Tokyo---Toshiba Corporation today announced that it will support NetMeeting 2.0, the standards-based real-time Internet conferencing solution announced today by Microsoft Corpration, in various models of its portable and desktop personal computers.

Runaway growth in the use of the Internet and corporate intranets is fueling demand for real-time, PC-based conferencing. To satisfy this rising demand, Toshiba is promoting development and diffusion of conferencing systems for use over the Internet and intranets, and over various LAN and wireless networks. As a part of these ongoing efforts, Toshiba will support Microsoft NetMeeting 2.0 in some future models of its personal computers, as a standard feature.

NetMeeting 2.0 developed by Microsoft provides powerful PC-based conferencing functions in a complete integrated package for the Internet or corporate intranets. It realizes audio, data and video conferencing and real-time collaboration on PCs. It allows voice communication using PCs equipped with microphones and speakers, and communication of image data using video cards and cameras. Additionally, NetMeeting supports the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) T.120 and H.323 standards for one-to-one communications and multipoint data conferencing. Because NetMeeting 2.0 has the capacity to enhance the effectiveness of virtually any collective endeavor involving PCs, it is expected to be widely used within and among companies, universities, research institutes, as well as by numerous individual users.

"We are delighted that Toshiba, a leader in personal computers, is announcing support for NetMeeting to bring real-time conference and collaboration products to users," said John Ludwig, vice president, Internet client and collaboration division, Microsoft Corporation. "These features of NetMeeting will offer users new type of communication capabilities of PCs."

Microsoft and NetMeeting are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.