EXHIBIT 2.1

                                                                  EXECUTION COPY







                          AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER



                                  BY AND AMONG

                         AMERICAN MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.,

                           SNOWBALL ACQUISITION CORP.,

                                 CRYOGEN, INC.,

                                       AND

                                  ROBERT KNARR

                          DATED AS OF DECEMBER 13, 2002















                                Table of Contents

                                                                                                               Page



                                                                                                              
ARTICLE 1  THE MERGER; CONVERSION OF SHARES.......................................................................1
   1.1  The Merger................................................................................................1
   1.2  Effective Time............................................................................................1
   1.3  Closing of the Merger.....................................................................................1
   1.4  Effects of the Merger.....................................................................................2
   1.5  Articles of Incorporation of the Surviving Corporation....................................................2
   1.6  Bylaws of the Surviving Corporation.......................................................................2
   1.7  Directors and Officers of the Surviving Corporation.......................................................2
   1.8  Merger Consideration......................................................................................2
   1.9  Earnout Payment...........................................................................................4
   1.10  Closing Balance Sheet....................................................................................7
   1.11  Cancellation and Conversion of Company Securities at the Effective Time..................................8
   1.12  Dissenting Shares.......................................................................................11
   1.13  Escrow Procedure; Exchange of Certificates..............................................................12

ARTICLE 2  REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY.........................................................14
   2.1  Corporate Organization and Power.........................................................................14
   2.2  Subsidiaries.............................................................................................14
   2.3  Authorization............................................................................................15
   2.4  Capitalization of the Company............................................................................16
   2.5  Non-Contravention........................................................................................16
   2.6  Consents and Approvals...................................................................................17
   2.7  Financial Statements; Undisclosed Liabilities............................................................17
   2.8  Absence of Certain Changes...............................................................................18
   2.9  Assets and Properties....................................................................................20
   2.10  Manufacturing Compliance................................................................................20
   2.11  Inventories.............................................................................................21
   2.12  Receivables.............................................................................................21
   2.13  Litigation..............................................................................................21
   2.14  Contracts...............................................................................................21
   2.15  Permits.................................................................................................23
   2.16  Compliance with Applicable Laws.........................................................................23
   2.17  Employee Benefit Matters................................................................................23
   2.18  Labor and Employment Matters............................................................................27
   2.19  Intellectual Property...................................................................................28
   2.20  Environmental Compliance................................................................................29
   2.21  Insurance...............................................................................................30
   2.22  Tax Matters.............................................................................................31
   2.23  Bank Accounts; Powers of Attorney.......................................................................33
   2.24  Orders, Commitments and Returns.........................................................................33
   2.25  Product Liability Claims................................................................................33
   2.26  Warranties..............................................................................................33


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                               Table of Contents
                                   (continued)



                                                                                                             
   2.27  Relations with Suppliers and Customers..................................................................34
   2.28  Indemnification Obligations.............................................................................34
   2.29  Absence of Certain Business Practices...................................................................34
   2.30  Brokers.................................................................................................34
   2.31  Minute Books............................................................................................35
   2.32  Shareholder Agreements..................................................................................35
   2.33  Disclosure..............................................................................................35
   2.34  Investigation by Parent.................................................................................35

ARTICLE 3  REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF PARENT AND MERGER SUBSIDIARY........................................36
   3.1  Corporate Existence and Power............................................................................36
   3.2  Authorization............................................................................................36
   3.3  Consents and Approvals...................................................................................36
   3.4  Available Capital Resources..............................................................................37
   3.5  Disclosure...............................................................................................37
   3.6  Non-Contravention........................................................................................37
   3.7  Brokers..................................................................................................37
   3.8  Financial Statements.....................................................................................37
   3.9  Litigation...............................................................................................38

ARTICLE 4  COVENANTS.............................................................................................38
   4.1  Conduct of the Business..................................................................................38
   4.2  Company's Agreements as to Specified Matters.............................................................38
   4.3  Full Access..............................................................................................40
   4.4  Confidentiality..........................................................................................41
   4.5  Filings; Consents; Removal of Objections.................................................................41
   4.6  Further Assurances; Cooperation; Notification............................................................42
   4.7  Approval of Shareholders.................................................................................42
   4.8  Update Disclosure; Breaches..............................................................................43
   4.9  No Solicitation..........................................................................................43
   4.10  Public Announcements....................................................................................43
   4.11  Preparation of Tax Returns: Tax Matters.................................................................44
   4.12  Restated Company Charter................................................................................44
   4.13  Top Heavy Report........................................................................................44
   4.14  Lessor Consents.........................................................................................44

ARTICLE 5  CONDITIONS TO PARENT'S AND MERGER SUBSIDIARY'S OBLIGATIONS............................................45
   5.1  Representations and Warranties True......................................................................45
   5.2  Performance..............................................................................................45
   5.3  Filed Agreement of Merger................................................................................45
   5.4  Estimated Closing Balance Sheet..........................................................................45



                                       ii






                               Table of Contents
                                   (continued)


                                                                                                             
   5.5  Required Approvals and Consents..........................................................................45
   5.6  No Proceeding or Litigation..............................................................................45
   5.7  Legislation..............................................................................................46
   5.8  No Material Adverse Effect...............................................................................46
   5.9  Certificates.............................................................................................46
   5.10  Other Receipts; Good Standing...........................................................................46
   5.11  Opinion of Company Counsel..............................................................................46
   5.12  Escrow Agreement........................................................................................46
   5.13  Shareholder Agreements..................................................................................46
   5.14  Shareholder Approval....................................................................................46
   5.15  Resignation.............................................................................................46
   5.16  Restated Company Charter................................................................................46
   5.17  Termination of Marketing and Sales Agreement............................................................47
   5.18  Termination of Management Rights Agreement..............................................................47
   5.19  Termination of Observation Rights Agreement.............................................................47
   5.20  Termination of Voting Agreement.........................................................................47
   5.21  Termination of Investor Rights Agreement................................................................47

ARTICLE 6  CONDITIONS TO COMPANY'S OBLIGATIONS...................................................................47
   6.1  Representations and Warranties True......................................................................47
   6.2  Performance..............................................................................................47
   6.3  Filed Agreement of Merger................................................................................47
   6.4  Corporate Approvals......................................................................................47
   6.5  No Proceeding or Litigation..............................................................................48
   6.6  Legislation..............................................................................................48
   6.7  Certificates.............................................................................................48
   6.8  Other Receipts; Good Standing............................................................................48
   6.9  Opinion of Parent Counsel................................................................................48
   6.10  Escrow Agreement........................................................................................48

ARTICLE 7  TERMINATION...........................................................................................48
   7.1  Methods of Termination...................................................................................48
   7.2  Procedure Upon Termination...............................................................................49
   7.3  Effect of Termination....................................................................................49

ARTICLE 8  SURVIVAL AND INDEMNIFICATION..........................................................................49
   8.1  Survival.................................................................................................50
   8.2  Indemnification by Shareholders..........................................................................50
   8.3  Indemnification by Parent................................................................................50
   8.4  Claims for Indemnification...............................................................................51
   8.5  Indemnification Limits...................................................................................52
   8.6  Right of Off-Set.........................................................................................53
   8.7  Escrow Funds.............................................................................................53



                                       iii





                               Table of Contents
                                   (continued)


                                                                                                             
   8.8  Expenses of Shareholders' Representative.................................................................53

ARTICLE 9  ARBITRATION...........................................................................................53
   9.1  Dispute..................................................................................................53
   9.2  Mediation................................................................................................53
   9.3  Arbitration..............................................................................................54

ARTICLE 10  DEFINITIONS..........................................................................................55
   10.1  Definitions.............................................................................................55

ARTICLE 11  MISCELLANEOUS........................................................................................62
   11.1  Notices.................................................................................................62
   11.2  Amendments; No Waivers..................................................................................63
   11.3  Expenses................................................................................................63
   11.4  Successors and Assigns..................................................................................64
   11.5  Governing Law...........................................................................................64
   11.6  Counterparts; Effectiveness.............................................................................64
   11.7  Entire Agreement........................................................................................64
   11.8  Captions................................................................................................64
   11.9  Severability............................................................................................64
   11.10  Construction...........................................................................................64
   11.11  Cumulative Remedies....................................................................................65
   11.12  Third Party Beneficiaries..............................................................................65
   11.13  Appointment of Shareholders' Representative; Enforcement of Rights, Benefits and Remedies..............65


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                          AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

         THIS AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER (this "Agreement"), dated as of
December 13, 2002, is entered into by and among American Medical Systems, Inc.,
a Delaware corporation ("Parent"), Snowball Acquisition Corp., a California
corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent ("Merger Subsidiary"),
Cryogen, Inc., a California corporation ("Company"), and Robert Knarr, as
Shareholders' Representative (the "Shareholders' Representative").

         WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of each of the Company, Parent and
Merger Subsidiary have (i) determined that the Merger (as defined below) is fair
and in the best interests of their respective stockholders and (ii) approved the
Merger of Merger Subsidiary with and into the Company, with the Company
surviving, in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

         WHEREAS, the parties hereto desire to make certain representations,
warranties and agreements in connection with the Merger and also to prescribe
various conditions to the Merger.

         NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the
representations, warranties, covenants and agreements herein contained, and
intending to be legally bound hereby, the Company, Parent and Merger Subsidiary
hereby agree as follows:

                                   ARTICLE 1
                        THE MERGER; CONVERSION OF SHARES

1.1      The Merger. At the Effective Time (as defined below) and upon the terms
         and subject to the conditions of this Agreement and in accordance with
         the California General Corporation Law (the "CGCL"), Merger Subsidiary
         shall be merged with and into the Company, and following the merger,
         the Company shall continue as the surviving corporation (the "Surviving
         Corporation"), the separate corporate existence of Merger Subsidiary
         shall cease and the Surviving Corporation shall continue to be governed
         by the laws of the State of California (the "Merger").

1.2      Effective Time. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this
         Agreement, on the Closing Date (as defined below) the Company and
         Merger Subsidiary will file, or cause to be filed, with the Secretary
         of State of the State of California, an Agreement of Merger (the
         "Agreement of Merger"), in the form as required by, and executed and
         acknowledged in accordance with, the applicable provisions of the CGCL,
         and will be substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A. The
         Merger shall become effective at the date and time the Agreement of
         Merger is filed or, if agreed to by the Parent and the Company, such
         later date or time set forth in the Agreement of Merger (the "Effective
         Time").

1.3      Closing of the Merger. Unless this Agreement shall have been terminated
         and the transactions contemplated herein abandoned pursuant to Article
         7 hereof, the closing of the Merger (the "Closing") will take place on
         a date (the "Closing Date") to be specified by Parent and the Company
         which shall be no later than the second business day after satisfaction
         or waiver of the latest to occur of the conditions set forth in
         Articles 5 and 6




         (other than delivery of items to be delivered at the Closing and other
         than those conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied at the
         Closing, it being understood that the occurrence of the Closing shall
         remain subject to the delivery of such items and the satisfaction or
         waiver of such conditions at the Closing), at 10:00 a.m., local time,
         at the offices of Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly LLP, 45 South Seventh
         Street, Suite 3400, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, unless another time,
         date, place or manner (e.g., by telecopy exchange of signature pages
         with originals to follow by overnight delivery) is agreed to in writing
         by the parties hereto. The parties will use commercially reasonable
         efforts to consummate the Closing by December 30, 2002; provided,
         however, that in no event shall the Closing occur later than January
         31, 2003 (the "Termination Date").

1.4      Effects of the Merger. The Merger shall have the effects set forth in
         this Agreement, the Agreement of Merger and the CGCL. Without limiting
         the generality of the foregoing and subject thereto, at the Effective
         Time, all the properties, rights, privileges, powers and franchises of
         the Company and Merger Subsidiary shall vest in the Surviving
         Corporation and all debts, liabilities and duties of the Company and
         Merger Subsidiary shall become the debts, liabilities and duties of the
         Surviving Corporation. The Surviving Corporation shall become a
         wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent.

1.5      Articles of Incorporation of the Surviving Corporation. The form of
         Articles of Incorporation of Merger Subsidiary, as amended, shall be
         the Articles of Incorporation of the Surviving Corporation until
         thereafter further amended in accordance with applicable law and such
         Articles of Incorporation, except that the name of the Surviving
         Corporation shall be Cryogen, Inc.

1.6      Bylaws of the Surviving Corporation. The Bylaws of Merger Subsidiary as
         in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall be the Bylaws
         of the Surviving Corporation until thereafter amended in accordance
         with applicable law, except that the name of the Surviving Corporation
         shall be Cryogen, Inc.

1.7      Directors and Officers of the Surviving Corporation. The directors and
         officers of Merger Subsidiary immediately prior to the Effective Time
         shall be the directors and officers respectively, of the Surviving
         Corporation until their respective successors shall be duly elected and
         qualified.

