Nearly 30,000 Consumers Ready to Test-Drive OneNote Note-Taking Software

REDMOND, Wash., March 4, 2003 — Nearly 30,000 people have registered to be the first to receive the beta version of the Microsoft®
OneNote (TM) note-taking application, a new application in the Microsoft Office family designed to help them more efficiently capture, organize, retrieve and share their notes. The groundswell of customer interest in OneNote indicates people are looking to make a change from traditional paper- and pen-based note-taking to a digital method that incorporates personalization and flexibility. Note-taking is a near universal activity and one that has been underserved by software applications. Thus, even before it’s publicly available, OneNote is gaining attention from a broad audience of note-takers seeking to be more productive.

The innovative design of Microsoft OneNote — with flexible notebook-like qualities, fast and easy search features, the ability to synchronize notes with audio recordings, and the ability to be used on multiple devices including desktop, laptop and Tablet PCs — generated excitement at COMDEX, a technology industry event last November, when an early look at the product was given. Since then, people have been signing up to be the first to run the new product through its paces when a beta version is made available this spring. The OneNote Web site, has received more than 190,000 unique visitors in the past four months, all seeking information on the product, with nearly 30,000 people registering to receive the software.

“As someone who fills pages upon pages of paper with handwritten notes in the course of book authoring and other projects, I’m eager to try out this product in my daily work,”
said Fred Zimmerman, a technology writer.
“Most of what I’ve seen and heard about OneNote in the past several months tells me this application will dramatically reduce the time I spend hunting through notebooks and retyping information into electronic documents. I can’t wait to get a copy.”

“We are really excited to see so many people interested in OneNote, months before it will arrive on retail shelves. We worked hard to create a product that combines the ability to capture any type of information in one place with the flexibility to organize and reuse it any way customers want,”
said John Vail, director of the Information Worker Categories team at Microsoft Corp.
“OneNote exemplifies Microsoft’s commitment to helping people work in more creative and productive ways.”

Note-Taking Enters the 21st Century

In the past 25 years, computer technology has revolutionized common tasks and brought significant gains in productivity to areas such as document creation and information sharing and organization. Microsoft recognized note-taking as an important activity that had not yet been effectively addressed with productivity-enhancing technology. The company conducted extensive research and embarked on the development of OneNote, an application tailored specifically to the individual nature of note-taking.

Microsoft’s research found that 63 percent of note-takers surveyed invested time transferring handwritten meeting notes into a word-processor-created document. Eighty-one percent said they routinely capture information on paper that requires follow-up action. One in four people said they often misplace these types of notes, resulting in lost productivity and missed opportunities.

Designed to complement people’s highly personalized note-taking styles, OneNote combines the flexibility of paper notes with the efficiency and power of digital media. OneNote enables people to input information anywhere on the page as well as capture it in multiple formats including typed text, digital ink, drawings and diagrams, and audio notes. From there, people can easily rearrange the contents of their notes, organize them according to personal preference, quickly search across all notes, e-mail their notes from within the application, publish them to a Web site and perform other useful tasks. In addition, OneNote is a solution that works well with a variety of personal computers including desktops, laptops and Tablet PCs.

“The Tablet PC is delivering a more versatile PC experience by enabling users to take notes, send e-mail and annotate documents, all through the power of digital ink,”
said Alexandra Loeb, vice president of the Tablet PC division at Microsoft Corp.
“OneNote will enable Tablet PC users to take their note-taking experience to the next level, letting them capture valuable notes in one central location where they can be turned into real business results.”

OneNote is scheduled to be available mid-2003. Those interested can register to receive more information about the OneNote beta program and other product news at http://www.microsoft.com/office/onenote/. Final pricing and packaging details will be announced in the coming months. Additional information about OneNote can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2002/nov02/11-17onenote.asp.

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 OneNote are either registered trademarks or trademarks 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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