HOT -- Hands-On Technology -- Introduces CRUSH, First Interactive Multimedia Title for Developing Competitive Strategies; HOT Receives $1 Million in Advance Product Orders for CRUSH.

BURLINGAME, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 1995--HOT (Hands-On Technology), the first multimedia publisher to focus exclusively on the needs of the business market, today announced the availability of CRUSH, an interactive multimedia software tool designed to help marketing and sales professionals develop marketing strategies and action plans for crushing their competition. HOT has already received $1 million in product orders from customers eager to utilize CRUSH.

CRUSH is a real-time marketing insight tool that enables marketers to segment their market effectively; identify and analyze trends and competitors; map competitive positions in the market; and create reports, presentations and action plans to develop winning competitive strategies. Targeted to marketing and sales professionals, strategic planners and entrepreneurs, CRUSH prompts users to combine data about their specific organizations -- even existing files on users' desktops, servers or Internet sites -- with the information already available in CRUSH to help them refine their marketing objectives and evaluate competitive strengths and weaknesses.

Initial market response to CRUSH has been very strong. "The CRUSH launch is the most successful launch of any multimedia business title and one of the most successful launches of any multimedia title," said Rick Davis, HOT's vice president of marketing and sales. "No other business title has achieved a $1 million backlog of orders at the time of launch. This demonstrates the need the market has for this type of business application."

CRUSH: Creating Customized Marketing Strategies

CRUSH allows business professionals to gather and organize vital competitive data, build a customized competitive database and develop reports and action plans to accomplish users' competitive marketing goals. CRUSH also includes case examples that demonstrate how leading companies have successfully coped with marketing challenges by identifying market trends, determining their company's strengths and weaknesses and/or mapping their competitive positions. The product is based on the proven methodologies of Regis McKenna, the well-known marketing guru and chairman of Regis McKenna Inc., a leading marketing consulting and communications firm. Regis McKenna acts as a mentor in CRUSH, allowing users to benefit from McKenna's useful tips to analyze and improve their competitive situation.

CRUSH is HOT's first product and the first title in a family of interactive multimedia products the company will develop that incorporate the proven methods of well-known corporate leaders and an integrated set of tools to bring the latest success secrets and business methodologies to the desktops of corporate business professionals and entrepreneurs. HOT's CD-ROM-based products are built with sophisticated multimedia technology that allows users to interact with their expert mentor to gain insight and apply the mentor's proven methodologies to their own unique business situation.

"Multimedia has been a technology in search of a business," said Michael Mellin, president and chief executive officer of HOT. "CRUSH is one of the first multimedia applications to justify the use of multimedia computers and titles in the business environment. We plan on delivering many products that will help showcase the power and capability multimedia tools can provide business professionals."

CRUSH runs on Windows, Macintosh and PowerPC multimedia personal computers with a CD-ROM drive and is priced at $499. The Macintosh version is available immediately, with the Windows version shipping next month.

On-Line Access and Consultants Network Provide Additional Marketing Resources

In a related announcement, HOT today launched its HOT Internet Home Page and the HOT Consultants Network to provide additional marketing resources for its customers.

The HOT Internet Home Page (http://www.HOT.sf.ca.us) supplies customers with any additional service and support they may need. The home page gives Internet users exposure to a range of information resources as well as access to other valuable sites on the Internet, making other useful material and specialized reports accessible with the touch of a button.

The home page is also the site of the HOT Consultants Network (HCN). HCN allows planners, marketers, entrepreneurs and other industry decision makers to identify certified marketing experts for solutions to specific marketing problems. HCN not only includes information resources, but also lists qualified and respected industry experts that provide value-added marketing expertise.

By visiting HOT's home page, users can join in live conferences and seminars with industry leaders and educators or participate in user roundtables. It also provides users with a direct connection to the HOT staff and the ability to receive on-line product demonstrations, such as CRUSH.

About HOT

HOT is a privately funded company. Major investors include R.R. Donnelley & Sons; Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers; Olivetti Ventures; New Enterprise Associates; and several prominent individuals, including Regis McKenna, the marketing expert featured in HOT's first product and Bill Campbell, president and CEO of Intuit.

Headquartered in Burlingame, Calif., HOT (Hands-On Technology) develops, manufactures and markets a new category of interactive CD-ROM-based products called "real-time insight tools" designed for business professionals. Founded in 1993, HOT is the first multimedia publisher to focus exclusively on the needs of the business market. -0-

Note to Editors: Hands-On Technology, HOT, CRUSH and the HOT logo are all trademarks of Hands-On Technology Inc.

CONTACT: Hands-On Technology

Rick Davis, 415/579-7755

or

Regis McKenna Inc.

Renee Dorrell, 415/354-4485