Press Release

iGet 1.0 introduces innovative Mac file transfer solution

Innovative new software provides secure, resumable Mac file transfers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MALAGA, Spain — June 30, 2004 — Five Speed Software, Inc. today announced the immediate availability of iGet 1.0, a new kind of file transfer application engineered specifically for Mac OS X.

iGet is a modern replacement for dated file transfer tools like FTP, SFTP, or client-server solutions. Taking full advantage of several Mac OS X technologies, iGet provides a better way to move files between Mac OS X computers.

iGet is based on a custom protocol that was designed from scratch to be fast on real-world Internet connections (such as DSL, cable, or dialup), and which enables the software to fully support Mac-specific file attributes--including resource forks, HFS metadata, packages, aliases, and Unicode file names--which standard protocols like FTP cannot handle.

"Since iGet was made for the Mac from the ground up, we didn't have to compromise," said Mason Mark, the director of the company's Mac OS X development program. "We wanted something like FTP, except that it had to be totally modern and designed for the Mac, not the lowest common denominator. We achieved this by engineering our own protocol. But if you go with a brand new protocol, you don't have any installed base. So we made that irrelevant, with iGet's 'zero setup' feature--you don't need any software (not even iGet) on the remote end. Just Mac OS X."

iGet's unique design offers key advantages over built-in file sharing as well; it's dramatically faster at browsing files and folders, especially on sub-Ethernet speed connections, and sports powerful resume capabilities. With iGet, users are able to stop and resume any kind of file transfer--including folders and Mac file packages. An intelligent resume mechanism checks for changes to the file, preventing errors in cases where the user tries to resume a previous upload or download using a different file with the same name.

iGet uses industry-standard SSH encryption for data security, which is a key requirement for software that moves sensitive data across insecure networks like the Internet. Layering its custom protocol on top of SSH not only allows iGet to leverage security updates from Apple, but also makes it "firewall-friendly" since it uses only a single standard port.

The iGet application itself is as sleek and polished as its underlying protocol, supporting key Mac features such as Rendezvous for local network browsing, and the Keychain for secure storage of passwords. It also eliminates complexity wherever possible.

"Part of what makes iGet really cool is what isn't there," said Ethan Tuttle, the iGet engineering team leader. "iGet doesn't have bookmarks--because we eliminated 99% of the need for that with our smart connection dialog. It remembers your previous connections and stores your passwords in the system Keychain. Then it autocompletes all the information for you. iGet doesn't have a whole bunch of preference settings--we intentionally kept it really simple, with sensible defaults. It doesn't really even have a learning curve--it's simple and intuitive enough that most users master it within sixty seconds."

iGet marks Five Speed's return to the consumer software market after six years. "With Apple's Mac OS X ratcheting up the levels of innovation in personal computing, the consumer market has gotten very interesting to us again," said Mark. "We think that iGet fills an important need in this market, making Internet file transfers not only easy and secure, but also very intuitive for users who are accustomed to the Mac way of doing things. And since we've solved the compatibility issues typically associated with proprietary network protocols, we're perfectly situated to keep up with Apple's rapid pace of innovation. For instance, we can build in support for emerging Apple technologies like Spotlight, right at the protocol level, without worrying about backwards compatibility."

Pricing and Availability

iGet 1.0 is available today, from the Five Speed Software web site. The single-copy price is US $24.95.

Educational discounts and site license pricing are also available.

For more information, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.fivespeed.com, send email to support@fivespeed.com, or call (888) 550-0505.

About Five Speed Software

Five Speed Software helped define the boundaries of handheld computing in the 1990s with its award-winning line of consumer software for the Newton OS. The company develops custom software solutions across several industries, and returned to the consumer market in 2004 with iGet for Mac OS X. Five Speed Software, Inc. is a privately held Nevada corporation.

Press Contact:
Ms. Kyo Sanada (Nahakara Informatics, Inc.)
iget.pr@nakahara-informatics.com
(888) 550-0505

Nakahara Informatics, the Nakahara Informatics logo, and iGet are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nakahara Informatics, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.