One-Stop Shopping and $39.99 a Month Service Will Outfit Businesses, Employees And Premium Customers With Wireless Pocket PCs
NEW YORK, June 27, 2000 — Today at PC EXPO 2000 Microsoft Corp. and Aether Systems Inc. announced the launch of a simple and convenient integrated wireless solution for Microsoft® Windows® powered Pocket PCs. Aether’s wireless Enterprise ISP service for Pocket PCs will provide a single point of purchase where businesses can obtain everything they need — device, modem and service — to get customers or employees up and running with a wireless Pocket PC.
The service will be targeted to businesses that want to capitalize on the benefits of providing their employees and key customers with access to information any time, any place. For $39.99 a month, businesses can have unlimited real-time, full-color wireless access to the full Internet, their e-mail and attachments, and company-specific content.
In support of the Enterprise ISP service, Aether will use its network operations center to provide wireless access for Pocket PCs, managing all integration, fulfillment and customer service of this complete solution. Initially, the wireless Enterprise ISP service will use the Compaq iPaq Pocket PC and the Sierra Wireless AirCard 300. The $39.99 monthly price of Aether’s Enterprise ISP service for Pocket PCs will include unlimited usage and access to e-mail and the customer’s choice of Web content. Availability of this new service — which will be targeted to large-volume enterprise customers for their own corporate and customer deployment — is expected in the third quarter of this year.
“Microsoft and its hardware partners built a great mobile productivity tool with the Pocket PC,”
said George Davis, Aether president, Enterprise Solutions and Services Group.
“Now there will be a single, integrated way to gain live wireless access to the full Web and e-mail with attachments from anywhere. Aether’s wireless Enterprise ISP service gives those customers a single, easy way to go fully wireless with their Pocket PCs.”
Enterprise customers who choose this offering will be connected to the Internet through Aether’s wireless datacenter, which provides fast, secure access to Web data using the Aether Intelligent Messaging (AIM) platform. AIM provides compression, security and other software for optimizing the wireless experience. Aether will provide device and technical support so customers can easily adapt their Web sites or back-end corporate data to other wireless devices and networks.
“Pocket PCs have been wireless-ready from day one when combined with data-capable cell phones, yet many customers have asked us for an integrated wireless solution with service — something to make wireless easier,”
said Ben Waldman, vice president of the Mobile Devices Division at Microsoft.
“We are thrilled that Aether is working closely with our hardware partners to provide this seamless, one-stop integrated solution, making it easy for our customers to keep in touch with their essential information any time, any place.”
The first customer to commit to deploying wireless Pocket PCs using the Enterprise ISP service is TD Waterhouse Group Inc., a leading online financial services firm and the world’s second largest discount broker. The firm previously announced its plans to roll out webBroker Wireless for Pocket PC in the third quarter of 2000. webBroker Wireless for Pocket PC is a new wireless investing application that will provide TD Waterhouse customers with access to their investment accounts over the Web using wireless Pocket PCs.
About Pocket PC
Windows-powered Pocket PCs, the next-generation PDAs from Microsoft and industry partners, offer customers a great way to connect to their most essential information while away from their desk, yet are versatile enough to satisfy the requirements of today’s busy mobile lifestyle. Pocket PCs already include a broad range of native business, personal productivity and entertainment applications, yet can easily be expanded to adapt to each customer’s changing needs through a continually growing number of industry-standard hardware and software expansion options. All Pocket PCs come with Pocket Internet Explorer browser software with Shrink-to-Fit capability, which dynamically resizes a Web site for viewing on a small screen, thus enabling customers to view any Web site either online or offline with the richest browsing experience of any device in its class.
About Aether
Aether Systems Inc. is a leading provider of wireless and mobile data products and services allowing real-time communications and transactions across a full range of devices and networks. Using its engineering expertise, the ScoutWare™
family of products, the Aether Intelligent Messaging (AIM) software platform, and its network operations and customer care center, Aether seeks to provide comprehensive, technology-independent wireless and mobile computing solutions. Aether develops and delivers wireless data services across a variety of industries and market segments in the United States and internationally. For more information, please visit http://www.aethersystems.com/ .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
ScoutWare is a trademark of Aether Systems Inc.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
For more information on Aether, investors only:
Gregg Lampf, Aether Systems, (410) 654-6400, ext. 5165, [email protected]
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