Heartsoft Further Unveils Plans for First Secure Internet Browser for Children;
Kids Internet World Explorer -KIWE- to Be Sold to School, Retail, OEM, and International Markets
TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 19, 1999--Responding to a deluge of inquiries about the company's recent agreement to license and sell the first truly secure Internet browser for children, Heartsoft, Inc. (OTC BB:HTSF) announced today further details about the product, its licensing, and sales plans.
The educational software publisher and creator of the first early-learning critical thinking skills product, Thinkology(R), reported today that the company had received an unprecedented number of inquiries about the Kids Internet World Explorer (KIWE) and its availability and configuration.
According to Heartsoft Chairman and CEO Benjamin P. Shell, "Since the announcement about KIWE on Wednesday, our office has had a hard time responding to all the calls, emails, and fax inquiries about our new secure web browser. We simply were not prepared for the deluge of calls from teachers, parents, and investors about KIWE. Everyone wanted to know more about the product and when they could purchase it."
On Wednesday, February 17, 1999, Heartsoft announced that it had reached an agreement with Cytware Corp. of Ft. Worth, Texas, to license and sell the Kids Internet World Explorer.
In exchange for the lucrative distribution rights to KIWE, Heartsoft agreed to lend its substantial software development capabilities to the project by preparing KIWE for sale by redesigning the product's graphics user interface as well as adding numerous enhancements which would substantially increase a parent or educator's ability to control which parts of the Internet children could access using KIWE.
Under the terms of the agreement, Heartsoft will have exclusive marketing rights to the U.S. K-12 education market as well as protected rights to the U.S. retail (home) market. The agreement also sets forth special provisions wherein Heartsoft can pursue distribution agreements with OEM partners such as Dell Computer Corp. (Nasdaq:DELL), Apple Computer, Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL), Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE:CPQ), and Gateway (NYSE:GTW). The agreement also allows the company to market KIWE internationally.
KIWE is the only Internet browser developed for the specific needs of Children. The product's simple interface will be fun to look at and fun to use. KIWE was eloquently designed to address the security concerns of parents and educators without suppressing a child's innate curiosity to explore the Internet. KIWE carefully guides children through hundreds of areas of interest on the Internet, while safely protecting them from unseen, but real dangers.
Kids Internet World Explorer is scheduled to begin shipping late Spring, early Summer, 1999, and will be available in both Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh versions.
"The Kids Internet World Explorer offers a highly profitable revenue channel to Heartsoft. Since its inception, Heartsoft has reached a conservative 10% penetration level of the 100,000+ schools in the U.S. Assuming that we will package and price the school version of KIWE similarly to our existing product lines, each 1% of the U.S, school market to which we sell KIWE will translate into approximately 15 cents per share in earnings for the company -- and that's only the U.S. K-12 education market. Profits from other distribution channels will have an equally strong impact on fiscal 1999 earnings and beyond," said Shell.
Heartsoft is positioning the Kids Internet World Explorer as a powerful Internet browser for children and as a safe alternative solution to Microsoft Internet Explorer (Nasdaq:MSFT) and Netscape Navigator (Nasdaq:NSCP).
Heartsoft, Inc. publishes and distributes a line of multimedia educational software products for schools and homes nationwide. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Heartsoft is acknowledged among educators as the price-vs.-performance leader, delivering such product classics as the Heartsoft Bestsellers and its latest release, Thinkology, with unsurpassed customer satisfaction and loyalty. Heartsoft's Web pages may be viewed at heartsoft.com and thinkology.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impact of competition; uncertainties in demand for and market acceptance of the company's products; changes in trade practices and the risk of trade practice litigation; and the risks of developing products. These and other risks are described in the company's periodic SEC reports and filings.
CONTACT: Heartsoft, Inc.
Benjamin P. Shell, 918/251-1066
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