1.8      Merger Consideration. Subject to Section 1.12 (Dissenting Shares) and
         Section 8.6 (Right of Off-Set), Parent shall pay for all of the Company
         Common Stock and Company Preferred Stock issued and outstanding
         immediately prior to the Effective Time the consideration set forth in
         Section 1.8 and Section 1.10.

         (a)      At Closing, Parent shall pay Forty Million Dollars
                  ($40,000,000) (the "Initial Payment") plus or minus, as the
                  case may be, the Purchase Price Adjustment (as defined in
                  section 1.8(b)) (as so adjusted, the "Estimated Initial Merger
                  Consideration"), which shall be paid by Parent to the Persons
                  and in the amounts as follows: (i) Three Million Dollars
                  ($3,000,000) (the "Escrow Funds") to the Escrow Agent to be
                  held in escrow to secure any indemnification obligation of the
                  Shareholders under Section 8.3 and to refund to Parent any
                  negative Purchase



                                       2


                  Price Adjustment due Parent after final determination of the
                  Closing Balance Sheet in accordance with Section 1.10; (ii)
                  the Transaction Expenses to the Persons and in the amounts as
                  set forth in Schedule 1.8(d); and (iii) the balance of the
                  Estimated Initial Merger Consideration to the Payment Agent
                  for distribution to the Shareholders in accordance with the
                  terms of the Payment Agreement or to such Shareholders as have
                  delivered to Parent properly assigned stock certificates and
                  properly executed letters of transmittal, in form acceptable
                  to Parent, prior to Closing (such balance payable to the
                  Shareholders is sometimes referred to herein as the "Net
                  Initial Merger Consideration"). The Escrow Funds shall not be
                  distributed to the Shareholders until eighteen (18) months
                  after the Effective Time and shall only be distributed in
                  accordance with the terms and conditions of the Escrow
                  Agreement. In the event that Parent shall have perfected,
                  prior to the expiration of such 18 month period, a claim for
                  indemnification pursuant to Section 8.4, the Shareholders'
                  Representative and the Parent shall endeavor in good faith to
                  determine a reasonable estimate of the maximum amount of such
                  claim and shall instruct the Escrow Agent to deliver any
                  excess amount of Escrow Funds to the Payment Agent for
                  distribution to the Shareholders in accordance with the Escrow
                  Agreement.

         (b)      The Initial Payment shall be adjusted (the "Purchase Price
                  Adjustment") as follows: (a) increased or decreased on a
                  dollar-for-dollar basis, by the amount that the Net Equity (as
                  defined below), as reflected in the Estimated Closing Balance
                  Sheet (as defined in Section 1.8(c)) is greater or less than
                  negative One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars (-$150,000) (the
                  "Net Equity Threshold"); and (b) decreased by the amount of
                  consideration that would have been payable to Dissenting
                  Shareholders (as defined below) if they had not perfected
                  their rights as Dissenting Shareholders. For purposes of
                  clarity, the Purchase Price Adjustment shall increase the
                  amount of Initial Merger Consideration to the extent the Net
                  Equity is greater than the Net Equity Threshold and shall
                  decrease the amount of Initial Merger Consideration to the
                  extent the Net Equity is less than the Net Equity Threshold.
                  For purposes hereof, the term "Net Equity" shall mean the
                  Company's total assets less total liabilities as reflected on
                  the Estimated Closing Balance Sheet, prepared in accordance
                  with Section 1.10, and shall include Transaction Expenses and
                  Severance Accruals but shall not include as an asset any
                  prepaid expenses for the cost of tail coverage for director
                  and officer liability or product liability insurance. The
                  Purchase Price Adjustment shall not be subject to the
                  limitations on indemnification set forth in Section 8.5 and
                  shall not be affected by whether or not any item reflected on
                  or accounted for in the Closing Balance Sheet (and therefore
                  included in the Purchase Price Adjustment) would constitute a
                  breach of representation or warranty in this Agreement.

         (c)      Not less than three business days prior to the Closing, the
                  Company shall prepare and deliver to Parent (i) a good faith
                  estimate of the Estimated Initial Merger Consideration,
                  setting forth, in reasonable detail, a calculation of: (A) the
                  estimated Net Equity; (B) the Severance Accruals; (C) the
                  estimated Transaction Expenses; and (D) the estimated
                  consideration that would have been payable to Dissenting
                  Shareholders if they had not perfected their rights as
                  Dissenting



                                       3


                  Shareholders; (ii) an estimated consolidated balance sheet for
                  the Company and the Subsidiaries as of the Closing Date (the
                  "Estimated Closing Balance Sheet"), with the items described
                  in subclauses (c)(i) and (ii) above prepared in accordance
                  with GAAP as applicable to interim financial statements (and
                  thus may not contain all notes and may not contain prior
                  period comparative data which are required for compliance with
                  GAAP) on a basis consistent with the accounting methods,
                  practices and procedures used to prepare the Latest Financial
                  Statements (as defined in Section 2.7); and (iii) a
                  certificate of a duly authorized officer of the Company
                  certifying the foregoing.

         (d)      The Company shall deliver to Parent on the date hereof an
                  interim Schedule 1.8(d) hereto, setting forth the estimated
                  Transaction Expenses. Immediately prior to the Closing, the
                  Company shall update Schedule 1.8(d) hereto to reflect such
                  Transaction Expenses through the Closing. At the Closing,
                  Parent, on behalf of the Company, shall pay the Transaction
                  Expenses in accordance with Schedule 1.8(d) hereto, as so
                  amended.

1.9      Earnout Payment. As additional consideration for the Merger and subject
         to the conditions set forth in this Section 1.9, Section 1.12
         (Dissenting Shares) and Section 8.6 (Right of Off-Set), Parent shall
         make an additional payment (an "Earnout Payment") to the Payment Agent
         for distribution to those Shareholders who are not otherwise Dissenting
         Shareholders (as defined in Section 1.12) ("Participating
         Shareholders") in an amount equal to (A) the product of the Net Product
         Revenues for the Payment Period (as defined below) multiplied by three
         (3), less (B) Forty Million Dollars ($40,000,000); provided however,
         that the Earnout Payment shall not exceed One Hundred Ten Million
         Dollars ($110,000,000). As used herein, the term "Payment Period" shall
         refer to a period of four consecutive fiscal quarters of Parent,
         determined pursuant to subsection (b) below, occurring between the
         first day of Parent's fiscal quarter beginning on December 29, 2002 and
         ending on the last day of Parent's fiscal quarter ending on or about
         December 31, 2005 (the "Earnout Period").

         (a)      During the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on
                  the Earnout Payment Date (as defined below), Parent shall
                  deliver quarterly to the Shareholders' Representative, no
                  later than thirty (30) days following the last day of Parent's
                  fiscal quarter, a statement with reasonable detail reflecting
                  Parent's calculation of Net Product Revenues for the prior
                  fiscal quarter, which such statement shall be prepared in
                  accordance with GAAP on a basis consistent with the accounting
                  principles and revenue recognition policies followed by Parent
                  in the preparation of its financial statements. In his
                  discretion, the Shareholders' Representative may distribute
                  these statements to Participating Shareholders who held at
                  least 250,000 shares of Company Capital Stock immediately
                  prior to the Effective Time (except that such threshold shall
                  not apply if the Shareholder Representative is seeking a
                  Shareholder consent pursuant to Section 1.9(b)), provided in
                  each case that such Participating Shareholders have agreed to
                  be bound by the confidentiality obligations set forth in
                  Section 4.4 herein. The Shareholders' Representative may cause
                  an audit to be made, at his sole cost and expense, of those
                  books and records of Parent that are necessary to review and


                                       4


                  audit the quarterly statement and Parent's calculation of Net
                  Product Revenues. Any such audit shall be conducted only by an
                  independent certified accountant selected by the Shareholders'
                  Representative and reasonably acceptable to Parent, after
                  prior written notice to Parent, and shall be conducted during
                  regular business hours at Parent's offices and in such a
                  manner so as not to interfere with Parent's normal business
                  activities. Parent agrees to permit such accountants, during
                  normal business hours, to have reasonable access to, and to
                  examine and make copies of, those books and records of Parent
                  that are necessary to review and audit the quarterly statement
                  and Parent's calculation of Net Product Revenues. Neither the
                  Shareholders' Representative nor such auditors will have the
                  right to review or audit any other books and records of
                  Parent. In no event shall the audits be made more than once in
                  any nine (9) month period, nor shall the records supporting
                  any statements be audited more than once for the same purpose.
                  In the event any such audit reveals any discrepancy less than
                  five percent (5%) of the Net Product Revenues for the
                  respective quarterly period, Shareholders shall pay for the
                  reasonable third party costs and expenses of such audit. In
                  the event any such audit reveals any discrepancy greater than
                  or equal to five percent (5%) of the Net Product Revenues for
                  the respective quarterly period, Parent shall pay for the
                  reasonable third party costs and expenses of such audit.

         (b)      At any time during the Earnout Period and within sixty (60)
                  days of receipt of a quarterly statement, and provided that
                  the Shareholders' Representative receives the written consent
                  of at least a majority in interest, on a class voting basis,
                  of the Participating Shareholders, the Shareholders'
                  Representative may send notice to Parent demanding payment of
                  the Earnout Payment (the "Earnout Demand Notice") based on Net
                  Product Revenues for the consecutive four (4) fiscal quarters
                  of Parent immediately preceding the date of the Earnout Demand
                  Notice. In the event that the Shareholders' Representative
                  does not deliver an Earnout Demand Notice to Parent during the
                  Earnout Period, then the relevant Payment Period under which
                  the Earnout Payment is to be calculated shall be the final
                  consecutive four (4) fiscal quarters of Parent occurring
                  during the Earnout Period.

         (c)      Within thirty (30) days after delivery of the Earnout Demand
                  Notice, or Parent's last fiscal quarter in the Earnout Period,
                  as applicable, Parent shall deliver to Shareholders'
                  Representative a statement with reasonable detail reflecting
                  Parent's calculation of Net Product Revenues for the Payment
                  Period (the "Earnout Calculation"), which such statement shall
                  be prepared in accordance with GAAP from the books and records
                  of Parent, on a basis consistent with the accounting
                  principles and revenue recognition policies followed by Parent
                  in the preparation of its financial statements. The Earnout
                  Calculation shall be accompanied by a schedule showing Net
                  Product Revenues by fiscal quarter during the Payment Period
                  and by a written confirmation of Parent stating that, to
                  Parent's knowledge, the Earnout Calculation has been made in
                  accordance with GAAP. In his discretion, the Shareholders'
                  Representative may distribute the Earnout Calculation and
                  accompanying schedules to the Participating Shareholders
                  provided that such Participating Shareholders have agreed to
                  be bound by the confidentiality obligations set forth in
                  Section 4.4



                                       5


                  herein. The Earnout Calculation will be deemed to be accepted
                  by the Shareholders' Representative and shall be conclusive
                  for purposes of determining the Earnout Calculation, if any,
                  unless the Shareholders' Representative shall have delivered
                  to Parent within fifteen (15) Business Days following delivery
                  of the Earnout Calculation a written statement objecting to
                  any of the information contained in the Earnout Calculation,
                  specifying in reasonable detail the amount in dispute and
                  accompanied by detailed schedules and work papers providing
                  reasonable support for such determination.

         (d)      In the event of a dispute or disagreement relating to the
                  Earnout Calculation which Parent and the Shareholders'
                  Representative are unable to resolve by good faith
                  discussions, either Parent or the Shareholders' Representative
                  may elect to have all such disputes or disagreements resolved
                  by an accounting firm of nationally recognized standing to be
                  mutually selected by the Shareholders' Representative and
                  Parent. Such designated accounting firm shall make a
                  resolution of the Earnout Calculation, which shall be final,
                  binding and enforceable as an arbitration award for all
                  purposes. The designated accounting firm shall be instructed
                  to use every reasonable effort to perform its services within
                  thirty (30) days of submission of the Earnout Calculation to
                  it and, in any case, as soon as practicable after such
                  submission. In the event any such audit reveals any
                  discrepancy less than five percent (5%) of the Net Product
                  Revenues for the Payment Period, Shareholders shall pay the
                  entire costs and expenses for the services of the designated
                  accounting firm. In the event any such audit reveals any
                  discrepancy greater than or equal to five percent (5%) of the
                  Net Product Revenues for the Payment Period, Parent shall pay
                  the entire costs and expenses for the services of the
                  designated accounting firm. Any additional Earnout Payment
                  determined to be payable to the Participating Shareholders
                  through good faith discussion or by the designated accounting
                  firm shall be payable to the Payment Agent in accordance with
                  Section 1.9(e).

         (e)      Within (i) sixty (60) days following delivery of the Earnout
                  Demand Notice, or (ii) twenty (20) days following final
                  determination of the Earnout Calculation, pursuant to Section
                  1.9(c) or (d), whichever is later (the "Earnout Payment
                  Date"), Parent shall pay the Earnout Payment to the Payment
                  Agent for distribution to the Participating Shareholders, if
                  earned.

