For more information, contact:
A&R Partners for Be, Incorporated
Lisa Auslen, 650/762-2805
lauslen@arpartners.com
In Europe:
Be Incorporated
Marie-Francoise Lelong-Weinberg, +33 (0)1 55 91 77 36
mflelong@beeurope.com
New BeIA Software Platform to Incorporate Gemplus Smart Card Readers
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 26, 2000 - Gemplus, the world's leading provider of smart card solutions, and Be Incorporated (NASDAQ: BEOS), the platform innovator that enables rich media and Web experiences on Internet appliances and personal computers, today announced support for Gemplus' GemCoreTM smart card reader technology for BeIA, Be's software platform for Internet appliances. This implementation of an integrated BeIA commerce solution allows any Internet appliance vendor to easily offer smart card services to their customers. As a result, users of these next-generation devices will be able to seamlessly extend their Internet information or entertainment experiences to include secure shopping.
Internet appliances represent the next technology wave of the post-PC era and are destined to bring the richest possible Web experience to today's savvy consumers. A recent IDC report forecasts the worldwide Information Appliance market to grow from 11 million units and $2.4 billion in 1999 to a market of 89
million units and $17.8 billion in 2004, a compounded annual growth of 52 percent. By making smart card technology an integral part of the foundation of the Internet appliance's platform, the two partnering companies are helping define support for e-commerce transactions as a critical core standard for this rapidly emerging market.
The proliferation of electronic commerce transactions has also spurred the need
for increased security, where end-user trust has become paramount. Smart card
technology provides all of the tools essential for consumer confidence, fraud
protection and broad-based acceptance. Leveraging the security, portability and
simplicity of the smart card, Gemplus is developing solutions and technologies
that allow today's consumers to conduct their electronic commerce transactions
with confidence. By working with Be, Gemplus is helping to build the
infrastructure for smart card-secured electronic commerce in the new generation
of Internet appliances.
"We are pleased to be working with Be to bring to the marketplace Internet
appliances that are smart card-ready," said Remy de Tonnac, president, Gemplus
Americas. "Be's innovation and proven expertise in delivering next-generation
functionality on today's Internet appliance technology will not only propel the
market forward but will help us set the benchmark for secure, value-added
e-commerce services."Introduced in February 2000, BeIA? is a software platform for Internet
appliances that deliver information and entertainment over the Internet. BeIA is
a device-independent platform for post-PC era lifestyle devices focused on the
personalization of multimedia and information-rich products that enhance a
user's life.
"Internet appliances are rapidly becoming an accepted companion for both work
and play," said Jean-Louis Gassée, Be's chairman and chief executive officer.
"As a leader in the smart card industry, Gemplus will help extend the
transparency of technology to include secure e-commerce which will further the
interest in these exciting new devices. It's too early to say if this integrated
technology will become an electronic extension of one's credit card, but with
Gemplus, all the components are now in place."
About Be Incorporated
Founded in 1990, Be Incorporated creates software platforms that enable rich
media and web experiences on personal computers and Internet appliances. Be's
headquarters are in Menlo Park, California, and its European office is in Paris,
France. It is publicly traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol
BEOS. Be can be found on the web at http://www.be.com/.
About Gemplus
Gemplus S.A. (http://www.gemplus.com/) is the world's leading provider of plastic and
smart card-based solutions (by units sold, source: Dataquest 1998). Gemplus
sells magnetic stripe cards, memory and microprocessor-based smart cards, smart
contactless cards, electronic tags and smart objects. The company designs and
markets software, development tools and readers. Gemplus also provides
consulting, training and personalisation services to deliver the industry's most
comprehensive and flexible card-based solutions to its developers, distributors,
partners, and customers.
With sales of over $US817 million in 1999, Gemplus employs almost 6,000 people
in 16 manufacturing facilities, 7 R&D centers and 41 sales and marketing offices
located in more than 30 countries around the world. Founded in 1988, Gemplus has
successfully implemented portable and secure smart card-based solutions to
simplify applications such as public and wireless communications, financial
transactions, loyalty, transportation, education, healthcare, identity, physical
access control, pay TV, electronic commerce, Internet security, logical access
control and information technology.
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Gemplus is a registered trademark of Gemplus. Be, BeOS and BeIA are trademarks
or registered trademarks of Be Incorporated in the United States and other
countries. Other brand product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of
their respective holders. All rights reserved.