Proview Launches New Internet Personal Access Device Powered By National Semiconductor's Geode™ Solutions

World's leading PC monitor company to step into information appliance market

Santa Clara, CA -- 8/16/2000 -- Proview International Holdings Limited (HKSE: 334), a leading computer monitor manufacturer, and National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: NSM), the leading provider of silicon and total system solutions for information appliances, today launched iPAD, a simple and intuitive means of accessing the Internet without the cost and complexity often associated with personal computers.

iPAD, resulting from the co-development between Proview and National, is built around National's high-performance Geode™ GX processor and a Proview 15-inch cathode ray tube (CRT) color monitor. iPAD, with a keyboard and a mouse, provides users with one-click access to email, online applications, chat, shopping and search engines.

"We are honoured to introduce the world's first CRT-based Internet access device to the mass market. The iPAD series provides easy to use, high quality and affordable information appliances targeted for the vast non-sophisticated users," said Rowell Yang Long San, chairman of Proview. "We chose to work with National for our information appliances because National is the first company to provide a compelling x86 based solution for information appliances."

"We're extremely excited to work with Proview, one of the world's largest computer monitor manufacturers and our long-term customer," said Martin Kidgell, Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific of National Semiconductor. "The current method of accessing Internet content and applications via a PC is too complex and has frustrated many users. We are confident that Proview has the competitive edge and global marketing expertise to bring information appliances to the mass market."

The number of people online is predicted to reach 840 million in year 2005, according to research firm eTForecasts. A new breed of products, information appliances, are being developed to meet the online population's demand for simple, affordable and intuitive means of accessing the Web. A recent report by IDC shows that this new market of Internet appliances will grow to US$17.8 billion by 2004, up from US$2.4 billion in 1999.

"So far, we have seen overwhelming market response to our iPAD products from the U.S., Europe, China and Japan. The orders we received so far are worth more than US$20 million. We are confident that we will be one of the major players in the new 'post-PC era - the information appliance era'," Yang said.

About Proview
Proview is one of the world's top five computer monitor manufacturers. It is currently engaged in the design, manufacturing and sale of computer monitors all over the world. The company markets its products under its own and other brand names to more than 50 countries throughout America, Europe and Asia. It has an extensive global sales network. Its 11 sales and after-sales service centres covers Americas, Western Europe and Asia. Its research and development teams are located in Taipei, Taiwan, and Shenzhen, China. It employs more than 4,000 people in various manufacturing facilities.

About National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor provides system-on-a-chip solutions for the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of the-art digital technology, the company's chips lead many sectors of the personal computer, communications, and consumer markets. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $2.1 billion for its last fiscal year and has about 10,500 employees worldwide.