Palm Press Release
Astraware Provides Two New Games for New Generation of Mobile Device
SUNNYVALE, Calif. & KEELE, England, Jun 18, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) and Astraware Limited today announced the first two games for Palm's new Foleo(TM) mobile companion -- Astraware Sudoku and Astraware Solitaire. Additional titles from Astraware will follow.
(NOTE: Palm announced the Foleo mobile companion on May 30. Video and images are available from Palm's Multimedia Library (
www.palm.com/MultimediaLibrary).)
The Palm(R) Foleo mobile companion is for people who understand that sometimes less is more. With the press of one button, the mobile companion's large screen displays wireless e-mail from a paired smartphone. A smartphone is great for finding quick bits of information or sending a brief response to an e-mail. But there are times when a full-size keyboard and a big screen is preferred to view attachments, type longer e-mails, or to get a bigger-screen look at web pages and photos. Plus, Internet access is available anywhere there is cell phone coverage, or when the Foleo is within range of a Wi-Fi hotspot.(1) With Foleo's instant on/off capability, light and small size, and 5-hour battery life, Palm expects the mobile companion to establish a new category of personal-computing products.
Astraware Sudoku is a logical puzzle game suitable for players of all abilities. Features include six levels of difficulty, pencilmarks in a choice of styles, optional completion and tracking of pencilmarks plus an advanced hint system. In addition, it comes with a selection of built-in puzzles and, after registration, allows the addition of pre-built puzzle packs available free from
http://www.sudokuoftheday.com.
Customers who register Astraware Sudoku are rewarded with additional capabilities such as a puzzle creator and a puzzle solver that can be used on other Sudoku games found in newspapers, online or in books. The game also includes a "Puzzle of the Day," which delivers a new puzzle daily to the Foleo plus the ability to share personal completion times or compare scores with other players worldwide. (2)
Astraware Solitaire features 12 of the most well-known and best-loved single-player card games including Klondike, Spider, Freecell and Pyramid. Each game has a wide range of custom gameplay options so users can enjoy the games with their favorite variations on the standard rules. The game's style and interface has been designed to mirror the feeling of playing with real cards and offers a range of display options as well as detailed statistics to track progress. Astraware Solitaire has been optimized for the high-resolution display on the Foleo mobile companion and for use with the trackpoint controller.
"The Palm Foleo is a unique and exciting new type of device, and we're thrilled to make two great popular games available for its users," said David Oakley, chief technology officer for Astraware. "The Foleo is an ideal companion for high-powered, time-starved executives, and Solitaire and Sudoku are ideal games to let them relax once their work is done."
By building the Foleo on an open Linux-based platform and publishing the tools developers might need, Palm hopes to establish a vibrant developer community to create new applications that extend the mobile companion's built-in capabilities. Astraware demonstrates the ease with which exciting technology and applications can be ported to the Foleo mobile companion.
"Business productivity is a major driving force for mobile computing; however we also believe in the importance of balancing work and personal time," said Mark Bercow, senior vice president of business development for Palm, Inc. "This is why we give mobile professionals the option to relax with a game of solitaire or a stimulating puzzle during downtime."
More information about Astraware is available at
www.astraware.com.
For more information on the Foleo mobile companion, please visit
www.palm.com/seefoleo. To sign up for notification about Foleo availability, please visit
www.palm.com/foleonotify.
About Astraware
Founded in 1994 and incorporated in 2000, Astraware Limited develops, publishes and distributes games, entertainment and lifestyle products for mobile devices across a range of platforms including Palm OS(R), Windows Mobile(R) and Mobile Linux. Astraware is a Microsoft(R) Certified Gold Partner. Astraware has customers in over 100 countries worldwide and mobile gaming enthusiasts have downloaded more than 50 million copies of Astraware's products. Some of the company's best known handheld titles include Astraware Sudoku, Bejeweled(R), Text Twist(R) and Zap!2000/2016. For more information visit
http://www.astraware.com.
About Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc., a leader in mobile computing, strives to put the power of computing in people's hands so they can access and share their most important information. The company's products for consumers, mobile professionals and businesses include Palm(R) Treo(TM) smartphones, Palm mobile companions and Palm handheld computers, as well as software, services and accessories.
Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels throughout the world, and at Palm Retail Stores and Palm online stores (
http://www.palm.com/store).
More information about Palm, Inc. is available at
http://www.palm.com.
(1) Requires compatible phone with Bluetooth wireless technology. Email requires data services from a mobile service provider at an additional cost. ISP and/or VPN may also be required. Within wireless service coverage area only. A dial-up networking plan from a service provider may be required at an incremental cost above and beyond the service provider's regular smartphone data plans.
(2) Requires Foleo Wi-Fi connection.
Also, a social media news release version of today's announcement is available at
http://socialnews.palm.com/. The social media news release contains "Web 2.0" features, including subscription via RSS, multimedia downloads, commenting, track-backing, links to social bookmark sites and other resources.
Palm, Foleo and Treo are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned by or licensed to Palm, Inc. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.
SOURCE: Palm, Inc.
Astraware Sudoku and Astraware Solitaire Games Developed for Palm's New Palm Foleo 
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