Alias/Wavefront and Acer join together to drive tablet PC sales.

Alias/Wavefront, an SGI (NYSE:SGI) company, and Acer America Corporation, recently announced an agreement to bundle Alias SketchBook Pro on all Acer Tablet PCs sold worldwide. This powerful combination pairs Acer's industry leading Tablet PC technology with Alias SketchBook Pro's best-in-class digital pen-based sketching and annotation software, offering users a unique, out-of-the-box visual collaboration package that extends the true functionality of the Tablet PC experience.

Combining the features of paint, image processing, viewing, image organization, annotation and presentation, Alias SketchBook Pro empowers professionals to develop and present pen-driven images, ideas and documents from anywhere, at any time. The application is especially useful for mobile professionals whose line of work often places them in collaborative situations--from insurance inspectors, educational instructors and law enforcement to government officials, engineers, ad creatives and architects.

"While the Tablet PC market is off to a healthy start, industry partnerships and professional application-based solutions like Alias SketchBook Pro will be seen as key market drivers that help propel Tablet PC sales forward in 2003," said Steve Maric, sales and marketing manager, Alias/Wavefront. "As early adopter sales begin to soften, interest will turn toward capturing the attention and imagination of vertical markets while growing overall corporate acceptance. The agreement between Acer and Alias/Wavefront will present another compelling reason for Tablet PC purchasers to invest in Acer."

Designed with full consideration of people's most natural and practical computing needs, Acer TravelMate Convertible Tablet PCs bring a new dimension to mobile computing by uniting the notebook PC with the tablet computer. Exceptional portability and multiple methods of input coupled with a convertible screen and tablet operating system make this the perfect match to SketchBook Pro's pen-based drawing and annotation package.

"As the leading provider of convertible Tablet solutions, we are always looking for new and innovative solutions to empower our users and provide a more enriching Tablet experience," said Sumit Agnihotry, mobile product manager for Acer America. "Alias SketchBook Pro brings technology that is used by thousands of automotive and industrial designers and creators of film, videos and games to the mainstream user. This new offering extends the power of Acer's Tablet PCs and is a perfect complement to the note taking features of Microsoft Journal."

Alias SketchBook Pro 'Try and Buy' will be preloaded on all Acer Tablet PC desktops sold worldwide. Alias SketchBook Pro 'Try and Buy' will provide Acer customers with the ability to use Alias SketchBook Pro for a 15-day trial period. Additional value-added programs will also be offered by Alias/Wavefront to support this special bundle.