MontaVista Software Partners With Tao Group for Interactive Digital Multimedia Consumer Devices; MontaVista Linux Interoperable With Tao Group's Intent.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

READING, UK & SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 7, 2002

Tao Group Ltd. and MontaVista Software Inc., the company powering the embedded revolution, today announced that MontaVista(TM) Linux(R) Professional Edition is interoperable with intent(R), Tao Group's universal multimedia platform for home and mobile networks.

intent is a binary, portable, language-independent platform that can run rich graphic, audio and video content across a diverse range of digital client devices. intent delivers gaming capability through its combination of rich multimedia and Java(TM) features. It supports several Java specifications, including the J2ME Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) and Personal Java 1.1.8.

"Our relationship with MontaVista Software has been developing for some time and the results include significant products hitting the market place within a matter of a few months," said Francis Charig, Chairman and CEO of Tao Group. "MontaVista was one of the first companies to join the Open Contents Platform Association in Japan, which has ratified intent's core specification as its standard contents platform for consumer devices. Both companies are working with many of the world's leading blue chip technology corporations. The ability to combine technologies and expertise from the leading embedded Linux company with those of Tao and our world class multimedia solution makes for a very powerful partnership with potentially global ramifications."

MontaVista Linux Professional Edition is a systems software product that helps developers create a broad range of embedded applications, from solutions for consumer devices to highly available telecommunications and data communications equipment. MontaVista Linux Professional Edition includes a fully preemptive kernel and real-time scheduling, small footprint targets and journaling file systems.

"Tao created intent as a high performance multimedia engine to deliver premium content to next-generation devices, regardless of their shape, size or function, hardware platform or operating system," said Sheila Baker, vice president of marketing for MontaVista Software. "Our collaboration offers consumer electronics OEMs a robust and open solution for their next generation of home and mobile electronics devices."

About Tao Group Limited

Tao has developed intent(R), a binary portable, language independent, high performance, multimedia platform that is now used by many of the world's leading OEMs in their client products for home and mobile networks. The technology allows these companies to have a single strategy across all of their platforms, irrespective of operating system, hardware and function. intent is now being used in products including smart mobile appliances and digital television. intent is also a core piece of technology in the Open Contents Platform Association (OCPA), launched successfully in Japan during 2001. Tao's range of Java(TM) products have been designed from their inception to combine the Java language with Tao's multimedia to run real-world content many times faster than any alternative. The Company was founded in 1992, has offices in the United States, Europe and Japan and counts Mitsubishi, Sony, Motorola, NEC, Sharp and Bowman Capital Partners amongst its investors. Tao has a growing and high value, global patent portfolio and is the recipient of multiple industry awards, both for its technologies and for the rate of corporate growth. http://tao-group.com http://withintent.biz

About MontaVista Software

MontaVista Software is a leading global supplier of systems software for intelligent connected devices and their associated infrastructure, for applications ranging from communications infrastructure to consumer electronics. MontaVista powers the embedded revolution by providing GNU/Linux based open-source systems software solutions. Founded in 1999 by real-time operating system (RTOS) pioneer James Ready, MontaVista Software's principal products include MontaVista(TM) Linux(R) Professional Edition and MontaVista(TM) Linux(R) Carrier Grade Edition. The Professional Edition comprises a Linux-based embedded source and binary distribution, cross development environments, and a versatile set of tools for the x86/IA-32, PowerPC, StrongARM, MIPS, SH, ARM, XScale, Xtensa and other microprocessor architectures. The Carrier Grade Edition is a next-generation high availability product that is the first Commercial Off-The-Shelf Linux (COTS) platform for telecommunications and carrier-grade applications. MontaVista Software also provides several complementary technology products addressing specific customer needs, such as Java development and runtime, powerful graphics capabilities and more.

Headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley, in Sunnyvale, Calif., MontaVista Software is a privately held company funded by leading investors such as Alloy Ventures, US Venture Partners, RRE Ventures, WR Hambrecht + Co., IBM, Intel Capital, Panasonic and Sony Corporation. For more information about MontaVista Software, please visit http://www.mvista.com, email to [e-mail] or call 408/328-9200.

Note to Editors: Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. MontaVista is a trademark of MontaVista Software Inc. All other names mentioned are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective companies.