VERSIT INITIATIVE ISSUES FIRST SPECIFICATIONS, LAUNCHES WORLD WIDE WEB
SITE

Gives Developers and Manufacturers Means for Personal Data Interchange,
Computer-Telephone Integration

For release Tuesday, May 23, 1995 -- Versit a global initiative formed in
November by Apple, AT&T, IBM and Siemens, today announced the open
availability of its first specifications intended to promote
interoperability among existing and emerging communications and
information products. Now available are:

1) The Versit Personal Data Interchange Specification, a common format for
exchanging information such as electronic business cards via wired or
wireless connections; and

2) The Versit GeoPort Universal Network Port, a high-speed wired connection
and communications architecture for computers, mobile devices and
telephones.

These specifications are the first of several to be issued by Versit in the
areas of personal data interchange, computer-telephony integration, and
collaboration. They are openly available without license or royalty fees
to help equipment manufacturers and software developers build computers,
telephones and other communications and information devices, services and
applications that make it easy for users to collaborate and exchange
voice, data, images and video across a diversity of platforms. Through
these specifications, software developers and equipment manufacturers can
gain access to larger markets at reduced development cost.

Personal Data Interchange (PDI)

The Versit PDI specification provides a cross-platform solution for the
exchange of personal information and defines an electronic business card
called a Versitcard. With Versitcards, users will be able to
electronically exchange such information as name, address, phone number
and electronic mail IDs, or even "URLs", the Universal Resource Locators
that help people find specific areas on the Internet World Wide Web
easily. Using products and applications that incorporate Versitcard, users
could, for example, exchange electronic business cards at a meeting and
store these Versitcards in their computer or PDA's address book without
having to rekey the data. In an integrated computer-telephony environment,
users might exchange their Versitcards on the electronic "table" at the
start of a desktop video and data conference.

Versitcards will be carried in universal electronic "containers" called
Bentograms, based on Bento, an object-oriented technology that is the
OpenDoc Standard Interchange Format for storage and exchange of data.
Devices with more limited processing power such as organizers, pagers and
home answering machines could receive such information via containers
called Simplegrams; developers could use them and Bentograms to create
other types of applications as well, such as cards holding calendar
information that could be exchanged electronically.

Device Connectivity and Computer-Telephony Integration

Also available today is the hardware specification for the Versit GeoPort
computer-telephone connection, which provides up to 200 times the
bandwidth of traditional serial ports. As a foundation technology for the
integration of personal computers with telephone systems, it allows users
access to the full digital capabilities of their PBX systems through their
personal computer and provides a superior, dedicated, cross-platform
solution for combining voice and real-time multimedia. The Versit GeoPort
architecture, based on Apple's GeoPort technology, will allow users to
dial phone calls, receive voice mail, access the Internet, transfer files
or conduct voice/video/data conferences, using their desktop or mobile
computers.

GeoPort currently ships on Apple's Power Macintosh systems. All four Versit
founders; AOX Inc.; Crystal Semiconductor Corp.; Cypress Research Corp.;
Motorola Inc.; SAT Groupe SAGEM and Zilog Inc., have announced support for
GeoPort. The hardware volume of the specification is available now, and
the software volume will be available this summer.

Specifications Available Via World Wide Web Site

Both specifications are available now through Versit's new World Wide Web
home page on the Internet at http://www.versit.com. This home page will
have links to the home pages of the Versit founders, will feature
educational columns and answers to frequently asked questions about
Versit, and will offer the industry a forum for discussion of
interoperability issues.

The specifications and information about Versit also can be obtained by
calling 1-800-803-6240 (fax: 6241). From outside the U.S., call
201-3272803 (fax: 4981). To ask questions or receive more information
about Versit electronically, send electronic mail to info@versit.com.

Through development and promotion of such open, cross-platform
specifications, the Versit founders intend to accelerate availability of
interoperable products and services from competing vendors. Versit's
mission is to publish specifications to address computing and
communications interoperability issues, and to make them widely available
to the industry.

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