Intelligraphics Launches New Testing Subsidiary

<%=company1%> announced the launch of a new subsidiary specializing in device driver testing and Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) logo certification assistance. The new subsidiary, called The Test Company, is based in Bellevue, Washington, situated within minutes of the Microsoft campus in Redmond. The Test Company offers software testing services for all types of hardware and software, including graphics accelerators, games, applications and utilities for all PC operating systems.

Intelligraphics launched the wholly owned subsidiary in response to the ever increasing demand for quality assurance services among chip, board, and system manufacturers. Driven by the need to quickly and economically perform thorough system and board level testing, customers can outsource product testing and WHQL process management to The Test Company. The combination of scarce test resources and short product lifecycles have contributed to the growing need for talented, experienced testing personnel. In addition, Microsoft's WHQL certification process has become a resource intensive and expensive, yet critical event in the product release cycle.

The Test Company is managed by its President, Austin Watson. Formerly the software manager of Cirrus Logic's Bellevue Design Center, Watson brings a wealth of hardware and software development, testing, and certification expertise to The Test Company.

For companies working to receive Microsoft's WHQL certification for their PC hardware, The Test Company offers WHQL certification assistance. The Test Company is staffed with test engineers who are not only intimately familiar with the WHQL process but have successfully guided client hardware through the certification process.

Located near Microsoft's WHQL labs, The Test Company can provide a variety of WHQL assistance services, including overseeing hardware through the WHQL process, supplementing existing WHQL staff, or complete pre-certification testing and WHQL certification process management. A WHQL readiness review will ensure that all of the preparation work and administrative arrangements have been properly handled. WHQL pre-certification testing will walk the hardware through the certification process prior to submission in order to detect and eliminate any defects or errors that would prevent successful certification. If defects are located in the hardware's device drivers, The Test Company can manage the defect resolution process, even enlisting Intelligraphics to provide development expertise for repairing the identified defects. Additionally, The Test Company serves as its customer's on-site representative at the Microsoft WHQL facilities, using its experience to facilitate the certification process.

Leveraging Intelligraphics' expertise in device driver and system-level software development, The Test Company provides a variety of testing services. The Test Company excels in functionality testing, utilizing Intelligraphics' mature, comprehensive test suites. These suites consist of standard and cutting edge applications, games, and benchmarks. The Test Company not only offers pre-certification testing for WHQL, but also offers VESA and PC98 certification. The Test Company's installation and user interface testing services include functional, compatibility and usability testing of the installation routine, INF files, property sheets, and utilities, as well as reviews of the user guide, technical reference manuals and product bulletins.

In addition, The Test Company offers performance testing services for display drivers using benchmarking tools and IntelliBench, Intelligraphics' tool for analyzing 2D and 3D display driver performance. The Test Company offers benchmark testing services, including competitive benchmark testing and third-party benchmarking. IntelliBench related display driver performance services include function-by-function driver analyses, a detailed competitive performance comparison, and a performance optimization examination.

The Test Company will be attending WinHEC '98 in Orlando, Florida as part of the Intelligraphics, Inc. booth. Those interested in The Test Company's services are invited to either stop by the Intelligraphics booth or contact Austin Watson to set an appointment.

For more information on The Test Company's WHQL assistance or software testing services, visit their website at www.thetestcompany.com or contact Austin Watson (e-mail: austinw@thetestcompany.com), phone: (425) 452-1465). The Test Company offices are located at 50 - 116th Avenue SE, Suite 120, Bellevue, WA 98004-6436.

Intelligraphics, based in Richardson, Texas is a leader in device driver and system level software development. Founded in 1992, Intelligraphics provides 2D and 3D graphics driver development and performance optimization, audio, video, Windows CE, WDM, USB, communications driver and custom software development. Intelligraphics' IntelliBench Driver Developer's Workbench is a comprehensive driver optimization and profiling tool serving the leading graphics hardware and computer systems companies.