The Pager Card is 
     being co-developed by Motorola's FLEX Architecture Solutions Division 
     (FASD) and PageMart.  It will be branded by PageMart and marketed and 
     distributed by both PageMart and the Palm Computing division of 3Com 
     Corp.
     
     The Pager Card for PalmPilot represents a new class of product that 
     brings wireless messaging to the mass market.  Based on Motorola's 
     advanced FLEX paging technology, the Pager Card for PalmPilot allows 
     PalmPilot organizer users to receive numeric and text messages via the 
     PageMart network with coverage throughout NAFTA countries and beyond.  
     The product eliminates the need for people to carry multiple devices 
     for paging and handheld computing.  The Pager Card is capable of 
     schedule updates and facilitates messaging with visual and audio 
     alerts, sender identification and message management.  The Pager Card 
     works with all existing versions of the PalmPilot connected organizer, 
     including the recently announced IBM WorkPad PC companion.
     
     
     In addition, Motorola will deliver the Pager Card for PalmPilot 
     Software Development Kit  to allow independent software developers to 
     create wireless PalmPilot platform applications capable of receiving 
     text, numeric and binary messages from the Pager Card.  This will 
     enable important enterprise and consumer solutions such as wireless 
     e-mail notification, up-to-the-minute news and stock reports, remote 
     updates on interest rates and financial information, weather warnings 
     and other data-specific applications.  It will also enable 
     corporations to develop mission-critical solutions for keeping mobile 
     workers continually updated with vital information such as price lists 
     and competitive news for mobile sales forces and detailed dispatch 
     information for field service employees.
     
     "Motorola's FLEX paging technology is designed to enable 
     mission-critical business activities by facilitating the transfer of 
     information over a wide variety of platforms.  The Pager Card is an 
     ideal vehicle for extending our technology to a vast installed base of 
     PalmPilot organizer users in a broad range of industries," said Steve 
     Shapiro, senior marketing manager Motorola FASD.  "With the widespread 
     adoption of the PalmPilot platform in both the consumer and enterprise 
     markets and the increasing need for fast, reliable and simple wireless 
     connectivity, we feel certainthat this product will be a widely 
     accepted and easily integrated mobile solution."
     
     "By integrating our wireless messaging service with Motorola's 
     advanced paging technology and the most successful handheld computing 
     product in the market, PageMart is helping to meet the messaging needs 
     of a vast number of consumers and mobile professionals," said Wayne 
     Stargardt, vice president of marketing for PageMart.  "We believe this 
     product will be the catalyst for rapid growth  of alphanumeric 
     messaging in the consumer market."
     
     The Pager Card for PalmPilot uses Motorola's FLEX technology and a 
     PalmPilot user interface software application co-developed by Motorola 
     and PageMart.  The Pager Card integrates seamlessly with the PalmPilot 
     organizer, and is equipped with flash memory, 2 MB RAM and a modified 
     memory door.  This card replaces the standard PalmPilot memory card, 
     which is easily installed by the user.  With the Pager Card installed, 
     the PalmPilot organizer still fits easily into a shirt pocket.
     
     "A large percentage of PalmPilot organizer customers have expressed 
     strong interest in combining their organizers and pagers into one 
     convenient device. With this partnership, PalmPilot organizer users 
     have a very streamlined, functional and cost-effective solution for 
     wireless messaging," said Joe Sipher, product line manager for Palm 
     Computing, Inc., the division of 3Com that develops and markets the 
     PalmPilot product.  "The PalmPilot organizer is based on the principle 
     that above all, users require fast, simple, one-touch access to 
     information.  Motorola and PageMart are excellent choices for 
     providing a wireless messaging solution for the PalmPilot platform 
     that meets those requirements."
     
