News release

HP Strengthens Commitment to Open Source with Coolbase Launch

SAN DIEGO, July 23, 2001

Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HWP) today strengthened its commitment to the open source community with the launch of Coolbase, a software development platform for creating mobile e-services.

Created by scientists and engineers at HP Labs' Cooltown research project, Coolbase enables developers to create mobile e-services for embedded and personal systems and is expected to help fuel HP's vision for pervasive computing in which people, places and things are connected and computing power is as available as any utility is today.

HP announced Coolbase at the O'Reilly Open Source Convention in San Diego, an annual gathering of developers from diverse open source communities who meet to explore cutting-edge technologies and software tools.

"As a leading Linux and open source advocate, HP is inviting developers to use Coolbase to create new applications and mobile e-services for a truly connected world," said Gene Becker, director of the Cooltown project. "With today's launch of Coolbase, HP continues to move forward on making its vision for connecting people, places and things a reality. Coolbase will let people create their own Cooltown experiences."

HP's Coolbase platform consists of several components, which combine to form a coherent framework for bringing together all the elements necessary to build a Cooltown service or application. The components include software for enabling devices to become smart and Web connected; software for representing people, places and things and a context-aware relationship with each other; supporting hardware and software elements; and sample applications that illustrate the use of these various elements.

While under beta testing, Coolbase received interest from more than 900 developers. HP is demonstrating Coolbase and sample applications at the O'Reilly Open Source Convention.

HP expects Coolbase to initially take hold with researchers and early adopters who work in the rapidly growing areas of embedded devices, mobile systems and context-aware services. Over time, HP seeks to build a community of leading-edge developers with Coolbase and other HP technologies at the core.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to all. HP had total revenue from continuing operations of $48.8 billion in its 2000 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility that the market for the sale of certain products and services may not develop as expected; that development of these products and services may not proceed as planned; and other risks that are described from time to time in HP's Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including but not limited to the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended Oct. 31, 2000, and subsequently filed reports. If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, HP's results could differ materially from HP's expectations in these statements. HP does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.