SANTA CLARA, Calif. and HOLTSVILLE, N.Y., May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) and Symbol Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: SBL), two world leaders in handheld computing for the enterprise, today announced Symbol has extended its license of the Palm OS(R) operating system through April 2005. This announcement marks the second Palm OS license renewal within a month from a significant licensee, following the April 11 announcement that Handspring also is extending its license.

Symbol, which first licensed the Palm OS in December 1997, is a world leader in mobile data management systems and services. Its mobility solutions integrate handheld computers, wireless LAN and WAN communications and bar code scanning for mass enterprise deployment. Palm's licensing strategy has helped Symbol and other licensees innovate, which expands the market for developers and brings new devices to customers.

Symbol is an important strategic Palm OS partner, innovating with the Palm platform and taking handhelds into vertical industries, such as retail, transportation, distribution, logistics, parcel and postal delivery, manufacturing, healthcare and other industries that require portable and flexible devices. Mission-critical Palm OS based solutions from Symbol have been implemented globally by diverse customers such as Sears, the U.S. Postal Service, Office Depot, the Korean Postal Service and the Duke University Medical Center. For example, Sears has implemented Symbol's next-generation, in-store wireless mobile computing solutions for its 860 U.S. full-line department stores. Sears is putting in place nearly 15,000 Symbol handheld computers, which are based on the Palm OS and incorporate Symbol's browser.

"As the leader in mission-critical enterprise vertical markets, Symbol is a strategic partner for us in the fast-growing enterprise space," said Alan Kessler, general manager of Palm's Platform Solutions Group. "Symbol has deployed the Palm OS to address mobile and remote workers in several key enterprise vertical markets, such as retail and transportation. Palm's association with Symbol has created a powerful solution set in the marketplace that is creating strong competitive advantages for many enterprise businesses."

"The Palm-Symbol relationship has helped create a mobile computing revolution within the enterprise vertical markets," said Ron Goldman, senior vice president, Symbol Technologies. "Symbol's family of Palm OS devices, deployed to hundreds of thousands of mobile workers, extend an enterprise's I.T. architecture to the point of activity. Mobile workers armed with these devices have the information to make decisions anywhere-anytime."

About the Palm OS Platform

The value of the Palm OS is derived from the more than 150,000 registered developers who have created more than 9,000 software programs and hundreds of hardware options, including wireless modems, GPS receivers, MP3 players, digital cameras, voice recorders and data-capture devices.

Palm and its licensees are working aggressively to enhance the Palm OS in 2001 with new capabilities, including support for most wireless standards, support for the Bluetooth local radio standard, secure transaction services, and enhanced multimedia and graphics support.

Approximately 400 to 500 new Palm OS software applications become available every month, ranging from spreadsheets that can read and write Microsoft Excel files, and document processors that can handle Microsoft Word files, to databases, enterprise applications, eBook readers, mapping programs, email programs, web and WAP browsers, dictionaries, financial management programs, health and fitness programs, and games.

About Symbol Technologies

Symbol Technologies, Inc., winner of the National Medal of Technology, is a global leader in mobile data transaction systems, providing innovative customer solutions based on wireless local area networking for data and voice, application-specific mobile computing and bar code data capture. Symbol's wireless information appliances connect the physical world of people on the move, packages, paper and shipping pallets, to information systems and the Internet. Today, some 10 million Symbol bar code scanners, mobile computers and wireless LANs are utilized worldwide in markets ranging from retailing to transportation and distribution logistics, manufacturing, parcel and postal delivery, government, healthcare and education. Symbol's systems and products are used to increase productivity from the factory floor to the retail store, to the enterprise and out to the home. Information about Symbol is available at www.symbol.com and 800-722-6234.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc. is a pioneer in the field of mobile and wireless Internet solutions and a leading provider of handheld computers, according to IDC (December 2000). Based on the Palm OS(R) platform, Palm's handheld solutions allow people to carry and access their most critical information with them wherever they go. Palm(TM) handhelds address the needs of individuals, enterprises and educational institutions through thousands of application solutions.

The Palm OS platform is also the foundation for products from Palm's licensees and strategic partners, such as Franklin Covey, Handspring, IBM, Kyocera, Sony, Symbol Technologies, and HandEra (formerly TRG). Platform licensees also include Nokia and Samsung. The Palm Economy is a growing global community of industry-leading licensees, world-class OEM customers, and approximately 150,000 innovative developers and solution providers that have registered to develop solutions based on the Palm OS platform. Palm went public on March 2, 2000. Its stock is traded on the Nasdaq national market under the symbol PALM. More information is available at http://www.palm.com .

NOTE: Palm OS is a registered trademark and Palm is a trademark of Palm, Inc. or its subsidiaries.

SOURCE Palm, Inc.
Web site: http: //www.palm.com
CONTACT: Ronni Sarmanian of Palm, Inc., 408-326-0600, or ronni.sarmanian@corp.palm.com; or Kristine Wolf of Brodeur Worldwide, 203-399-8200, for Symbol Technologies; or Doug Picker of Symbol Technologies, 631-738-4699, or picker@symbol.com