SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Microcap & Penny Stocks : UPGD 'Smart Card' potential $2.4 Billion World Wide -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: kostasinchenko who wrote (159)2/24/2000 12:29:00 AM
From: Intrepid1  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 203
 
Upgrade International Corp. Announces Its Participation In CeBIT 2000

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--February 23, 2000--Upgrade International Corp. (OTCBB:UPGD - news) announces its
participation in CeBIT 2000, in Hannover, Germany starting on Thursday 24th February 2000.

Daniel Bland, President and CEO of Upgrade International Corp. announced today that the company will be represented at the
annual technology exhibition CeBIT 2000 in Hannover, Germany. ''I am pleased to announce today that we will be showing
UltraCard, the core technology of the Upgrade group at CeBIT 2000, at the stand of Emprise AG. This will be the debut
presentation of the revolutionary UltraCard technology to the European market and will be followed by a series of detailed
presentations of several applications which are currently being developed by companies of the group.''

Emprise Management Consulting AG, a shareholder in Upgrade, is a publicly traded company quoted on Neuer Markt in
Germany. Emprise offers computer software consulting, systems integration services and information technology services
including specific system development, organizational advice, strategic planning for information processing, process analysis and
software solutions. The Company has subsidiaries in Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

In the course of the presentations at CeBIT, it is anticipated that Upgrade International Corp. will be elaborating on its medium
term strategy, current outlook and prospects for the commercialisation and licensing of its products and services.

Upgrade International Corp., (www.upgd.com) is focused on the development and acquisition of state-of-the-art information
technology. In addition to EforNet Corp., one of the companies in which Upgrade holds a substantial stake, UltraCard Inc., has
developed a revolutionary system for high capacity data storage. The management of UltraCard, Inc. believes that their developed
and patented product represents a significant advance in the method consumers and businesses will utilize portable data,
integrating UltraCard products into everyday life. Utilizing existing hard disk storage technology, UltraCard provides a unique and
highly durable media in a common credit card format, to satisfy the next generation in personal portable data storage for a broad
range of existing and new market sectors. UltraCard currently provides 5 megabytes of memory and is fully editable.
Management estimates that more than 1 gigabyte of recordable data, on a single credit card format, can be achieved without the
need for compression technology.

On behalf of the Board of Directors
Daniel Bland

This news release may contain forward-looking statements relating to future results, performance, plans, events or other matters.
Such statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties pertaining to
development of the Company's products and services and markets for such products and services, the timing and level of
customer orders, competitive products and services and pricing, changes in economic conditions and the markets for the
Company's products and services and other risks and uncertainties. Actual results, performance and events may differ materially.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this
News Release. The company undertakes no obligation to release revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances after the date of this News Release.

Contact:

Upgrade International Corp.
Daniel Bland, 206/903-3116
ir@upgd.com



To: kostasinchenko who wrote (159)2/28/2000 1:59:00 AM
From: Intrepid1  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 203
 
Upgrade Forms Strategic Alliance with SCIVAC - Shorts and their ambulance chasing friends wet pants!

Monday February 28, 12:01 am Eastern Time

Company Press Release

UltraCard Inc. Forms Strategic Alliance with SciVac

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2000--UltraCard Inc. developers of high
capacity, portable data storage, today announced a cooperative affiliation with San
Jose-based SciVac, leaders in precision thin-film processes and equipment, to produce a customized sputtering system for
UltraCard's advanced memory card technology.

UltraCard Inc. uses a range of proprietary and patented technologies to provide a durable, high capacity read-write data card.
SciVac management, with more than 20 years experience in magnetic thin-film, is an acknowledged leader in sputtering
technology. Both UltraCard and SciVac recognize the potential of the system which offers an means of combining proprietary
magnetic and non-magnetic layers including Keepered Media technology.

