Comdex "Off-Key" Note: the Scientist and the Suit Meet the Comic and the Toga.

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--November 4, 1998--So, who's the goofy guy in the toga? And what's he doing on the keynote stage at Comdex with the scientist and the "suit?"

This less-than-likely troika comes together for what promises to be the most entertaining and enlightening keynote of Fall Comdex '98. And who would have thought it was from Xerox?

The scientist is John Seely Brown, director of the fabled Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, the scientific sandbox where, 20 years ago, the seeds of modern computing germinated and today some of the world's most fertile minds plot the next technological insurrection.

The suit is Rick Thoman, the Xerox COO driving the company's strategy to transform knowledge into a competitive advantage, challenge conventional corporate thinking and re-energize one of America's technological icons.

And the toga drapes John O'Hurley, the former "Seinfeld" alum who has assumed a new role as the brow-arching, wise-cracking leader of a troupe of troubadours providing inspiration from beyond in a newly released series of Xerox television commercials that underscore the company's hard-charging "take-no-prisoners" approach to the marketplace.

Together, for the first time publicly, they'll take the wraps off some of the ideas and technologies that resolve some of the puzzling paradoxes pressing the industry. They'll demystify "the problem of zillions," they'll unveil the first "extreme" user interfaces, and they'll shatter the centuries-old precepts about paper. And they'll explain what the coffee pot has to do with all of this. The keynote is the highlight of a week-long series of activities sponsored by Xerox.

Bigger than a football field? Actually, No. But...

Although widely rumored to be bigger than a football field, the Xerox booth at Comdex is actually about half the size of a football field - a recreated Greek amphitheater whose columns will tower more than two stories above the show floor, making it among the largest and most impressive displays at the event. The booth, complete with its sculpted Greek-style head and mystical reflecting pool, faithfully recreates the scene depicted in the newly unveiled $200 million Xerox global advertising campaign and provides the ideal backdrop for the "Greek Chorus" that will guide the expected torrent of visitors.

The environment provides a fitting showcase for a range of Xerox products and solutions, including it's industry-leading, HP-challenging line of desktop and network inkjet and laser printers, and digital desktop copier/printers; new multifunction devices that bring digital printing, copying and scanning to the networked office at blazing speeds previously unattainable; solutions that leverage the knowledge of an organization enabling people to work smarter; and Xerox New Enterprise companies, moving hot technologies from the research lab into the marketplace.

Where and When:

The Xerox booth is located at space L-1048 at the Las Vegas Convention Center from November 15 - 19. The Xerox keynote address, with Xerox Chief Operating Officer Rick Thoman, Xerox Chief Scientist John Seely Brown and their actor-foil John O'Hurley, is scheduled for Wednesday, November 18, 8:30 a.m. at Keynote Hall in the Las Vegas Hilton.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Xerox, The Document Company, and the digital X are trademarks of Xerox Corporation. For more information about The Document Company, Xerox, please visit our website at http://www.xerox.com