SONICblue's frontpath Ships ProGear Linux-Based Portable Information Appliance

May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- frontpath, inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SONICblue Incorporated, announced that it has begun shipping and volume production of its premier wireless web device, ProGear. Targeted to broadband-enabled vertical market segments including hospitality, education and healthcare, ProGear is a fully portable wireless web device that supports a rich media experience enabling businesses to personalize content. "Executing on its already disclosed strategy, frontpath's ProGear is being commercially deployed in the U.S. to lead the post PC era with a device that offers access to anytime, anywhere information," said Janet Leising, general manager of frontpath. "We firmly believe that the web and Java-based applications represent the ultimate freedom of choice for enabling access on wireless devices. I believe that vertical markets and smart businesses who leverage ProGear will be the first true beneficiaries of wireless, customized information."

"ProGear is an ideal solution for businesses who want to improve their level of service, productivity, accuracy or customer satisfaction," said Patt Montgomery, vice president of business development and marketing, frontpath. "We have seen tremendous momentum during our extensive beta program and look forward to working with business partners to fully unleash the power of ProGear."

ProGear supports many popular rich media formats and offers a high quality 10.4" TFT display, X 86 compatibility, a soft keyboard and a touch screen that enables quick access to applications or the Internet. The 3-pound product comes with a Soundblaster(R) compatible audio and microphone/headphone support. ProGear comes standard with a 3-cell battery. An optional 6 cell battery, cradle with integrated USB hub and charging station, keyboard and mouse are also available.

ProGear's software includes the Linux 2.4x operating system, Netscape(R) browser version 4.74 and an extensive set of utilities and diagnostics. Hardware components include the powerful Transmeta(TM) TM3200 400 MHz processor, a 10.4" polysilicon TFT display delivering excellent image quality for text, still and video images and an ergonomic design with a thin, yet strong magnesium case capable of delivering portrait or landscape images. Additionally, ProGear comes with 64 or 128 MB of system memory. ProGear is available in Hard Disk Drive or Thin Client versions.

Price and availability:
Initially available to frontpath business partners in the United States, the company anticipates that the most popular configuration will be in the $1,500 price range with the flexibility to upgrade or downgrade features such as batteries, memory, cradle, access points, keyboard and mouse. Customers interested in ProGear should contact frontpath by calling 408-588-8715 or e-mailing sales@frontpath.com.

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SOURCE frontpath, inc.