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Top Companies Choose 3Com PalmPilot Platform for Enterprise Data Management Solutions

PalmPilot platform passes critical milestone; fuels emergence of handheld computing as extension of enterprise networks

SANTA CLARA, Calif., September 15, 1997 -- 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) today announced that more than 75 leading U.S. businesses have named its best-selling PalmPilot connected organizer to their standard purchase approvals lists, demonstrating the rapid emergence of the PalmPilot platform in the enterprise marketplace. By identifying the PalmPilot product as a key solution for meeting their handheld computing needs, these companies highlight its importance as an integral part of their overall corporate data management infrastructure.

With the increasingly mobile, global nature of information management in the enterprise, handheld computers represent the next wave in corporate computing. Companies need their field workforces and other mobile workers to have fast, easy and highly portable connectivity with critical information resident on enterprise networks. Hundreds of major companies and organizations, including Coca Cola, Nissan Motor Corp., Oracle, and the U.S. Senate, have addressed this need by implementing commercial solutions and built-in applications based on the PalmPilot platform.

Many more leading companies are using custom PalmPilot applications designed to meet their specific needs for corporate data management, especially in the areas of health care, insurance, legal services, banking and finance, and field and sales force automation. For example, a major U.S. health care organization deploys the PalmPilot product among its home health aids who record details of their outpatient visits and services using a custom PalmPilot application. Many leading U.S. law firms are using a commercial PalmPilot application to synchronize the PalmPilot device with their e-mail, client/matter hours reporting, and document management systems.

"The PalmPilot is already the best-selling handheld computing product in the Fortune 1000 because of its value as an individual productivity tool. Now companies are beginning to capitalize on the value of the PalmPilot platform for enterprise-wide mobile solutions," said Ed Colligan, vice president of marketing for the Palm Computing, Inc. subsidiary of 3Com. "The applications are limitless -- whether it's for a doctor doing his rounds, an insurance adjuster in the field, or a broker on the trading floor, 3Com is helping organizations extend their networks beyond the desktop, beyond the laptop and into the pockets of the knowledge worker."

The PalmPilot platform's broad application support, extensive development tools, built-in data synchronization capabilities and carry-along form factor have put it on the forefront of enterprise handheld computing. Leaders in a broad range of industries including health services, banking, law, real estate, construction and field force automation have integrated the PalmPilot device into their corporate information infrastructure to run critical applications. Many use custom data management solutions developed specifically for the PalmPilot platform and conduits that synchronize PalmPilot data with leading personal information managers (PIMs), personal productivity and groupware applications to maintain the highest possible level of business productivity.

"The PalmPilot product's ability to work with Microsoft's Schedule+ and other leading information management applications has resulted in widespread use of the product throughout our company nationwide," said the director of technology for a leading investment banking firm. "We have over 300 bankers using the PalmPilot device to coordinate schedules and manage e-mail and contact information remotely. This is an ideal solution for company-wide management of critical business information, and it has helped keep our highly mobile executives in sync with our networked information and with each other."

"The PalmPilot connected organizer has proven to be a powerful tool for our mobile support and service people, who need quick access to e-mail and personal information," said Eric Martin, lead manager of local- and wide-area network services for Harley Davidson's York, Penn., production facility. "We have easily integrated the PalmPilot device into our overall information management architecture, and it has greatly increased productivity in the field. It has quickly become a business necessity for the majority of our mobile workforce."

The PalmPilot solutions that have led the product into the enterprise fall into six main categories: contact and schedule management, e-mail and Internet communications, field and sales force automation, personal productivity, groupware and financial management. The ability for developers to create custom solutions has helped make the PalmPilot device the most widely distributed handheld computer. The product currently holds 51% of worldwide handheld computer marketshare, according to Dataquest.

3Com continues to foster development for the PalmPilot platform by supporting a range of independent development tools, and providing technical and testing services and educational seminars. The PalmPilot platform consists of four open components which developers can leverage to write applications: the Palm OS operating system; the HotSync data synchronization technology; the PalmPilot communications layer; and hardware interface specifications to enable hardware device add-ons. For more information on PalmPilot platform development and the PalmPilot product, visit http://www.palmpilot.com.

ABOUT 3COM
3Com Corporation enables individuals and organizations worldwide to communicate and share information and resources at anytime from anywhere. As one of the world's preeminent suppliers of data, voice and video communications technology, 3Com has delivered networking solutions to more than 100 million customers worldwide. With global reach and local touch, the company gives enterprises, network service providers and carriers, small businesses and consumers comprehensive, innovative information access products and system solutions for building intelligent, reliable and high performance local and wide area networks. 3Com has worldwide revenues of more than $5.6 billion and employs approximately 13,000 people in 45 countries. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at http://www.3com.com.


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3Com and the 3Com logo are registered trademarks, and PalmPilot, Palm OS, HotSync and the PalmPilot logo are trademarks of 3Com Corporation or its subsidiaries. All other brands and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.