For Immediate Release

EMERYVILLE, CA, February 2, 2004 - TechniCon, a leading provider of e-commerce solutions for complex products, has released version 4.0 of ContentStudio, its catalog management solution for delivering complex product data on the Web.

Complex product lines are characterized by rapid product turnover and modifications. ContentStudio allows business users, such as product marketers and engineers, to manage the content and appearance of their online catalogs and configuration systems.

Version 4 makes it even easier for these users to add and edit product information. Enhancements include:

• Automatically generated matrices of product options and a new "check box" interface make setting configuration constraints for multiple options as simple as point and click.
• A new "spreadsheet-style" editing feature creates a table of options and prices, enabling users to make catalog-wide price adjustments from a single Web screen.
• ContentStudio organizes product data in an Explorer-type hierarchy of folders. The new "taxonomy search" feature incorporates these folder paths into keyword searches, e.g. a search for "office chair" returns the folder location "/seating/office/work chairs."

A key new feature of version 4 is an enhanced product attribute structure that allows unlimited, dynamic additions to the product database. This new structure facilitates the use of ContentStudio as a central repository for a company's product data.

Product attributes can not only store feature criteria, e.g. color, size or speed, but also content such as cross-selling information or promotional dates. An arbitrary number of attributes can be associated with any product.

Attributes can be also be grouped. For example, if a manufacturer adds a new motor in ContentStudio, the "motor" attribute group (torque, gear ratio, etc.) can be linked to the new product.

A new attribute user interface makes it simple to manage attributes. Users can quickly check off attributes to be used in product comparison tables or select attributes to be used for targeted product searches.

"ContentStudio was developed for the non-technical user," said Anthony Mirante, President of TechniCon. "With the new tools and attribute structure of version 4.0, the power we put into the hands of these users is just amazing."

Founded in 1987, TechniCon Corporation is a leading provider of e-commerce solutions for complex products. Combining over a decade of experience developing product specification and sales automation software with leading-edge e-commerce and visualization technology, TechniCon has developed interactive sales systems for a wide range of manufacturers, including Daimler-Chrysler, Motorola, and Steelcase.

TechniCon (www.technicon.com) is headquartered in Emeryville, CA with additional offices in St. Louis, MO.

TechniCon is a service mark of TechniCon Corporation.