CES, LAS VEGAS , Jan 5, 2004 — MontaVista Software, Inc., the company powering the embedded revolution, and Pepper Computer, Inc., a developer of instant sharing and collaboration software for consumers , today announced that MontaVista® Linux® Professional Edition (Pro) is the chosen operating system for the recently announced Pepper Pad reference design, which is available for license to online service providers, digital content providers, hardware manufacturers and other commercial partners.

The Pepper Keeper Wi-Fi Suite for consumer electronics companies, which includes the Pepper Pad Reference Design and Pepper Keeper Software Suite, will help manufacturers accelerate time to market, reduce design and development costs, and earn a share of net revenue on add-on software sales to consumers . With a Pepper Keeper Wi-Fi Suite, consumers can create, collect, organize and share their Pepper Photo Albums, Scrapbooks, Greeting Cards and Journals, via instant messaging (IM) or e-mail, among Windows and Macintosh computers and the Linux-based Wi-Fi Pads.

"As wireless technologies rapidly evolve, the supporting software needs to be more robust to support new, rich end-user applications," said Pat McGowan, VP of Engineering, Pepper Computer. "With Pepper Keeper software, MontaVista Linux and Java, we can help our customers leverage a wealth of new exciting Wi-Fi applications and deliver them to consumers."

Pepper Pad Reference Design

MontaVista Linux Professional Edition delivers a full and comprehensive solution to embedded device manufacturers including an industry-leading embedded operating system and a powerful cross development environment delivering everything developers need to build advanced embedded devices. The product delivers modern OS features such as real-time functionality, multi-process capabilities and multi-threaded remote debugging, with extensive bundled software components including rich networking.

"Pepper Computer has developed a creative application of popular Wi-Fi technology that will be very well received by consumers," said Jacob Lehrbaum, product marketing manager, MontaVista Software. "MontaVista Linux has been widely adopted for wireless solutions because of its open standards, its unmatched stability, and its industry-leading networking capabilities."

The Pepper Pad is a 2004 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovations Awards Honoree in the Computer Hardware category. The Pepper Keeper and Pepper Pad Reference Design will be demonstrated in the Pepper booth #22113, 2nd floor of the South Hall.

About Pepper Pad
Processor
Intel XScale 400 Mhz PXA255

Display

• 8.4" 600x800 SVGA TFT LCD
• LCD controller with 2D accelerator and hardware portrait mode

Memory

• 256 MB SDRAM
• 32 MB Flash

Storage
5GB 1.8" disk drive (PCMCIA)

Wi-Fi Wireless LAN
802.11b with dual diversity antennas

Wireless Peripherals
Bluetooth device support

Wired Peripherals
USB 2.0 On-the-Go

Expansion Slots
SD/MMC Card

Audio

• Philips 20-bit stereo CODEC
• Stereo speakers and headphone jack
• Built-in microphone and jack

User Input

• Fingerprint reader On/Off switch
  • Touch screen with stylus
• Full split QWERTY keypad
• 5-way game D-Pad
• Scroll wheel

Availability
The Pepper Pad Wi-Fi Suite was announced Dec. 17, 2003, and is now available for OEM and partner licensing.

MontaVista Linux Professional Edition is available as a product subscription through MontaVista Software and its worldwide distribution channels. MontaVista Linux product subscriptions provide developer teams with the MontaVista Linux kernel, deployment components, utilities, development tools, software updates, access to the MontaVista Zone (customer resource portal), comprehensive technical support a nd hands-on Linux training classes.

About Pepper Computer
Pepper Computer is a software company that builds and licenses instant sharing and collaboration software for consumers. Founded in January 2002, the company's goal is to create products that are intuitive, well-designed, customizable, inexpensive, useful, fun and work well on the Windows and Macintosh computers people use today. The company also created a reference design for the Pepper Pad, the ultimate Wi-Fi device to run Pepper Software. The company is privately held and headquartered in Lexington, MA. For more information, please visit: http://www.pepper.com .

About MontaVista Software
MontaVista Software is a leading global supplier of systems software for intelligent connected devices and associated infrastructure. MontaVista powers the embedded revolution by providing GNU/Linux-based open-source software solutions. Founded in 1999 by real-time operating system (RTOS) pioneer James Ready, MontaVista offers a family of products under the MontaVista Linux umbrella that address broad-based software developer needs encompassing applications ranging from communications infrastructure to consumer electronics. Multiple editions of MontaVista Linux are available including Professional, Consumer Electronics and Carrier Grade, along with complementary technology products providing powerful Java and graphics development capabilities.

Headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley, in Sunnyvale, Calif., MontaVista Software is a privately held company funded by leading investors such as Alloy Ventures, US Venture Partners, RRE Ventures, WR Hambrecht + Co., IBM, Intel Capital, Sony, Panasonic (Matsushita), Toshiba America and Yamaha Corporation. For more information about MontaVista Software, please visit http://www.mvista.com .

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. MontaVista is a registered trademark of MontaVista Software, Inc. All other names mentioned are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

Contacts:

MontaVista Software
Joe Samagond
Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications
MontaVista Software
Phone: (408) 328-9234
E-mail: jsamagond@mvista.com

Patricia Colby
PR Strategy and Business Development
Pacifico, Inc.
Phone: (408) 293 8600 x340
E-mail: pcolby@pacifico.com

Pepper Computer
Jim Dawson
Dawson Marketing Group
Phone: (781) 933-8855
E-mail: jdawson@dawsonmarketing.net