Acer Supports New Flash Intel Memory Cards in Upcoming Notebook Line;
Endorses PCMCIA and ExCA Standards

The Acer Group will support the new Intel Series 2 20MB Flash Memory cards
in an upcoming notebook computer the company plans to announce in June.
The Intel cards provide hard disk emulation for hand-held, pen-based and
notebook-sized computers in a solid-state, plug-in component no bigger
than a credit card.

The cards comply with the PCMCIA Type II standard as specified by the
Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association and with Intel's ExCA
(Exchangeable Card Architecture) specifications for interchangeable
memory, facsimile and networking components used in portable computers.
Both standards enable portable computer users to add the full
functionality of standard desktop devices to their portable and hand-held
computers without having to learn technical configuration tasks.
Currently, portable computer users are tied to the proprietary components
of their systems vendors and cannot easily upgrade or expand the
functionality of their systems.

PCMCIA Standard 

Specifically, PCMCIA offers the following advances: 

o  External interchangeable, "plug and play" modems to meet the differing
telecommunications standards worldwide. A different PCMCIA modem card
could be quickly inserted to meet differing telephony regulations.

o  Easy-to-use, inexpensive network connectivity that does not tie up ports
on the computer or require an expensive docking station, through the use
of standard PCMCIA networking cards.

o  Simple file transfer through interchange of PCMCL~ flash memory cards.

o  Increased durability and ruggedness among portable and notebook computer
elements. Because PCMCIA cards require no mechanical devices to operate,
they can withstand the rigors of travel much better than floppy- or hard
disk drives.

o  Extended battery life through the use of static memory cards and other
components that need no refreshing. In theory, PCMCIA flash cards could
extend battery life by a third compared to mechanical disk drives.

o  Faster access to applications: Because PCMCIA cards consume less power,
users will not have to turn off their portables between sessions and then
reboot. Even if they must reboot, the 85 nanosecond access time of Flash
memory cards is more than 200 times faster than the 19 millisecond access
time of today's hard disks.

o  Easy hard drive upgradability, through swapping PCMCIA cards with higher
capacity for existing cards.

PCMCIA and ExCA Together

The new Acer notebook will be among the first to implement both PCMCIA and
the Intel/Microsoft ExCA standards concurrently. ExCA specifies a standard
interface among notebook, pen and portable computer software and any
PCMCIA-compliant device, including memory, I/O, facsimile, modem and
networking cards. The result is that any PCMCIA device that adheres to
ExCA can work with any notebook or portable computer that also supports
ExCA, regardless of the make or vendor of the computer.

New Acer Notebook Coming in June

Acer demonstrated the new PCMCIA/ExCA technology at an Intel press briefing
on Flash Memory products in late April. Acer was the first notebook
supplier to show a working version of the Intel card. Other vendors have
announced support for PCMCIA cards, but few yet support ExCA. As a result,
these vendors will not be able to deliver the full interchangeability
promised by PCMCIA until they adhere to a software interface standard. The
only such standard currently being considered by the PCMCIA is ExCA.

Acer America Corp, 2641 Orchard Pkwy, San Jose, CA 95134
(408) 432-6200,  FAX: (408) 432-6221

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