Geoworks announces Wink client software

GEOWORKS ANNOUNCES WINK CLIENT SOFTWARE FOR GEOS-BASED SMART PHONES

LAS VEGAS, Wireless Apps `96 (October 8, 1996) - Geoworks (Nasdaq: GWRX), developer of GEOS operating system software, and Wink Communications, a developer of enabling communications software for consumer electronic equipment, announced today the planned availability of Wink Communications' client and application development environment for GEOS-based smart phones. Drawing upon Wink's international experience in delivering enhanced broadcasting technology, the Wink environment expands the application development and services opportunities for GEOS-based smart phones. This announcement reinforces Geoworks' commitment to the growth and advancement of the smart phone industry, enabling GEOS-based smart phone users to have a wide range of content available. Geoworks supports a number of application development environments, and is working with industry-leading content providers, hardware vendors, and integrated service vendors to create a complete, end-to-end smart phone solution.

"Wink's environment is well-suited for delivering text and graphics-based services to wireless devices," said Grover Righter, Geoworks' vice president of marketing. "This announcement allows Geoworks to offer customers more flexibility, and advances the company's position as a market leader in the smart phone category." "Wink is extremely pleased to be announcing our application development environment for the GEOS operating system platform," said Greg Clark, vice president of Wink. "Geoworks has developed a solid position in the smart phone market, and we look forward to offering a powerful application solution." Smart phones are next-generation, digital-cellular telephones that integrate voice and data transmission capabilities--including voice mail, e-mail, facsimile, and Internet access to content and services--within one handheld device. Available within Europe since August, smart phones are targeted for broad availability within Asia and the U.S. in 1997.

About Wink
Wink Communications is a leading provider of software to enhance low-cost consumer devices such as television sets, cable and satellite set-top boxes, wireless telephones and pagers. Wink technology is the basis for the InterText Consortium, made up of 55 of the world's most dominant electronics, broadcasting, trading, advertising and telecommunications concerns. Members include Toshiba, Sony, Matsushita (Panasonic, National brands), Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, NEC, Pioneer, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Nippon Telephone and Telegraph, and NHK. In addition, the world's largest and most influential manufacturers of cable and satellite equipment, General Instrument Corp., Scientific-Atlanta Inc., and Pioneer Electronics, support Wink. Content front-runners include The Weather Channel, Court TV, Time-Warner, HBO, CNN, and others. For additional information on Wink, contact Wink on the World Wide Web at http://www.wink.com.

About Geoworks
Based in Alameda, California, Geoworks develops and markets the GEOS operating system and application software for the emerging Consumer Computing Devices (CCD) market. The company is focused on enabling the development of smart phones and electronic organizers, and has licensed GEOS to leading manufacturers such as Nokia, Ericsson, NEC, Toshiba Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Company, Brother International Corp. and Canon Business Machines. Geoworks is also working with content and services providers such as HotWired, Newsbytes, WeatherLabs and InfoSpace to deliver compelling content and services to users of GEOS-based smart phones. For additional information on Geoworks and the GEOS operating system, contact Geoworks on the World Wide Web at http://www.geoworks.com.

In keeping with U.S. law, Geoworks notes that this press release contains "forward-looking statements," including the planned availability of the Wink development environment and the intention to develop connectivity standards and products, the timing of smart phone introduction in the U.S. and Asia, and the intention to deliver content and services to GEOS-based devices. Actual results may vary due to risks, including but not limited to the timing and technical risks inherent in the development of complex technologies and the need for complementary products and services to emerge. Additional information may be found in the Company's 10-K, 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.