Tao's intent(R) software platform is already recognized as the leading multimedia engine for client devices. It has worldwide leadership in graphics and Java engine capabilities, with major design-wins across products such as phones, PDAs and set-top boxes. Tao's technologies are at the heart of the OCPA, a global standards body with more than sixty members, most of them blue chip technology companies, and the OCPA is supporting intent as a common contents platform for consumer devices.

SSEYO has the most sophisticated and flexible audio solution for the same market and won the BAFTA 2001 Interactive Entertainment Award for Technical Innovation.

The combination now means that Tao will have the very best in both sound and graphics, and can offer even stronger solutions to the OCPA as they deliver a solution that will generate further global leadership. Audio, whilst already extremely important in Tao's markets, will become increasingly critical in the mobile space over the next 18 months in client devices as the interactive services mature from carriers. This pre-emptive strike by Tao means that it has positioned itself perfectly to benefit both itself and its customers from the highly advanced technologies developed by SSEYO's world-class engineering team that will now operate out of Tao headquarters.

Toru Chiba, Group Deputy General Manager of Sharp's Corporate R&D Group said, "The merging of SSEYO with Tao is extremely important. SSEYO has wonderful engineers and technologies so now the intent platform is going to have the very best in Java(TM) technologies, sound and graphics all on a single software solution. Tao is positioned more strongly than ever to have a substantial impact on the global market."

Brian Eno, the award-winning musician, producer and artist commented "The Tao/SSEYO merger will create new opportunities for musicians, artists and mobile phone developers. SSEYO's new vector audio technology can produce high-quality audio from very small amounts of data and Koan's proven music engine offers users a whole new level of interactivity."

Francis Charig, Executive Chairman of Tao Group: "Tao and SSEYO have been collaborating on a suite of audio libraries that will be every bit as powerful as the graphics libraries for which Tao has become justifiably globally respected. In other words, we will introduce a combined graphics and sound system that will enable carriers and broadcasters to deliver more powerful and exciting services for consumers and the capability for manufacturers to create unique products as they strive to maximize their differentiation and profitability."

Tim Cole, Co-Founder and Director of SSEYO, who will now be working on the development of the audio markets for Tao, said "Tao and SSEYO created a close relationship over a period of two years, so we already have the experience of knowing that we have the necessary cultural similarities that make mergers work and there is strong mutual respect. Since I first met with Francis at the end of 1999 I have recognized that Tao is perfectly positioned for the emerging markets, and I passionately believe that the integration of SSEYO and Tao will create a very powerful whole."

About Tao Group Limited

Tao has developed intent(R), a binary portable, language independent, high performance, multimedia platform that is now used by many of the world's leading OEMs in their client products for home and mobile networks. The technology allows these companies to have a single strategy across all of their platforms, irrespective of operating system, hardware and function. intent is now being used in products including smart mobile appliances and digital television. intent is also a core piece of technology in the Open Contents Platform Association (OCPA), launched successfully in Japan this year. Tao's range of Java(TM) products have been designed from their inception to combine the Java language with Tao's multimedia to run real-world content many times faster than any alternative. The Company was founded in 1992, has offices in the United States, Europe and Japan and counts Mitsubishi, Sony, Motorola, NEC, Sharp and Bowman Capital Partners amongst its investors. Tao has a growing and high value, global patent portfolio and is the recipient of multiple industry awards, both for its technologies and for the rate of corporate growth.

About SSEYO - Mobile Music Making

SSEYO is the world leader in the field of software platforms for wireless interactive audio and convergent digital devices. Its Koan branded products are powerful, scalable, easy to use interactive audio platforms for the digital arena. They allow the creation and transmission of richer media for personalisation and creativity in many applications such as email, games, ringtones and advertising. Because Koan optimises performance within very small memory, processing and bandwidth requirements these application enhancements can be a reality in a narrow band environment. The SSEYO product roadmap allows easy deployment of versions of its engines on servers and on both low specification mass-market cell phones and high specification phones and PDAs. For lower specification devices Koan configurations are possible with tiny RAM / ROM footprints and no minimum MIPS requirement. SSEYO's text based Koan vector audio can be sent via SMS, enabling increased billable content to be driven through today's networks.

SSEYO has received numerous awards and accolades including the following: winner of the 2001 BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Award for Technical Innovation, the UK Design Council's Millennium Products Award for one the most innovative British products and British Telecom's BT Vision 100 award 2001 for the 100 most visionary companies in the UK.

About Brian Eno

Eno is a world-renowned musician and record producer, yet his career also encompasses writing, lecturing, teaching and the visual arts. Eno's production credits span from U2 and the band 'James', to Talking Heads, Gavin Bryars and Laurie Anderson. A founding member of Roxy Music, Eno has released many of his own critically acclaimed albums and has collaborated with the likes of John Cale, Nico, Robert Fripp and David Bowie. A pioneer in tape-looping, electronics and other forms of sonic manipulation with an unusual, strategic approach to music-making, Eno has an ability to help artists explore new areas. He is an active user of the generative SSEYO Koan software system and in 1996 released the title "Generative Music 1", a collection of his Koan pieces on floppy disc. His book, "A Year with Swollen Appendices", has been published by Faber and Faber.