Now Software Supports Versit Standard for Electronic Business Cards; New Products From Now Software Will Integrate Electronic Business Card Data Directly Into Desktop Address Books.

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 1996--Now Software, the leading time management software developer for Windows(R) and Apple(R) Macintosh(R) computers worldwide, today announced plans to integrate vCard(TM), the Versit standard for electronic business cards, into its best-selling time and contact management software in order to simplify information exchange.

Versit is a global initiative of Apple, AT&T, IBM and Siemens which seeks to eliminate barriers to communication and collaboration by developing and promoting open cross-platform specifications for a wide range of computer and telephony products.

"The difficulty with electronic address books today is getting information into them," said Duane Schulz, President and CEO of Now Software Inc. "Adopting a single standard for the exchange of personal addresses and phone numbers makes entries significantly easier to input. If you find personal information you want to keep while navigating the electronic environment, you simply drag a business card into your Now Up-to-Date address book."

Working with Versit since mid-1995, Now Software is the first contact management vendor to fully implement complete drag-and-drop support of Versit technology in a commercially shipping product. Now Software is committed to introducing time management products in 1996 which will allow publishers to post Versit-compatible directories on the World Wide Web. These products will include Versit-compatible forms that will automatically complete themselves when a user drags a vCard onto them, as well as Versit-compatible address books which independent software vendors can include for distribution in their own products.

"The need for a common means of sharing personal information among fax, e-mail and personal information managers (PIMs) has become urgent and has widespread implications," said Al Rosen, Managing Director of Versit at IBM Corp. "Now's rapid acceptance and deployment of vCard will help ensure a swifter adoption of the vCard on desktops and within networks around the globe."

"From the beginning, Now Software has been an aggressive supporter of Versit," said Phac le Tuan, Versit Managing Director at Apple Computer Inc. Now Software's swiftness and agility in adopting the Versit electronic business card format demonstrates their commitment to revolutionize time and contact management, and will go a long way toward establishing the Versit format as a standard for personal information exchange."

Now Software has been featured in Versit technology demonstrations since mid-1995 when Version 1.0 of vCard was introduced. Versit demonstrations have included illustrating how users can drag and drop information by means of a vCard directly into Now Contact(TM). Versit plans to release Version 2.0 of vCard in March of 1996.

Now Software of Portland, Ore., is a worldwide leader in time management software, and the 65th-largest software company in the U.S. (SoftLetter). Its award-winning products include Now Up-to-Date for Windows(R), Now Up-to-Date & Contact(TM) for Macintosh(R) and Now Utilities(TM). Contact Now Software at 1-800/689-9427; fax at 503/274-0670; e-mail to [e-mail]; or through Now's Web site at http://www.nowsoft.com.

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Note to Editors: Now Utilities, Now Up-to-Date, and Now Up-to-Date & Contact are trademarks of Now Software Inc. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. vCard is a trademark of Versit.

CONTACT: Now Software Inc.

Tom Swinford, 503/274-6341

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or

Deb Catello, 503/796-3883

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