3Com Cashes in With Four MVP Awards At COMDEX 98
LAS VEGAS — November 20, 1998 — As Fall Comdex 1998 comes to a close in Las Vegas, 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) continues to demonstrate its leadership by taking home four PC/Computing MVP awards. Recognized product winners in the hardware category include the U.S. Robotics(R) 56K(1) Faxmodem, Megahertz(R) 56K Global Modem PC Card, Fast EtherLink(R) XL 10/100 PCI network interface card (NIC) and the popular Palm III(tm) connected organizer.
"Winning MVP awards from such a highly respected publication like PC/Computing is a great honor," said Neil Clemmons, vice president of consumer marketing for 3Com. "These awards are a testament to those who have worked hard to make superior technologies a reality for our customers. We take these awards very seriously and will continue to provide our customers with the best Internet experience, desktop and handheld solutions."
Under the Communications Hardware category for high speed Fax/Modems, the 3Com(R) U.S. Robotics 56K Faxmodem stole the show. "This V.90 screamer gives you the best hardware – software bundle to make the most of the Internet. 3Com's Connections(tm) CD-ROM covers all the basics," said PC/ Computing.
Among mobile communications products, the 3Com Megahertz 56K Global Modem PC Card earned MVP award recognition as the best modem for notebook PCs in the Communications Hardware category. "This V.90 modem gives you fast analog connections, and its onboard digital line guard protects you from PBX damage," continued PC/Computing.
3Com's best selling NIC, the Fast EtherLink 10/100, was a recognized winner in the Network Adapter category. Chosen for performance, reliability and manageability, the Fast EtherLink stood out as a clear winner against Intel and NetGear. PC/Computing stated that the Fast EtherLink is "Easy to install, fast and reliable, at $ 89.00 this card is not only the performance leader, it's also the low cost leader."
PC/Computing further stated that the Palm III organizer was chosen for the third year in a row because "Its usability knows no peer. There is not a tiny keyboard to bother with, no overly complicated software, this PDA synchronizes with your desktop PC at the press of a button. Rugged and fairly priced, it is quite simply the most usable handheld PC you can buy."
The annual PC/Computing MVP awards celebrates innovation, technology, usability and overall design. The MVP awards process puts thousands of products through PC/Computing's Business Labs to find out which score best in usability, reliability, and performance tests.
3Com U.S. Robotics V.90 Modems
3Com is the leader in 56K modem technology, pioneering the initial protocol with its x2(tm) technology and spearheading the new V.90 specification effort. 3Com was the first modem manufacturer to submit a proposal outlining a 56K standard and continues to innovate beyond V.90. With V.90, consumers will spend less time downloading and waiting and have more time to enjoy richer content from the Internet like streaming audio and video and animations.
3Com Megahertz 56K(1) Global Modem PC Card
The 3Com Megahertz 56K(1) Global Modem PC Card provides reliable, high-performance connections around the world with Intelligent Auto Install, 3Com's patented Digital Line Guard and WorldPort(tm) software which allows you to simply select a flag or country name to instantly configure your global modem PC Card for use in over 250 regions. All 3Com V.90 modems use Exclusive Line Probing(2) technology to probe line conditions and dynamically optimizes the connection to avoid tough line impairments.
With 33 percent modem PC Card market share worldwide (Cahners/In-Stat Q2 1998) , 3Com is the leading global provider of mobile information access products. 3Com's mobile communications division provides a full line of PC Card products including modems, cellular-capable modems, combination cards, Ethernet and Fast Ethernet PC cards.
The 3Com Fast EtherLink XL 10/100 PCI
3Com's Fast EtherLink delivers exceptional performance compared to the competition. Benchmark tests conclude as much as a 17 percent increase in network and system performance (LanQuest Labs, 1998). Fast EtherLink XL leverages 3Com's patented Parallel Tasking(R) II technology, which efficiently optimizes the PCI bus master interface, allowing data to be actively transferred straight from the network to the desktop. Additionally, Fast EtherLink XL provides the quality and reliability inherent in all 3Com products and utilizes expanded capabilities that reduce cost of PC ownership through manageability and enhanced network intelligence. In addition, 3Com leads in Fast Ethernet technology with 56 percent of the market (Cahners/In-Stat, 1998).
Palm Computing(R) Platform Connected Organizers
Built on the Palm Computing platform, which holds a 63 percent share of the standard handheld computing market worldwide (Dataquest, 1998), the Palm III and PalmPilot(tm) connected organizers are compatible with thousands of software applications and hundreds of hardware add-ons available from third-party vendors and partners. With more than 10,000 developers supporting the Palm Computing platform, it offers the greatest number of handheld solutions for both consumers and corporate customers. For more information on Palm Computing products, visit the company's Web site at http://www.palm.com.
About 3Com Corporation
With more than 200 million customers worldwide, 3Com Corporation connects more people in more ways to information than any other networking company. 3Com delivers innovative information access products and network system solutions to large, medium and small enterprises; carriers and network service providers; PC OEMs; and consumers. 3Com — More connected(tm). For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox.
Note to Editors: 3Com, U.S. Robotics, Megahertz, Parallel Tasking, EtherLink, and Palm Computing are registered trademarks, and PalmPilot, Palm III, x2 and Connections are trademarks of 3Com Corporation or its subsidiaries. This product is not manufactured by Pilot All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
(1) Capable of receiving at up to 56 Kbps and sending at up to 31.2 Kbps. Due to FCC regulations on power output, receiving speeds are limited to 53 Kbps. Actual speeds may vary. Requires compatible analog phone line and server equipment. See www.3com.com/56k for details. (2) 3Com patent pending.
CONTACT:
3Com Corporation
Craig Grabiner, 847/262-2329
craig_grabiner@3com.com
Mark Bingham, 408/326-3021
mark_bingham@3com.com
Cindy Cooper, 408/326-1742
cindy_cooper@3com.com
or
Palm Computing
Elizabeth Cardinale, 650/237-6390
elizabeth_cardinale@3com.com