Matsushita Joins SyncML as Sponsor to promote world’s first data synchronization protocol

The SyncML initiative, founded to define a common protocol for synchronizing all devices and applications over any network, received a further boost recently when Matsushita joined as its 9th sponsor. Matsushita, also known as the maker of Panasonic devices, joins the current sponsors Ericsson, IBM, Lotus, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, Inc., Psion PLC and Starfish Software.

The SyncML initiative was formed to develop and promote an open industry specification to enable the creation of a new generation of interoperable wireless and wireline data synchronization products. SyncML-compliant products and services will provide synchronization across corporate servers, web servers, personal computers, laptops, PDAs, handheld computers, mobile phones and other mobile devices, regardless of platform or manufacturer.

“We have been working closely with Matsushita from the beginning of the SyncML initiative and are happy to announce their official sponsorship", said Ilari Nurmi, Vice Chairman of the SyncML initiative. “Matsushita is a leading player in the global marketplace. Their sponsorship illustrates the universal support that the SyncML protocol is gaining and this is tremendous news for both business and consumers.”

“Matsushita works across hundreds of industries globally so the development of industry standards is extremely important to us”, said Eiichiro Murata, Director Member of The Board from Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd. “Implementation of the SyncML protocol will greatly simplify the interoperability of all products and will be a very useful and important element in the creation of mobile multimedia applications in the future.”

Products and services featuring the SyncML protocol will provide users with up-to-date access to information stored as various data types and in various forms including calendars, to-do lists, contacts, and more - regardless of which device or which applications they use.

SyncML is designed specifically to overcome the constraints imposed by the wireless environment. Minimizing the use of bandwidth, SyncML can deal with the special challenges of wireless synchronization such as relatively low reliability of the connection and high network latency. In addition, SyncML enables synchronization over fixed networks, infrared, cable connections and Bluetooth.

Companies may obtain early access to the specification and participate in the SyncML initiative by becoming a supporter free of charge at www.syncml.org. Becoming a supporter gives companies the opportunity to review and comment upon the specification and access to other documentation available only to members. To date, SyncML has over 250 supporters, commanding strong support from the leaders of the telecommunications and information technology industries.

About Matsushita and Panasonic
Matsushita Communication Industrial Co.,Ltd.(MCI), a business unit dedicated for mobile communications at Matsushita group, is one of the leading manufacturers of mobile phones for the world markets, and is working hard to create new mobile services and products on the 2nd and 3rd generation mobile systems in the mobile multimedia environment of the 21st century. It includes development for W-CDMA wireless infrastructure products, and information platforms & terminal products for mobile multimedia services. Also, includes 3GPP(3rd Generation Partnership Project) standardizations, WAP forum and joining to Symbian for developing an OS most suited for mobile information terminals as part of its contributions to the industry. MCI marked annual consolidated sales of USD 7.4billion in FY 1999. headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. The company has approx. 16,000 employees, its stock is listed on Tokyo stock exchanges. For more information about Panasonic’s mobile communications, visit www.mci.panasonic.co.jp

About SyncML
Founded by Ericsson, IBM, Lotus, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, Inc., Psion and Starfish Software, the SyncML Initiative develops and promotes an open industry specification for universal data synchronization of remote data and personal information across multiple networks, platforms and devices. The SyncML Initiative is open for participation to a wide range of industries including device manufacturers, synchronization vendors, service providers and application developers. Companies interested in joining are encouraged to contact the SyncML Initiative today to become part of the team and deliver the SyncML specification available later this year. For more information on the SyncML Initiative, how to join SyncML, details of technical specifications and more, visit www.syncml.org.

Further information:

Ericsson, Jan Ahrenbring
+46 70 590 9900, jan.ahrenbring@ecs.ericsson.se

IBM, Tara Sexton
+ 1 914 766 3366, tara.sexton@us.ibm.com

Lotus, Michael Shamrell
+ 1 617 693 1264, michael_shamrell@lotus.com

Matsushita Communications Industrial Co., Ltd, Sadayoshi Hiraoka
+81 03 3438 9203, PO5443@plt.mci.mei.co.jp

Motorola, Jennifer Weyrauch
+ 1 847 523 0015, jennifer.weyrauch@motorola.com

Nokia, Inc., Megan Matthews
+1 972 8944267, megan.matthews@nokia.com

Nokia Mobile Phones, Tapio Hedman
+ 358 10 5051, tapio.hedman@nokia.com

Palm, Inc., Julia Rodriguez
+ 1 408 326 9390, julia.rodriguez@palm.com

Palm, Inc., Amy Nemechek, A&R Partners Public Relations
Tel. + 1 303 730 5755, anemechek@arpartners.com

Psion PLC, Anthony Garvey
+44 20 7317 4265, anthony-garvey@psion.com

Starfish Software, Kate Dueck
+1 831 461 5815, kate.dueck@starfish.com