Smart Card Solution for Compaq Presario™ PCs Humetrix's patented Netissimo^® technology provides the fastest, easiest, secure anywhere Internet access on the market today.

Las Vegas, NV.—January 8, 2002

Humetrix's breakthrough smart card-based Internet technology, Netissimo^®, will make its consumer product debut on Compaq PresarioTM 5000 and 8000 Series Internet desktop PCs, beginning in January 2002, it was announced today by Dr. Bettina Experton, the CEO and founder of Humetrix.
Based on a patented system* that allows for simple, automated connectivity to the Internet and Intranets using smart portable devices—such as smart cards—with PCs, PDAs, cell phones or TV set top boxes, the Presario Internet Smart Card Solution powered by Netissimo^® will provide the fastest and easiest secure anywhere Internet access available on the market today.
By simply inserting the card—which features a sophisticated memory chip—into Compaq's Smart Card Internet Keyboard, Netissimo allows users to:

• Automatically connect to the Internet, then securely disconnect when the card is removed.
• Automatically bypass the sign-in process for web sites and secured online accounts requiring registration.
• Instantly launch user-designated sites into multiple windows for speed browsing.
• Enjoy secure access to personal web-based accounts, such as e-mail, banking, brokerage and frequent flyer accounts.
• Automatically access web-based e-mail accounts with instant login of user IDs and passwords.
• Automatically capture URLs and passwords for quick storage in the card's memory bank.
• Safeguard the information on the card by selecting their own PIN— known only to the user—to prevent unauthorized access if the card is lost or stolen.
• Store all of the login information on the card itself—rather than on a central online database—ensuring that highly sensitive account numbers and passwords can never be shared or sold. 
• Vary IDs and passwords for logon sites and accounts for maximum security, while relieving the user of having to remember or look up the information each time.

Humetrix's Netissimo technology also:

• Includes a "security time-out" feature that automatically closes open sites and returns to the PIN screen in the event the user leaves the computer for a period of time and forgets to remove the card.
• Allows each member of the household to personalize and use their own card for their Internet destinations and accounts.
• Takes only a matter of minutes to set up and learn.
• And is compatible with most major ISPs (including AOL, Compuserve, MSN, Earthlink, cable modem, DSL and other LAN Internet connections) and browsers.

"It's like having the Internet in your pocket," said Experton, who began developing smart card-based software applications for the health care industry in the mid-1990s, as a physician and member of the faculty at the University of California-San Diego Medical School.

"With the explosion of e-mail, online accounts, and web-based information, Netissimo becomes an indispensable tool to save time and remove the fear that highly-sensitive personal information will fall into the wrong hands," she continues. "Plus, the Netissimo-powered Presario Internet Smart Card fits easily into a wallet, so it's available wherever you're at, whenever you need it. I'm delighted to be working with Compaq in making this significant new advance in technology available to the consumer market."

"Compaq is proud to be the first PC manufacturer to release a smart card-based Internet utility solution and to be working with Humetrix, which has the most advanced solution of its kind on the market today," said Will Townsend, senior manager of Consumer Desktop Product Marketing in Compaq's Access Business Group. "The combination of Compaq's Presario smart-card enabled PCs and Humetrix's Netissimo technology marks a second wave of smart card innovation that began with the introduction of the Compaq Smart Credit Card Internet Keyboard last year. By offering the best Internet utility solution and online shopping and buying platform, Compaq is delivering the most convenient and secure Internet experience for consumers today."

Compaq Presario 5000 and 8000 Series PCs with the Presario Internet Smart Card Powered by Netissimo^® can be purchased online at www.Compaq.com, beginning January 9, 2002, and through major retailers in mid to late first quarter of 2002.

About Humetrix:

Humetrix is a privately-held company, based in Del Mar, California, that designs automated, simple and secure Internet/intranet connectivity software products using portable smart devices with PCs, PDAs, smart phones and TV set top boxes. The company provides Netissimo^® solutions for a range of industries, including banking and financial, e-commerce, government and healthcare, Internet service providers, wireless and telecommunications, and travel and entertainment. (*U.S. Patent 5,995,965 by Humetrix.com, Inc. Foreign and design patents pending.)