CIDCO Wins CES 2000 'Best of Show' Award for the MailStation.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

CES 2000

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 2000

Internet Appliance that Brought Simple and Low-Cost E-Mail to

Consumers Recognized as Leading Innovative Product in Personal

Electronics Category

CIDCO Incorporated (Nasdaq:CDCO), a worldwide leader in telephony and Internet appliance products and services, received the Innovations 2000 "Best of Show" award at the International Consumer Electronics Show taking place this week in Las Vegas. Out of the thousands of products viewed this year, the MailStation(TM) was honored in the Design & Engineering Innovations Showcase for personal electronics.

The MailStation can be seen at Booth No. 5061 in the Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall and at the Innovations 2000 Pavilion at the Sands Expo. As a "Best of Show" winner, the MailStation can also be viewed in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Additionally, a number of MailStation units will be available for use in the Press Rooms at the Las Vegas Convention Center throughout the duration of the show.

"CIDCO is honored to receive the Best of Show Award and to be recognized for having a leading-edge Internet appliance for the year 2000," said CIDCO President and CEO Paul Locklin. "This achievement is truly an honor and correlates with the positive impact the MailStation continues to make in the consumer marketplace. As one of the products singled out from the thousands of entries submitted this year, this award helps underscore CIDCO's successful expansion from our core competencies in the telephony space into the Internet appliance arena."

Now in its third year, the Innovations 2000 awards program operates in conjunction with the 2000 International CES, annually drawing more than 3,200 press, and more than 90,000 retailers, distributors and other consumer technology executives from around the world. This program is co-sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Manufacturing Association and the Industrial Designers Society of America and is endorsed and advised by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

The Innovations 2000 Design & Engineering Awards are selected and evaluated by a panel of 25 judges comprised of industrial designers, engineers and trade press whom honor only the very best products and technologies in design, engineering and software. Product evaluations are based on weighted criteria which include value to user, aesthetics, contributions to the quality of life, as well as the product's innovative qualities. This year, 300 products that received the highest score in their category are being honored in the showcase.

MAILSTATION: THE POST OFFICE FOR THE POST-PC ERA 

E-mail has become a worldwide phenomenon and the MailStation is at the forefront of this new era in communications by giving consumers a convenient and affordable way to keep in touch with friends and family with this dedicated Internet e-mail device. Compact, portable, and highly affordable, CIDCO's MailStation is ideal for a large segment of the population who were previously left out of the e-mail revolution since there was no alternative to the PC to communicate via e-mail.

The MailStation comes with an integrated graphical pop-up display and a nearly full size keyboard conducive to the comfortable composing of numerous e-mails. The MailStation arrives completely configured with the user's pre-selected e-mail address and Internet settings and only requires connection to any standard telephone jack for immediate sending and receiving of e-mail messages. Battery powered, the device is portable for use in any room in the home or outside of the home while out on the road.

ABOUT CIDCO INCORPORATED

CIDCO Incorporated (Nasdaq:CDCO), founded in 1988, is a worldwide leader in telephony and Internet appliance products and services that empower consumers to communicate simply and easily over advanced telephony networks and the Internet. Through its alliances with many of the world's leading telephone companies, CIDCO develops advanced network appliances such as Internet appliances, network feature telephones, Caller ID devices and voice mail navigation appliances that enable consumers to maximize the value of telephony networks and Internet services. CIDCO introduced its first Internet appliance in 1998 for a world moving into the developing Internet appliance era and is extending this vision to devices that will make e-mail and other information services readily available to consumers that don't have access to or require traditional computers. The company is headquartered in Morgan Hill, California at the south end of Silicon Valley. For additional information, visit www.cidco.com or call 408/779-1162.

MailStation and CIDCO are trademarks of CIDCO Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

In addition to the historical information contained herein, this press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Federal securities laws and are subject to the safe harbors created thereby. The following are among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements: business conditions and growth in the telecommunications industry and general economies, both domestic and international; lower than expected customer orders; competitive factors; changes in product mix or distribution channels; natural disasters/acts of God; and technological difficulties and resource constraints encountered in developing and/or introducing new products. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release regarding industry trends, product development and introductions, sales, and future business activities should be considered in light of these factors and those factors discussed from time to time in CIDCO's public reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, such as those discussed under "Factors that May Affect Future Results" in CIDCO's report on form 10K for the year ended December 31, 1998, and on form 10Q for the quarter ended September 30, 1999.