UltraCard Inc. is especially pleased with SciVac's expertise in Keepered Media technology which was selected after extensive
testing because it results in a product which significantly increases durability of magnetic media. The technology also allows for
more resistance to demagnetization associated with ordinary magstripe cards and provides a means of improving data security.

UltraCard Inc. President Dan Kehoe stated, ``SciVac will play an important role in establishing UltraCard as a leader in
personal, transportable data storage. As part of this agreement, SciVac will assemble the manufacturing system at UltraCard's
Northern California facility.'

``We're excited to be working with SciVac to jointly develop the architecture of this breakthrough system,' said Kehoe. ``This
affiliation is another milestone in the continuing advancement in the way consumers and businesses will use and benefit from
personal, transportable data storage. We are proud to be a part of this revolutionary field of technology.'

Kehoe adds that SciVac has also agreed to become a second source for the production of the cards. Additionally, SciVac has
agreed to allow UltraCard to manufacture cards necessary for beta testing at SciVac's Northern California facility.

President and CEO of SciVac, David Pearce says, ``The alignment with UltraCard and use of SciVac's unique deposition
source technology will pave the way for the exploration of powerful new ways to improve technology and expand the market
for the UltraCard technology.'

``SciVac's high throughput systems will provide the customer a significant cost-of-ownership advantage,' says Pearce. ``The
modular properties of our multiple vacuum system platforms will enable systems to be easily reconfigured as UltraCard's
requirements change and expand.'

Pearce, along with Dennis Hollars, Ph.D., vice president Engineering for SciVac, were part of the development team for a
successful high throughput disk sputtering program subsequently acquired by Seagate Technology. Today, Seagate is an
investor in SciVac. Dr. Hollars, a solar and nuclear physicist, says the contract with UltraCard is only the beginning of
significant strides in portable data storage.

``SciVac's dual rotary cylindrical technology opens up thin film markets and applications that have previously been limited,
difficult or impractical,' says Dr. Hollars. ``We have only begun to explore the possible applications for UltraCard.'

Dr. Hollars has more than 30 years experience in thin film coatings, vacuum system design and applied physics. He is directly
responsible for vacuum deposition Systems currently used to produce a significant number of the world's thin film processes.
Bruce Lairson, Ph.D. was recently appointed director of Card Development for UltraCard Inc. Dr. Lairson will be responsible
for working with SciVac in the design of the sputtering system and oversee the manufacturing process. Lairson has his Ph.D in
Material Science from Stanford University and was previously designer of Sputter R&D at Komag and director of Advance
Technology at Western Digital.

``We are confident that the initial UltraCard product will prove to be a technological discovery with substantial usage in a broad
range of industries,' said Kehoe. ``We are most pleased to be working with SciVac to help meet market demand and deliver a
product that will add yet another dimension to e-commerce on and offline.'

Upgrade International Corp. (OTCBB:UPGD - news), through it ownership interest in UltraCard Inc., is engaged in the
development and commercialization of a patented, revolutionary data storage technology. UltraCard applies conventional hard
drive storage technology onto the surface of the standard magnetic stripe card and the integrated circuit chip card (smart card).
This will provide numerous potential industrial users with a combination of high level security and a vastly greater amount (up to
several mega bytes) of personal, transportable data storage at the lowest cost in the industry. By comparison existing magnetic
stripe and smart card technologies have 256 bytes and 16k of storage capacity respectively.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors, Daniel Bland, President

This news release may contain forward-looking statements relating to future results, performance, plans, events or other
matters. Such statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties pertaining
to development of the company's products and services and markets for such products and services, the timing and level of
customer orders, competitive products and services and pricing, changes in economic conditions and the markets for the
company's products and services and other risks and uncertainties. Actual results, performance and events may differ
materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undo reliance on these forward-looking statements which speak only of the date
of this news releases. The company undertakes no obligation to release revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect
events or circumstances after the date of this news release.

Contact:

Upgrade International Corp., Seattle
Daniel Bland, 206/903-3116