Press Release: VIA Extends System Infrared Technology

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Press Release: VIA Extends System Infrared Technology

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VIA Telecom Licenses Extended Systems Infrared Technology for Next Generation CDMA Connectivity Applications

Extended Systems software development kit enables short-range wireless connectivity technologies for current and future 3G applications such as Internet access and point-of-sales utilities

San Diego, California, 3 December 2003 - VIA Telecom, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of CDMA chipsets, today announced that it has licensed the infrared software development kit (SDK) of Extended Systems (Nasdaq: XTND), a leading provider of mobile application solutions for the enterprise, for use in next-generation CDMA chipsets. This license enables mobile handset manufacturer customers to add infrared communications capabilities using the Infrared Data Association (IrDA) specification to their product line- up.

While current applications for infrared technology in handsets include Internet connectivity and exchanging and updating contacts with laptops and PDAs, and printing through enabled printers, infrared supporting mobile handsets are increasingly being used for more sophisticated applications such as point-of-sales purchase payments, with the shorter range of infrared transmission deterring fraud while enabling seamless convenient payment. Already commercially launched in South Korea, infrared POS systems are being tested in Japan and the US, and look set to drive greater functionality in mobile phones.

As part of the agreement, VIA Telecom also licensed the Extended Systems OBEX (Object Exchange) transport protocol, providing the ability to beam files over infrared. OBEX is the underlying protocol that enables both IrFM (Infrared Financial Messaging) and SyncML. This provides VIA Telecom customers with a clear development path to implementing IrFM or SyncML capabilities into their handsets as those applications become more widely used.

I have worked with Extended Systems embedded protocol stacks in the past, and I know, from first-hand experience, the products excellent architecture, small code footprint, portability and reliability, said Doug Brown, program manager for VIA Telecom. With Extended Systems software, we can be sure that we are implementing the best-supported IrDA stack on the market and that our customers will have a superior IrDA transport on which to build applications now and in the future.

David Hofacker, business unit manager of Extended Systems Universal Mobile Connectivity group, says that Extended Systems has had a great deal of success with chipmakers because the company has become known in the industry as a one-stop SDK shop. The ability to obtain multiple protocol stacks from one vendor was especially compelling for VIA Telecom, as it provides complete flexibility for their customers to add infrared technologies to their product line-up.
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