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For more information, contact: Bitstream Inc. Dan McDermott, 617/520-8387 Marketing Communications Manager dmcdermott@bitstream.com Elizabeth Conrady econrady@arpartners.com A&R Partners for Be, Incorporated (650) 363-0982 x3915 Bitstream and Be Announce Font Fusion Licensing Agreement Be to use Bitstream's advanced font rasterization technology for personal computers and Internet appliances CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and MENLO PARK, Calif.-- Dec. 8, 1999 -- Bitstream Inc. (NASDAQ:BITS) and Be Incorporated (NASDAQ:BEOS) announced today that Be is the first software developer to license Font Fusion, Bitstream's next generation font rasterizing engine. Font Fusion is the convergence of Bitstream's T2K® and TrueDoc® technology in an advanced, object-oriented architecture. Be will implement Font Fusion as part of both its Internet appliance software platform, code-named Stinger, and its desktop operating system, BeOS. By using Font Fusion, Be's software platforms can support a greater variety of languages with high-quality text on low-cost devices. Font Fusion provides developers with full font fidelity and high-quality typographic output at any resolution on any device, while maintaining the integrity of the original character shapes. It is designed for operating systems, software applications, Web applications, low-resolution screen devices, multimedia servers, high-definition television screens (HDTVs), set-top boxes, continuous tone printers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other embedded systems, Internet appliances, and small wireless systems. Font Fusion is optimized for memory-constrained environments. For example, the Font Fusion rendering engine and a traditional Chinese font with over 13,000 characters occupy less than 0.5 MB. Be plans to integrate Font Fusion within future versions of Stinger, its compelling software solution designed for the creation of appliances that deliver information and entertainment over the Web. Based on BeOS, Stinger is fully customizable and supports popular streaming audio and video standards. Be expects to formally introduce Stinger in the first quarter of 2000. ``We chose Font Fusion because of its speed, small footprint, and ease of use. Its broad support for the emerging class of Internet appliances and other entertainment technologies, especially stroke-based fonts and television output, will enable us to offer high-quality text on a variety of devices based on our Stinger software platform,'' said Steve Sakoman, chief technology officer and general manager of Be's Internet appliance efforts. ``Additionally, Font Fusion will enable us to address Asian markets with localized typefaces on low-cost platforms, opening new potential markets for Stinger.'' ``We are very pleased to have Be as our first Font Fusion customer. BeOS and Stinger are cutting-edge examples of the changing operating system and Internet appliance markets,'' said Paul Trevithick, president of Bitstream, Inc. ``By licensing Font Fusion for use with their world-class software platforms, Be is acknowledging the innovation of Bitstream's latest font-rendering technology.'' About Bitstream, the Internet Font Company Bitstream Inc. (NASDAQ:BITS), headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a leading developer of type technology, digital typefaces, and type customization services for the graphics communications industry. Bitstream licenses its WebFont(TM) and Font Fusion(TM) font portability and rendering technology to hundreds of industry-leading Internet, Web, and publishing software applications developers, as well as to manufacturers of computers, printers, set-top boxes, and other devices. Bitstream has been awarded several patents that cover aspects of creating subsetted fonts, managing and rendering portable font objects, and using portable fonts for Web publishing. Bitstream also offers on-demand marketing software through its wholly owned subsidiary, Pageflex Inc. For more information on Bitstream and its products, visit the company on the World Wide Web at http://www.bitstream.com. 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, with offices in Paris and Tokyo. 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. Bitstream and TrueDoc are registered trademarks of Bitstream Inc. Font Fusion is a trademark of Bitstream Inc. T2K is a registered trademark of Type Solutions, Inc., a Bitstream Company. Other technologies and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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