         (f)      During the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on
                  the Earnout Payment Date, Parent will use commercially
                  reasonable efforts to promote, market and sell the Products
                  and in good faith not undertake any action the purpose of
                  which is to negatively impact the Participating Shareholders'
                  right to receive an Earnout Payment hereunder. In furtherance
                  of the foregoing covenant, Parent covenants and agrees that it
                  will not (i) enter into any sales agreements with respect to
                  the Product with any Affiliates of Parent whose revenues are
                  not consolidated with Parent's revenues on pricing and other
                  terms that have not been negotiated at "arms length" and which
                  are reasonable and customary, and (ii) divest or sell any
                  division responsible for selling and marketing the assets


                                       6


                  constituting the Product, unless express provision has been
                  made with any such successor corporation to assume Parent's
                  obligations pursuant to this Section 1.9.

1.10     Closing Balance Sheet.

         (a)      Within sixty (60) days after the Closing Date, Parent shall
                  have the right to deliver to the Shareholders' Representative
                  a balance sheet of Company as of the Closing Date, prepared in
                  accordance with GAAP, including footnotes, from the books and
                  records of Company, on a basis consistent in every respect
                  with the accounting principles theretofore followed by Company
                  in the preparation of the Latest Financial Statements and the
                  Annual Financial Statements (as such terms are defined in
                  Section 2.7 below), and fairly presenting the financial
                  position of Company as of the Closing Date. The balance sheet
                  shall be accompanied by detailed schedules and by a written
                  confirmation of Parent stating that, to Parent's knowledge,
                  (a) the examination of the balance sheet has been made in
                  accordance with GAAP and (b) the balance sheet has been
                  prepared in accordance with GAAP based upon information
                  available to the Company, on a basis consistent with the
                  accounting principles theretofore followed by Company, except
                  as otherwise provided in this Section 1.10, and (c) setting
                  forth the amount of the final Purchase Price Adjustment and by
                  whom to be paid pursuant to Section 1.8 hereof.

         (b)      Within thirty (30) days following the delivery of the balance
                  sheet referred to in Section 1.10(a), the Shareholders'
                  Representative may object to any of the information contained
                  in said balance sheet or accompanying schedules which could
                  affect the necessity or amount of any payment by Parent or the
                  Shareholders pursuant to Section 1.8. Any such objection shall
                  be made in writing delivered to Parent and shall state the
                  Shareholders' determination of the amount of the Purchase
                  Price Adjustment, accompanied by detailed schedules and work
                  papers providing reasonable support for such determination.

         (c)      In the event of a dispute or disagreement relating to the
                  balance sheet, schedules, or final Purchase Price Adjustment
                  which Parent and the Shareholders' Representative are unable
                  to resolve by good faith discussions, either Parent or
                  Shareholders' Representative may elect to have all such
                  disputes or disagreements resolved by an accounting firm of
                  nationally recognized standing (the "Third Accounting Firm")
                  to be mutually selected by the Shareholders' Representative
                  and Parent. The Third Accounting Firm shall make a resolution
                  of the balance sheet of Company as of the Closing Date
                  including a calculation of Net Equity as of the Closing Date
                  and a determination of the final Purchase Price Adjustment
                  which shall be final, binding and enforceable as an
                  arbitration award for all purposes. The Third Accounting Firm
                  shall be instructed to use every reasonable effort to perform
                  its services within thirty (30) days of submission of the
                  balance sheet to it and, in any case, as soon as practicable
                  after such submission. In the event any such audit reveals any


                                       7


                  discrepancy less than five percent (5%) of the Purchase Price
                  Adjustment, Shareholders shall pay the entire costs and
                  expenses for the Third Accounting Firm. In the event any such
                  audit reveals any discrepancy greater than or equal to five
                  percent (5%) of the Purchase Price Adjustment, Parent shall
                  pay the entire costs and expenses for the services of the
                  Third Accounting Firm. As used in this Agreement, the term
                  "Closing Balance Sheet" shall mean the balance sheet of
                  Company as of the Closing Date as finally determined for
                  purposes of this Article 1, whether by acquiescence of Parent
                  of the Estimated Closing Balance Sheet prepared by the
                  Company, acquiescence of Shareholders' Representative in the
                  balance sheet as of the Closing Date by Parent, by negotiation
                  and agreement of the parties, or by the Third Accounting Firm.

         (d)      Promptly after the Closing Balance Sheet and the Purchase
                  Price Adjustment become final and binding on the parties, the
                  Estimated Initial Merger Consideration shall be recalculated
                  by giving effect to such final and binding amounts (as
                  recalculated, the "Final Initial Merger Consideration"). If
                  the Estimated Initial Merger Consideration is greater than the
                  Final Initial Merger Consideration, the Escrow Agent shall
                  immediately remit cash to Parent, in accordance with the
                  Escrow Agreement, in the amount by which the Estimated Initial
                  Merger Consideration exceeds the Final Initial Merger
                  Consideration. If the Final Initial Merger Consideration is
                  greater than the Estimated Initial Merger Consideration,
                  Parent shall deposit additional funds with the Payment Agent
                  for distribution to the Shareholders in accordance with the
                  Payment Agreement in the amount by which the Final Initial
                  Merger Consideration exceeds the Estimated Initial Merger
                  Consideration (with interest at a rate equal to the "prime
                  rate" as published in The Wall Street Journal on the Closing
                  Date, calculated from the Closing Date until the date of
                  payment).

1.11     Cancellation and Conversion of Company Securities at the Effective
         Time. As of the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any
         action on the part of any holder of any share of capital stock of the
         Company or Merger Subsidiary:

         (a)      Subject to the terms and conditions of this Article 1, each
                  share of Company Common Stock, issued and outstanding
                  immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than (1)
                  Company Common Stock held in the Company's treasury or by any
                  of the Company's Subsidiaries, (2) Company Common Stock held
                  by Parent, Merger Subsidiary or any other Subsidiary of
                  Parent, and (3) Dissenting Shares) shall automatically be
                  converted into the right to receive Merger Consideration in
                  cash, payable to the holders thereof upon surrender of the
                  Certificates (as defined in Section 1.13 below) in accordance
                  with Section 1.11(c);

         (b)      Subject to the terms and conditions of this Article 1, each
                  share of Company Preferred Stock, issued and outstanding
                  immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than (1)
                  Preferred Stock held in the Company's treasury or by any of
                  the Company's Subsidiaries, (2) Company Preferred Stock held
                  by Parent, Merger Subsidiary or any other Subsidiary of
                  Parent, and (3) Dissenting Shares) shall automatically be
                  converted into the right to receive Merger Consideration in
                  cash, payable to the holders thereof upon surrender of the
                  Certificates (as defined in Section 1.13 below) in accordance
                  with Section 1.11(c);



                                       8


         (c)      Schedule 1.11(c) hereto sets forth the name and mailing
                  address of each Shareholder and the class, series and number
                  of shares of Company Capital Stock owned by each such
                  Shareholder. The aggregate amount of Merger Consideration
                  (including the Earnout Payment, if any) to be paid to
                  Shareholders pursuant to this Agreement shall be paid in
                  accordance with the liquidation preference provisions set
                  forth in Article III, Section B.2(f) of the Restated Company
                  Charter, as shall be in effect immediately prior to the
                  Closing, as follows:

                  (i)      All of the Net Initial Merger Consideration shall be
                           paid to the holders of the Company's Series D
                           Preferred Stock, Series E Preferred Stock and Series
                           F Preferred Stock in accordance with their percentage
                           interests in the Series D, E & F Preference Amount,
                           as set forth on Schedule 1.11(c)(i) hereto;

                  (ii)     upon the completion of the payment in full of the Net
                           Initial Merger Consideration in accordance with
                           subsection (c)(i) above, the next $1,500,000 of
                           Merger Consideration (the "Second Preference Amount")
                           shall be paid to the holders of the Company's Series
                           G Preferred Stock (which shall be authorized pursuant
                           to the Restated Company Charter (the "Series G
                           Preferred Stock")) pro rata in proportion to the
                           number of outstanding shares of Series G Preferred
                           Stock held by each such holder, which pro rata
                           amounts shall be set forth in a certificate delivered
                           by the Company to Parent at the Closing;

                  (iii)    upon the completion of the payment in full of the
                           Second Preference Amount in accordance with
                           subsection (c)(ii) above, the next distribution of
                           Merger Consideration (the "Third Preference Amount")
                           shall be paid to the holders of the Company's Series
                           D Preferred Stock, Series E Preferred Stock and
                           Series F Preferred Stock in accordance with their
                           percentage interests in the Series D, E & F
                           Preference Amount as set forth on Schedule 1.11(c)(i)
                           hereto until such holders shall have received an
                           aggregate amount, including the payment to such
                           holders of the Net Initial Merger Consideration
                           pursuant to subsection 1.11(c)(i) above, equal to the
                           Series D, E & F Preference Amount, less $1,500,000;

                  (iv)     upon the completion of the payment in full of the
                           Third Preference Amount in accordance with subsection
                           (c)(iii) above, the next $8,141,976 of Merger
                           Consideration (the "Fourth Preference Amount") shall
                           be paid to the holders of the Company's Series A
                           Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock and Series
                           C Preferred Stock in accordance with their percentage
                           interests in the Fourth Preference Amount as set
                           forth on Schedule 1.11(c)(iv) hereto;

                  (v)      upon the completion of the payment in full of the
                           Fourth Preference Amount in accordance with
                           subsection (c)(iv) above, the next $1,500,000 of
                           Merger Consideration shall be paid to the holders of
                           the Company's Series D Preferred Stock, Series E
                           Preferred Stock and Series F Preferred



                                       9


                           Stock in accordance with their percentage interests
                           in the Series D, E & F Preference Amount as set forth
                           on Schedule 1.11(c)(i) hereto;

                  (vi)     upon the completion of the payment in full of the
                           amount described in subsection (c)(v) above, the next
                           distribution of Merger Consideration shall be paid to
                           the holders of Company Common Stock, Series A
                           Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock, Series C
                           Preferred Stock, Series D Preferred Stock, Series E
                           Preferred Stock and Series F Preferred Stock until
                           such holders shall have received an aggregate amount
                           equal to (A) the quotient obtained by dividing
                           $1,500,000 by a fraction the numerator of which is
                           equal to the number of shares of Series G Preferred
                           Stock outstanding immediately prior to the Effective
                           Time and the denominator of which is equal to the
                           number of shares of Company Capital Stock outstanding
                           immediately prior to the Effective Time (assuming the
                           conversion into Company Common Stock of all
                           outstanding shares of Company Preferred Stock), minus
                           (B) $1,500,000, which shall be distributed among the
                           holders of Common Stock, Series A Preferred Stock,
                           Series B Preferred Stock, Series C Preferred Stock,
                           Series D Preferred Stock, Series E Preferred Stock
                           and Series F Preferred Stock pro rata based on the
                           number of shares of Company Common Stock held by each
                           such holder (assuming the conversion into Company
                           Common Stock of all such shares of Company Preferred
                           Stock).

                  (vii)    upon the completion of the payment in full of the
                           amount described in subsection (c)(vi) above, any
                           remaining Merger Consideration shall be paid to the
                           holders of the Company's Common Stock, Series A
                           Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock, Series C
                           Preferred Stock, Series D Preferred Stock, Series E
                           Preferred Stock, Series F Preferred Stock and Series
                           G Preferred Stock pro rata based on the number of
                           shares of Company Common Stock held by each such
                           holder (assuming the conversion of all outstanding
                           shares of Company Preferred Stock into Company Common
                           Stock in accordance with the Restated Company
                           Charter).

         (d)      Each Company Stock Option that is outstanding immediately
                  prior to the Effective Time, whether or not vested or
                  exercisable, shall, effective as of the Effective Time, be
                  cancelled and terminated in accordance with the terms of the
                  Company Stock Option Plans or agreements, arrangements or
                  instruments, as applicable. Except for (i) a warrant to
                  purchase up to 13,100 shares of the Company's Series B
                  Preferred Stock issued to Comdisco, Inc. on August 25, 1997,
                  and (ii) a warrant to purchase up to 111,111 shares of the
                  Company's Series C Preferred Stock issued to Comdisco, Inc. on
                  March 25, 1998 (collectively, the "Comdisco Warrants") (each
                  of which shall, to the extent required by their terms, remain
                  outstanding and be converted into the right to receive a pro
                  rata share of the Earnout Payment, if any, to the extent that
                  such warrants are validly exercised by the holder thereof),
                  each Company Warrant that is outstanding immediately prior to
                  the Effective Time, whether or not vested or exercisable,


                                       10


                  shall, effective as of the Effective Time, be cancelled and
                  terminated in accordance with the terms of such Company
                  Warrants or agreements, arrangements or instruments, as
                  applicable. The Company has delivered or will deliver to each
                  holder of Company Warrants outstanding on the date hereof
                  (other than the Comdisco Warrants) a notice sufficient to
                  cause such outstanding warrants to be cancelled and terminated
                  immediately prior to the Effective Time.

