Expert Reviews from The New York Times through NYToday.com Provide Insight Into Where to eat, shop, and play in New York

New York City—March 27, 2000—Vindigo, the leading developer of personal navigation applications for handheld devices, in partnership with NYToday.com, the comprehensive online city guide to everything New York, today unveiled its free mobile service for Palm®, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) and Palm-compatible devices. The application, called Vindigo, arms users with the timely local content they need to make fast, informed decisions about where to eat, shop, and play—whenever and wherever they are.

The first version, available today, is for New York City and draws its content from one of New York's most trusted resources for local information, NYToday.com. NYToday.com is the online city site of New York Times Digital, the Internet division of The New York Times Company. Users can download the free application from the Vindigo Web site at www.vindigo.com or from NYToday.com at www.nytoday.com. Additional versions of Vindigo for the Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, and Washington, DC will be available over the next two months, with other cities to follow.

Combining the ease and convenience of mobile devices with original content, in-depth information and expert reviews, Vindigo offers individuals an insider's guide and insight into the things to do and places to go in major cities. It instantly adapts to a user's location and interests to serve as a lifestyle resource for on-the-fly activities and decisions. Users tell Vindigo where they are by selecting the nearest intersection, and what they want to do. Vindigo then makes suggestions based on their interests and provides directions on how to get there.

"Vindigo turns Palm-compatible handheld devices into lifestyle devices. Now, the tool people have grown to rely on to plan their business lives becomes a trusted friend that can help you plan your time away from the office," said Jason Devitt, CEO for Vindigo. "The Vindigo service focuses on delivering timely, local information when you need it—no matter where your are—at home, in a restaurant, or out on the street."

The New York version of Vindigo offers listings, reviews, and directions to over 5,000 restaurants, bars, stores, and movies. And, if users aren't sure what they are looking for, Vindigo can make suggestions based on where the user is and what they want to do, from the nearest bowling alley and movie playing to the closest Japanese restaurant.

"We are pleased to be partnering with Vindigo to offer users immediate access to NYToday.com, including New York Times reviews and comprehensive entertainment listings, wherever they travel throughout the city," said Jason Krebs, vice president and general manager of NYToday.com. "Extending our brand through new distribution platforms is an important part of our strategy."

Eat, Shop, and Play—All From Your Fingertips
Vindigo's main screen offers four options for navigating to the user's desired action—Eat, Shop, Play, and Give. After selecting any listing, users can generate directions from anywhere in the city, directly to their selection. Users can also bookmark regularly visited locations, such as home and work.

Within each section, Vindigo also allows users to record their own ratings, opinions, and thoughts about any restaurant, bar, or shop visited for later reference:

Eat—Provides listings and reviews for thousands of restaurants, delis, and coffee shops.
Shop—Finds the nearest places to buy books, wine, music, flowers, and more.
Play—Delivers entertainment ideas with listings of great bars and clubs with a brief description of each venue. The Play section also includes complete local listings for every movie playing, with show times for the nearest theater.
Give—Allows users to beam the application to a friend with a Palm-compatible device so that they can begin accessing the information immediately. To let a new user begin experiencing the benefits of Vindigo immediately, the restaurant section and current movie listings are sent along with the application. Users can upgrade to the complete application for free at any time by downloading it from the Vindigo Web site.

How it Works: Download and Go...Everywhere
Vindigo is available today for users of Palm and Palm-compatible handheld devices. By simply downloading the application from the Vindigo Web site (www.vindigo.com) or the NYToday.com Web site (www.nytoday.com), users have access to the limitless choices of places to go and things to do in New York City. Each time a user syncs his or her handheld, any new information is automatically downloaded onto the device. Vindigo's differential synchronization technology, VSync, keeps sync time to a minimum, on average less than five seconds, by only downloading new and updated information. The application also uses proprietary data compression technology to minimize the application's size and to speed searching.

Wireless Access Not Required
Vindigo is able to instantly adapt its content to a user's specific location without requiring a wireless connection. It also supports wireless syncronization using the Omnisky wireless platform or any Palm-compatible modem such as the Novatel Minstrel. Regardless of a user's preferred connection method, Vindigo ensures that the information is accurate and up to date every time a consumer syncs their device.

The Value of "Point-of-Interest"™ Advertising
Vindigo's "point-of-interest advertising™" model offers a unique value proposition for both consumers and advertisers. Vindigo enables advertisers to target advertisements based on user demographics, where a user wants to go, and what they want to do. For consumers, the advertising offers useful supplementary information. If the user is looking for a restaurant, a message from an advertiser might suggest a nearby bar where the user could stop for drinks prior to dinner. For shoppers, advertising can offer information about promotions and sales in a category of interest. In the near future, advertisers will be able to deliver electronic coupons for immediate redemption.

System Requirements
Vindigo is compatible with all devices based on the Palm OS™ and will take approximately 450K of memory, but it is recommended that the handheld have 550K of free space. Compatible devices include the Palm III, PalmV, and Palm VII (in offline mode) series from Palm Inc., the Handspring Visor, IBM WorkPad, and the Symbol Technologies SPT 1500 and 1700 series. System requirements for the desktop component of the software are Windows 95 or later (Windows NT users require service pack 3), Netscape Navigator 3.0 or higher, or Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher, and Palm Hotsync Manager 2.0.

Availability
Vindigo New York is available immediately, free-of-charge, from the Vindigo Web site at www.vindigo.com or from NYToday.com at www.nytoday.com. Additional versions of Vindigo for the Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, and Washington, DC will be available within the next 60 days. Vindigo is also available for download from leading Palm sites including Handango (www.handango.com) and PalmGear HQ (www.palmgear.com).

About Vindigo
Vindigo creates resource-rich software for mobile devices that allows people to explore, enjoy, and connect to the world around them. The company's core product, also called Vindigo, transforms Palm Inc. organizers and compatibles into personal navigators. It delivers location-specific information about the limitless choices of places to go and things to do in popular cities. Combining mobility with an insider's insight and in-depth expert reviews from the nation's most trusted local sources—including The New York Times—Vindigo instantly adapts to a user's location and interests. Vindigo gives busy people the ability to make quick, savvy, lifestyle decisions about where to eat, shop, and play, whenever and wherever they are.

Vindigo is located at 259 W. 30th Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10001. For information, contact Vindigo at: (212) 741-0715 or via the Web at www.vindigo.com.

Editor's Note:
Screen shots with a viewable contact sheet at the following FTP site:
ftp://209.239.171.239/vindigo/index.htm