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Motorola Computer Group To License The BeOS

RELEASED FEBRUARY 19, 1997

For more information contact

Be, Inc:
Alex Osadzinski, alex@be.com
+1 (650) 462-4126

Motorola Computer Group:
Terri Thorson, terri@finner.phx.mcd.mot.com
(602) 438-3287

MOTOROLA COMPUTER GROUP ANNOUNCES INTENT TO LICENSE
THE BEOS AND JOINS BE, INC. IN TECHNOLOGY ALLIANCE

BeOS to Ship with MCG's StarMax PowerPC Systems

MACWORLD EXPO, TOKYO, Japan (19 February 1997) -- Motorola Computer Group (MCG) and Be, Inc. announced today their intent to enter into a licensing agreement under which the Be Operating System (BeOS) will be bundled with MCG's successful StarMax line of personal computers. The companies are also working together in a technology alliance to ensure that the BeOS will take full advantage of future PowerPC systems.

Under the planned agreement, the two companies intend to work together to ensure that the BeOS will run on all MCG StarMax systems, which include the current StarMax 3000 and 4000 series of computers. In addition, the companies are studying BeOS support for MCG's PowerStack line of high-performance servers and workstations.

The companies will disclose product plans to each other involving the BeOS, MCG's computer systems, and PowerPC designs, strengthening a relationship that will deliver a new level of digital design and multimedia capability and performance.

"We're very pleased to have Motorola, one of the core partners in building the PowerPC and a rising force in delivering PowerPC-based personal computers, as a partner in creating and proliferating the BeOS." said Jean-Louis Gassee, president and CEO of Be, Inc. "Motorola has a unique perspective as both a microprocessor and systems manufacturer that we think will be of great help in making the BeOS the premier digital media design platform."

"We are extremely pleased to have formed this alliance with Be, Inc.," commented Dennis Schneider, vice president and general manager Commercial Products Division, Motorola Computer Group. "By bundling the BeOS with our MacOS-compatible StarMax systems, we will be providing our customers with the best two operating systems to meet the needs of the multimedia, publishing and enterprise markets."

The BeOS is a new operating system designed for media-rich, interactive content design applications that will characterize the next generation of computing. It is a full symmetric multiprocessing system (the ability to make use of multiple processors in a single system) that offers full preemptive multitasking, multithreaded operation, protected memory, and an object-oriented design. Thousands of developers already have advance copies of the operating system and are creating new applications in image processing, web design and serving, digital audio editing and digital video design.

Since shipments began in mid-November 1996, over 56,000 StarMax systems have shipped. According to a recent Dataquest alert, the MacOS compatible market grew 348% in the last quarter (Q4) of 1996, rising from 2.4% to 13.9% marketshare.

Under the planned agreement, BeOS will be bundled as a bootable CD-ROM with MCG's StarMax systems at no additional cost to the end-user. The companies plan to release more details on the bundling arrangements before the end of the first quarter.

Be plans to release the first publically available version of the BeOS, the "Preview Release" at the end of the first quarter of 1997. More information on the BeOS can be found at http://www.be.com. More information about the Motorola Computer Group and StarMax systems can be found at http://www.mot.com/computer.

About Motorola Computer Group

The Motorola Computer Group is a worldwide hardware and software platform supplier to companies that provide computer solutions. MCG's strategy is to deliver high-performance PowerPC platforms and solutions for Mac OS, BeOS and AIX operating systems targeting areas such as graphics-intensive applications, multimedia and the Internet.

MCG corporate headquarters, along with regional headquarters for Pan America, are located in Tempe, Ariz. Regional European headquarters are located in Maidenhead, United Kingdom. European channel headquarters are located in Paris, France. Headquarters for MCG's Asia Pacific region are located in Hong Kong. Eastern Europe and Mediterranean headquarters are located in Tel Aviv, Israel. Information about MCG's products is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.mot.com/computer.

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) is one of the world's leading providers of wireless communications, semiconductors and advanced electronic systems, components and services. Major equipment businesses include cellular telephone, two-way radio, paging and data communications, personal communications, automotive, defense and space electronics, and computers. Motorola semiconductors power communication devices, computers and millions of other products. Motorola's 1996 sales were $28 billion.

About Be, Inc.

Be, Inc. was founded by Jean-Louis Gassee in 1990 to overcome the limitations of existing computer architectures. With a team of industry-leading engineers and business executives in the United States and Europe, the company has positioned itself to become a key player in fast-growing application markets. Be, Inc. is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

Corporate Offices:

Be, Inc.
800 El Camino Real, Suite 300
Menlo Park, California 94025
Tel: (415) 462-4100
Fax: (415) 462-4129
Internet: http://www.be.com
e-mail: info@be.com
FTP site: ftp://ftp.be.com

European Offices:

Be, Inc.
Suite 336, Immeuble Olivetti
Rue de l'ancien marché
92800 Puteaux
France
Tel: (33) 1 49 06 73 77
Fax: (33) 1 49 06 73 79
Internet: http://www.beeurope.com
e-mail: infobe@beeurope.com

Motorola, the Motorola logo are registered trademarks, and PowerStack and StarMax are trademarks of Motorola, Inc. Be is a registered trademark, and the Be logo, BeOS logo and BeOS are trademarks of Be, Inc. PowerPC is a trademark of International Business Machines Corp. and is used by Motorola, Inc. under license. AIX is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp. MacOS is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Other brand or product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.