SoftConnex Announces USB Host Software Support for Symbian

Irvine, Calif., February 18, 2003 - SoftConnex Technologies Inc. today announced it has joined the Symbian Platinum Partner Program and has released its Universal Serial Bus (USB) Host software solution for Symbian OS. As a result of SoftConnex's participation in the Symbian Platinum Partner Program, mobile phone manufacturers that standardize on Symbian OS now have easy access to the SoftConnex USB Host solution. By integrating the SoftConnex USBLink Host solution into Symbian OS smartphones and communicators, manufacturers can connect various internal components such as Bluetooth modules and mass storage devices for memory media interfaces, as well as enable external connectivity to any USB-enabled peripheral device, such as a printer, PDA or digital camera.

As a member of the Symbian Platinum Partner Program, SoftConnex is recognized not only for the breadth of its USB solutions but also for its experience in working with Symbian OS. "We welcome SoftConnex as a member of the Symbian Platinum Partner Program and are very pleased that they ported their best-in-class USBLink Host software solution to Symbian OS," said Jerry Panagrossi, vice president of Ecosystem Development, Symbian. "SoftConnex's participation in the Platinum Partner Program ensures that our licensees will have access to a comprehensive suite of USB software solutions for Symbian OS and proven porting and integration services."

The USBLink product suite, which includes USBLink Host, USBLink Device and USBLink On-The-Go (OTG), is a modularized approach to providing USB connectivity and data transport capabilities for embedded products. The software solutions were specifically designed for use in mobile devices, such as smartphones, as illustrated by their power management capabilities, small code footprints, and event-based architecture to increase system performance.

SoftConnex's USBLink Host solution comprises the host controller driver layer, USB protocol layer and a class module framework. The host controller layer is responsible for driving USB 1.1 and 2.0 host controllers, while the protocol layer enumerates USB devices and simulates a plug and play environment with the host operating system when the USB supports external devices. All USB transfer types are supported, as are complex USB devices that contain multiple configurations/interfaces and alternate settings. The USBLink Host class drivers are responsible for driving each type of device, such as Bluetooth and 802.11b baseband modules, and printers, digital still cameras and MP3 players. In addition, USBLink Host provides an interface for selected Bluetooth stacks through its USB Bluetooth class.

In addition to the existing host side support, current customer engagements are driving SoftConnex's effort to bring USB OTG to Symbian licensees. By adding support for the peripheral function and transceiver driver to the existing host side software, SoftConnex is developing an OTG solution for Symbian OS that will further broaden the ways in which mobile phone manufacturers can use USB. More specifically, smartphones that integrate OTG hardware and USBLink OTG with Symbian OS will enable users to connect their phone directly to other USB enabled devices and share data without using a PC.

About Symbian Platinum Program
Symbian Platinum Program members benefit from a range of Symbian products and services allowing them to design highly integrated hardware and software solutions for Symbian OS. The commercial services available to partners include technical support and joint marketing opportunities.

About Symbian
Symbian develops and licenses Symbian OS, the industry standard operating system for data-enabled mobile phones. Symbian has licensed Symbian OS to the world's top handset manufacturers including Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Siemens and Sony Ericsson. In total, Symbian OS licensees account for more than 80% of worldwide mobile phone sales. Symbian's mission is to create a mass market for Symbian OS mobile phones by enabling Symbian OS licensees to build winning products. Publicly announced Symbian OS phones include the Fujitsu F2051 for NTT DoCoMo's 3G FOMA network, the Sony Ericsson P800 Smartphone, Nokia 9210 Series, 7650, 3650 and N-Gage. As of December 2002, Symbian licensees had 20 Symbian OS phones in development. For more information, please visit www.symbian.com or email press@symbian.com

About SoftConnex Technologies, Inc.
Based in Irvine, CA, SoftConnex Technologies, Inc. delivers the most complete USB software solutions for the embedded market. The company's flagship product, USBLink Host, provides the broadest platform support and the most comprehensive collection of class drivers currently available. It is also distinguished by its support for host controllers from leading chip suppliers, including TransDimension, NEC, Agere Systems, Cypress Semiconductors and Philips Semiconductors. The solutions also support a wide variety of SOCs from manufacturers such as Texas Instruments, Motorola, Qualcomm, ST Microelectronics and Conexant. For more information about SoftConnex, please visit www.softconnex.com.