Cleveland Indians Select STR Tradewind to Manage Point-of-Sale Operations.

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

PALM BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2000

Applied Digital Solutions' retail systems and software unit, STR, Inc., to help improve customer service and enhance overall efficiency

of the Cleveland Indians' merchandise concessions, retail shops and

training facility

Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSX) today announced, through its retail systems and software development unit, STR, Inc., that The Cleveland Indians Baseball Company has chosen the STR TradeWind(R) software system to manage its in-store and point-of-sale operations in merchandise concessions at Jacob's Field, its nine company-owned Indians Team Shops retail stores, and its spring training facility in Winter Haven, Florida.

In addition, STR also will install a wide area network (WAN) that will connect all of the Cleveland Indians' concessions and stores with their corporate office.

The Cleveland Indians retail operation has evolved from a single team shop to a full-fledged enterprise over the past six years. A review of store systems showed many needs, including replacing an outdated system that required a tremendous amount of human intervention. The Indians' requirements list identified 1) a new, easy-to-use and fully-functional point of sale system, 2) productivity tools to measure effectiveness and development of sales associates, and 3) an exception-based loss prevention application.

"We need to get more information about what we sell and when we sell for our store managers to become more effective and efficient," said Jayne Churchmack, Cleveland Indians Senior Director of Merchandising and Licensing. "We feel that STR shares our vision of the technical direction of retailing, and I am looking forward to building a partnership with a local company that will help us grow our business with the assistance of technology."

Commenting on the partnership, Applied Digital Chairman and CEO Richard J. Sullivan said, "Nobody understands the technical aspects of in-store systems and data warehousing better than the STR team. And we're very pleased that more and more service-oriented organizations like the Cleveland Indians are selecting STR as a strategic partner to help improve the efficiency of their retail operations."

Updated Technology Brings a Host of Benefits

Installing TradeWind(R), TradeRoute and TradeWatch(TM) (additional STR software applications), and a companion wide area network, will enable the Cleveland Indians to connect their entire retail organization. This dramatic technological leap will facilitate trickle polling, a retail intranet, store-level e-mail, host-based data warehouses and real-time information sharing. This translates into business benefits such as better customer service through instant item look-ups, faster sales updates, and improved communications of markdowns, shipments, company news and much more.

"STR has the ability to make the most of their development platform and technology," noted Dave Powell, Cleveland Indians Director of Information Systems. "They have the vision and the products to deliver the business solutions we want, using the technology we want to use. Partnering with STR brings us more than processing power and functionality. They are helping us build real-time connections throughout our retail operations; that's where the real power lies."

Robert W. Munson, President of STR, said, "The Cleveland Indians understand the tremendous power they can bring to bear on their retail enterprise through the implementation of innovative applications and technology. We're delighted that they've chosen TradeWind(R), TradeRoute and TradeWatch(TM), and we look forward to an exciting and creative partnership with them for many years to come."

The Cleveland Indians Baseball Company, Inc. is the sole general partner of the partnership that owns the Cleveland Indians, one of the premier franchises in Major League Baseball. The team holds one of the sport's highest winning percentages since 1994 and currently has the longest streak of consecutive sellouts in Major League Baseball. General information about the Indians can be found on the World Wide Web at www.indians.com.

About STR, Inc.

STR, Inc., an Applied Digital Solutions company, develops and markets in-store systems and corporate data warehousing tools to the retail industry. STR has more than 15,000 contracted installations in a client base of internationally recognized specialty retail companies. To learn more about STR, please visit www.STRinc.com.

About Applied Digital Solutions, Inc.

Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. is an e-business to business solutions provider offering Internet, telecom, LAN and software services to a wide variety of businesses throughout North America. For more information, visit the Company's web site at www.adsx.com.

Statements about the Company's future expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are `forward-looking statements' within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, and the Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances.