Press Release

December 11, 2000

OTTAWA, Canada - 11 December 2000: Espial, an emerging leader in service delivery software for the Pervasive Internet, today announced the launch of Espial DeviceServer™, enabling service providers to customize, deliver, manage and bill for personalized information services to wireless and wireline smart devices, uniformly across all networks and device types.

The new DeviceServer platform gives service providers fully-customizable smart device service delivery and management, including the ability to:

• Store and catalog custom applications at the user's request, by launching applications through a device or hosting the application on the network
• Manage thousands of downloads and connections simultaneously
• Provide secure e-commerce transactions
• Format content delivery by device types through unique transcoding software that tailors content conversion between content sources and devices
• Add, delete, upgrade and enable billing of applications, securely and transparently through integration to existing OSS interfaces
• Meter usage by tracking user activity and device profiles, as well as content and application service transactions to guarantee accurate billing
• Enable network storage of information at a user's request

"With DeviceServer, carriers enhance their ability to deliver revenue-enhancing application and content services to any smart device using any business model," said Jaison Dolvane, Espial president and CEO. "This solution brings the Espial vision of the Pervasive Internet to fruition. It fully leverages carriers' network infrastructures, and adds value for users by tailoring the information delivery to the format, device, update frequency, application, means of notification and storage medium the user prefers. Being able to personalize service delivery by user preference is a big win for subscribers - we call it getting 'my data, my way.' It's also a big win for carriers because DeviceServer lets them choose flat-rate or per-service billing structures, host or advertiser-paid information delivery, or try it/buy it pricing models."

Espial DeviceServer Capabilities

The DeviceServer software platform includes tools to help service providers personalize information delivery to users, to remotely manage smart devices and the software which runs them, and to seamlessly package usage and billing information for subscribers.

DeviceServer is an extension to a service provider's Operations Support System (OSS). It functions as a module that extends the ability of the carrier's OSS to profile, track and activate the diverse functions of individual smart devices, and is comprised of three interrelated components:

DS Central - involves user, device and service management, trouble tracking and information gathering through the DeviceTalk protocol. This relational database maintains device and user profiles that determine how information is reconfigured and disseminated to devices based on various profiles. This is the core of DeviceServer and it essentially extends the capability of a service provider's network by adding administration and service delivery functions. DS Central immediately responds to user requests, delivering appropriate content and applications based on both the user and device specifications. DeviceServer can be implemented for any type of service provider connectivity ranging from mobile/wireless to wireline/dial/DSL/ or cable.

DeviceTalk - is a protocol with an open API to manage application layer connection between devices and content and application providers. Information created in any format (such as WML, HTML, XML) can be transported to a more flexible platform, enabling personalization and customization through the DS Central system. DeviceTalk can be implemented for any new or established smart device, thereby making DeviceServer universal and streamlining the service provider's infrastructure.

Transcoder - converts and disseminates web content to smart devices based on DS Central device and user profiles. The transcoding software allows content that requires plug-ins (such as PDFs) to be read and distributed to all forms of smart devices. The DeviceTalk open API allows service providers to leverage any OS to display the re-formatted information.

The combination of these three components creates a complete management system that delivers application services and manipulates content to dynamically fit any device, based on the physical components of that device, in a manner that is most useful for the individual user.

"Current wireless solutions require a separate OSS to enable dissemination," said Riddhi Patel, senior analyst, information appliances for the Aberdeen Group's Carriers and Enterprise Communications group. "DeviceServer converts the static data and enables service providers to offer value-added services, leverage existing infrastructure, and streamline smart device infrastructure by allowing the use of any business model. Unlike before, carriers now can broaden their spectrum of service by remotely deploying applications and services at their discretion, upgrade these services on the fly and link to platforms, client operating systems and a plethora of devices that before could not interoperate. Instead of looking to multiple providers, service providers can manage all these services under one roof with DeviceServer."

Since 1997, Espial has been a major player in service delivery on the client side through its flagship software suite, Espial DeviceTop, which helps smart device manufacturers auto-register users on a smart device network, initiate service subscription and deliver personalized services. Application technologies in this suite (brandable browser, e-mail engine, client and information manager) shrink development time for device manufacturers and help them rapidly launch service-ready smart devices. Espial DeviceTop is installed and running today in tens of thousands of smart devices branded and powered by Samsung Motorola, Psion, @POS, Akai and others.

devicetop.com™

In concert with device partners and industry editors, Espial operates a developer portal, www.devicetop.com, to assist developers in building and marketing services for smart devices. Devicetop.com collects smart device services online and links them to device manufacturers, as well as linking developers to service providers.

CONTACT: Market Ready, Inc. for Espial, Golden Valley
Tina Tan
(763) 548-8208
ttan@marketready.com