PCMCIA Approves Icon-Based Compatibility System

San Jose, Calif., January 18, 1996 - At its January meeting, the Personal
Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) approved a system
of icons designed to help users easily identify the basic capabilities of
a PC Card or PC Card slot. Several manufacturers have expressed that they
will be implementing the icons on their products.

"We are grateful to have a standardized way to indicate to our users the
advanced features that the PC Card sockets in some of our upcoming
machines will have - CardBus and the Zoomed Video (ZV) Port, in
particular. We plan to print these icons right next to the opening for
each slot, and we look forward to seeing the same icons printed on the PC
Cards themselves, and on their packaging materials. We think this will go
a long ways toward taking the guesswork out of which cards work in which
slots," said Warren Allen, product planner for Toshiba America Information
Systems.

The icons are the same shape as PCMCIA's "PC Card" logo, but contain
information about a product such as operating voltage, bandwidth, and
optional capabilities such as CardBus and DMA. The use of the icons is
restricted to the members of PCMCIA, and is completely voluntary. As PC
Card technology is evolving, more features are being enabled - features
that do not need to be supported by all PC Cards or hosts. Since not all
slots and cards will support every feature, it is important for the user
to be able to identify whether or not a product supports a particular
capability. Icons were approved for 16-bit, CardBus, 3V, 5V, Zoomed Video
(pending approval of the specification by PCMCIA), DMA, and DVB. New icons
may be approved by the PCMCIA Board of Directors as the need arises.

About PCMCIA and PC Cards

PCMCIA is a non-profit trade association with over 500 member companies
that promotes the worldwide adoption of PC Card technology by defining
standards and educating the market. PC Cards are credit-card-size
peripherals that add memory, mass storage and I/O capabilities to
computers and other electronic devices in a rugged, compact form factor.
Already an important part of mobile computing, PC Cards are now being
adopted by a wide range of industries such as digital imaging, cable
television and transportation.

Artwork for the compatibility icons is available from the PCMCIA office.

Contact: Greg Barr, Sr. Comm. Specialist, PCMCIA
408-433-2273, ext. 114; gbarr@pcmcia.org
Or visit PCMCIA's World Wide Web site
at http://www.pc-card.com
 
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