         (e)      Each share of the common stock, no par value, of Merger
                  Subsidiary ("Merger Subsidiary Common Stock"), issued and
                  outstanding at the Effective Time of the Merger shall be
                  converted into one share of common stock, no par value, of the
                  Surviving Corporation ("Surviving Corporation Common Stock").

         (f)      Each share of Company Common Stock and Company Preferred Stock
                  held in the treasury of the Company and each share of Company
                  Common Stock and Company Preferred Stock held by Parent,
                  Merger Subsidiary or any Subsidiary of Parent, Merger
                  Subsidiary or the Company immediately prior to the Effective
                  Time will, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on
                  the part of Merger Subsidiary, the Company or the holder
                  thereof, be canceled, retired and cease to exist without
                  payment of any consideration therefore and without any
                  conversion thereof.

1.12     Dissenting Shares.

         (a)      Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the
                  contrary, any shares of Company Capital Stock issued and
                  outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time that are
                  held by any holder of shares of Company Capital Stock who has
                  not voted in favor of the Merger (if entitled to vote) and has
                  properly exercised and perfected appraisal rights in
                  accordance with Section 1300 et. seq. of the CGCL (such
                  holders are referred to as "Dissenting Shareholders" and such
                  shares are referred to as "Dissenting Shares") will not be
                  converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration,
                  but will become entitled to the right to receive such
                  consideration as may be determined to be due to the holders of
                  such Dissenting Shares pursuant to the CGCL; provided,
                  however, that any holder of Dissenting Shares who will have
                  failed to perfect or who effectively will have withdrawn or
                  lost such rights of appraisal under the CGCL will forfeit the
                  right to appraisal of such shares of Company Capital Stock,
                  and such shares of Company Capital Stock will no longer be
                  Dissenting Shares and, as of the Effective Time, will be
                  deemed to have been converted into the right to receive the
                  Merger Consideration.

         (b)      The Company will give Parent and Merger Subsidiary prompt
                  notice of any written demands for appraisal, withdrawals of
                  demands for appraisal and any other related instruments
                  received by the Company and, Parent will have the right to
                  participate at its sole expense in all negotiations and
                  proceedings with respect to such demands. Prior to the
                  Effective Time, the Company will not, except with the prior
                  written consent of Parent, make any payment with respect to,
                  or settle or offer to settle, any such demands.
                  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 1.12
                  if (i) the Merger is terminated, rescinded or abandoned or
                  (ii) if



                                       11


                  the Shareholders revoke the authority to effect the Merger,
                  then the right of any Shareholder to appraisal under Section
                  1300 et. seq. of the CGCL shall cease. The Surviving
                  Corporation will comply with all obligations of the CGCL with
                  respect to Dissenting Shareholders.

         (c)      The holders of shares of Parent Common Stock shall not be
                  entitled to appraisal rights.

1.13     Escrow Procedure; Exchange of Certificates.

         (a)      U.S. Bank National Association or such other bank as the
                  parties may agree shall act as the payment agent (in such
                  capacity, the "Payment Agent") pursuant to a payment
                  agreement, to be entered into between the Company and the
                  Payment Agent (the "Payment Agreement") and escrow agent (in
                  such capacity, the "Escrow Agent") pursuant to the Escrow
                  Agreement, for the benefit of the holders of Company Common
                  Stock and Company Preferred Stock for the purpose of paying
                  the Merger Consideration upon surrender of certificates which
                  immediately prior to the Effective Time represented Company
                  Common Stock or Company Preferred Stock (in either case, the
                  "Certificates") for the Merger Consideration.

         (b)      At the Closing, Parent shall deposit, or shall cause to be
                  deposited, with the Payment Agent pursuant to the Payment
                  Agreement, for the benefit of the Shareholders, cash in U.S.
                  dollars in an amount equal to the Net Initial Merger
                  Consideration, less amounts paid directly to Shareholders
                  pursuant to Section 1.8(a).

         (c)      To the extent that sums are released by the Payment Agent or
                  the Escrow Agent to the Shareholders or the Parent in
                  accordance with this Agreement or the Escrow Agreement, the
                  pro-rata portion of any accumulated interest shall be
                  distributed therewith.

         (d)      As soon as reasonably practicable after the Effective Time,
                  the Payment Agent shall mail to each holder of record of
                  Certificates: (i) a letter of transmittal (which shall specify
                  that delivery shall be effected, and risk of loss and title to
                  the Certificates shall pass, only upon delivery of the
                  Certificates to the Payment Agent and shall be in such form
                  and have such other provisions as Merger Subsidiary and the
                  Company may reasonably specify) and (ii) instructions for use
                  in effecting the surrender of the Certificates in exchange for
                  a cash payment of the proper Merger Consideration when and if
                  it becomes payable under this Agreement. Upon surrender of a
                  Certificate for cancellation to the Payment Agent or to such
                  other agent or agents as may be appointed by Merger
                  Subsidiary, together with such letter of transmittal, duly
                  executed, the holder of such Certificate shall be entitled to
                  receive in exchange therefor by check or wire transfer, as the
                  case may be, an amount equal to the proper Merger
                  Consideration when and if it becomes payable under this
                  Agreement, and the Certificate so surrendered shall forthwith
                  be canceled. No interest shall be paid or accrued on



                                       12


                  any Merger Consideration upon the surrender of any
                  Certificates. In the event of a transfer of ownership of
                  Company Common Stock or Company Preferred Stock which is not
                  registered in the transfer records of the Company, payment of
                  the proper Merger Consideration when and if it becomes payable
                  under this Agreement may be paid to a transferee if the
                  Certificate representing such Company Common Stock or Company
                  Preferred Stock, as applicable, is presented to the Payment
                  Agent, accompanied by all documents required to evidence and
                  effect such transfer and by evidence that any applicable stock
                  transfer or other taxes required as a result of such payment
                  to a Person other than the registered holder of such shares
                  have been paid. Until surrendered and exchanged as
                  contemplated by this Section 1.13, each Certificate shall be
                  deemed at any time after the Effective Time to represent only
                  the right to receive upon such surrender an amount equal to
                  the proper Merger Consideration when and if it becomes payable
                  under this Agreement.

         (e)      In the event that any Certificate shall have been lost, stolen
                  or destroyed, the Payment Agent will, upon the making of an
                  affidavit of that fact by the holder claiming such Certificate
                  to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, pay the proper Merger
                  Consideration as may be required pursuant to this Agreement,
                  but for the failure to deliver such Certificate to the Payment
                  Agent; provided, however, that the Surviving Corporation may,
                  in its discretion and as a condition precedent to the issuance
                  thereof, require the owner of such lost, stolen or destroyed
                  Certificate to deliver a bond in such sum as it may reasonably
                  direct as indemnity against any claim that may be made against
                  the Surviving Corporation with respect to the Certificate
                  alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed.

         (f)      The Merger Consideration paid upon the surrender of
                  Certificates for exchange of Company Common Stock and Company
                  Preferred Stock in accordance with the terms hereof shall be
                  deemed to have been paid in full satisfaction of all rights
                  pertaining to such Company Common Stock and Company Preferred
                  Stock. After the Effective Time, there shall be no further
                  registration of transfers on the stock transfer books of the
                  Surviving Corporation of the Company Common Stock or Company
                  Preferred Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to the
                  Effective Time. If, after the Effective Time, Certificates are
                  presented to the Surviving Corporation for any reason, they
                  shall be canceled and exchanged as provided in this Article 1,
                  except as otherwise provided by Applicable Law.

         (g)      Any portion of the Final Initial Merger Consideration set
                  aside for distribution pursuant to this Section 1.13 to any
                  holder of Company Common Stock or Company Preferred Stock that
                  remains undistributed to any such holder for four years after
                  the Effective Time shall be delivered to the Parent, upon
                  demand, and any such holders who have not theretofore complied
                  with this Article 1 shall thereafter look only to the Parent
                  for payment of their claim for any Merger Consideration.

         (h)      Notwithstanding Section 1.13(d), neither the Surviving
                  Corporation nor Parent shall be liable to any holder of
                  Company Common Stock or Company Preferred



                                       13


                  Stock for any Merger Consideration delivered to a public
                  official pursuant to any applicable abandoned property,
                  escheat or similar law.

         (i)      To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, (i) any amounts of
                  Final Initial Merger Consideration remaining unclaimed by any
                  holder of Company Common Stock or Company Preferred Stock four
                  years after the Effective Time or (ii) any amounts of the
                  Earnout Payment, if any, remaining unclaimed by any holder of
                  Company Common Stock or Company Preferred Stock four years
                  after delivery by Parent of the Earnout Payment (or in the
                  case of (i) or (ii) such earlier date immediately prior to
                  such times as such amounts would otherwise escheat to or
                  become property of any governmental entity) shall become the
                  property of the Parent, subject to the rights of any such
                  Shareholder to claim such amounts from Parent.

                                   ARTICLE 2
                  REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY

         As a material inducement to Parent and Merger Subsidiary to enter into
this Agreement, with the understanding that Parent and Merger Subsidiary will be
relying thereon in consummating the transactions contemplated hereunder, the
Company hereby represents and warrants to Parent and Merger Subsidiary that
except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedule delivered by the Company to
Parent and Merger Subsidiary on the date hereof (the "Disclosure Schedule") the
statements contained in this Article 2 are true and correct. The Disclosure
Schedule is arranged in sections corresponding to the sections and subsections
of this Article 2, and disclosure in one section of the Disclosure Schedule
shall constitute disclosure for all sections of the Disclosure Schedule only to
the extent to which the applicability of such disclosure is reasonably apparent.

2.1      Corporate Organization and Power. The Company and each Subsidiary is a
         corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under
         the laws of its respective jurisdiction of incorporation, and has all
         requisite corporate power and authority required to carry on its
         business as now conducted and to own, lease and operate the assets and
         properties of the Company and each Subsidiary as now owned, leased and
         operated. The Company and each Subsidiary is duly qualified or licensed
         to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in
         every jurisdiction in which the character or location of its properties
         and assets owned, leased or operated by the Company or any Subsidiary
         or the nature of the business conducted by the Company or any
         Subsidiary requires such qualification or licensing, except where the
         failure to be so qualified, licensed or in good standing in such other
         jurisdiction would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a
         Material Adverse Effect on the Company or its Subsidiaries.

2.2      Subsidiaries. The Company has heretofore delivered or made available to
         Parent complete and accurate copies of its Articles of Incorporation
         and bylaws and the organizational and governing documents for each
         Subsidiary, as currently in effect. Except as set forth in the
         Disclosure Schedule, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, directly
         or indirectly, owns or controls or has any capital, equity,
         partnership, participation or other ownership interest in any
         corporation, partnership, joint venture or



                                       14


         other business association or entity, except for the Company's
         ownership of its Subsidiaries. The Disclosure Schedule contains a list
         of the name and jurisdiction of incorporation of each Subsidiary and
         all jurisdictions in which the Company and each Subsidiary is qualified
         or licensed to do business. Except as set forth in the Disclosure
         Schedule, in the case of each Subsidiary: (a) all outstanding capital
         stock and other equity securities are owned or controlled directly or
         indirectly by Company free and clear of all Liens; (b) there are no
         contractual or consensual limitations on Company's ability to vote or
         alienate such securities, including without limitation, any voting
         trusts, voting agreements, or rights of first refusal or first option;
         (c) there are no outstanding options, warrants or other rights to
         purchase or acquire securities of such Subsidiary; (d) there are no
         contracts, commitments, understandings, arrangements or restrictions by
         which any such Subsidiary is bound to issue, sell, transfer or to
         purchase or acquire any shares of its capital stock or other equity
         securities or options, warrants or rights; and (e) all of the
         outstanding capital stock of such Subsidiary is duly authorized,
         validly issued, fully paid, nonassessable and was not issued in
         violation of preemptive rights.

