2003-02-10.2

Posted on Monday, February 10, 2003 07:12 AM -0500

Panasonic/Matsushita to License Phoenix FirstBIOS Notebook Pro for Its New Notebook PCs

Consumer electronics leader to add Phoenix next-generation BIOS at the core of its award-winning notebooks

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - Febr. 10, 2003 - Phoenix Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:PTEC), the company driving the global core systems software standard in billions of PC systems and connected digital devices for nearly a quarter-century, has licensed its FirstBIOS Notebook Pro(TM) to Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., best known for its Panasonic brand of consumer electronics and digital communications products. Matsushita will include Phoenix into its latest Let's Note CF-T1 and CF-R1 series notebook computers.

The CF-T1, a stylish and ultra-portable computer, has a 12.1" display and weighs about 2 pounds (999g). The CF-R1 has a long
battery life (approximately five hours) and weighs slightly less (990g). The CF-R1 series has received Intel's distinguished
"Innovative PC" award. The advanced Phoenix BIOS technology is included in both series, providing next-generation BIOS.

"Phoenix Technologies has a long history of bringing quality products to market, and we want to give our customers this kind of value," said Mr. Yoshihiko Yamada, Director, IT Products Division, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. "Adopting Phoenix FirstBIOS Notebook Pro will allow Panasonic consumers to benefit from an enhanced experience in our new line of notebook
computers. We will continue developing innovative PCs while relying on Phoenix to provide world-class core system software,
delivering added value for our customers."

FirstBIOS Notebook Pro has an enhanced user interface with a 256-color, high-resolution display that supports standard screen
resolutions from 640x480 to 1280x1024. A Startup Status Bar provides a simple view of the PC boot process and displays
important startup messages.

It also uses a unique, parallel-processing design to shorten boot times by up to 25 percent, allowing PC manufacturers to easily
exceed WHQL testing requirements. This performance boost is a core feature of FirstBIOS and it does not require
system-by-system configuration.

FirstBIOS Notebook Pro incorporates Phoenix FirstAuthority(TM) as an additional layer of BIOS protection using patent-pending
StrongROM(TM) security technology. FirstAuthority includes a new set of authentication services to enhance user privacy and access control. By embedding cryptographic functionality in the firmware, Phoenix has made the PC itself a trusted component of the total security solution. FirstAuthority includes many additional security features such as two-factor authentication,
application integrity checking, and data access control to selected applications on a specific PC.

"Matsushita is a worldwide consumer electronics leader with a reputation for building outstanding products, and they wanted
high-quality core solutions as they take their latest line of notebook computers to market," said Timothy D. Eades, Sr. Vice
President of Corporate Marketing and Products for Phoenix. "Our solutions are included in more than 80 percent of all computers
worldwide, so Phoenix has a strong reputation for developing the best core system software. FirstBIOS Notebook Pro leverages this strength by enabling our customers like Matsushita to create unique products, bring them to market quickly, and reduce
manufacturing and support costs."

About Matsushita Electric
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., best known for its Panasonic, National, Technics, and Quasar brands, is a worldwide
leader in the development and manufacture of electronics products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs.
Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated sales of US$51.70 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2002. In addition to stock exchanges in Tokyo (6752) and elsewhere in Japan, Matsushita's shares are listed on the Amsterdam,
Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, New York (NYSE: MC), Pacific, and Paris stock exchanges. Additional information is available at
http://www.panasonic.co.jp/global/top.html.

About Phoenix Technologies
Founded in 1979, Phoenix Technologies (NASDAQ:PTEC) is a global leader in device-enabling and management software products for PCs and other connected digital devices. Phoenix FirstWare(TM) family of "instant on" software activates, secures, connects, and recovers digital devices and is designed into many millions of industry standard desktop, notebook, server, and information appliance systems sold annually. This enables Phoenix customers - specifiers, developers, and manufacturers of user-driven microprocessor systems - to reduce costs and provide significant value-added features to their customers. Headquartered in San Jose, California, Phoenix Technologies has offices worldwide.

For more information about Phoenix Technologies, visit our website at http://www.phoenix.com/

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