The Toshiba Mobile Office solution is a broadband-backed Wireless Network for seamless public access in traveler hotspots, such as airports, cafes, hotels, and other high-traffic public areas. Furthermore, the Toshiba Mobile Office is suitable for use in SoHo environments, both as a solution for mobility needs and as a basic network technology. Based on the IEEE's 802.11b global wireless 11Mbps standard (Wi-Fi^TM), it offers travelers and residents alike easy access to high-speed wireless networks. Using the Toshiba Mobile Office enables easy deployment of a seamless Wi-Fi network.

Toshiba is currently offering notebooks with built-in Wi-Fi networking, including the Satellite Pro 4600 and Tecra 8200. For owners of devices without built-in Wi-Fi networking, Toshiba offers (in most regions) PC card and PCI-based Wi-Fi solutions. Owners of either of these classes of devices are perfectly positioned to take advantage of the Toshiba Mobile Office and the freedom that it offers. The Toshiba Wireless Broadband Gateway enables easy deployment of Wi-Fi networks, providing high-speed wireless access to Wi-Fi-enabled devices. In addition, Toshiba offers a Wireless Network Pack, bundling a Wireless Broadband Gateway with either Wi-Fi access cards or Wi-Fi-enabled notebooks. This bundle makes it easy for the owner of a SoHo to set up a Toshiba Mobile Office network.

Traditionally, client configuration of a Wi-Fi network has been a difficult manual process. Customers have been forced to make changes to their notebook or PDA networking configuration by hand, often resulting in an inoperable network connection. To ease the burden of customer network configuration, the Toshiba Mobile Office includes Configuration Free technology, which manages all necessary network information automatically.

Mobility is a key feature of the Toshiba Mobile Office, facilitated by the ability of users to move from one portion of a network to another without having to power down or even reconfigure their devices. Furthermore, the Toshiba Mobile Office offers roaming between distinct Wi-Fi networks. Through partnerships with a number of other technology and solution providers, Toshiba offers a complete solution that delivers seamless connectivity between mobile professionals and their enterprise network. Using more than 1000 hotspot public access locations, these business professionals can seamlessly access their corporate Intranet across the globe.

"The future is wireless and mobile," Hisatsugu Nonaka, Vice President of Toshiba's Digital Media Network Company. said "and Toshiba is in the vanguard of making wireless technology easy to use and useful to customers. We are developing a range of wireless products and services and merging wired and wireless broadband technology, all to construct a new mobile environment that truly supports our goal of "anybody, anywhere, anytime" network access.

In developing Toshiba Mobile Office, Toshiba established a strategic partnership with hereUare Communications, Inc. of San Jose, CA, USA, integrating hereUare's eCoinBox^TM technology into the Toshiba Wireless Broadband Gateway. The inclusion of eCoinBox allows networks deployed using Toshiba's Wireless Broadband Gateway to become part of the hereUare global wireless network.

"Toshiba is a natural partner for hereUare. They have exceptional products that provide tremendous functionality without sacrificing ease of use. Toshiba has a strategy for next generation public networking, and that strategy is Wi-Fi," says Dr. Butch Anton, Vice President of Advanced Technology, hereUare Communications, Inc.

Toshiba also announced strategic technical relationship with Virata and Agere Systems, former Lucent Technology. Virata supplies Toshiba with ADSL technology while Lucent technology supplies Wireless LAN technology.

"With its new Toshiba Mobile Office Solutions, Toshiba once again leads the mobile computing world with the most innovative PC technology available on the market, " said Charles Cotton, CEO of Virata. "We are extremely pleased to have Virata's Beryllium processor and software powering the DSL capabilities in the new Toshiba Wireless Broadband Router--and we look forward to growing our partnership with Toshiba in the future."

"Agere is excited to be helping Toshiba in providing this complete mobile office solution," said Frans Frielink, who manages OEM business development for Agere Systems' wireless networking business. "All of these companies have come together to give SoHo customers and business travelers the same rich networking experience found in traditional wired office environments."

About Toshiba Corporation

Toshiba Corporation is a leader in information and communications systems, electronic components, consumer products, and power systems. The company's integration of these wide-ranging capabilities assures its position as an innovator in advanced components, products, and systems. Toshiba has 190,000 employees worldwide, and annual sales of over US$54 billion. Visit Toshiba's website at http://www.toshiba.co.jp

About hereUare Communications, Inc.

hereUare Communications, Inc. is a provider of enabling technology and the leading operator of for-pay public Wi-Fi network access services in the world. Based in San Jose, California, hereUare develops and licenses the eCoinBox^TM, which provides access control, accounting, and auditing functions for their global public for-pay Wi-Fi network. This technology makes it easy for others to deploy for-pay networks. Backed by well-respected venture capital firms ComVentures, Raza Foundries, and Lucent Venture Partners, hereUare is changing the way mobile professionals access the Internet.