National Semiconductor's Geode™ WebPAD™ Platform Enables Honeywell To Demonstrate Wireless Internet Access On Its Home Controller Solution

Honeywell to Demonstrate the Web-Enabled System at the International Builders' Show

Santa Clara, CA -- 1/14/2000 -- National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE:NSM) today announced that its Geode™ WebPAD™ platform is acting as an interface device for the newly released Honeywell Home Controller solution being demonstrated this weekend at the International Builders' Show. Honeywell plans to bring this portable device to market as an optional user interface to their Home Controller. Honeywell will display their home implementation prototypes of the WebPAD reference platform in a model home in booth 3233 at the show, which takes place January 14-17 in the Dallas Convention Center.

"The Honeywell Home Controller is the logical next step in the explosion in affordable, value-added home technologies," said Deb Massof, vice president, Honeywell Home Vision. "Like the Internet and cellular phones, the Home Controller gives people an accessible, time-saving tool to suit their lifestyles," Massof noted. "Now people have a simple, future-ready way to integrate their home's security system, lighting, heat and air conditioning control into a single solution for improved comfort, health and safety ---- with the ability to adjust and expand the system in response to new technologies and their family's changing needs."

Honeywell's Home Controller is a new solution for the home of the future that uses the Internet to enhance homeowners' daily lives. It features a built-in Web server that enables direct, secure access to home systems via the Internet. The system enables users to schedule a wide range of convenient activities, ranging from changing security lighting times to turning off appliances to setting temperature zones for multiple areas within the home.

Honeywell's Home Controller is a secure platform for delivering information-based services to the home, and users will access the system in a variety of ways. Some possible interface devices include a home PC, a mounted user interface panel, a thermostat, a phone or a portable information appliance, such as the Geode WebPADs being demonstrated at the International Builders' Show.

"Honeywell's application of our WebPAD reference design with its Home Controller solution is a perfect example of how information appliances and the Internet will be integrated into our everyday lives," said Mike Polacek, vice president of National's Information Appliance division. "The typical home will have a number of simple, easy to use, focused application devices that seamlessly access the Internet. The Internet connection is there for browsing, but more importantly, it's used for remote management and control."

The Honeywell Home Controller
The Honeywell Home Controller offers a variety of benefits, including convenient monitoring and control of temperature, lighting, security and appliances, as well as immediate alerts in the event of hazardous conditions or security breaches. The intuitive Web browser interface makes it simple to use, and the ability to download new applications and software upgrades will keep the home network up-to-date.

The Honeywell Home Controller offers a single, comprehensive solution that eliminates the hassle of installing and integrating multiple independent systems. As homeowners acquire more entertainment devices, computers and appliances, and as they seek ever-greater convenience and comfort in their lives, Honeywell has begun laying the groundwork for the networked home. This home will be a place where electronics, systems and appliances are linked by an internal network, which in turn is connected to the Internet. This network will be easily accessed from anywhere in the home or a remote location by logging into a secure Honeywell server, entering a password and accessing a personal network, making it possible to control home functions and advanced systems from anywhere in the world.

The National® Geode WebPAD Platform
National's Geode WebPAD platform is a complete hardware and software reference design for a wireless personal Internet access device that is optimized for Internet browsing. Weighing less than three pounds, the WebPAD tablet is about the size of a standard 8?-by-11 inch paper notebook and features a simple touch-screen that encourages user interaction. Its wireless design lets users, within a range of up to 500 feet from the tablet's base station, surf the Internet, participate in e-commerce and send e-mail. The WebPAD reference design is based on National's highly integrated Geode GXLV processor, a low-power x86-based chip that integrates sound, graphics, memory control and the PCI interface. Geode WebPAD solutions based on the x86 architecture provide consumers with a no-compromise Internet experience, because most popular software plug-in modules for the Internet are supported.

About Honeywell
Honeywell is a US$24-billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; power generation systems; specialty chemicals; fibers; plastics; and electronic and advanced materials. The company employs approximately 120,000 people in 95 countries. Honeywell is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HON, as well as on the London, Chicago and Pacific stock exchanges. It is one of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is also a component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Additional information on the company is available on the Internet at www.honeywell.com.

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 billion for its last fiscal year and currently has about 11,000 employees worldwide.