2.3      Authorization. The Company has the requisite corporate power and
         authority to enter into this Agreement and, subject to obtaining the
         necessary approval of its stockholders with respect to the Merger, the
         requisite corporate power and corporate authority to carry out the
         transactions contemplated herein. The Board of Directors of the Company
         have taken, and prior to the Closing the Shareholders will have taken,
         all action required by law, the Company's Articles of Incorporation and
         bylaws and otherwise to duly and validly authorize and approve the
         execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement
         and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated
         herein and no other corporate proceedings on the part of the Company or
         any Subsidiary are, or will be, necessary to authorize this Agreement
         or to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby. The affirmative
         vote of (i) the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of each
         of the Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock, Series C
         Preferred Stock, Series D Preferred Stock, Series E Preferred Stock and
         Series F Preferred Stock, each voting as a separate series, (ii) the
         holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Series D Preferred
         Stock, Series E Preferred Stock and Series F Preferred Stock, voting
         together as a separate class, (iii) the holders of a majority of the
         outstanding shares of Company Common Stock, voting together as a
         separate class, (iv) the holders of a majority of the outstanding
         shares of the Company Preferred Stock, voting together as a separate
         class and (v) the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of
         Company Capital Stock, voting together as a single class on an
         as-converted basis are the only votes of the holders of any class or
         series of the Company's capital stock necessary to approve and adopt
         this Agreement and to consummate the Merger. This Agreement has been,
         and the agreements, if any, required by Article 5 will be, duly and
         validly executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming the due
         authorization, execution and delivery by Parent and Merger Subsidiary
         of this Agreement, constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligations
         of the Company, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms,
         subject to laws of general application relating to bankruptcy,
         insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws affecting
         creditors' rights generally and rules of law governing specific
         performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies.


                                       15


2.4      Capitalization of the Company. The authorized capital stock of the
         Company consists of (a) 63,000,000 shares of Company Common Stock,
         2,170,904 shares of which are issued and outstanding; and (b)
         46,100,000 shares of Company Preferred Stock, 1,214,286 shares of which
         have been designated as Series A Preferred Stock, all of which are
         issued and outstanding and are convertible into 1,124,286 shares of
         Company Common Stock, 3,800,000 shares of which have been designated as
         Series B Preferred Stock, 3,658,336 shares of which are issued and
         outstanding and are convertible into 4,769,729 shares of Company Common
         Stock, 2,600,000 shares of which have been designated as Series C
         Preferred Stock, 2,222,223 shares of which are issued and outstanding
         and are convertible into 3,377,079 shares of Company Common Stock,
         4,100,000 shares of which have been designated as Series D Preferred
         Stock, 3,990,144 shares of which are issued and outstanding and are
         convertible into 6,314,604 shares of Company Common Stock, 12,100,000
         shares of which have been designated as Series E Preferred Stock,
         10,531,452 shares of which are issued and outstanding and are
         convertible into 16,239,338 shares of Company Common Stock, and
         22,000,000 shares of which have been designated as Series F Preferred
         Stock, 20,916,183 shares of which are issued and outstanding and are
         convertible into 20,916,183 shares of Company Common Stock. All of the
         issued and outstanding shares of Company Capital Stock are duly
         authorized, validly issued, fully paid, nonassessable and free of
         preemptive rights. All issued and outstanding shares of Company Capital
         Stock are owned (of record) solely by the Shareholders in the exact
         amounts as shown on Section 2.4 of the Disclosure Schedule. There are
         7,350,000 shares of Company Common Stock reserved for issuance pursuant
         to Company Stock Option Plans (including 4,219,225 shares subject to
         outstanding Company Stock Options), 1,080,016 shares of Company
         Preferred Stock subject to outstanding Company Warrants and 227,500
         shares of Common Stock subject to outstanding Company Warrants. Each
         Company Stock Option that is currently outstanding, whether or not
         vested or exercisable, shall, effective as of the Effective Time, be
         cancelled and terminated in accordance with the terms of the Company
         Stock Option Plans or agreements, arrangements or instruments, as
         applicable. Except as set forth in this Section 2.4 and Section 2.4 of
         the Disclosure Schedule, there are outstanding (a) no shares of capital
         stock or other voting securities of the Company, (b) no securities of
         the Company or the Subsidiaries convertible into or exchangeable for
         shares of capital stock or voting securities of the Company, (c) no
         options, warrants, contracts, understandings, agreements or other
         rights to purchase or acquire from the Company or the Subsidiaries,
         and, no obligations of the Company or the Subsidiaries to issue, any
         capital stock, voting securities or securities convertible into or
         exchangeable for capital stock or voting securities of the Company, and
         (d) no equity equivalent interests in the ownership or earnings of the
         Company or the Subsidiaries or other similar rights (collectively,
         "Company Securities"). Except as set forth in Section 2.4 of the
         Disclosure Schedule, there are no outstanding obligations of the
         Company to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any Company
         Securities. Except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedule, there are
         no shareholder agreements, voting trusts or other agreements or
         understandings to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound
         relating to the voting or registration of any shares of capital stock
         of the Company.

2.5      Non-Contravention. Neither the execution, delivery and performance by
         the Company of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions
         contemplated herein will (a)




                                       16


         contravene or conflict with the Articles of Incorporation or bylaws of
         the Company or any charter documents or bylaws of any Subsidiary, (b)
         contravene or conflict with or constitute a violation of any provision
         of any Applicable Law binding upon or applicable to the Company, any
         Subsidiary, or any of the Company's or Subsidiary's assets; (c) result
         in the creation or imposition of any Lien on any of the Company's or
         Subsidiary's assets, other than Permitted Liens or (d) be in conflict
         with, constitute (with or without due notice or lapse of time or both)
         a default under, result in the loss of any material benefit under, or
         give rise to any right of termination, cancellation, increased payments
         or acceleration under any terms, conditions or provisions of any note,
         bond, lease, mortgage, indenture, license, contract, franchise, permit,
         instrument or other agreement or obligation to which the Company or any
         Subsidiary is a party, or by which any of their respective properties
         or assets may be bound, except in the cases of clause (b) where such
         conflicts or other occurrences would not reasonably be expected to
         have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

2.6      Consents and Approvals. No consent, approval, order or authorization of
         or from, or registration, notification, declaration or filing with
         (hereinafter sometimes separately referred to as a "Consent" and
         sometimes collectively as "Consents") any individual or entity,
         including without limitation any Governmental Authority or Person, is
         required in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of
         this Agreement by the Company or the consummation by the Company of the
         transactions contemplated herein, except (a) as set forth in the
         Disclosure Schedule, (b) requirements of the CGCL for filing of
         appropriate documents to effect the Merger, or (c) where the failure to
         make any such filing, or to obtain such permit, authorization, Consent
         or approval, would not prevent or delay consummation of the Merger or
         would not otherwise prevent the Company from performing its obligations
         under this Agreement. The Company is the "acquired person" within the
         meaning of Rule 801.2(b) promulgated pursuant to the HSR Act and does
         not within the meaning of Rule 801.1 of the HSR Act directly or
         indirectly control (as defined in Rule 801.1(b)) any entities, trusts,
         partnerships or other business organizations. The Company had total
         assets as of the date of its last regularly prepared balance sheet (as
         determined in accordance with Rule 801.11 of the HSR Act) of less than
         Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000) and annual net sales for its most
         recent fiscal year (as determined in accordance with Rule 801.11 of the
         HSR Act) of less than Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000). There are no
         facts relating to the identity or circumstances of the Company that
         would prevent or materially delay obtaining any of the Consents.

2.7      Financial Statements; Undisclosed Liabilities.

         (a)      The Company has delivered to Parent true, correct and complete
                  copies of (a) the unaudited consolidated balance sheet, as of
                  September 30, 2002 of the Company and the Subsidiaries (the
                  "Latest Balance Sheet") and the unaudited consolidated
                  statements of income, stockholders' equity and cash flows of
                  the Company and the Subsidiaries for the 9-month period ended
                  September 30, 2002 (such statements of income, stockholders'
                  equity and cash flows and the Latest Balance Sheet being
                  herein referred to as the "Latest Financial Statements") and
                  (b) the audited consolidated balance sheet, as of December 31,
                  1999, 2000 and 2001 of the Company and the Subsidiaries and
                  the audited consolidated statements of



                                       17


                  income, stockholders' equity and cash flows of the Company and
                  the Subsidiaries for each of the years ended December 31,
                  1999, 2000 and 2001 (collectively, the "Annual Financial
                  Statements"). The Latest Financial Statements and the Annual
                  Financial Statements are, and the Estimated Closing Balance
                  Sheet will be, based upon the information contained in the
                  books and records of the Company and the Subsidiaries and
                  fairly and accurately present the financial condition of the
                  Company and the Subsidiaries as of the dates thereof and
                  results of operations for the periods referred to therein. The
                  Annual Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance
                  with GAAP, consistently applied. The Latest Financial
                  Statements have been, and the Estimated Closing Balance Sheet
                  will be, prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied
                  as applicable to unaudited interim financial statements (and
                  thus may not contain all notes and may not contain prior
                  period comparative data which are required for compliance with
                  GAAP), and reflect all adjustments necessary to a fair and
                  accurate statement of the financial condition and results of
                  operations for the interim periods presented.

         (b)      All accounts, books and ledgers material to the business of
                  the Company and the Subsidiaries are properly and accurately
                  kept, are complete in all material respects, and there are no
                  material inaccuracies or discrepancies contained or reflected
                  therein. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any of its
                  material records, systems, controls, data, or information
                  recorded, stored, maintained or operated by means which
                  (including all means of access thereto and therefrom) are not
                  under the exclusive ownership (excluding licensed software
                  programs) and direct control of the Company or the
                  Subsidiaries.

         (c)      Except as and to the extent reflected in the Latest Balance
                  Sheet, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any
                  liabilities or obligations (whether accrued, absolute,
                  contingent, unliquidated or otherwise, whether due or to
                  become due, whether known or unknown, and regardless of when
                  asserted) arising out of transactions or events heretofore
                  entered into, or any action or inaction, or any state of facts
                  existing, with respect to or based upon transactions or events
                  heretofore occurring, except liabilities which have arisen
                  after the date of the Latest Balance Sheet in the ordinary
                  course of business, consistent with past custom and practice
                  in an amount not more than $100,000 in the aggregate and which
                  are set forth on the Closing Balance Sheet (none of which is a
                  liability for breach of contract, breach of warranty,
                  violation of Applicable Law, tort, infringement, claim or
                  lawsuit).

2.8      Absence of Certain Changes. Except as set forth in the Disclosure
         Schedule or as otherwise authorized by this Agreement, since the date
         of the Latest Balance Sheet, the Company and each Subsidiary has owned
         and operated its assets, properties and businesses in the ordinary
         course of business and consistent with past practice and there has not
         been:

         (a)      any change, effect, event, occurrence, state of facts or
                  development that individually or in the aggregate, has had or
                  could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
                  Effect;



                                       18


         (b)      any declaration, setting aside or payment of any dividend or
                  other distribution with respect to any shares of capital stock
                  of the Company, or any repurchase, redemption or other
                  acquisition by the Company or any Subsidiary (other than any
                  wholly-owned subsidiary) of any outstanding shares of capital
                  stock or other equity or debt securities of, or other
                  ownership interests in, the Company;

         (c)      any split, combination or reclassification of any of its
                  capital stock;

         (d)      any amendment of any provision of the Articles of
                  Incorporation, Bylaws or other governing documents of, or of
                  any material term of any outstanding security issued by, the
                  Company or any Subsidiary (other than any wholly-owned
                  subsidiary);

         (e)      any incurrence, assumption or guarantee by the Company or any
                  Subsidiary of any indebtedness for borrowed money;

         (f)      any change in any method of accounting or accounting practice
                  by the Company or any Subsidiary, except for any such change
                  required by reason of a change in GAAP and concurred with by
                  the Company's independent public accountants;

         (g)      issuance of any equity or debt securities of the Company other
                  than pursuant to the Company Stock Plans, Company Stock
                  Options or Company Warrants in the ordinary course of business
                  and consistent with past practice;

         (h)      acquisition or disposition of assets material to the Company
                  or its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, except for sales of
                  inventory in the ordinary course of business consistent with
                  past practice, any acquisition or disposition of capital stock
                  of any third party, or any merger or consolidation with any
                  third party, by the Company or any Subsidiary;

         (i)      any creation or assumption by the Company or any Subsidiary of
                  any Lien;

         (j)      any individual capital expenditure (or series of related
                  capital expenditures) either involving more than $20,000 or
                  outside the ordinary course of business;

         (k)      any material damage, destruction or loss (whether or not
                  covered by insurance) from fire or other casualty to its
                  tangible property;

         (l)      any material increase in the base salary of any officer or
                  employee of the Company;

         (m)      adoption, amendment, modification, or termination any bonus,
                  profit-sharing, incentive, severance or other similar plan for
                  the benefit of any of its directors, officers or employees or
                  any Benefit Plan;

         (n)      entry by the Company into any joint venture, partnership or
                  similar agreement with any person other than a Company
                  Subsidiary; or



                                       19


         (o)      any authorization of, or commitment or agreement to take any
                  of, the foregoing actions except as otherwise permitted by
                  this Agreement.

2.9      Assets and Properties.

         (a)      The Company and each Subsidiary has good and valid right,
                  title and interest in and to or, in the case of leased
                  properties or properties held under license, good and valid
                  leasehold or license interests in, all of its assets and
                  properties, including, but not limited to, all of the
                  machinery, equipment, terminals, computers, vehicles, and all
                  other assets and properties (real, personal or mixed, tangible
                  or intangible) reflected in the Latest Balance Sheet and all
                  of the assets purchased or otherwise acquired since the date
                  of the Latest Balance Sheet, except those assets and
                  properties disposed of in the ordinary course of business
                  after the date of the Latest Balance Sheet. Except as
                  disclosed in the Disclosure Schedule, the Company or each
                  Subsidiary holds title to each such property and asset free
                  and clear of all Liens, except Permitted Liens.

         (b)      Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Schedule, (i) to the
                  Company's knowledge, the current use and operation of all real
                  property is in compliance with all Applicable Laws (including
                  without limitation laws relating to parking, zoning and land
                  use) and public and private covenants and restrictions, (ii)
                  the Company has not received notice of noncompliance with any
                  Applicable Laws and (iii) to the Company's knowledge, the
                  utilities, access and parking, if any, for each such real
                  property are adequate for the current use and operation of
                  each such real property. To the Company's knowledge, there are
                  no zoning, building code, occupancy restriction or other
                  land-use regulation proceedings or any proposed change in any
                  Applicable Laws, which could materially detrimentally affect
                  the use or operation of any real property, nor has the Company
                  received any notice of any special assessment proceedings
                  affecting the real property, or applied for any change to the
                  zoning or land use status of the real property. To the
                  Company's knowledge, it has obtained all licenses, permits,
                  approvals, easements and rights of way (and all such items are
                  currently in full force and effect) required from any
                  Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over each real
                  property or from private parties for the current use and
                  operation of each real property.

2.10     Manufacturing Compliance. All products manufactured and sold by the
         Company or any Subsidiary were designed, manufactured, labeled,
         packaged and sold in accordance with all Applicable Laws pertaining to
         medical devices including, but not limited to, the United States Food,
         Drug and Cosmetic Act (the "FDC Act") and the regulations promulgated
         thereunder, and the Good Manufacturing Practices/Quality System
         Regulations ("GMP/QSR Regulations") promulgated under the FDC Act. All
         of the manufacturing facilities of the Company and the Subsidiaries are
         in compliance with all GMP/QSR Regulations and ISO 9001, 9002, EN
         29001, 46001 requirements and the Company and each Subsidiary has
         obtained all approvals and consents required to mark the Company's
         products with the "CE" mark.



                                       20


2.11     Inventories. Except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedule, all
         inventories of the Company and each Subsidiary reflected in the Latest
         Balance Sheet (i) consist of items of merchantable quality and quantity
         usable and salable at its carrying value in the ordinary course of
         business, consistent with past practice and (ii) conform in all
         material respects to the specifications established therefor.

2.12     Receivables. The accounts receivables and other receivables reflected
         on the Latest Balance Sheet, and those arising in the ordinary course
         of business after the date thereof, are valid receivables that have
         arisen from bona fide transactions in the ordinary course of business,
         are not subject to valid counterclaims or setoffs, and are collectible
         in accordance with their terms, except as and to the extent of the bad
         debt allowance reflected on the Latest Balance Sheet.

2.13     Litigation. Except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedule, (i) there
         are no actions, suits, claims, hearings, arbitrations, proceedings
         (public or private) or governmental investigations that have been
         brought by or against any Governmental Authority or any other Person
         (collectively, "Proceedings"), nor, to the Company's knowledge, any
         investigations or reviews by any Governmental Authority against or by
         the Company or any Subsidiary, pending or, to the Company's knowledge,
         threatened, against or by the Company or any Subsidiary or any of their
         assets or which seek to enjoin or rescind the transactions contemplated
         by this Agreement; and (ii) there are no existing orders, judgments or
         decrees of any Governmental Authority naming the Company or any
         Subsidiary as an affected party or otherwise affecting any of the
         assets or the business of the Company or any Subsidiary.

2.14     Contracts.

         (a)      The Disclosure Schedule lists the following Contracts of the
                  Company and the Subsidiaries (collectively, the "Scheduled
                  Contracts"):

                  (i)      Each Contract providing for the lease of real
                           property by the Company or any Subsidiary or which is
                           used by Company or any Subsidiary in connection with
                           the operation of their respective businesses.

                  (ii)     Each Contract relating to all machinery, tools,
                           equipment, motor vehicles, rolling stock and other
                           tangible personal property (other than inventory and
                           supplies) owned, leased or used by the Company or a
                           Subsidiary, except for items having a value of less
                           than $10,000 which do not, in the aggregate, have a
                           total value of more than $25,000 or having a
                           remaining term of longer than six (6) months or that
                           are not cancelable by the Company in its discretion
                           and without penalty upon notice of sixty (60) days or
                           less.

                  (iii)    Each Contract to which the Company or any Subsidiary
                           is a party that would reasonably be expected to
                           involve payments by or to the Company or any
                           Subsidiary in excess of $25,000, or would have a
                           Material Adverse Effect.



                                       21


                  (iv)     All Contracts relating to, or evidences of, or
                           guarantees of, or providing security for,
                           indebtedness or the deferred purchase price of
                           property (whether incurred, assumed, guaranteed or
                           secured by any asset).

                  (v)      Each independent sales representative or distribution
                           agreement, supply agreement or similar Contracts
                           relating to or providing for the marketing or
                           manufacturing of the Company's products.

                  (vi)     Each consulting, development, joint development,
                           research and development or similar Contracts
                           relating to development of the Company's products or
                           Intellectual Property and each Contract under which
                           the Company has granted or obtained a license to
                           Intellectual Property, other than commercial software
                           licenses.

                  (vii)    All acquisition, partnership, joint venture, teaming
                           arrangements or other similar Contracts.

                  (viii)   Any Contract under which the Company has agreed not
                           to compete or has granted to a third party an
                           exclusive right that restricts or otherwise adversely
                           affects the ability of the Company or any Subsidiary
                           to conduct its business.

                  (ix)     All Benefit Plans.

                  (x)      All Contracts with any "disqualified individual" (as
                           defined in Section 280G(c) of the Code) which
                           contains any severance or termination pay liabilities
                           which would result in a disallowance of the deduction
                           for any "excess parachute payment" (as defined in
                           Section 280G(b)(l) of the Code) under Section 280G of
                           the Code.

                  (xi)     Every Contract between the Company or any Subsidiary
                           and any of the Company's officers, directors or more
                           than 5% stockholders, or any entity in which any of
                           the Company's officers, directors or more than 5%
                           stockholders has a greater than 2% equity interest.

                  (xii)    All Contracts for clinical or marketing trials
                           relating to the Company's products and all Contracts
                           with physicians, hospitals or other healthcare
                           providers, or other scientific or medical advisors.

         (b)      The Company has delivered or made available to Parent true and
                  correct copies (or summaries, in the case of any oral
                  Contracts) of all such Scheduled Contracts. Except as
                  otherwise specified in the Disclosure Schedule, none of the
                  Scheduled Contracts contain a provision requiring the consent
                  of any party with respect to the consummation of the
                  transaction contemplated herein. No notice of default arising
                  under any Scheduled Contract has been delivered to or by the
                  Company or the Subsidiaries. Each Scheduled Contract is a
                  legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company or a
                  Subsidiary, as applicable, and, to the Company's knowledge,
                  each other party thereto, enforceable against each such party
                  thereto in accordance


                                       22


                  with its terms, except as may be limited by applicable
                  bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar
                  laws affecting creditors' rights generally and subject to
                  general principles of equity, and neither the Company, the
                  Subsidiaries or the other party thereto is in breach,
                  violation or default thereunder. The Company is not a party to
                  and is not bound by any contract, agreement or instrument that
                  currently has or would have a Material Adverse Effect.

2.15     Permits. Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries holds all approvals,
         authorizations, certificates, consents, licenses, orders and permits
         and other similar authorizations of all Governmental Authorities (and
         all other Persons) materially necessary for the Company and each
         Subsidiary to conduct their respective businesses and own and operate
         their respective properties (the "Permits"). Except as set forth in the
         Disclosure Schedule, each Permit is valid and in full force and effect
         and none of the Permits will be terminated, revoked, modified or become
         terminable or impaired in any respect for any reason, except as would
         not have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company and each Subsidiary has
         conducted its business in compliance with all material terms and
         conditions of the Permits.

2.16     Compliance with Applicable Laws. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary
         has materially violated or infringed, nor is it in material violation
         or infringement of, any Applicable Law or any order, writ, injunction
         or decree of any Governmental Authority in connection with its
         activities and/or the activities of each of its Subsidiaries. The
         Company and each Subsidiary, and each of their respective officers,
         directors, agents and employees have complied in all material respects
         with all Applicable Laws, including, but not limited to, Applicable
         Laws relating to the design, development, manufacture, marketing or
         sale of the products of the Company. No claims have been filed against
         the Company or any Subsidiary alleging a violation of any Applicable
         Law.

2.17     Employee Benefit Matters. Except as set forth in the Disclosure
         Schedule:

         (a)      None of the Company, any Subsidiary or any other ERISA
                  Affiliate sponsors, maintains, contributes to, is required to
                  contribute to or has or could have any liability of any
                  nature, whether known or unknown, direct or indirect, fixed or
                  contingent, with respect to, any Pension Plan, including,
                  without limitation, any such plan that is excluded from
                  coverage by Section 4 of ERISA or is a "Multiemployer Plan"
                  within the meaning of Section 3(37) or 4001(a)(3) of ERISA. To
                  the knowledge of the Company, each such Pension Plan that is a
                  Multiemployer Plan has been operated in all material respects
                  in accordance with its terms and in compliance in all material
                  respects with the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code and
                  other Applicable Law. Each such other Pension Plan has been
                  operated in all material respects in accordance with its terms
                  and in compliance in all material respects with the applicable
                  provisions of ERISA, the Code and all other Applicable Law.
                  All Pension Plans which the Company operates as plans that are
                  qualified under the provisions of Section 401(a) of the Code
                  satisfy in form and operation all applicable qualification
                  requirements and has not received or committed to receive a
                  transfer of assets and/or liabilities or


                                       23


                  spin-off from another plan, except transfers, which qualify as
                  transfers from eligible rollover distributions within the
                  meaning of Code Section 402(c)(4).

         (b)      No Pension Plan is now nor has ever been "top-heavy" pursuant
                  to Section 416 of the Code.

         (c)      The Disclosure Schedule sets forth the name of each ERISA
                  Affiliate.

         (d)      None of the Company, any Subsidiary or any other ERISA
                  Affiliate has or could have any liability of any nature,
                  whether known or unknown, direct or indirect, fixed or
                  contingent, to any Pension Plan, the Pension Benefit Guaranty
                  Corporation or any other person, arising directly or
                  indirectly under Title IV of ERISA other than liability
                  pursuant to Section 4007 for premiums which are not yet due
                  (without regard to any waiver). No "reportable event," within
                  the meaning of Section 4043 of ERISA, has occurred with
                  respect to any Pension Plan subject to Title IV of ERISA. None
                  of the Company, any Subsidiary or any other ERISA Affiliate
                  has ceased operations at any facility or withdrawn from any
                  Company Pension Plan in a manner which could subject the
                  Company, any Subsidiary or any other ERISA Affiliate to
                  liability under Section 4062(e), 4063 or 4064 of ERISA. None
                  of the Company, any Subsidiary or any other ERISA Affiliate
                  maintains, contributes to or has participated in or agreed to
                  participate in any Pension Plan that is a Multiemployer Plan.
                  None of the Company, any Subsidiary or any other ERISA
                  Affiliate has been a party to a sale of assets to which
                  Section 4204 of ERISA applied with respect to which it could
                  incur any withdrawal liability (including any contingent or
                  secondary withdrawal liability) to any Multiemployer Plan.
                  None of the Company, any Subsidiary or any other ERISA
                  Affiliate has incurred, or has experienced an event that will,
                  within the ensuing 12 months, result in, a "complete
                  withdrawal" or "partial withdrawal," as such terms are defined
                  respectively in Sections 4203 and 4205 of ERISA, with respect
                  to a Pension Plan which is a Multiemployer Plan, and nothing
                  has occurred that could result in such a complete or partial
                  withdrawal. None of the Company, any Subsidiary or any other
                  ERISA Affiliate has incurred a decline in contributions to any
                  Multiemployer Plan such that, if the current rate of
                  contributions continues, a 70 percent decline in contributions
                  (as defined in Section 4205 of ERISA) will occur within the
                  next three plan years.

         (e)      None of the Company, any Subsidiary or any other ERISA
                  Affiliate sponsors, maintains, contributes to, is required to
                  contribute to, or has or could have any liability of any
                  nature, whether known or unknown, direct or indirect, fixed or
                  contingent, with respect to any Welfare Plan, whether insured
                  or otherwise, including, without limitation, any such plan
                  that is a Multiemployer Plan within the meaning of Section
                  3(37) of ERISA. To the knowledge of the Company, each such
                  Welfare Plan that is a Multiemployer Plan has been operated in
                  all material respects in accordance with its terms and in
                  compliance in all material respects with applicable provisions
                  of ERISA, the Code and other applicable law. Each such other
                  Welfare Plan has been operated in all material respects in
                  accordance with its terms and in compliance in all material
                  respects with the applicable



                                       24


                  provisions of ERISA, the Code and all other applicable law.
                  Benefits under each Welfare Plan are fully insured by an
                  insurance company unrelated to the Company, any Subsidiary or
                  any other ERISA Affiliate. No insurance policy or contract
                  requires or permits retroactive increase in premiums or
                  payments due thereunder. None of the Company, any Subsidiary
                  or any other ERISA Affiliate has established or contributed
                  to, is required to contribute to or has or could have any
                  liability of any nature, whether known or unknown, direct or
                  indirect, fixed or contingent, with respect to any "voluntary
                  employees' beneficiary association" within the meaning of
                  Section 501(c)(9) of the Code, "welfare benefit fund" within
                  the meaning of Section 419 of the Code, "qualified asset
                  account" within the meaning of Section 419A of the Code or
                  "multiple employer welfare arrangement" within the meaning of
                  Section 3(40) of ERISA. No Welfare Plan that is a
                  Multiemployer Plan imposes any post-withdrawal liability or
                  contribution obligations upon the Company or any ERISA
                  Affiliate. None of the Company, any Subsidiary or any other
                  ERISA Affiliate maintains, contributes to or has or could have
                  any liability of any nature, whether known or unknown, direct
                  or indirect, fixed or contingent, with respect to medical,
                  health, life or other welfare benefits for present or future
                  terminated employees or their spouses or dependents other than
                  as required by Part 6 of Subtitle B of Title I of ERISA or any
                  comparable state law.

         (f)      None of the Company, any Subsidiary or any other ERISA
                  Affiliate is a party to, maintains, contributes to, is
                  required to contribute to or has or could have any liability
                  of any nature, whether known or unknown, direct or indirect,
                  fixed or contingent, with respect to any Compensation Plan.
                  Each Compensation Plan has been operated in all material
                  respects in accordance with its terms and in compliance in all
                  material respects with the applicable provisions of all
                  Applicable Law.

         (g)      There are no facts or circumstances which could, directly or
                  indirectly, subject the Company, any Subsidiary or any other
                  ERISA Affiliate to any (i) excise tax or other liability under
                  Chapters 43, 46 or 47 of Subtitle D of the Code, (ii) penalty
                  tax or other liability under Chapter 68 of Subtitle F of the
                  Code or (3) civil penalty, damages or other liabilities
                  arising under Section 502 of ERISA.

         (h)      Full payment has been made of all amounts which the Company,
                  any Subsidiary or any other ERISA Affiliate is required, under
                  applicable law, the terms of any Benefit Plan, or any
                  agreement relating to any Benefit Plan, to have paid as a
                  contribution, premium or other remittance thereto or benefit
                  thereunder. Each Pension Plan that is subject to the minimum
                  funding standards of Section 412 of the Code and/or Section
                  302 of ERISA meets those standards and has not incurred any
                  accumulated funding deficiency within the meaning of Section
                  412 or 418B of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA and no waiver
                  of any minimum funding requirements has been applied for or
                  obtained with respect to any Pension Plan. The Company, the
                  Subsidiaries and each other ERISA Affiliate has made adequate
                  provisions for reserves or accruals in accordance with GAAP to
                  meet contribution, benefit or funding obligations arising
                  under applicable law or the



                                       25


                  terms of any Benefit Plan or related agreement. There will be
                  no change on or before Closing Date in the operation of any
                  Benefit Plan or any documents with respect thereto which will
                  result in an increase in the benefit liabilities under such
                  Benefit Plans, except as may be required by law.

         (i)      The Company, the Subsidiaries and each other ERISA Affiliate
                  has timely complied in all material respects with all
                  reporting and disclosure obligations with respect to the
                  Benefit Plans imposed by the Code, ERISA or other Applicable
                  Law.

         (j)      There are no pending or, to the Company's knowledge,
                  threatened audits, investigations, claims, suits, grievances
                  or other proceedings, and there are no facts that could give
                  rise thereto, involving, directly or indirectly, any Benefit
                  Plan, or any rights or benefits thereunder, other than the
                  ordinary and usual claims for benefits by participants,
                  dependents or beneficiaries.

         (k)      The transactions contemplated herein do not result in any
                  payment (whether of severance pay or otherwise), forgiveness
                  of debt, distribution, increase in benefits, obligation to
                  fund, or the acceleration of accrual, vesting, funding or
                  payment of any contribution or benefit under any Benefit Plan.

         (l)      No employer other than the Company and/or an ERISA Affiliate
                  is permitted to participate or participates in the Benefit
                  Plans. No leased employees (as defined in Section 414(n) of
                  the Code) or independent contractors are eligible for, or
                  participate in, any Benefit Plans.

         (m)      No action or omission of the Company, any Subsidiary or any
                  other ERISA Affiliate or any director, officer, employee, or
                  agent thereof in any way restricts, impairs or prohibits the
                  Parent, the Company, any Subsidiary, any other ERISA Affiliate
                  or any successor from amending, merging, or terminating any
                  Benefit Plan in accordance with the express terms of any such
                  plan and applicable law.

         (n)      The Disclosure Schedule lists and the Company has delivered to
                  the Parent true and complete copies of all Benefit Plan
                  documents and related trust agreements or other agreements or
                  contracts evidencing any funding vehicle with respect thereto,
                  including all amendments. The Company has delivered to the
                  Parent true and complete copies of: (i) the three most recent
                  annual reports on Treasury Form 5500, including all schedules
                  and attachments thereto, with respect to any Benefit Plan for
                  which such a report is required; (ii) the three most recent
                  actuarial reports with respect to any Pension Plan that is a
                  "defined benefit plan" within the meaning of Section 414(j) of
                  the Code; (iii) the form of summary plan description,
                  including any summary of material modifications thereto or
                  other modifications communicated to participants, currently in
                  effect with respect to each Benefit Plan; (iv) the most recent
                  determination letter with respect to each Pension Plan
                  intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Code and the
                  full and complete application therefor submitted to the
                  Internal Revenue Service; and (v) all professional opinions,
                  material internal memoranda, material



                                       26


                  correspondence with regulatory authorities and administrative
                  policies, manuals, interpretations and the like with respect
                  to each Benefit Plan.

2.18     Labor and Employment Matters.

         (a)      The Disclosure Schedule sets forth a list of the current
                  employees, officers and directors of the Company and each
                  Subsidiary. The Company has previously delivered to Parent a
                  complete and accurate list of all current employees, officers
                  and directors of the Company and each Subsidiary that includes
                  their base salaries and bonus. Except as set forth in the
                  Disclosure Schedule, all employees of the Company are employed
                  on an "at-will" basis. The Disclosure Schedule identifies all
                  employees who are currently on leave for any reason or
                  receiving disability or workers' compensation or any other
                  similar type of benefit from the Company or any Subsidiary.

         (b)      The Company and each Subsidiary is and has been in compliance
                  in all material respects with all Applicable Laws respecting
                  employment and employment practices, terms and conditions of
                  employment and wages and hours, including without limitation
                  any such Applicable Laws respecting employment discrimination
                  and occupational safety and health requirements, and has not
                  and is not engaged in any unfair labor practice. There is no
                  unfair labor practice complaint against the Company or any
                  Subsidiary pending or, to the Company's knowledge, threatened
                  before the National Labor Relations Board or any other
                  comparable Governmental Authority. There is no labor strike,
                  dispute, slowdown or stoppage actually pending or, to the
                  Company's knowledge, threatened against or directly affecting
                  the Company or any Subsidiary. To the Company's knowledge, no
                  labor representation question exists respecting the employees
                  of the Company or any Subsidiary and there is not pending or,
                  to the Company's knowledge, threatened any activity intended
                  or likely to result in a labor representation vote respecting
                  the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary. No grievance
                  or any arbitration proceeding arising out of or under
                  collective bargaining agreements is pending and no claims
                  therefor exist or, to the Company's knowledge, have been
                  threatened. No collective bargaining agreement is binding and
                  in force against the Company or any Subsidiary or currently
                  being negotiated by the Company or any Subsidiary. The Company
                  and its Subsidiaries have not experienced any significant work
                  stoppage or other significant labor difficulty. The Company
                  and its Subsidiaries are not delinquent in payments to any
                  persons for any wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses or other
                  direct or indirect compensation for any services performed by
                  them or amounts required to be reimbursed to such persons,
                  including without limitation any amounts due under any Benefit
                  Plan, except for reimbursement owed to employees for travel
                  and other business expenses incurred in the ordinary course of
                  business and consistent with past practice. Upon termination
                  of the employment of any person, neither the Company, any
                  Subsidiary, Parent or any subsidiary of Parent will, by reason
                  of any agreement or understanding to which the Company or any
                  Subsidiary is a party, be liable to any of such persons for
                  so-called "severance pay" or any other payments, except as set
                  forth in Schedule

                                       27


                  10.1(xx). Within the six-month period prior to the date hereof
                  there has not been any expression of intention to the Company
                  or any Subsidiary by any current officer or key employee to
                  terminate such employment.

(c)               To the Company's knowledge, all individuals who are performing
                  or have performed services for the Company or any of its
                  Affiliates and who are or were classified by the Company or
                  any of its Affiliates as "independent contractors" qualify for
                  such classification under Section 530 of the Revenue Act of
                  1978 or Section 1706 of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, as
                  applicable, and such individuals are not entitled to any
                  benefits under the Benefit Plans maintained by the Company or
                  any Subsidiary.

2.19     Intellectual Property.

         (a)      Except for software purchased or licensed by the Company under
                  commodity or shrink-wrap license agreements for use in the
                  operation of the business in the ordinary course, Section
                  2.19(a) of the Disclosure Schedule lists all Intellectual
                  Property that is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark
                  Office or a corresponding foreign governmental or public
                  authority and that: (i) is owned by, licensed to or otherwise
                  controlled by the Company and the Company Subsidiaries; (ii)
                  is necessary to the conduct of their business as now conducted
                  or planned to be conducted; or (iii) has been licensed to or
                  from third parties. The Company has delivered or made
                  available to Parent complete and accurate copies of
                  correspondence, litigation documents, agreements, file
                  histories and office actions relating to the patents and
                  patent applications listed on Section 2.19(a) of the
                  Disclosure Schedule. Each item of Intellectual Property owned
                  or used by the Company and the Subsidiaries immediately prior
                  to the Effective Time hereunder will be owned or available for
                  use by the Surviving Corporation on substantially the same
                  terms and conditions immediately after the Effective Time.

         (b)      The Company owns, free and clear of any Lien (other than
                  Permitted Lines), and possesses all right, title and interest,
                  or hold a valid license, in and to all Intellectual Property,
                  and has taken all reasonable action to protect the
                  Intellectual Property. To the knowledge of the Company, all
                  patents included in the Intellectual Property are valid and
                  enforceable. The Intellectual Property owned or licensed by
                  the Company constitutes all the intellectual property
                  necessary to the conduct of the business of the Company and
                  its Subsidiaries as it is currently conducted. Excepts as set
                  forth in the Disclosure Schedule, there are no royalties,
                  fees, honoraria or other payments payable by the Company or
                  any of its Subsidiaries to any Person by reason of the
                  ownership, development, modification, use, license,
                  sublicense, sale, distribution or other disposition of the
                  Intellectual Property other than salaries and sales
                  commissions paid to employees and sales agents in the ordinary
                  course of business. The Company and its Subsidiaries have
                  taken all reasonable security measures to protect the secrecy,
                  confidentiality and value of the Intellectual Property.



                                       28


         (c)      Section 2.19(c) of the Company Disclosure Schedule lists the
                  Internet domain names included in the Intellectual Property.
                  The Company or one of its Subsidiaries is the registrant and
                  sole legal and beneficial owner of the Internet domain names
                  included in the Intellectual Property, free and clear of all
                  Liens (other than Permitted Liens). The Company or one of its
                  Subsidiaries is the registered owner of the trademarks
                  underlying each of the domain names included in the
                  Intellectual Property. The Company is not aware of any pending
                  or threatened actions, suits, claims, litigation or
                  proceedings relating to the domain names included in the
                  Intellectual Property. The Company has operated the websites
                  identified in Section 2.19(c) of the Disclosure Schedule.

         (d)      All personnel, including employees, agents, consultants and
                  contractors, who have, to a material extent, contributed to or
                  participated in the conception or development, or both, of the
                  Intellectual Property on behalf of the Company or any of its
                  Subsidiaries and all officers and technical employees of the
                  Company or its Subsidiaries either (i) have been a party to
                  "work-for-hire" arrangements or agreements with the Company or
                  one or more of its Subsidiaries in accordance with applicable
                  national and state law, or (ii) have executed appropriate
                  instruments of assignment in favor of the Company or its
                  Subsidiaries as assignee that have conveyed to the Company or
                  its Subsidiaries effective and exclusive ownership of all
                  tangible and intangible property arising thereby.

