U.S. ROBOTICS ANNOUNCES V.32 BIS PCMCIA FAX/DATA MODEM

V.32 bis PCMCIA Modem to Ship in June; Dual Standard PCMCIA Modems With
Cellular Capabilities to Follow

SKOKIE, Ill., -- May 10, 1993 -- U.S. Robotics today announced two PCMCIA
products scheduled to ship in June -- a V.32 bis/14,400 bps PCMCIA
fax/data modem and a V.22 bis/2400 bps PCMCIA fax/data modem. The company
also announced a Dual Standard PCMCIA modem to ship in late July, which
includes V.32 bis, cellular capabilities and HST, U.S. Robotics'
proprietary 16.8 Kbps asymmetrical data transmission protocol. All
products include both fax and data capabilities, and are designed for
"credit card" -sized laptop and palmtop PCMCIA 2.0 slots.

"PCMCIA further broadens our comprehensive WorldPort line of portable
modems, providing new portable fax/data communications options for our
customers," said Jonathan Zakin, U.S. Robotics executive vice president of
sales and marketing. "The new products also allow U.S. Robotics to tap
into the high-growth PCMCIA market. An increasing number of laptop and
palmtop manufacturers are announcing support for the PCMCIA standard,
signifying strong continued prospects for PCMCIA technology."

The market for PCMCIA products is rapidly expanding; sales of PCMCIA
fax/data modems are expected to grow to nearly 3.4 million units in 1995,
a growth of almost 200 percent over estimated 1993 PCMCIA fax/data modem
shipments (Source: AP Research).

"In addition to our PCMCIA development, we plan to continue to support and
develop our other WorldPort portable products," added Zakin. "Although
PCMCIA technology is the new frontier, not every portable computer
supports it at this point, nor do all laptop users want to use their
PCMCIA slot for a modem. We believe it's vital to provide a range of
portable communications options tailored to laptop and palmtop users'
different needs."

The WorldPort 14,400 Fax/Data PCMCIA 2.0 ($649) and WorldPort 2496 Fax/Data
PCMCIA 2.0 ($349) will ship in June. The WorldPort 14,400 product includes
CCITT V.17/14,400 bps fax and CCITT V.32 bis/14,400 bps data capability;
the WorldPort 2496 product includes 9600 bps Group III fax and CCITT V.22
bis/2400 bps data capability.

PCMCIA Products Result of P.N.B. Acquisition 

These new PCMCIA modems are a result of U.S. Robotics' recent acquisition
of Suresnes, France-based P.N.B., s.a., which began shipping its PCMCIA
products in 1992. P.N.B. is the largest supplier of PCMCIA products,
having developed modems for sale by some of the largest OEM customers in
the world including IBM, Dell, AST and ZDS. P.N.B. has broad experience in
developing PCMCIA products for OEM customers, working with the
international data communications channel and meeting strict international
requirements to gain approvals for their PCMCIA products, giving
WorldPort-branded PCMCIA products a decided market edge.

"The P.N.B. products provide us the advantage of bringing PCMCIA products
to market earlier than originally planned," said Jonathan Zakin, U.S.
Robotics executive vice president of sales and marketing. "The P.N.B.
designs also carry international approvals in nearly 20 countries, and
give us an internationally approved solution to offer to our customers
now."

International Compatibility Key to Product Design 

U.S. Robotics PCMCIA products provide the advantage of patented "Smart DAA"
technology. The DAA (Data Access Arrangement) provides the interface
between the telephone system and the modem. Smart DAA technology allows
users to purchase a DAA designed for a specific country, which will
automatically configure the PCMCIA modem to that country's specifications,
completely eliminating the complications which can accompany international
data communications. This means users can be assured of international
compatibility when they are traveling; the P.N.B. designs already carry
approvals in nearly 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany,
Japan, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S.

Dual Standard PCMCIA Modem With Cellular Capabilities Available in Late
July 

Additionally, the company will ship a Dual Standard PCMCIA product in July.
This modem also incorporates "Smart DAA" technology, and is based on U.S.
Robotics' modem architecture and proprietary DSP-based technology, used in
Courier, Shared Access and Sportster products. This architecture allows
the company to implement high-end features, such as Quick Connect and
Adaptive Speed Leveling, reducing training time and optimizing online
transmissions for greatly improved performance.

The Dual Standard modem includes V.32 bis/14,400 bps capability, plus HST,
U.S. Robotics' proprietary protocol for 16.8 Kbps data transmission.
Additionally, the Dual Standard modem includes HST Cellular, U.S.
Robotics' new protocol for cellular data transmission. After extensive
testing with .6 watt cellular telephones, HST Cellular has been able to
achieve in excess of 800 characters per second (roughly 8000 bps), in a
moving vehicle. While standing still, transmissions exceeded 1200
characters per second (roughly 12,000 bps). The protocol provides
significant performance improvements over other protocols used in cellular
environments, such as V.42 and MNP 10.

PCMCIA Provides Long-Awaited Standard for Peripherals 

From an industry perspective, PCMCIA provides a long-awaited standard for
laptop and palmtop disk drives, memory cards, fax/data modem cards, LAN
adapters and other products. From a user point of view, PCMCIA cards
provide several benefits. First, they're interchangeable -- PCMCIA cards
can be used with any laptop or palmtop computer that supports the
standard. Second, they provide the convenience of a small, easily portable
product. And finally, they draw little power, requiring only minimal power
from the laptop or palmtop power source.

"PCMCIA benefits users because it's a standard," said Zakin. "It's a very
simple matter to interchange peripherals with PCMCIA, making it easier and
less costly for users to communicate from either laptops or palmtops. This
is key for the corporate accounts we support, which often have large field
sales and support forces for whom mobile communications are vital. Being
able to interchange peripherals gives these organizations a flexible,
portable, easy-to-support solution."

U.S. Robotics, Inc., (NASDAQ:USRX), is a leading designer, manufacturer and
marketer of data communications systems and products. Both corporate
headquarters and manufacturing operations are based in Skokie, Illinois.
U.S. Robotics owns and operates U.S. Robotics Ltd. in Slough, England,
U.S. Robotics, s.a. in Lille, France and P.N.B., s.a. based in Suresnes,
France. The company markets its products to business, industry, government
agencies and original equipment manufacturers.

U.S. Robotics, 8100 North McCormick Blvd, Skokie, IL 60076
800-DIAL-USR;  708-982-5010

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