Texas Instruments and Microsoft Announce GSM/GPRS Wireless Handset Solution

DALLAS, REDMOND, Nov. 8, 2000 — Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) Incorporated (TI) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) today unveiled an integrated wireless solution designed to support next next-generation (2.5G) GSM/GPRS-enabled wireless handsets and advanced mobile computing devices. Based on Microsoft’s smart phone platform code-named
“Stinger”
and TI’s DSP-based GSM chipset technology, this solution will deliver a wealth of broadband-enabled wireless applications to consumers such as secure e-commerce, mobile Internet access and corporate e-mail, with greater performance and longer battery life.

TI’s 2.5G smart phone platform integrates its power-efficient, programmable DSP-based digital baseband processor with its high-performance applications processor to run
“Stinger” -based applications. As future wireless data bandwidth increases from 2.5 to third-generation communications (3G), this solution provides seamless compatibility to TI’s future DSP-based Open Multimedia Aapplications Platform™
(OMAP) products. Compatibility with future OMAP architectures will provide original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and applications developers with greater levels of performance and battery efficiency, without having to constantly redesign existing software applications for new hardware architectures. TI’s integrated baseband and applications processor will be complemented with its market-leading analog, power management and radio frequency (RF) products.

“The next-generation smart phones will harness new broadband wireless capabilities to enable a wealth of communications-centric, real-time multimedia applications,”
said Gilles Delfassy, vice president, TI’s Wireless Terminals Business Unit.
“By utilizing TI’s high-performance, low-power OMAP architecture, combined with Microsoft’s software and applications expertise, consumers will enjoy new ways to stay connected. We are pleased to work with Microsoft to help enable its end-to-end wireless offering.”

“This platform opens opportunities for new players to enter the market of next-generation smart phones,”
said Calvin Chih, vice president, Acer Communications and Multimedia Inc.
“Because of the integration work Microsoft and TI have done, it will be faster and easier for manufacturers to deliver handsets to market.”

“We are very excited to see this collaboration with TI come to fruition. Our combined efforts will result in a new generation of Microsoft® ‘Stinger’-based smart phones with the end-to-end connectivity required to deliver enhanced communication, secure corporate access, entertainment and e-commerce services for the mobile user,”
said Ben Waldman, vice president, Microsoft Mobile Devices Division.

The Microsoft smart phone platform seeks to combine the best features of the personal digital assistant (PDA) with the best of the mobile phone, integrating voice capability and personal information management in a slim, stylish mobile phone. The TI integrated chipset is sampling today, with volume production in the 2H of 2001.

About TI:

The worldwide leader and pioneer in digital signal processing solutions since 1982, Texas Instruments provides innovative DSP and mixed signal/analog technologies to more than 30,000 customers in the computer, wireless communications, networking, Internet, consumer, digital motor control and mass storage markets worldwide. To help customers get to market faster, TI offers easy-to-use development tools and extensive software and hardware support, further complemented by close to 300 third-party DSP solutions providers.

Texas Instruments Incorporated is a global semiconductor company and the world’s leading designer and supplier of digital signal processing and analog technologies, the engines driving the digitalization of electronics. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company’s businesses also include materials and controls, educational and productivity solutions, and digital imaging. The company has manufacturing or sales operations in more than 25 countries.

Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.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 is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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