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Century Releases Operating Environment for Smart Devices as Open Source

Developers Gain Linux Standard for Small Footprint Flatpanel Devices

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - October 29, 2001 - Century Embedded Technologies, a leader in graphical application technologies for embedded Linux, today announced the release of the PIXIL™ Operating Environment (OE) platform for embedded devices running Linux to the open source community. Source code is available under both a commercial license and the open source GPL license. PIXIL OE is the foundation for Century's PIXIL suite of complete solutions for small form factor smart flatpanel devices.

PIXIL OE provides a standard platform for advanced smart flatpanel devices and internet appliances with requirements for wireless communications, networking, web browsing, power management, and GUIs. With a focus on delivering a standard set of elements across a broad range of devices, Century has provided an open source environment that can easily adapt to virtually any pervasive device with multiple form factors and connectivity requirements.

PIXIL OE serves as the base platform for Century's PIXIL PDA and PIXIL Thin Client solutions, targeting commercial PDAs, thin clients, Web PAD™ devices and information appliances. PIXIL offers a fully integrated architecture based on open standards and eliminates the costly and time-consuming need to combine individual components into one integrated solution. PIXIL can run on a variety of operating systems as well as graphical windowing environments.

"The release of PIXIL OE allows anyone to implement the platform freely," said Gregory Haerr, CEO of Century Software and Nano-X Project leader. "Open source has been at the forefront of innovation, improved standards, and quality of application development. Opening up the PIXIL OE platform will give developers and OEMs a Linux standard for smart flatpanel devices."

"We have experienced tremendous interest in PIXIL solutions for small footprint devices," Jon Beutler, director of new business for Century, "The dual licensing strategy will provide customers with the opportunity to evaluate the operating environment for their design and get a head start on development."

A Linux Standard for Embedded Devices
With a unique combination of internal design capabilities, device drivers, software development and management tools, PIXIL OE 1.0 offers a platform based on reliable open source Linux projects including Nano-X, a custom version of the FLTK Applications Framework (Fast Light Toolkit), Screentop Applications Manager, and the ViewML internet browser.

Nano-X brings the features of modern graphical windowing systems to embedded devices with minimal disk and RAM requirements. Linux framebuffer devices are fully supported and new device drivers are easily introduced. An enhanced of version of FLTK for Nano-X provides a modern 'look and feel' for PDAs. The Screentop Applications Manager offers screentop and window management integrated with handwriting recognition and onscreen keyboard functionality for all applications. The ViewML browser is a lightweight, small footprint and fully functional web browser with a runtime memory requirement of less than 2.5 Mb. Additional applications are a clock, terminal emulator, and games including Doom.

PIXIL-based solutions for thin clients and PDAs are available now from Century with commercial support. Featured bundled software components include a commercial PIM suite, graphical wireless network and system configuration, and remote Windows applications access. More information about PIXIL solutions for thin clients and PDAs is available at: http://embedded.censoft.com/pixil/pixil.php.

PIXIL OE: Licensing, Support, and Availability
For more information about PIXIL OE and download instructions, see http://embedded.censoft.com/pixil/pixiloe.php.

Century has created a developer mailing list for support and feedback, pda-devel@censoft.com allowing PIXIL OE developers to access other developers and Century Embedded Technologies engineering staff. Professional services and custom software are also available.

For those desiring a base platform supplied without in-house development resources, a PIXIL OE Certified Platform is available, supplied as a bootable system image with source, certified for a given Linux platform for a fixed fee. The Certified Platform provides free bug fixes and support for six months after initial deployment. Deployment licenses are priced based on volume.

For commercial inquiries and pricing, contact Century at: cetsales@centurysoftware.com, or call 1.801.268.3088.

About PIXIL™ Technology
PIXIL provides a complete suite of embedded solutions for advanced Internet appliances such as PDAs, WebPAD™ devices, cellular phones, smart handhelds, and thin clients. Developed for multiple form factor flat panel devices with requirements for wireless communications, networking, web browsing, power management and GUIs, PIXIL offers a fully integrated architecture leveraging the open standards of embedded Linux. PIXIL's modular framework, with fully optimized pre-defined components offers ready-to-use and easily customized applications.

About Century Embedded Technologies
Century Software Embedded Technologies, a newly created division of Century Software, Inc., is a leading developer of core applications technologies for the worldwide embedded Linux applications market. These technologies include: graphical windowing system development and runtime environments; customized Internet browsers and HTML viewers; embedded and Internet appliance multimedia technologies, including MP3 audio and MPEG video players and recorders; PDA/WebPAD runtime and development suites, PIM suites; and set-top boxes. Complete solutions These core technologies are designed specifically to allow chip manufacturers, hardware board vendors, and their customers to build embedded applications on x86, PowerPC, StrongARM, MIPS, SH and other microprocessor architectures running on either the Nano-X or the X Window System. Based in Salt Lake City, Century Software was founded in 1985 and is privately held. Century Software's CEO, Gregory Haerr, is the founder and chief maintainer of the Nano-X Project, and founder of the ViewML Project.

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Century Software, Century Embedded Technologies, and PIXIL are trademarks of Century Software, Inc. Linux is a registered trademark owned by Linus Torvalds. WebPAD is a registered trademark of National Semiconductor Corporation. All other names mentioned are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

Contacts:
Jill Ratkevic
1 (408) 209-5181
jillr@centurysoftware.com

Jon Beutler
1 (801) 268-3088 X145
jonb@centurysoftware.com