Altium Announces Next-generation Protel Product Scheduled for Release in Q1 2002
Most Significant Upgrade to the Protel Product Line Since the Move to Windows
SYDNEY, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 5, 2001--Altium Limited
(ASX: ALU), a leading developer of Windows-based electronic design and
development software, is pleased to announce that the release of the
next generation of its Protel board-level design system is scheduled
for Q1 2002.
With a working codename of "Phoenix", the release will be the
culmination of two years of extensive research and development work by
Altium, and constitutes a major upgrade to the current Protel product.
It will feature a host of generational improvements including a new
Topological Autorouting(TM) system that promises superior performance
to current shape-based routing technologies. Other enhancements
include new and improved design file storage methods that maintain the
integrity of the design structure regardless of how or where documents
are stored, fully integrated components and libraries, and numerous
productivity enhancements based on extensive customer feedback. This
new generation of Protel will offer engineers and designers
significantly greater productivity with higher levels of design
integration, automation, and accessibility to new technologies.
Maintaining design flows
"Phoenix" will extend the design integration framework pioneered
by Altium's successful Protel 98 and Protel 99 SE products. As
time-to-market pressures increase, a continual frustration of
engineers and designers worldwide is the inability to easily move back
and forward through the design process. Altium's unique Design
Explorer integration platform has been extensively redeveloped to
separate design-file storage issues from the design itself, allowing
effortless propagation and maintenance of design-level changes across
all design files. This new release will also introduce integrated
component libraries to Protel, streamlining the management of symbols,
models, and footprints.
"`Phoenix' flows with the natural design process, rather than
forcing designers to work around the constraints of their design
tools," says Phil Loughhead, Protel Product Manager. "`Phoenix'
focuses on maintaining the design as a whole and gives engineers
complete freedom to adapt the product to their work flows."
According to Loughhead, "Phoenix" extensively builds on the
strengths of the current Protel 99 SE product. "`Phoenix' promises to
be the most significant upgrade to the Protel product line since the
move to the Windows platform. We've spent a lot of time listening to
feedback from our customers and have been working hard to understand
and service their needs. `Phoenix' brings some significant new
technologies to the design desktop, as well as a host of long-awaited
productivity enhancements".
"Phoenix" feature highlights
Key highlights of the upcoming release will include:
- New Topological Autorouting(TM) technology that brings full
support for the latest component packaging technologies, enhanced
design rule compliance, and support for state-of-the-art board design
technologies such as blind and buried vias
- The introduction of a new Design Manager that allows engineers
to set up and manage design-level parameters and includes powerful new
design analysis and verification features, as well as full
bidirectional schematic-PCB synchronization
- Integrated components, component libraries, and a component
management system that allow designers to completely define a
component in terms of its schematic symbols, PCB footprints, SPICE and
signal integrity models, etc.
- Support for full version control with interfaces to popular
third-party version control tools such as Visual Source Safe
- Increased versatility in design-file storage with three storage
options, including the ability to effortlessly work with free
documents
- Enhanced signal integrity analysis
- An extensive list of usability and productivity enhancements
based on extensive customer feedback
In the period leading up to the full commercial release of the new
version, Altium will provide more information on the features and
technologies to be included in "Phoenix" via the Protel website at
www.protel.com.
Designing for the future
"Phoenix" will be the first of a number of significant product
releases from Altium scheduled for 2002. With this next generation of
the highly successful Protel product line, Altium continues to break
down barriers to innovation and technological advancement by providing
every engineer, designer and developer with easy access to the best
possible design tools.
Availability
"Phoenix" is expected to be ready for manufacture in Q1 2002.
Pricing is expected to be in line with the current Protel 99 SE
pricing model.
Existing Protel customers who are members of Altium's recently
announced Altium Total Support (ATS) program will be shipped the new
version free of charge as part of their ATS membership.
As previously announced, Altium is currently offering a 20%
discount on Protel full suite new licenses and upgrades purchased
during the month of December 2001. This represents a saving of up to
US$1,600 on a new license and up to US$800 on an upgrade. In addition,
all new Protel 99 SE full suite licenses come with 12 months free
membership to Altium Total Support (valued at US$1,995) which
guarantees free access to the new version when it is released.
For more product information visit www.protel.com, or contact the
local Altium Sales and Support Center.
About Altium Limited
Altium Limited (ASX: ALU), trading as Protel International Limited
(ASX: PRI) prior to August 6, 2001, is a leading global developer and
supplier of desktop electronic design automation (EDA) and embedded
software design tools for the Microsoft Windows environment.
Since the Company's foundation in 1985 and its release of the
world's first Microsoft Windows-based EDA tool in 1991, Altium has
continued to apply the most advanced software design methods to
provide powerful, easy-to-use and affordable design software to
engineers and electronics designers worldwide.
Altium's current product brands include Protel, P-CAD, TASKING,
Accolade, CircuitMaker and CAMtastic!. These products offer tailored
solutions covering a range of hardware and software design processes.
Altium is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, and operates a
number of sales and support offices in Australia, the United States,
Japan and Europe - as well as maintaining a large reseller network in
all other major markets. More information about the Company and its
products and services may be obtained from our new website at
www.altium.com.
Altium, Altium Total Support, Protel, P-CAD, TASKING, Accolade,
CircuitMaker, CAMtastic! and Topological Autorouting and their
respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Altium
Limited. All other registered or unregistered trademarks referenced
herein are the property of their respective owners and no trademark
rights to the same is claimed.
Contact:
Altium Local Media Contact
Hughes Communications, Inc.
Janice Hughes
Telephone: +1 860 434 3782
Email: janice@hughescom.net
or
Corporate Media Contact
Altium Limited
Jessica Maxwell
Telephone: +61 2 9975 7710
Email: jessica.maxwell@altium.com.au
http://www.altium.com
