MicroSurfer 1.1 Adds Super Speed to Microsoft Internet Explorer 5; Unique Browser Companion Navigates Direct Course Through a Tangled Web

Business Wire, March 31, 1999

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 1999--MicroSurfer Corporation (www.microsurfer.com), a Seattle-based Internet-software company, today released MicroSurfer 1.1, a Windows 98-compatible update to its unique Web-navigation software that simplifies and speeds surfing with Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) Internet Explorer 5 and Internet Explorer 4.

When links are dragged from a browser and dropped into the MicroSurfer window, their content is downloaded in the background without interrupting the user's surfing session. Clicking on any downloaded link in MicroSurfer displays the Web page immediately in the browser.

"By separating the downloading of Web pages from their display, MicroSurfer allows users to surf through pages at speeds greater than even the fastest Internet connection," says MicroSurfer Corporation President David Bernstein, the program's creator.

MicroSurfer's innovative approach to Web navigation liberates the user from click-and-wait surfing and the tiresome process of using the browser's back button. Instead of browsing from a Web page one link at a time, MicroSurfer downloads in one session all the links the user wants to visit, and displays their content without having to return to the Web page the links came from.

"With MicroSurfer, you can surf to Web pages instantly, in any order, with just a single click of your mouse -- and without having to waste time backtracking," Bernstein says. "Whether you're facing a gazillion pages of search results, or just want to zip through a Web portal or news site, MicroSurfer is the fastest way to explore more than one link on a Web page."

MicroSurfer maximizes modem connections by downloading from several sites simultaneously, offsetting gaps in the flow of Web-page data to browsers caused by slow Web-site servers or choking Internet traffic. MicroSurfer's multi-session technology takes advantage of those gaps by downloading Web-page content from other servers whenever one server is busy -- more than doubling overall download rates, regardless of modem speed.

Version 1.1 has been optimized to work with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 and Windows 98, and now saves all visited links to provide a convenient surfing history and instant access to favorite Web pages. The new version can be set to automatically download all stored links whenever MicroSurfer is opened, and also adds offline viewing.

"Browsers are basically simple content viewers that are poorly designed for exploring multiple links on a Web page," Bernstein says. "No matter how much Internet experience you have, using the browser's back button is a real exercise in frustration -- which is why MicroSurfer is the essential browser companion for power users and newcomers alike.

"Our principal challenge -- and our greatest opportunity -- lies in reaching users who surf with just their browser alone."

System Requirements:

MicroSurfer requires a PC with a 486 or higher processor; Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 or 5 running under Windows 95/98/NT, at least 8 MB of RAM; 10 MB of available hard-drive space; and direct or dial-up Internet access.

Availability:

MicroSurfer 1.1 is a $29.95 shareware product backed by an unconditional 60-day, money-back guarantee. A free, 30-day trial can be downloaded from www.microsurfer.com.

About MicroSurfer Corporation:

Seattle-based MicroSurfer Corporation makes innovative Web-productivity software to help people visualize, navigate and accelerate their Internet experience. MicroSurfer President David Bernstein founded the company in 1996 after a 20-year consulting career in software development and multimedia. A longtime special consultant to IBM (NYSE:IBM), Bernstein worked on the development of OS/2 and was a key programmer for IBM's ImagePlus platform.

MicroSurfer Corporation is one of the new breed of "virtual corporations" that are pioneering sweeping changes in electronic software distribution. The company's administrative and marketing operations are in Seattle; MicroSurfer's software designers work from their homes across the USA; and its chief technology officer works from his home in Costa Rica. The company's flagship product, MicroSurfer 1.0 -- the first in a family of planned products to be unveiled in the coming year -- debuted in May 1998.

MicroSurfer is a trademark of MicroSurfer Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.