Spyglass Inc. (Nasdaq: SPYG) announced today it has licensed its World Wide Web technology to Intercom Inc., Tokyo, a developer of commercial software for use in the PC and mainframe communications area. The agreement is expected to build a presence for Spyglass' existing and new Web technology in the expanding Web-device marketplace in Japan.

According to Intercom, the company will create Japanese-language versions of Spyglass(R) Web technology for use in real-time operating systems (RTOS) for televisions and other home electronic devices. Last week, Intercom announced an arrangement whereby it has teamed up with four software houses and Spyglass to develop operating systems using Intercom's technology. The companies joining the agreement are Microware Systems KK, Wind River Systems KK, and Integrated Systems Japan Ltd., all based in Tokyo, and Lynx Real Time Systems Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif.

Spyglass has licensed its technology to many of the leading RTOS vendors in the United States including Microware and Integrated Systems, parent companies of the Japanese firms, and Lynx. In doing so, Spyglass has become the leader in providing Web technology to the RTOS market.

Key to Spyglass' expansion in the device marketplace is a new product strategy rolled out a few weeks ago that is designed to make a whole new class of devices work with the Web. Initial feedback from the industry has been quite favorable.

"The (Spyglass) strategy makes sense," said Stan Dolberg, an analyst at Forrester Research in Cambridge, Mass. "I like it." - Computerworld, November 1996. "Their (Spyglass) strategy seems to be well thought out and ahead of the pack in targeting the non-PC device market," said Ullas Naik, Meta Group.

In addition to Intercom, Spyglass technology is used by a number of Japanese companies including Fujitsu, NEC and Nippon Telephone and Telegraph. Spyglass targeted the Pacific Rim, including the Japanese market, for its Web technology when it established Spyglass Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong. Just this week, the company also announced the establishment of European operations based outside London.

Spyglass Inc.

Spyglass Inc. (Nasdaq: SPYG) provides software and services to make devices work with the World Wide Web. Among Spyglass' OS device customers are Integrated Systems, Inc., Lynx Real-Time Systems, Inc., Microware Systems Corp. and QNX Software Systems, Ltd. Other customers include BellSouth, Computer Associates, Inc., Digital Equipment Corp., IBM Corp., Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp. and WebTV. Spyglass headquarters are located at 1240 E. Diehl Road, Naperville, Ill.

Source: Spyglass Inc.