UIEvolution and austriamicrosystems Partner to Develop a Rich User Experience for Mobile Entertainment Devices

January 8, 2007 — Bellevue, WA., and Unterpremstaetten, Austria

UIEvolution, a leading provider of software solutions for rich media, information and entertainment, has been selected by austriamicrosystems, a leading global designer and manufacturer of analog integrated circuits for communications, industrial, medical and automotive applications, to develop the graphical user interface for its new Mobile Entertainment Platform. austriamicrosystems and UIEvolution are working together to help engineers simplify development of portable audio devices through graphical system design. This innovation combines open software and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) programmable hardware in a single, unifying platform to rapidly design, prototype and deploy devices for mobile entertainment. The collaboration of austriamicrosystems high performance chipset and UIEvolution's leading software solutions illustrates the two companies' ongoing strategic relationship dedicated to improving the development of devices for consumers all over the world.

austriamicrosystems is leveraging UIEvolution's technology and expertise to deliver a compelling portable entertainment user experience on audio devices, beyond just listening to music. UIEvolution has a flexible, yet stable platform that will enable austriamicrosystems to scale services and integrate dynamic content into their AS3525 and AS3527 high-performance chipset, providing device manufacturers with a robust platform that shortens the development cycle from concept to delivery.

"UIEvolution understands the importance of user experience for differentiation," said Roberto Simmarano, Senior Director of Marketing for the Communications Business Unit at austriamicrosystems. "Their technology meets the challenge of creating an application experience that is both technically sound and appealing to user. The integration of the UIEngine™ with austriamicrosystems Media Platform will enable device manufacturers to easily develop high performance mobile entertainment products."

"We are excited about collaborating with austriamicrosystems to build innovative multimedia products that allows for broader availability of rich, digital media content," said Stephen Fishburn, Product Unit Manager for Embedded Systems at UIEvolution.

austriamicrosystems versatile and highly integrated ARM9 SoC in the AS3525 and AS3527 delivers over 200MIPS of processing power and allows the implementation of an MP3 player with only 50mW total power consumption. It delivers video playback to LCD and OLED screens at up to 30 frames per second (fps) and up to QCIF+ resolution, while streaming crystal-clear audio via its independent Bluetooth headphone and line outputs. Its system firmware is Microsoft PlaysForSure V2.0 compliant and supports MP3, WMA, AAC and OGG audio, JPEG, GIF and BMP photos as well as MPEG4 and Microsoft WMV Mobile Video contents The platform has been tested by the National Software Testing Lab (NSTL) to be interoperable with Windows Media Player 11 and with the new Windows Vista Operating System. It also includes innovative technologies of lighting management for the generation of colourful effects synchronized with playback of music in order to increase the listener experience.

UIEvolution's world class UIEngine™ technology and development environment supports rapid development and deployment of ground up, custom graphical user interfaces for portable audio devices based on the austriamicrosystems AS3525 and AS3527 chips. Applications developed with UIEvolution's tools, UIE™ Designer and UIE™ Developer, enable hardware engineers, software engineers and product managers to rapidly design, develop and deploy lightweight, stand alone and networked experiences for consumers. UIEvolution provides a framework for rapid customization out-of-thebox that can be quickly optimized for even the most challenging portable audio scenarios.

Demonstrations of the austriamicrosystems' Mobile Entertainment platform will be shown during the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at the company suite in the Venetian Hotel-Resort-Casino.

About austriamicrosystems

austriamicrosystems is a leading designer and manufacturer of high performance analog ICs, combining more than 25 years of analog design capabilities and system know-how with its own state-of-the-art manufacturing and test facilities. austriamicrosystems leverages its expertise in low power and high accuracy to provide industry-leading customized and standard analog products. Operating worldwide with more than 1,000 employees, austriamicrosystems focuses on the areas of power management, sensors & sensor interfaces, portable audio and car access in its markets Communications, Industry & Medical and Automotive, complemented by its Full Service Foundry activities. austriamicrosystems is listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange in Zurich (ticker symbol: AMS).