iReady Awarded Patent for Hardware-Based Internet Protocol Engine; Internet Tuner Ideal Connectivity Solution for Non-PC Electronics Devices.

Business/High-Tech Editors

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 6, 2000

iReady(R) Corporation, a leading provider of Internet connectivity technology and Internet network services for non-PC devices, today announced it was awarded U.S. patent number 6,034,963 for its innovative iReady Internet Tuner(R) technology. Internet Tuner enables electronics manufacturers of consumer, business and industrial devices to easily integrate Internet capabilities and quickly bring non-PC, Internet-ready products to market.

Market researcher International Data Corporation predicts the growth rate for non-PC devices on the Internet will soon exceed that of PCs, and the number of non-PC devices with Internet connections will grow from 42 million in 1999 to more than 233 million in 2002.

"Today we're seeing a tremendous growth of the next wave of the Internet evolution as a multitude of mass-market non-PC devices are becoming connected," said Ryo Koyama, iReady president and CEO. "The Internet is no longer the sole domain of PCs and other relatively high-priced, high-powered devices. The Internet Tuner is the foundation technology that is driving the Internet evolution."

Current announced licensees of iReady's technology include Seiko Instruments, Toshiba and LightSpeed Semiconductor. Seiko's award-winning iChip(TM) S-7600A is based on the Internet Tuner. Other licensees have also adopted the technology to serve as the basis for their non-PC Internet device strategy.

"Because iReady's Internet Tuner design is a pre-configured, drop-in intellectual property solution, we were able to quickly and easily incorporate Internet protocol intellectual property into application specific standard part (ASSP) products," said Don Feeney, general manager of Seiko Instruments' U.S. Electronics Components Division. "In addition, the Internet Tuner hardware stack enables us to cost-effectively offer our customers ASSPs with more functionality, higher quality and higher performance Internet solutions while we extend Seiko's longstanding leadership in providing extremely low-power electronic solutions."

iReady Internet Tuner -- Unleashing the Power of the Internet

The iReady Internet Tuner is a hardware TCP/IP protocol stack solution that provides Internet connectivity for non-PC devices. The technology is distinguished by its ability to process Internet protocols in hardware using a streaming byte architecture. The patented architecture allows the Internet Tuner to process network packets at very low power consumption and clock rates, as opposed to solutions that require a combination of software running on microprocessors. This allows the same macro core to be used in systems ranging from low bit rate dial up systems to broad band 100MB systems.

Based on industry-standard protocols, the Internet Tuner is a pre-configured embeddable core that provides an easy, low-cost "drop-in" method of adding Internet functionality to any integrated circuit design. Delivered as fully tested Verilog RTL code, it can be easily integrated into any chip design and is ideally suited for a wide range of low-cost and power-sensitive non-PC devices -- such as digital cameras, screen phones, electronic toys, utility meters, medical devices and industrial control products.

Featuring exceptional interoperability, scalability and reliability and low power consumption, the iReady Internet Tuner architecture is technology and library independent, providing a high degree of design flexibility.

About iReady

Privately held iReady Corporation, founded in 1996, is leading the next wave of the Internet evolution by providing Internet connectivity technology and Internet network services for a new generation of non-PC smart devices. The company provides both the enabling semiconductor technology and device specific Internet services. iReady's innovative end-to-end solutions include the "Internet-on-a-chip" Internet Tuner, enabling software and Internet services that allow manufacturers of consumer, business and industrial devices to open the door to the power of the Internet for their customers. More than 300 manufacturers are working to incorporate iReady technology into their devices.

Company headquarters are located at 2903 Bunker Hill Lane, Santa Clara, CA 95054; telephone [phone]; fax [phone]. Visit the company's Web site at www.iready.com.

For Seiko Instruments' sales information, please contact: Seiko Instruments USA Inc. 2990 West Lomita Blvd., Torrance, CA 90505. Phone:[phone]. FAX: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail]. www.seiko-usa-ecd.com.

(c)2000 iReady Corporation. All rights reserved. iReady(R)is a trademark of iReady Corporation: All other trademarks and registered trademarks are those of their respective companies.