ANT Announces Fresco Embedded Browser for the Java Platform; New Development Combines the Ease of Programming in Java With the Speed of a Native C Browser.

Business/High-Tech Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 27, 2000

ANT Limited, a leading provider of embedded communication appliance software for Internet devices and consumer electronics, has announced a development of its mature and proven Fresco(R) embedded browser to run on the Java platform.

This new implementation uses the Java Native Interface (JNI) to interface with Java-based Internet devices, enabling ANT to provide OEMs with a small footprint, fully customizable browser for Java environments. ANT Fresco is written in C, which reduces development times by combining the ease of programming in Java with the speed and performance advantage of a native browser.

ANT Fresco is based on a unique three-layer architecture, consisting of the ANT Portability Environment (APE), which manages the interface to the hardware platform; the core standards-compliant browser code; and a graphical front end, which allows the design of a custom user interface and functionality. For this new solution, ANT has developed an implementation of APE that interfaces with Java platforms through JNI. Therefore, all systems with a compliant JVM and a C compiler can run the Fresco browser without the browser code having to be ported at all. This implementation is intended to comply with developing industry standards for connected devices.

In a typical solution, the browser front end will be written in Java. The port to a Java platform means that whenever Fresco requires a platform-specific service, such as an event, socket, or timer, a call is made through APE, which maps onto an appropriate Java implementation through JNI. As the external events will all originate from Java, JNI is then used to make a call back into APE which, in turn, sends an appropriate event to the browser. Therefore, any applications written in Java can use Fresco as a native class to display HTML content.

ANT Fresco is a small memory footprint, standards-compliant browser that enables OEMs to quickly and easily design a branded interface for Internet appliances. It is platform-independent, so it can be used with any hardware or operating system environment, and is based on a patent pending three-layer architecture that enables it to overcome the power, memory and processor constraints inherent in such appliances. It also allows it to be ported to a new operating system in a matter of weeks, rather than months.

About ANT Limited

ANT Limited (www.antlimited.com) develops and markets embedded communication appliance software for use in consumer electronics, Internet appliances and eCommerce products. Core technology includes the ANT Fresco(R) Browser and the ANT SimplEmail email client, which employ high performance, highly portable and customizable architectures designed to meet the needs of Internet appliances and other networked products. ANT's technology gives original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of Internet devices, and the technology partners that supply them, three significant advantages: far greater speed to market, reduced engineering costs, and freedom to leverage corporate identity. The company's current customers and partners include: Aegis Broadband, Analog Devices, Bitstream, IBM Microelectronics, Pace Micro Technology, Sagem, Symbian, Tality, and Wind River Systems.

ANT Limited, 20 Cambridge Place, Cambridge, UK, CB2 1NS.

Tel 011 44 (0)1223 716400 Fax 011 44 (0)1223 716401

In the United States, call: 949/363-5662.

Fresco is a registered trademark of ANT Limited. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.