Versit Achieves Widespread Industry Adoption of its vCard Specification

April 29, 1996 -- The Versit initiative today announced widespread industry
adoption of vCard, coincident with the availability of Version 2.0 of the
vCard Specification. vCard defines a common electronic business card
format which moves standard business cards into the electronic age.

The vCard specification defines a format for capturing information about a
person, such as their name, address, phone number, e-mail user ID, with
multimedia support for photographs, sound clips, company logos, and much
more.

vCard provides a ubiquitous electronic business card format, which allows
an individual to consistently identify themselves without restating or
rekeying the information. For example, vCards can be exchanged across the
internet using Web clients, sent as attachments to email messages,
imported into personal address or phonebook software programs, or
transmitted from telephones. vCard personal information can even be
carried in smart cards.

vCard is the result of a collaborative industry effort between Versit and
multiple vendors representing several industry segments including Personal
Information Managers (PIMS)/contact managers, Internet clients, on-line
service providers, electronic messaging, smart cards, and others.

"Despite many years of technological progress and growth, it is still too
difficult to use today's communication tools," said Jerry Michalski,
Managing Editor of Release 1.0, a technology industry newsletter.
"Universal use of an electronic business card format -- one that can work
across different computers, operating systems, communication technologies
and application programs -- will eliminate the friction that keeps us from
communicating more easily and more often. vCard is that format, and
companies supporting this announcement realize that agreeing to use it
will expand all their markets. I'm thrilled to see the specification
growing in popularity and functionality."

Industry Adopts vCard

The following vendors and organizations support the Versit Version 2.0
vCard electronic business card format.

  - Apple Computer, Inc.
  - Atlantic Computing Technology Corporation
  - Business Cards Tomorrow
  - Campbell Services, Inc.
  - CitiSearch, Inc.
  - Claris Corporation
  - Counterpoint Systems Foundry
  - DigiLand America, Inc.
  - First Virtual Holdings
  - Four11
  - IBM Corporation
  - IntelliLink Corporation
  - IrDA (Infrared Data Association)
  - Kalman Technologies, Inc.
  - LinkStar Communications Corporation
  - Lotus Development Corporation
  - Lucent Technologies
  - Microware Systems Corporation
  - NetManage
  - Netscape Communications Corporation
  - Now Software
  - OnLIVE Technologies
  - Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
  - Pro CD, Inc.
  - Puma Technology, Inc.
  - Ring Zero Systems, Inc.
  - Salutation Consortium
  - SEPT/France Telecom
  - Siemens
  - Starfish Software, Inc.
  - Symantec Corporation
  - Telepress, Inc.
  - Tribe Systems
  - Tribeca Global
  - University of Michigan-ITD
  - Wordcraft International Limited

"We are very excited to work with these industry leaders and visionaries in
the development of a common electronic business card format that
represents a major shift in the way personal information is exchanged",
said Al Rosen, Managing Director, IBM Versit. "Our goal in the area of
Personal Data Interchange has always been to ensure that products based on
our specification truly revolutionize personal communication and provide
greater interoperability. With the level of enthusiasm and support of
vCard being announced today, we are achieving this goal."

Version 2.0 vCard

Last May, Versit made available its Trial Use Version 1.0 PDI Specification
to the industry for feedback. The availability of the Version 2.0 vCard
specification is the result of that review process.

For example, in response to industry changes and feedback from the Trial
Use PDI Specification, personal data can now be passed over the World Wide
Web by filling in vCards from HTML forms. vCard data can also be included
in electronic messages such as an Internet MIME message.

"vCard has broad application within the computer-telephony industry to
enable personal information to be easily exchanged both with and without
wires", states John LaRoche, Executive Director of the Infrared Data
Association (IrDA). "IrDA is the industry group which defines the
technology needed to beam data person-to-person over infrared links in
close proximity. We have been working with Versit throughout the vCard
evolution. Beaming electronic business cards between any two people is a
great application which we have been demonstrating since last fall. The
vCard and IrDA standards provide interoperability at the application and
transport levels and thus compliment each other."

The 2.0 vCard Specification has also been submitted to the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF) as a common means of exchanging
identification information among Internet users. "The University of
Michigan supports efforts that promote open, standards-based,
cross-platform solutions and that is why we participated in the review
process for the vCard Version 2.0," explains Kitty Bridges, Director of
Product Development and Deployment at University of Michigan's Information
Technology Division. "We are excited to see ongoing development in this
area, and are pleased to see Versit's efforts harmonized with the ongoing
Internet standards work being conducted by the University of Michigan and
others within the IETF".

Future plans for Versit in the area of Personal Data Interchange include
the incorporation of Sun Microsystem's Java with vCard and defining a
common format for the exchange of applications such as
calendaring/scheduling personal information.

To better assist third-party developers with the incorporation of vCard,
developers can download Version 2.0 of the vCard specification and the
Software Developers Kit (SDK) from the Versit home page on the World Wide
Web: http://www.versit.com/pdi/. All Versit specifications and SDKs are
available free of charge and are royalty-free. The vCard SDK is available
in Windows 95 and OS/2 versions. A MacOS version of the SDK will be
available soon from the Versit homepage. The SDKs include the vCard
Specification, a demonstration application, vCard file examples, and free
source code. A printed copy of the V2.0 Specification may also be obtained
by calling 1(800)803-6240 (outside the U.S., call (201)327-2803). Those
interested in communicating directly with Versit's PDI team can do so via
email: pdi@versit.com.

Versit will be demonstrating vCard at the Electronic Messaging Association
(EMA) Convention in Anaheim, California from Sunday, April 28 thru
Tuesday, April 30. The demonstrations will include exchanging vCards over
a multitude of transports, including the internet, email, telephone using
Digital Simultaneous Voice and Data (SVD), and infrared links. The
integration of vCards with software applications, like Personal
Information Managers, will also be demonstrated. Versit will also make
available draft copies of its vCalendar Specification, which is another
personal data type essential for groupware interoperability.

Versit is a global initiative of Apple, AT&T, IBM, and Siemens which seeks
to eliminate barriers to communication and collaboration by developing and
promoting open cross-platform specifications for a wide range of computer
and telephony products.
 
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