Insyde Technology: News: Press Releases: National Semiconductor and Insyde Software Form Software Partnership for Information Appliance Market

National Semiconductor and Insyde Software Form Software Partnership for Information Appliance Market

Insyde Software worldwide exclusive provider of XpressROM software products for National Geode-based Information Appliances

WESTBOROUGH, MA and SANTA CLARA, CA, February 21, 2001 - National Semiconductor (NYSE:NSM) and Insyde Software today announced a worldwide agreement whereby Insyde Software becomes the exclusive provider of XpressROMÔ system firmware products for the National® Geode™ product family of silicon and system solutions for the Information Appliance (IA) market.

National Semiconductor has developed a wide range of silicon and total system solutions to drive IA markets for three major segments – thin clients/Windows-based terminals, personal Internet access devices, and set-top boxes. The partnership with Insyde Software provides the fundamental Hardware Link Layer software required by these devices and engineering services to expedite appliance manufacturers' time-to-market.

IA devices typically require three levels of software. These include system software for initializing the hardware and linking it to the operating system; operating system software such as BeIA, Linux, QNX, and Windows CE; and application software specific for the particular IA devices' intended function – for example, web browsing, email, streaming video, or Internet based applications.

"We are very pleased to have Insyde Software as one of our software partners," said Mike Polacek, vice president of the Information Appliance Division of National Semiconductor. "National is committed to working with Insyde to help promote the rapidly growing information appliance market, as well as offer the most fully optimized, complete solutions available."

As part of the agreement, Insyde Software is the exclusive licensor of XpressROM firmware, the National recommended system software solution for products based on Geode technology. Co-developed by the companies, XpressROM was created to serve the needs of Geode processor-based Information Appliances. Insyde Software will also provide worldwide engineering services and support for customers who are developing Geode-based products.

"Our agreement with National Semiconductor will accelerate the delivery of Information Appliances from major manufacturers worldwide," said Brian Gosselin, vice president of engineering, Insyde Software. "National and Insyde Software have teamed up to provide optimized solutions for IA hardware and software while also providing a worldwide infrastructure for differentiation and customization. Insyde Software is well positioned to provide these products in combination with our world-class engineering services and support."

National Semiconductor is the premier analog company driving the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of-the-art digital technology, the company is focused on the fast growing markets for wireless handsets; information appliances; information infrastructure; and display, imaging and human interface technologies. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $2.1 billion for its last fiscal year and has about 10,500 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.national.com.

Insyde Software is a leading global provider of software and software engineering consulting services for companies in the semiconductor, Information Appliance, PC and telecommunciations industries. Founded in 1998, Insyde Software has offices in Westborough, Massachusetts, and in Taipei, Taiwan, and is represented with sales and engineering partners in Japan, Korea, Germany and the UK.

More information on Insyde Software’s products and services is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.insydesw.com & http://www.insydesw.com.tw.