For Immediate Release
Amanda Ingalls
Spyglass, Inc.
630.245.6512
[email protected]
Fonda A. Berosini
Shandwick Convergence
310.201.8857
[email protected]
Michelle Frankfort
Jericho Communications for CMI Worldwide
212.645.6900, ext. 131
[email protected]
CMI WORLDWIDE DISPLAYS THE FIRST INTERACTIVE INFORMATION APPLIANCE
FOR THE KITCHEN WITH Spyglass Internet Technologies at ces '99
Advantage 2000 Provides a Complete Interactive Kitchen Resource Center with
Spyglass Device Mosaic Web Browser for Multifunctional Capabilities
LAS VEGAS, January 7, 1999 - Spyglass Inc. (NASDAQ: SPYG) and CMI Worldwide
announced today that the Advantage 2000, a complete interactive kitchen
resource center built on Spyglass Device Mosaic technology, will be
displayed at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Meeting Room
N226.
The Advantage 2000 integrates multifunctional capabilities including
television, stereo audio and video CD, and Internet technologies to provide
entertainment, Internet access, e-mail, home security monitoring and
appliance communications designed specifically for the kitchen. CMI
Worldwide will begin distribution of portable and built-in LCD models of the
Advantage 2000 in the spring of 1999.
Advantage 2000 Feature Highlights:
* TV, Music and Video CD Entertainment - the Advantage 2000 is a
portable, 3-in-1-entertainment center, combining a 128-channel, cable-ready
TV with the ability to play stereo music CDs or watch a video CD. The
accompanying grease-proof, shock-proof and washable wireless keypad and
keyboard (for e-mail) are designed to withstand the rigors of kitchen use.
* Internet and e-mail capabilities - easy, one touch dial-up access to
the Internet to further enhance the users' daily lifestyle with convenient
online shopping, banking, and multiple category topics ranging from health,
education and beauty with direct access to online research, data and leading
experts in the field, as well as e-mail, and quick online navigation through
the "cmiadvantage.net" portal and beyond.
* Home security monitoring - connects to a security camera, allowing
users to view and communicate with guests at the front door. To observe and
monitor infants or young children from any room in the home, cameras can be
installed throughout the house.
* Future home management - home appliances, like ranges, dishwashers
and refrigerators, will soon have special chips installed to deliver
important data to the Advantage 2000 as a central appliance "status center."
"We know that the kitchen is the heart of the home, and the area that has
the most activity, the highest traffic and the place that some of the most
important and meaningful occasions occur," said Bob Lamson, CEO of CMI
Worldwide. "Keeping this in mind, we designed the Advantage 2000 to provide
consumers with a product that integrates today's most advanced technology,
such as Spyglass Device Mosaic, with user-friendly one-touch access
functionality which is vital in a busy place like the kitchen - the hub of
the home."
The Spyglass solution provides specific adaptation of Spyglass Device Mosaic
to the Hitachi SH3 CPU, utilizing a customized user interface (UI) and
enabling CMI Worldwide to create a product that is unique to any other
technology on the market today.
"We are very excited to be a part of offering this technology in a
multi-functional environment like the kitchen," said Randy Littleson, vice
president and general manager of Spyglass. "As our Internet device
technology gets deployed in the first interactive kitchen resource center,
we are able to bring Internet-based services to the central gathering place
for most families."
Spyglass Device Mosaic is a full-featured Web browser that maintains a
memory footprint of under half a megabyte. Out of the box, it is fully HTML
3.2 compliant with support for frames, tables, and JPEG and animated GIF
images. In addition, it can be extended to include support for technologies
such as JScript, SSL, and streaming media protocols such as RTSP. The
browser technology has been specifically designed to enable fast,
straightforward user interface customizations.
"Spyglass is the recognized leader in embedded systems solutions," said
Lamson. "Their expertise was critical to the success of our Internet
functionality, providing key development solutions in time to meet our early
1999 product launch target date."
Initially to be sold to custom installers and contractors, shipments of the
Advantage 2000 units are expected to reach more than one million units
worldwide, annually within five years. CMI Worldwide anticipates high
frequency repeat customers through Internet-enabled services, CD sales and
upgrades to the Advantage 2000.
About CMI Worldwide
CMI Worldwide's mission is to simplify the power of interactive technology
to enhance the quality of life at home. The company first looks to benefit
the kitchen manager and kitchen lifestyle. Other applications will follow.
With the re-emergence of the kitchen as the primary gathering place in
today's home, these products have been specifically created to provide a
family resource for fun, entertainment, information and connectivity. CMI
Worldwide headquarters are located at 600 Stewart Street, Suite 700,
Seattle, Washington 98101; phone: 206.448.0354; fax: 206.448.0359; e-mail:
[email protected]; Web site: http://www.cmiworldwide.com.
About Spyglass
Spyglass (NASDAQ: SPYG) provides Internet expertise, software and services
for making devices work with the Web. Particularly active in the cable and
satellite television, wireless telecommunications, consumer electronics and
office equipment markets, Spyglass solutions are used by market-leading
companies including GTE, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Thomson Consumer Electronics
(RCA) and Xerox. Spyglass headquarters are located at 1240 East Diehl Rd.,
Naperville, Ill., 60563; phone: 630.245.6512; fax: 630.245.6693; press email
inquiries: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.spyglass.com.
# # #
Spyglass and the Spyglass logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Spyglass, Inc., in the United States and other countries. Mosaic is a
trademark of the University of Illinois. (Other technologies and brand
names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
companies.) This release contains information about management's future
expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements
for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from
those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various
important factors that are discussed in the company's annual report on Form
10-K for the year ended September 30, 1998, which is on file with the SEC.