3Com Racks Up a Full House With Five Awards At Comdex 99; Industry-Leading Connectivity Solutions Garner Three PC Computing MVP Awards and Two PC Magazine Technical Excellence Awards.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 24, 1999--

Continuing its reign as a leader in personal connectivity solutions, 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) today announced it took home a trio of PC Computing 1999 Most Valuable Product (MVP) Awards and two PC Magazine Technical Excellence Awards at Fall Comdex 99.

3Com's Fast EtherLink(R) XL 10/100 PCI Network Interface Card (NIC), U.S. Robotics(R) Voice Faxmodem Pro and Palm V(TM) handheld computer were awarded top honors in their respective hardware categories by PC Computing, while the Palm V handheld computer and NBX(R) 100 Communications System collected Technical Excellence Awards from PC Magazine.

"We're thrilled that two of the industry's premier publications have again recognized 3Com products as must-have business solutions," said Jef Graham, general manager of 3Com's Personal Connectivity Business Unit. "The coveted MVP and Technical Excellence Awards reinforce 3Com's commitment to delivering best-of-class products that keep our customers connected to the information that matters -- in the office, at home and on the go."

Leading the way for 3Com was the Palm V connected organizer, which earned an MVP Award for "Best Pocket PC" and a Technical Excellence Award for design. Based on the industry-leading Palm Computing(R) platform, the popular Palm V handheld computer offers a groundbreaking ultra-thin industrial design and new features for user convenience, such as a rechargeable lithium ion battery.

In its inaugural exhibition at Comdex, the NBX 100 Communications System received the Technical Excellence Award for Network Infrastructure because, according to PC Magazine, its technical design is simply "the best." The system's ability to converge a full-featured telephone system with LAN/WAN connectivity demonstrates how 3Com is tearing down the barriers impeding the complete harmonization of voice and data networks and IP protocols.

For the second consecutive year, the 3Com(R) Fast EtherLink XL 10/100 PCI NIC was honored with an MVP Award in the Desktop LAN Adapter category, for its industry-leading performance, reliability and easy installation. The Fast EtherLink XL NIC leverages expanded capabilities that reduce cost of PC ownership through manageability and enhanced network intelligence, and utilizes 3Com's patented Parallel Tasking(TM) II technology to optimize data transfer from the network to the desktop.

Taking the MVP Award for "Best Desktop Modem" was the 3Com U.S. Robotics Voice Faxmodem Pro. Geared toward home and home office users, the 3Com U.S. Robotics Voice Faxmodem Pro offers an integrated office-quality speakerphone, universal serial bus (USB) connectivity and a full version of WinFax PRO -- the world's number one selling communications software. Like all 3Com V.90 modems, the Voice Faxmodem Pro ensures the best Internet experience with exclusive line probing technology, which delivers high-quality connections by negotiating around tough impairments found on the phone line.

Now in its 11th year, the MVP Awards honor technology and general business tools, including Internet products and services, digital products, and software and hardware that help businesses prosper in today's age of "digital Darwinism." The winners of the Technical Excellence Awards are chosen because they introduce new technologies and new concepts to the IT industry and achieve major advances in existing products to make them work better.

About 3Com

With over 300 million customers worldwide, 3Com Corporation connects more people to information in more ways than any other networking company. 3Com delivers innovative information access products and network system solutions to enterprises, small businesses, carriers and network service providers, PC OEMs and consumers. 3Com - More connected.(TM) For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox.

3Com, Palm Computing, U.S. Robotics, NBX and EtherLink are registered trademarks, and Palm V, Parallel Tasking and More connected. are trademarks of 3Com Corporation or its subsidiaries. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.