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For more information, contact: A&R; Partners for Be, Incorporated Elena Frigeri, 650/762-2837 [email protected] In Europe: Be Incorporated Marie-Francoise Lelong-Weinberg, +33 (0)1 55 91 77 36 [email protected] Be Goes Platinum with BeOS 5 Over One Million Copies of BeOS 5 Personal Edition Downloaded in First Month Over Four Million CDs to be Distributed Worldwide MENLO PARK, Calif. -- May 9, 2000 -- Be Incorporated (Nasdaq:BEOS) today announced that one million copies of BeOS 5 Personal Edition have been downloaded worldwide since its release on March 28th. This number includes all downloads from Be's Website, as well as from numerous reporting download partners. BeOS 5 Personal Edition is the latest release of Be's highly-acclaimed digital media operating system and is available at no charge via the Web at http://free.be.com/. In addition, Be has secured the distribution of over four million BeOS 5 Personal Edition CDs through agreements with numerous publications worldwide. Thus far, 46 publications in 18 countries around the world have agreed to bundle the BeOS 5 Personal Edition CD with their publications at no additional cost to their readers. Be also has a number of distribution agreements with publications pending which have the potential to further increase the distribution of BeOS 5 Personal Edition. ``Demand for BeOS 5 Personal Edition has been enormous,'' said Stephan Altmann, marketing and public relations director of Computer Channel, a major computer news and information site located in Germany. ``Since we began offering BeOS 5 Personal Edition on our Website, we have had over 120,000 downloads.'' ``Since its launch, there have been over 110,000 downloads of BeOS 5 Personal Edition across the TUCOWS Network worldwide,'' said Scott Swedorski, founder and editor in chief of TUCOWS.com. ``We are excited about this response and look forward to continue working with the team at Be to offer our users the latest and best software for BeOS.'' ``We continue to receive a phenomenal response to BeOS 5 Personal Edition,'' stated Jean-Louis Gassee, chairman and chief executive officer of Be. ``One million downloads of BeOS 5 Personal Edition is a milestone for us. It confirms our conviction that the public is eager for an operating system that seamlessly alleviates many of the constraints of conventional OSes. We are committed to BeOS and will continue to develop the operating system, which is also the underlying foundation and development environment for BeIA, our software platform for Internet appliances.'' About BeOS 5 BeOS 5 Personal Edition is ideal for first-time or casual users who want to experience the power of a digital media operating system. This version is stored as a file within users' existing Windows-based operating systems, without repartitioning their hard drives. As a result, users will find the installation process no more difficult and no riskier than installing a typical Windows application. Launching BeOS 5 Personal Edition is as simple as double-clicking an icon on the desktop. BeOS 5 Personal Edition is compatible with Intel-based PCs and includes HTML-based documentation. Additionally, Be is offering a programmer's development kit (BeIDE, or Be Integrated Development Environment) and a library of demonstration applications at no charge. These development tools aid software developers in bringing their products to market faster. A full-featured version of the operating system, BeOS 5 Pro Edition, is available through third-party publishers. BeOS 5 Pro Edition is bundled with additional applications and services for advanced functionality that truly take advantage of the power of BeOS, including features that make it ideal for individuals involved in audio and video production. Availability and Pricing BeOS 5 Personal Edition, the BeOS Developer Kit and demonstration application packages are available at no charge from http://free.be.com, as well as dozens of mirror sites throughout the world. BeOS 5 Pro Edition will be available in the Americas through Gobe Software, in Asia via Hitachi, and in Europe through Apacabar and Koch Media. Each publisher prices BeOS 5 Pro Edition independently and based on other bundled components. Publishers are also responsible for setting the upgrade policy for existing BeOS users in their territories. About Be Incorporated Founded in 1990, Be Incorporated creates software platforms that enable rich media and web experiences on personal computers and Internet appliances. Be's headquarters are in Menlo Park, California, and its European office is in Paris, France. It is publicly traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol BEOS. Be can be found on the web at http://www.be.com/. Forward Looking Statements The statements contained in this Press Release that are not historical facts are ``forward-looking statements'' including without limitation statements regarding the demand for, future market penetration and market acceptance of BeOS. The number of downloads stated are based on numbers reported to Be from the Web site managers handling such downloads, and may not accurately reflect the actual number of copies of BeOS downloaded, nor are such numbers intended to imply that every download will result in the actual use and adoption of BeOS by the person or entity downloading the copy. Actual events or results may differ materially as a result of risks facing Be Incorporated or actual results differing from the assumptions underlying such statements. Such risks and assumptions include, but are not limited to, risks related to the continued availability of third party BeOS applications and drivers, ability to establish and maintain strategic publishing relationships, and the competition and market acceptance of BeOS. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by the ``Risk Factors'' and other cautionary statements included in Be Incorporated's prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 on July 20, 1999 (Commission File No. 333- 77855), its Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999, and other public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Be and BeOS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Be Incorporated in the United States and other countries. Other brand product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders. All rights reserved.

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