New Software from BSQUARE Enables Mobile Professionals to Organize and Carry Catalogs of Information on Windows CE-based Handheld PCs

Business Wire, June 16, 1998

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 16, 1998--

BSQUARE's New bREADY(tm) Software Gives Corporations the Ultimate Information Organization and Dissemination Tool for a Mobile Workforce

BSQUARE(R) Corporation today announced that it will release bREADY for Windows CE-based Handheld PCs by the end of June.

bREADY is a software program that enables users to collect and organize data from the desktop or network into electronic "books" with "chapters" on a desktop machine, and then download the information to a Handheld PC for easy reference while mobile.

The application provides a necessary information solution for the sales professional who ordinarily carries catalogs of product information, the field service worker who needs entire service manuals while on call, and any other mobile professional who ordinarily carries large amounts of documents while working away from the office. BSQUARE will be demonstrating the new program in booth No. 1933 and in the Microsoft Partner Pavilion No. 2646 at PC Expo. A free trial version of bREADY is now available on the BSQUARE Web site at www.bsquare.com.

"Mobile workforces need a way to lighten their paper load when they're out working in the field, and bREADY provides a revolutionary solution," explained William Baxter, president and CEO of BSQUARE Corporation. "bREADY is an electronic data collection and organization tool that empowers end-users and IT professionals to create customized books of information. Insurance claims personnel, for example, can carry initial client conversation notes, policy manuals, and any other documents they need right on their Handheld PC for quick and easy reference while assessing a claim in the field. Tomorrow's workforce will have all the information at hand in one customizable, searchable, and most importantly, portable place, with bREADY software and a Handheld PC."

"Windows CE-based devices are designed to increase the productivity of mobile workers," said Jonathan Roberts, group director, consumer appliance group at Microsoft. "BSQUARE's new bREADY will help corporations enhance communication, cut down on paper, and move into a new era of electronic information distribution."

bREADY Ensures that Corporate America has the Information to be Ready for Anything While Mobile

bREADY is ideal for any mobile professional, including busy mobile executives, mobile sales personnel, field repair service personnel, attorneys, teachers, and others who normally carry large amounts of documentation while on the job.

bREADY contains two components: a desktop component and a client-side component. Users use the desktop component to organize HTML documents into "books" with "chapters." The HTML sources can be created in any number of popular desktop programs (such as FrontPage, Word or Excel) or can be imported directly from Internet Web sites using BSQUARE's simple "Import from Web" wizard, included in bREADY. Once the books are organized, they can be downloaded for viewing on the H/PC.

From the H/PC, users can view the data quickly and easily. The books are presented in a "chapter view" window, and a simple double tap on a document instantly launches it for quick viewing. On the H/PC, users can:

-- View documents -- Annotate documents with a text note -- Use the included search program to find key words or documents within the program -- Create bookmarks for easy document retrieval -- Use the arrow keys to switch between chapters in a book, similar to a web browser's "forward and back" keys -- View a table of contents -- View an index

bREADY also includes an exclusive Auto Scroller(tm) text-scrolling feature for easy reading on the H/PC. Users can activate this feature for speech prompting or even online text reading. The Auto Scroller includes a progress feature to enable users to know where they are in the document, the ability to increase or decrease the speed of the scrolling text, and a status feature to inform users on the chapter in the book that is currently being viewed.

bREADY requires a desktop PC running Windows 95/98 or NT, and a Handheld PC running version 2.0 of the Windows CE operating system. The suggested retail price for single user licenses is $99.95, with special corporate pricing and programs available. Contact BSQUARE at sales@bsquare.com for details. bREADY will be available for purchase from BuyDirect.com by the end of the month.

About BSQUARE BSQUARE's software applications division, BSQUARE Development, delivers business and consumer software solutions for Windows CE Handheld PCs and the new Palm-size PCs. The company, located in Bellevue, Washington, specializes in Windows CE and offers consulting services, integration products and services, and software applications for PC Companions. BSQUARE was founded in 1994, and is the market leader for providing complete Windows CE solutions. BSQUARE's bFAX was the first software product to earn Microsoft's "Designed for Windows CE" logo.

For more information, visit BSQUARE's web site at http://www.bsquare.com or call 888/820-4500.