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New PXI Module Transfers Engineering Knowledge into Marketing Brains


National Instruments Kit Cures "Dilbert Syndrome"

PXI-MKTGAUSTIN, Texas -- April 1, 2003 -- National Instruments today announced a high-speed PXI module designed to transfer engineering knowledge directly into the brains of corporate marketing personnel. Dubbed the PXI-MKTG, the new kit includes a PXI module with onboard memory and advanced timing and triggering capabilities, an Ethernet cable, IVI-compliant NI-BRAIN software, and a sterilized host Ethernet port complete with instructions for surgical implanting.

The PXI-MKTG is designed to cure the "Dilbert Syndrome," a reference to the comic strip engineer who is plagued by, among others, a hapless marketer who does not understand what the engineer produces.

"Almost every engineer can identify with that aspect of Dilbert's professional life," said Tim Dehne, National Instruments Senior Vice President of R&D. "At one time or another, every engineer has been in a meeting, trying to explain what a new product did, only to have the marketing person begin talking about branding, focus groups, market share, or public perceptions. We're certain that this new interface kit will help marketing-types understand what the engineer designed, thus improving efficiency when developing marketing campaigns."

About the PXI-MKTG
The PXI-MKTG module includes the needed gigabytes of onboard memory necessary to accommodate the vast amounts of technical knowledge to be transferred into the brains of marketing personnel. The advanced timing and triggering capabilities of PXI are well-suited to human knowledge-transfer applications; PXI sends only the amount of knowledge that can be absorbed by the host marketer.

Beta testing of the PXI-MKTG at National Instruments headquarters in Austin, Texas has shown remarkable progress. Engineering knowledge about the company's 2.7 GHz RF signal analyzer was transferred from a PXI system directly into the brains of National Instruments employees in the corporate design, marketing communications, public relations, product marketing, and advertising.

The subsequent planning meeting involving all phases of marketing lasted a mere 2 minutes, 47 seconds. The campaign was an unqualified success.

About National Instruments
For more than 26 years, National Instruments (http://ni.com) has revolutionized the way engineers and scientists work by delivering virtual instrumentation solutions built on rapidly advancing commercial technologies, including industry-standard computers and the Internet. The company is run by people with a well-developed sense of humor who would not punish the Web team for a once-per-year bit of tomfoolery -- April Fools!! NI's founders started at a research lab at The University of Texas at Austin, whose basketball team is headed to the 2003 Final Four in New Orleans - Hook 'em Horns!

NI increases productivity for customers worldwide by delivering easy-to-integrate software, such as the NI LabVIEW graphical development environment, and modular hardware, such as PXI modules for data acquisition and instrumentation. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 3,000 employees and direct operations in 40 countries. In 2002, the company sold products to more than 25,000 different companies in more than 80 countries around the world. For the past four consecutive years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America.

Pricing, Availability, and For More Information
Pricing for the PXI-MKTG is available online. For more information, contact:
National Instruments
11500 N Mopac Expwy
Austin, Texas 78759-3504

Or call toll free in the U.S. and Canada at (800) 258-7022, fax (512)683-8411, e-mail info@ni.com. Readers can also access information through the company's Web site at www.ni.com

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