IRVINE, Calif. & CAMBRIDGE, U.K., Apr 2, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Endeavors Technology, developer of Web-enabling solutions for enterprise network infrastructures, today announces a new contract win from Autodesk, the world's leading design software and digital content company.

Its streaming applications on-demand, software is enabling the rapid, cost-effective and piracy-free deployment and management of AutoCAD(R) 2004 to a large pool of prospects. AutoCAD 2004 is a 2D drafting and detailing and 3D design tool used by more designers worldwide than any other CAD software.

Offering software on a trial basis is a common practice in the technology industry, and typically involves prospects either downloading a stripped version for concept evaluation or receiving a 30-day full product trial CD in the mail. Costs and follow-up tasks related to those trial methods can be substantial. Autodesk looked to Magi AppExpress(R) technology to reduce trialware costs without compromising the quality of the user's experience. As a result, Autodesk is able to deliver more product, discover more customer opportunities and add more security to the AutoCAD 2004 trial process. The AutoCAD 2004 trialware being delivered using Magi AppExpress technology is not a demonstration product, but a completely functional version that includes the ability to create, view, save and plot files.

Endeavors Technology is a leader in developing Web-based products for transferring and sharing digital information. With its trialware delivery solution, Endeavors has provided Autodesk with a new efficient way to get to market while lowering costs of trialware projects.

The streaming technology of Magi AppExpress downloads AutoCAD 2004 components from trial site server to a PC on an "as needed" basis. The trial site automatically first checks that a PC satisfies the minimum requirements needed to install and run the streaming trial software. If it encounters any problems, it flags these errors and suggests how to correct them and proceed. When all the requirements are met, the streaming trial client and AutoCAD 2004 cache are downloaded to a virtual drive on the PC. Icons to access the AutoCAD 2004 trial and the accompanying Express Tools are placed on the desktop.

The AutoCAD 2004 streaming trial runs behind the scenes with a server system managed for Autodesk by Endeavors. In this system, the server's primary role is to deliver the initial software download, and secondarily to control and monitor the clients connected to the server. Because this type of architecture takes advantage of each client's resources, product speed and performance are nearly identical to those of a stand-alone PC with application software that has been locally installed from a CD.

The full AutoCAD 2004 application is about 500 MB. Using AppExpress to trial a full-version software like AutoCAD ensures that trial users get "instant gratification." Users register, receive an e-mail with their password and link, log on to the trial site, download and install the software, all in just a matter of minutes. In comparison, it could take days to process a trial request and ship out a CD.

"No one has seen this kind of performance in CAD trial software," said Robert Ng, director, new business planning and analysis at Autodesk. "Streaming the AutoCAD software program using Endeavors' technology allows users to be up and running in just 5-10 minutes. During the pilot phase, we found that a higher percentage than normal of trial users were influenced to buy our product sooner than they originally planned and many bought more product than planned."

"Magi AppExpress provides a client-centric approach to trialware that offers dramatic improvements in scalability and allows Autodesk to reach more users at a lower cost per trial," said Kapi Attawar, VP marketing of Endeavors Technology. "Nothing else on the market compares to the speed, convenience and cost-effectiveness of Endeavors' trialware solution."

The trial is currently available for users in the United States and Canada only.

About Endeavors Technology Inc.

Endeavors Technology Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tadpole Technology plc (LSE:TAD)(www.tadpole.com), which has offices in Irvine (Calif.), and Cambridge, Edinburgh and Bristol (U.K.). Endeavors' Magi technology transforms today's Web into a highly secure inter- and intra-enterprise collaboration network for the delivery and interaction of files, Windows applications and instant messaging. For further information on Endeavors' Web software, call 949/833-2800, e-mail to info@endeavors.com, or visit the company's Web site www.endeavors.com.

AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk Inc., in the U.S. and certain other countries. (For more information, see www.autodesk.com.) Magi, Magi AppExpress, Magi Secure IM and Magi Enterprise are registered trademarks of Endeavors Technology. All other company names, products and services mentioned in this document are trademarks of their respective owners.

Endeavors Technology Inc., Irvine
Joe Anzenberger, 949/833-2800
janzenberger@endeavors.com
or
for Endeavors (U.S.)
Mary Jane Reiter, 408/725-1239
mjreiter@sbcglobal.net
or
for Endeavors (U.K.)
Hugh Paterson, +44 (0)207 987 4888
hughp@patcom-media.com

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