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Microsoft
Introduces Universal Plug and Play Initiative To Help Consumers Get More From
New and Existing Home Electronics
Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq and Twenty-Five Other
Companies Join to Promote Standards For Simple, Seamless Home Networking LAS VEGAS - Jan. 7, 1999 - -Today
at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft Corp. introduced
Universal Plug and Play, an initiative that allows a broad range of intelligent
consumer appliances and PCs to easily connect as peers and share resources
within the home. Universal Plug and Play - the next phase of the Plug and Play
initiative introduced by Intel Corp., Compaq Computer Corp. and Microsoft in
1992 - is a cross-industry effort to define a set of common interfaces that
describe devices and services, allow automatic discovery when a device is
plugged into a network, and allow other devices and people to use them without
complicated setup or configuration. Universal Plug and Play is a key element in
Microsoft's standards-based vision of simple networking, where easy-to-configure
intelligent appliances, networked peripherals, PCs and the services they provide
become peers on networks in homes and businesses. "As appliances become more intelligent and the
distinction between appliances and computing devices blurs, a key part of their
value to consumers will come from their ability to communicate with other
intelligent devices," said Craig Mundie, senior vice president, consumer
strategy, Microsoft. "Because Universal Plug and Play is built on
standards, it will be relatively easy for vendors to implement, allowing a quick
and easy transition for consumers and enabling them to enjoy the convenience,
community and better communication afforded by a home network." Cross-Industry Support Companies supporting Universal Plug and Play are helping to
drive the emergence of a new generation of easily networked consumer devices and
to remove the barriers for consumers implementing home networks. This support
will lead to opportunities for using and combining information in new ways with
home devices. The following companies support Microsoft's efforts to help define
solutions that simplify networking in the home: Intel, Hewlett-Packard Co.,
Compaq, Dell Computer Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., Eastman Kodak Co., Samsung
Information Systems America (SISA), Toshiba Corp., Lucent Technologies Inc.,
Axis Communications Inc., National Semiconductor Corp., 3Com Corp., ATI
Technologies Inc., Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc., Conexant Systems Inc., Texas
Instruments, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), Lexmark International Inc.,
ShareWave Inc., NEC, Honeywell, Proxim Inc., Intellon Corp., Echelon Corp,
Fujitsu Limited, SHARP Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and AT& T Corp. Pragmatic Approach to Simple Networking Universal Plug and Play will make connecting multiple devices
in the home easier by building upon existing standards and technologies without
requiring consumers to replace the existing device driver infrastructure or
adopt one specific networking medium. Some of the advantages of Universal Plug
and Play follow: The result of this pragmatic approach is that implementing
Universal Plug and Play requires very little work and an extremely small amount
of system resources and footprint. Microsoft will deliver a TCP/IP-based
implementation of Universal Plug and Play in 1999. About Microsoft Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the
worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide
range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with
the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage
of the full power of personal computing every day. Microsoft is either a registered trademark or trademark of
Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of
their respective owners. Note to editors: If you are
interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the
Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/
on Microsoft's corporate information pages CES Quote Sheet January 1999 "We see this initiative accelerating the ability for PC
users to easily connect to emerging network devices. Intel is committed to open
specifications that unite the industry to expand the use of connected PCs." - Craig Kinnie Corporate Vice President and Director of Intel Architecture
Labs Intel Corp. "3Com and Microsoft Corp. share a vision of building
powerful networks that are simple to use. 3Com, the leader in connecting people
to the Internet, combined with Microsoft's leadership in Universal Plug and
Play, will help consumers more easily connect computers and intelligent
appliances and share resources within the home and beyond." Vice President and General Manager Home Networking Division 3Com Corp. "By extending the Plug and Play model from a single PC to
a network of intelligent devices, Universal Plug and Play helps provide the
foundation for the next generation of PCs, networkable peripherals and consumer
electronics appliances capable of taking advantage of interdevice communication
to create usage models that increase the functionality of the devices on the
network. Universal Plug and Play will play a key role in the emerging home and
small business network, helping enable end users to seamlessly deploy
network-ready devices by simply plugging them in." Group Vice President Communications Group Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) "The dynamic events in the cable, wireless and
communications industry will usher in a new wave of consumer devices and
services that will require the kind of advanced functionality that Universal
Plug and Play represents." - Glenn T. Edens Vice President, Broadband Technology AT&T Corp. "ATI Technologies supports the Microsoft®
Universal Plug and Play initiative and believes building upon open standards
will drive the home networking market. ATI is committed to the convergence of
computer and consumer electronics technology; Universal Plug and Play's
potential to easily connect a variety of 'intelligent' consumer devices will be
a key factor in the growth of home-networking solutions that will feature ATI's
leading graphics acceleration technology." Group Product Manager ATI Technologies Inc. "Universal Plug and Play is another important step on the
road to making network connectivity simple and affordable - concepts that have
driven our development efforts from the very beginning. As a leading provider of
peripheral connectivity, we welcome Microsoft's initiative and see it as a
complement to our ThinServer-powered products. Using familiar Internet standards
- such as XML - is a practical approach for dealing with a typically difficult
issue - network extensibility. The ability to automatically understand what
devices are available and to access their services will give home and business
users the freedom to mix and match their peripherals to meet changing
application requirements." Chief Technology Officer Axis Communications Inc. "Cisco believes that standards-based, open architectures
offer consumers the broadest range of solutions, and we look forward to working
with Microsoft and others in this area." - Robba Benjamin Vice President and General Manager Consumer Line of Business Cisco Systems Inc. "As the leader in Internet PCs and home networking,
Compaq strongly supports Microsoft's Universal Plug and Play initiative; it
truly complements our vision of the digitally networked home. With Universal
Plug and Play, Compaq's pioneering work on simple, foolproof home networks will
be extended in a completely compatible way to exciting new digital devices
throughout the home." Senior Vice President and Group General Manager Consumer Products Group "We are pleased to support Microsoft's Universal Plug and
Play initiative. Universal Plug and Play will become the driving force behind
the new easy-to-use intelligent network, making networking as familiar to
tomorrow's users as computing is to today's. Conexant plans to be at the
forefront of this exciting new technology." Senior Vice President and General Manager Conexant Systems Inc. "Dell has been active in consumer connectivity for some
time with our ConnectDirect broadband initiative with cable and
telecommunications suppliers. As broadband connections make high-speed home
Internet access a reality, the need for intrahome networking is on the horizon.
