SOFTBOARD DISPLAYS, SAVES & PRINTS WHITEBOARD SESSIONS IN COLOR, SHARES
DATA WITH REMOTE LOCATION

Located at booth #360, the award-winning SoftBoard attracts crowds at PC
EXPO

NEW YORK, NY--June 27, 1994--The award-winning SoftBoard, the intelligent
electronic whiteboard from Microfield Graphics, Inc., impressed PC EXPO
attendees with affordable and effective presentation and teleconferencing
solutions as it was demonstrated here in booth #360. SoftBoard is a
peripheral device that combines the functionality of the commonplace
whiteboard with the capabilities of desktop computers. Any information
written on the SoftBoard surface, using the SoftBoard dry-erase colored
markers, is simultaneously displayed on a Macintosh or Microsoft
Windows-based PC computer. This data can then be saved, printed, used in
other applications or shared with others in real time - even those in
remote locations.

Attractively priced at $2,995, SoftBoard is available with an optional data
communications capability (SoftBoard Remote Conference software) that
provides an easy-to-use, low-cost solution for audio-graphic
teleconferencing, distance learning and site-to-site collaboration
applications.

Using SoftBoard, participants in collaborative discussions and
brainstorming sessions can share information, create new ideas and keep
records without tedious transcribing. Team members in different buildings
and cities can also participate in whiteboard sessions.

The optional SoftBoard Remote Conferencing program can be loaded to assist
in setting up a point-to-point session using modems and a standard
telephone line. The SBRemote conferencing program includes all the
telecommunications software required to quickly and easily establish a
remote link. The user need only enter the remote SoftBoard modem's
telephone number and run the program.

Additionally, SBRemote now offers a solution for direct connection to major
video conferencing systems. For example, when used with the PictureTel
System 4000, the new SBRemote version connects using the control port "B"
on the video CODEC. By taking advantage of the attached PC systems screen,
a superior image of the SoftBoard is obtained, in addition to the live
video monitor. The SoftBoard data transmission takes place on the same
communication line as the rest of the conference with no perceptible
degradation.

"Attaching SoftBoards with PCs to video conferencing systems provides
graphical conferencing capabilities in addition to the video and audio.
Each site can see anything written on a remote SoftBoard surface,
displayed on their local PC screen, while still being able to view the
remote participants on the video system monitor," said Gary Whitney,
Microfield Graphics SoftBoard product marketing manager. "All this is
accomplished using the existing video conferencing communications
channels."

'The whiteboard has long been a useful tool for brainstorming, planning and
collaborative work," said John B. Conroy, Microfield Graphics president
and chief executive officer. "SoftBoard radically extends the usefulness
of the whiteboard by making it easier to reproduce and disseminate
whiteboard session content, and by allowing it to be simultaneously shared
with others in remote places. It adds a whole new graphical dimension to
conferencing at a remarkably affordable price," Conroy added.

Laser and DSP technoloqies combined

The technological principle behind SoftBoard is simple, unique and elegant.
An infrared laser system - comprised of components similar to those found
in laser printers and compact disc players continuously scans the entire
area of the whiteboard, about a quarter inch above the surface. The
SoftBoard dry-erase markers are equipped with reflective bar-coded
sleeves. When a user writes on the board with the SoftBoard markers, the
laser system locates, identifies and tracks the color, position and
movement of the markers in real time, sends the data stream to an on-board
digital signal processor (DSP) and presents the corresponding graphic
image on the computer display. A special eraser functions in the same way:
information erased from SoftBoard using the encoded eraser is also erased
from the computer display.

Familiar VCR-like Interface

SoftBoard is designed to be easy to install and operate. Users simply
connect it to a PC or Mac using a standard serial cable, load the
SoftBoard Recorder (SBRecord) program, and the unit automatically and
transparently configures itself. The SBRecord program, as its name
suggests, also facilitates recording, saving and playback of SoftBoard
sessions. Using a familiar VCR-like interface, users can step through
captured SoftBoard sessions stroke by stroke, screen by screen, or move
rapidly to the first or final screen of any session. Page markers can be
inserted at any point in the session to allow pauses during playback.
SBRecord also affords users with a great deal of control over how sessions
are saved and displayed.

SoftBoard also includes a royalty-free viewer program called SoftBoard
Viewer (SBView) which allows users to review captured SoftBoard sessions
off-line. SBView can be freely distributed with SoftBoard files to
facilitate sharing of SoftBoard sessions with those not in attendance, or
for archiving purposes.

The Windows version of SoftBoard requires a PC with a 386/25 microprocessor
or better, minimum 4 MB of RAM, a serial port, MS-DOS 5.0 or later and
Microsoft Windows version 3.1. The Macintosh version of SoftBoard requires
a Macintosh equipped with a 16 MHz 68030 processor or better, and 2MB of
available memory. SoftBoard runs in emulation on Power PC-based Power
Macintosh models.

SoftBoard Software Developer Kit (SDK)

Microfield Graphics, Inc. has developed a Windows Software Developer Kit to
allow software developers and integrators to incorporate SoftBoard into
their applications.

SoftBoard is a Mac/PC peripheral that accepts pen input from a conference
room-sized whiteboard. Many applications exist for such an input
peripheral combined with application software and other hardware. For
example, a SoftBoard integrated with an LCD projector and a pen-based
operating system could provide a huge input tablet for demonstrating
pen-tablet software or for training multiple users.

The Industry Raves

In an April 1994 BYTE Magazine review, Howard Eglowstein called SoftBoard
"a unique hardware product designed to augment conferencing
software...Microfield Graphics' SoftBoard gives you both a real whiteboard
and the remote benefits of whiteboarding software."

SoftBoard was declared a finalist for "Best Of Show" honors at the 1993
Fall COMDEX show in Las Vegas, Nevada, by the Interface Group and BYTE
magazine. The following week, PC Week magazine acclaimed SoftBoard its
"Product Of The Week" (November 22, 1993). Reviews from many other
international Macintosh and PC publications have been equally positive.

SoftBoard is immediately available through resellers throughout the United
States and internationally in a model measuring 54 inches by 60 inches,
priced at $2,995 in the U.S. Additional sizes and models are in
development. To obtain additional information or to order SoftBoards, call
Microfield Graphics at 800-334-4922. Private label, OEM and reseller
inquiries from US companies are welcome.

Microfield Graphics, Inc. is a privately held U.S. corporation. Founded in
1984, and headquartered in Beaverton (Portland), Oregon, Microfield
Graphics specializes in the development, manufacturing and marketing of
SoftBoard. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Imagraph Corporation, of
Chelmsford, Massachusetts, is a leader in advanced products designed for
graphic-intensive computer applications. Microfield Graphics, Inc. is
located at 9825 SW Sunshine Court, Beaverton, Oregon 97005. Telephone
(503) 626-9393. Fax (503) 641-9333.

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