     Pager Card for PalmPilot Features
     Standard Messaging
     Alphanumeric messages up to 300 characters in length can be sent to 
     the PalmPilot organizer.  Users can receive messages across the U.S. 
     and NAFTA countries and beyond via the PageMart network.  Sender ID 
     for Numeric Messages If a user receives a numeric page, this number is 
     automatically compared with numbers stored in the user's PalmPilot 
     address book.  If a match is found, the caller's name, company name 
     and phone number will appear on the PalmPilot screen so the user 
     immediately knows who sent the message.
     Over the Air Programming
     With the Pager Card for PalmPilot, users can quickly enable or disable 
     specific product features according to their needs, simply by placing 
     a toll-free call to PageMart's customer service center.  This 
     capability provides maximum flexibility and allows for fast and 
     convenient access to a wide variety of business and consumer 
     information, such as stock quotes, interest  rates, sports scores and 
     other data.  Wireless Calendar Updates
     The Pager Card also allows users to update their calendars over the 
     air, using the standard vCalendar format.  Motorola will publish 
     specifications to allow independent software developers to create 
     their own applications that will allow PalmPilot schedule updates to 
     be sent to the PalmPilot organizer over PageMart's network.
     Alerts
     The Pager Card for PalmPilot features visual and audible alert signals 
     that notify the user when a message is received.  These alert signals 
     are the same signals featured in the Advisor Elite series of Motorola 
     pagers.  The user can select from multiple audible alerts and assign 
     specific alert sounds to varying types of incoming messages.  Alert 
     signals can be immediately silenced by touching any button on the 
     PalmPilot organizer.
     Automatic On Capability
     When a new message is received by the Pager Card for PalmPilot, the 
     PalmPilot organizer will automatically turn on, store the message and 
     alert the user that a new message was received.
     Message Storage
     Messages received via the Pager Card can be immediately read, 
     discarded or stored in the PalmPilot for viewing at a later date.  
     Pricing and Availability
     The Pager Card for PalmPilot will be available in early 1998 with an 
     estimated street price of $169.  It is anticipated that the Pager Card 
     for PalmPilot will be offered to leading consumer electronics and 
     office supply stores nationwide, including Best Buy, Circuit City, 
     CompUSA, Computer City, Egghead, Fry's, The good guys, MicroCenter, 
     Office Depot, OfficeMax, RCS, Service Merchandise, Staples, The 
     Sharper Image and other fine regional retailers and computer catalogs. 
      The Pager Card for PalmPilot Software Development Kit  will also be 
     available in early 1998 for an estimated street price of $300.  
     Developers can purchase the SDK directly from Motorola.
     
     About 3Com
     3Com Corporation enables individuals and organizations worldwide to 
     communicate and share information and resources at anytime from 
     anywhere. As one of the world's preeminent suppliers of data, voice 
     and video communications technology, 3Com has delivered networking 
     solutions to more than 100 million customers worldwide. With global 
     reach and local touch, the company provides enterprises, network 
     service providers and carriers, small businesses and consumers with 
     comprehensive, innovative information access products and system 
     solutions for building intelligent, reliable and high performance 
     local and wide area networks. 3Com has worldwide revenues of 
     approximately $6.0 billion and employs about 13,200 employees in 45 
     countries. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site 
     at http://www.3com.com.
     
     About PageMart
     PageMart Wireless, Inc. is a leading NAFTA-wide and beyond provider of 
     wireless messaging services. The Dallas-based company deploys 
     direct-broadcast satellite technology to provide numeric and text 
     messaging services in all 50 states, Canada, El Salvador, Mexico, 
     Panama, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Bahamas. PageMart 
     recently launched a concerted international initiative that expands 
     the PageMart Network into most countries in Central America and major 
     cities in Mexico. PageMart currently serves approximately 2.2 million 
     customers via its own 900 MHz nationwide frequency. The company 
     currently employs approximately 2,000 people and sells its products 
     and services through its own direct sales force, strategic alliances, 
     leading U.S. retailers and selected resellers.  For further 
     information, visit PageMart's World Wide Web site at 
     http://www.pagemart.com.
     
     About Motorola
     The FLEX protocol, created by Motorola, is the standard for high-speed 
     paging. It has been adopted by 16 of the top 20 U.S. service 
     providers, as well as by market-leading providers in Canada, Latin 
     America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern 
     Europe.  It is a national standard in China, Japan, and Korea, and has 
     been widely adopted in India and Russia. FLEX protocol-based operators 
     are in 7 of the top 10 world's largest paging markets, which comprise 
     91% of the worldwide subscriber base.  Motorola is one of the world's 
     leading providers of wireless communications, semiconductors, and 
     advanced electronic systems, components, and services.  Major 
     equipment businesses include paging and data communications, cellular 
     telephone, two-way radio, personal communications, automotive, defense 
     and space electronics and computers.  Motorola semiconductors power 
     communication devices, computers and millions of other products.  
     Motorola's 1996 sales were $28 billion. For further information, 
     please visit Motorola's World Wide Web site at 
     http://www.motorola.com/wireless-innovations.
     
     ###


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