Microsoft's Universal Plug and Play helps lay the groundwork for simple home
networking augmented with high-speed Internet connections." Vice President Dimension Product Group Dell Computer Corp. "More and more consumers are searching for ways to easily
and affordably connect multiple PCs within the home. Today, we offer the
HomeFree brand of home networking products, including phoneline and wireless
solutions, that enable consumers to connect their PCs to share resources.
Microsoft's launch of Universal Plug and Play is an important step toward
expanding the definition of the digitally connected home beyond personal
computers to include intelligent appliances." Vice President and General Manager Communications Division Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc. "By simplifying the way computers and peripherals such as
digital cameras communicate with each other, Universal Plug and Play will make
it easier for consumers to get and share their pictures - and that's what Kodak
is about." - James Stoffel Director of R&D, Imaging Equipment and Software Vice President Eastman Kodak Co. "Microsoft's Universal Plug and Play concept supports
Echelon's vision for true end-to-end interoperability and open control
networking. Echelon's LonWorks System, including the LonWorks Network Services (LNS)
API and ActiveX® control, already support the Windows®
operating system and have built-in Internet/IP support to enable seamless
integration of data and control networks. LonWorks system's already strong
presence in the home, building, industrial and transportation markets is further
extended by the Universal Plug and Play concept." - Bea Yormark Vice President of Marketing and Sales Echelon Corp. "Consumers need the process of installing devices on a
network to be as simple as plugging in a lamp. HP's intent in co-developing
Universal Plug and Play with Microsoft is to continue to drive simplicity and
ease of use for our customers. We expect to implement this exciting new
protocol's device discovery mechanism in future HP JetDirect and HP Web JetAdmin
products." General Manager Network Peripheral Solutions Division Hewlett-Packard Co. "We believe the establishment of open standards for
Universal Plug and Play will enhance the Home API specification initiative by
making devices easier to install and connect to other networks. Together these
two initiatives will usher in a new industry helping to provide simpler lives in
complicated times. Honeywell is committed to this vision for comfort,
convenience and peace of mind." Vice President Home Vision Honeywell "Universal Plug and Play is all about providing universal
connectivity. Intellon's high-speed communication technology provides
connectivity over the most universal media, the AC power line. Microsoft's
implementation of our IeOFDM technology and the Universal Plug and Play
initiative will combine to bring networking to the widest variety of products
and applications." Vice President of Marketing Intellon Corp. "We believe the vision of the Universal Plug and Play
technology utilizing open standards is important to the advancement of the
industry. Carrying out this vision ties in well with Lexmark's vision for
Internet and home appliance printing." President Consumer Printer Division Lexmark International Inc. "National Semiconductor strongly supports the Universal
Plug and Play initiative. National has been working towards transitioning the
'wired and wireless' networks into a truly ubiquitous connection for PCs and
smart consumer devices. The Universal Plug and Play initiative is an exciting
and needed step in making networking seamless and will allow for transparent
exchange of data between smart devices. This initiative is the next step in
providing the needed 'always connected experience' with data on demand anywhere
and at any time." Chairman of the Board, President and CEO National Semiconductor Corp. "We believe that Universal Plug and Play will be the best
solution for seamless and easy connection between PCs, network peripherals and
intelligent consumer appliances." General Manager of PC Strategic Planning Office First Personal C&C Operation Unit NEC "Networks in homes and small businesses are one of the
most exciting new technology markets emerging today. Simplicity in installation
and usage are critical to fostering this market. Universal Plug and Play will be
extremely important in helping make the user experience simple and natural.
Proxim will be among the first to support this facility." Vice President Marketing and Sales Proxim Inc. "As one of the driving forces behind the recent emergence
of home networking, ShareWave has long advocated the vision of a connected home.
Microsoft's Universal Plug and Play initiative adds significant momentum to this
vision and is a great complement to our ShareWave Digital Wireless home
networking technology portfolio. ShareWave strongly supports Microsoft's efforts
in this area, and we look forward to working closely with Microsoft to make the
Universal Plug and Play initiative a success." President and CEO ShareWave Inc. "Texas Instruments [TI] welcomes industry initiatives
such as Microsoft's Universal Plug and Play. When combined with TI's Asymmetric
Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) solutions and home networking, Universal Plug and
Play can greatly simplify and enhance consumers' Internet experience." Broadband Access Director of Business Development Texas Instruments ######### Microsoft, ActiveX and Windows are either registered
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