FRANKLIN AND STARFISH ANNOUNCE WORLD'S FIRST PORTABLE SIDEKICK® PERSONAL ORGANIZER ON BOOKMAN® PLATFORM

New Series of Palmtop Organizers Includes Connectivity to Desktop Sidekick Starting at an Estimated Street Price of $89.95

CHICAGO, IL, June 3, 1996 - Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. and Starfish Software, Inc. today announced BOOKMAN Sidekick, the first palmtop version of the best-selling personal organizer PC software. The BOOKMAN Sidekick line of organizers allows users to carry vital business and personal information with them while away from the office or home.

Franklin's BOOKMAN Sidekick includes everything needed to easily exchange organizer data between desktop Sidekick and the BOOKMAN model. BOOKMAN Sidekick includes a serial port to use with a supplied PC connectivity kit (serial cable and connectivity software) for exchanging data with Sidekick 95 and Sidekick for Windows, eliminating the need for double entry of information between the palmtop and the PC. BOOKMAN Sidekick also uses Intel Flash ROM memory to protect against loss of data.

The new BOOKMAN Sidekick will be available in five feature-packed models:

128K Model, 512K Model, 1MB Model (5 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 3/4", 5 ounces) - Pocket- size platforms with a 27 character x 4 line LCD display and two slots for Franklin's book cards. With an MSRP of $149.95, the 128K model includes a coupon for the free PC connectivity kit for two way exchange of data with desktop PCs. The 512K and 1MB models include the PC connectivity kit and Sidekick 2.0 for Windows software with MSRPs of $199.95 and $249.95, respectively. The three models will be available in August with estimated street prices ranging from $89.95 to $199.95.

LARGE SCREEN 512K and 1MB Models (5 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 5/8", 7 ounces) - LARGE SCREEN (40 character x 10 line LCD display) pocket-size platforms with two slots for Franklin's book cards and sound capability. The 512K model includes the PC connectivity kit and Sidekick 2.0 for Windows software with an MSRP of $249.95. The 1MB model includes the PC connectivity kit and Sidekick 2.0 Windows software with an MSRP of $279.95. The two LARGE SCREEN models will be available in October with estimated street prices ranging from $199.95 to $229.95.

BOOKMAN expandable electronic books come in a variety of titles with one or two slots for snap-in book cards. The IC-ROM-based BOOKMAN Sidekick organizers contain two book card slots which provide instant access to reference works such as dictionaries, encyclopedias and entertainment publications, for an all-in-one portable information source.

"We are pleased to join Franklin in launching this exciting portable version of Sidekick at an affordable price point," said Starfish Chairman Philippe Kahn. "In our fast-paced society where information changes by the moment, BOOKMAN Sidekick provides a portable solution for consumers who want to carry their organizer data with them wherever they go."

The BOOKMAN Sidekick models offer simple and intuitive user interfaces that make it easy to enter and edit entries. Users can keep track of appointments, carry phone numbers and addresses, track expenses and store other vital information. BOOKMAN Sidekick models feature: A serial port, serial cable and software for connectivity to desktop Sidekick. A daily at-a-glance calendar that lists appointments, calls to make, and To Do items; users can also switch to weekly and monthly calendar views. Custom cardfiles for creating a variety of filing templates such as phone books, business cards, wine lists, e-mail lists, music collection directories, and more; users can also create custom cardfiles in desktop Sidekick and send them to the palmtop. Notes menu with folders for grouping and organizing thoughts. A calculator, an expense tracking database, a home/world time clock with an alarm.

"BOOKMAN Sidekick is infinitely versatile because it functions as a stand-alone device or with desktop Sidekick," said Morton E. David, Chairman and CEO of Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. "We're confident that PC users and novices alike will find BOOKMAN Sidekick a must-have tool for their daily lives."

The BOOKMAN Sidekick models will be available at national and regional mass market retailers. The products will also be available direct from Franklin by calling 1-800-BOOKMAN (266-5626).

Starfish Software, Inc. is focused on delivering "Smart Internet Solutions," powerful, easy-to-use, high-quality Internet/Intranet software products that help individual and corporate users become better organized and more productive. From its inception the company's development efforts have been focused on the Internet and Computer Telephony Integration (CTI).

Starfish Software was founded in 1994 by Sonia Lee, a leading Silicon Valley user interface and graphic designer, and Philippe Kahn, one of the software industry's best-known pioneers. The company has achieved an active customer base of over one million corporate, small business, government and home users since launching its best-selling brands, Sidekick and Dashboard.

Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. (NYSE:FEP) is the world's largest publisher of electronic books, including the popular BOOKMAN series. Franklin has sold more than 12 million dictionaries and bilingual dictionaries; medical and financial reference works; Bibles; encyclopedias; and entertainment, educational and tutorial publications. The books are sold in retail outlets worldwide and in catalogs. Franklin has sales and distribution subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Australia and Mexico.