         (e)      To the knowledge of the Company, the conduct of the Company's
                  and its Subsidiaries' businesses has not infringed,
                  misappropriated or conflicted with and does not infringe,
                  misappropriate or conflict with any intellectual property
                  right of any other Person, nor has the Company or any
                  Subsidiary received any notice of any infringement,
                  misappropriation or violation by the Company or any Subsidiary
                  of any intellectual property right of any third party. No
                  claim by any third party contesting the validity of any
                  Intellectual Property has been made, is currently outstanding
                  or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened or
                  reasonably expected to arise. To the knowledge of the Company,
                  no third party is infringing any Intellectual Property right
                  of the Company or any Subsidiary.

2.20     Environmental Compliance. Except as set forth in the Disclosure
         Schedule:

         (a)      Neither the Company or any Subsidiary, nor, to the Company's
                  knowledge, any previous owner, tenant, occupant or user of any
                  Properties (which Properties are listed on the Disclosure
                  Schedule) engaged in or permitted, direct or indirect,
                  operations or activities upon, or any use or occupancy of the
                  Properties, or any portion thereof, for the purpose of or in
                  any way involving the handling, manufacture, treatment,
                  storage, use, generation, emission, release, discharge,
                  refining, dumping or disposal of any Environmentally Regulated
                  Materials (whether legal or illegal, accidental or
                  intentional, direct or indirect) on, under, in or about the
                  Properties, or transported any Environmentally Regulated
                  Materials to, from or across the Properties, nor, to the
                  knowledge of the Company, are any Environmentally Regulated
                  Materials presently constructed, deposited, stored, placed or
                  otherwise located on, under, in or about the Properties, nor,
                  to the



                                       29


                  knowledge of the Company, have any Environmentally Regulated
                  Materials migrated from the Properties upon or beneath other
                  properties, nor have any Environmentally Regulated Materials
                  migrated or threatened to migrate from other properties upon,
                  about or beneath the Properties. To the knowledge of the
                  Company, the Properties do not contain any: (i) underground or
                  aboveground storage tanks; (ii) asbestos; (iii) equipment
                  containing polychlorinated biphenyls ("PCBs"); (iv)
                  underground injection wells; or (v) septic tanks in which
                  process waste water or any Environmentally Regulated Materials
                  have been disposed.

         (b)      The Company and the Subsidiaries are in material compliance
                  with applicable Environmental, Safety and Health Laws and have
                  obtained all Permits required under applicable Environmental,
                  Safety and Health Laws.

         (c)      No enforcement, investigation, cleanup, removal, remediation
                  or response or other governmental or regulatory actions have
                  been, asserted or, to the Company's knowledge, threatened with
                  respect to operations conducted on the Properties by the
                  Company or any Subsidiary or against the Company or the
                  Subsidiaries with respect to or regarding the Properties
                  pursuant to any Environmental, Safety and Health Laws.

         (d)      To the Company's knowledge, there are no past or present
                  events, conditions, circumstances, incidents, actions or
                  omissions relating to or affecting the Company or any
                  Subsidiary or their business or assets that violate, or would
                  reasonably be expected to violate after the Closing, any
                  Environmental, Safety and Health Laws, or that would
                  reasonably be expected to give rise to any Environmental
                  Liability.

         (e)      Neither the Company nor the Subsidiaries are aware of any past
                  or present events, conditions, circumstances, activities,
                  practices, incidents, actions or plans with respect to or of
                  the Company or any Subsidiary which may reasonably be expected
                  to interfere with or prevent compliance or continued
                  compliance with Environmental, Safety and Health Laws.

         (f)      All machinery, tools, devices and equipment operated by the
                  Company or any Subsidiary on the Properties have been operated
                  in compliance with all Environmental, Safety and Health Laws,
                  and all such equipment currently is operational and in good
                  condition.

         (g)      The Company has delivered to Parent all environmental
                  documents, studies and reports in its possession or under its
                  control relating to: (i) any facilities or real property ever
                  owned, operated or leased by the Company; or (ii) any actual
                  Environmental Liability of the Company or any Subsidiary.

2.21     Insurance. The Disclosure Schedule contains an accurate and complete
         list of all insurance policies owned or held by the Company and the
         Subsidiaries, including, but not limited to, fire and other casualty,
         general liability, theft, life, workers' compensation, health,
         directors and officers, business interruption and other forms of
         insurance owned



                                       30


         or held by the Company and the Subsidiaries, specifying the insurer the
         policy number, and the term of the coverage. All present policies are
         in full force and effect and all premiums with respect thereto have
         been paid. The Company has not been denied any form of insurance and no
         policy of insurance has been revoked or rescinded during the past five
         years, except as described on the Disclosure Schedule.

2.22     Tax Matters.

         (a)      Except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedule, each of the
                  Company and its Subsidiaries, and any combined or unitary
                  group of which the Company or any Subsidiary is or was a
                  member, has prepared and timely filed or will timely prepare
                  and timely file all material Tax Returns it is required to
                  file (taking into account any extensions) on or prior to the
                  Closing Date. As of the time of filing, such Tax Returns were
                  or will be accurate and correct in all material respects and
                  did not or will not contain a disclosure statement under
                  Section 6662 of the Code (or any predecessor provision or
                  comparable provision of state, local or foreign law).

         (b)      Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has paid or
                  adequately provided for (on its Latest Financial Statements,
                  Estimated Closing Balance Sheet and Closing Balance Sheet in
                  accordance with GAAP (exclusive of any reserves for deferred
                  taxes established to reflect timing differences between book
                  and taxable income pursuant to Statement of Financial
                  Accounting Standards No. 109)) all Taxes (whether or not shown
                  on any Tax Return) that are due and owing with respect to all
                  taxable periods (or portions thereof) ending on or before the
                  Closing Date.

         (c)      Except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedule, no claim for
                  assessment or collection of Taxes is presently being asserted
                  against the Company or any Subsidiary, and neither the Company
                  nor any Subsidiary is a party to any pending action,
                  proceeding, or investigation by any Governmental Authority,
                  nor has any such action, proceeding or investigation been
                  threatened in a writing delivered to the Company. No claim has
                  been made in any jurisdiction where the Company or a
                  Subsidiary do not file Tax Returns that the Company or a
                  Subsidiary may be subject to Tax by that jurisdiction.

         (d)      Except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedule for
                  informational purposes only, neither the Company, nor any
                  Subsidiary is a party to any agreement, contract, arrangement
                  or plan that (i) has resulted or would result, separately or
                  in the aggregate, in connection with this Agreement or any
                  change of control of the Company or any Subsidiary, in the
                  payment of any "excess parachute payments" within the meaning
                  of Section 280G of the Code; or (ii) would obligate the
                  Company or any Subsidiary to provide "gross-up" benefits with
                  respect to any excise tax due on any "excess parachute
                  payments" within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code.

         (e)      All deficiencies and assessments of Taxes of the Company or
                  any Subsidiary resulting from an examination of any Tax
                  Returns by any Governmental



                                       31


                  Authority have been paid and there are no pending examinations
                  currently being made by any Governmental Authority nor has
                  there been any written or oral notification to the Company or
                  any Subsidiary of any intention to make an examination of any
                  Tax Returns by any Governmental Authority. There are no
                  outstanding agreements or waivers extending the statutory
                  period of limitations applicable to any Tax Return for any
                  period.

         (f)      For purposes of computing Taxes and the filing of Tax Returns,
                  neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company has
                  failed to treat as "employees" any individual providing
                  services to the Company or a Subsidiary who reasonably would
                  be expected to be classified as an "employee" under the
                  applicable rules or regulations of any Governmental Authority
                  with respect to such classification.

         (g)      The Company and each Subsidiary have complied with all
                  Applicable Laws relating to the withholding of Taxes and the
                  payment thereof (including, without limitation, withholding of
                  Taxes under Sections 1441 and 1442 of the Code, or similar
                  provisions under any foreign laws), and timely and properly
                  withheld from individual employee wages and paid over to the
                  proper Governmental Authority all amounts required to be so
                  withheld and paid over under all Applicable Laws.

         (h)      Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is involved in, subject
                  to, or a party to any joint venture, partnership, contract or
                  other arrangement that is treated as a "partnership" for
                  federal, state, local or foreign income Tax purposes.

         (i)      Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has requested any
                  extension of time within which to file any Tax Return, which
                  Tax Return has not since been filed.

         (j)      Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is required to include
                  in income any adjustment under Section 481(a) of the Code by
                  reason of a voluntary change in accounting method initiated by
                  the Company or any Subsidiary.

         (k)      Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has made an election
                  under Section 341(f) of the Code for any taxable years not yet
                  closed for statute of limitation purposes.

         (l)      The Company and each Subsidiary are, and at all times have
                  been, corporations or associations taxable as corporations for
                  United States income tax purposes

         (m)      Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is, or has been at any
                  time, a United States real property holding corporation within
                  the meaning of Section 897(c)(2) of the Code.

         (n)      Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is a party to or bound
                  by any obligations under any Tax sharing, Tax allocation, Tax
                  indemnity or similar agreement or arrangement.

         (o)      Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has, within three (3)
                  years preceding the date hereof, been either a "distributing"
                  or "controlled" corporation (as such terms



                                       32


                  are defined in Section 355(a)(1) of the Code) in a transaction
                  structured to qualify as a tax-free distribution under Section
                  355 of the Code.

         (p)      Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any
                  written ruling related to Taxes, entered into any agreement
                  with a taxing authority relating to Taxes or authorized any
                  person to represent them before a taxing authority pursuant to
                  a power of attorney or otherwise.

         (q)      There are no liens for Taxes upon any of the assets or
                  properties of the Company or any Subsidiary other than liens
                  for Taxes not yet due and payable. There is no outstanding
                  closing agreement, ruling request, request to consent to
                  change a method of accounting, subpoena or request for
                  information with or by a Governmental Authority with respect
                  to the Company or any Subsidiary, their income, assets,
                  properties, payroll, operation or business.

2.23     Bank Accounts; Powers of Attorney. The Disclosure Schedule sets forth:
         (i) the names of all financial institutions, investment banking and
         brokerage houses, and other similar institutions at which the Company
         or its Subsidiaries maintain accounts, deposits, safe deposit boxes of
         any nature, and the names of all persons authorized to draw thereon or
         make withdrawals therefrom and a description of such accounts; and (ii)
         the names of all persons or entities holding general or special powers
         of attorney from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

2.24     Orders, Commitments and Returns. All accepted and unfulfilled orders
         for the sale of products and the performance of services entered into
         by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and all outstanding contracts
         or commitments for the purchase of supplies, materials and services by
         or from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries were made in bona fide
         transactions in the ordinary course of business. There are no material
         claims against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to return
         products by reason of alleged over-shipments, defective products or
         otherwise, or of products in the hands of customers, retailers or
         distributors under an understanding that such products would be
         returnable.

2.25     Product Liability Claims. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has
         ever received a claim, or, to its knowledge, incurred any uninsured or
         insured liability, for or based upon failure to warn, Proposition 65,
         breach of product warranty (other than warranty service and repair
         claims incurred in the ordinary course of business and expensed as
         warranty expense on the Latest Financial Statements for the period in
         which incurred), strict liability in tort, general negligence,
         negligent manufacture of product, negligent provision of services or
         any other allegation of liability, including or resulting in, but not
         limited to, product recalls, arising from the materials, design,
         testing, manufacture, packaging, labeling (including instructions for
         use) or sale of its products or from the provision of services
         ("Product Liability Claim"). The Company has disclosed to Parent each
         Product Liability Claim received by the Company or any Subsidiary.

2.26     Warranties. All products manufactured or sold, and all services
         provided, by the Company or any Subsidiary have materially complied,
         and are in material compliance



                                       33


         with all contractual requirements, warranties or covenants, express or
         implied, applicable thereto, and with all applicable governmental,
         trade association or regulatory specifications therefor or applicable
         thereto. No product or service manufactured, sold, delivered or
         performed by the Company or any Subsidiary is subject to any guaranty,
         warranty or other indemnity beyond the applicable standard terms and
         conditions set forth in the Disclosure Schedule. The Disclosure
         Schedule sets forth or references the terms of all standard and all
         material non-standard product and service warranties and product
         return, sales credit, discount, warehouse allowance, advertising
         allowance, demo sales and credit policies of the Company and each
         Subsidiary. The Company has delivered or made available to Parent prior
         to the date hereof complete and accurate copies of all such warranties
         and policies.

2.27     Relations with Suppliers and Customers. No material current supplier of
         the Company or any Subsidiary has canceled any contract or order for
         provision of, and, to the knowledge of the Company's officers, there
         has been no threat by any such supplier not to provide, raw materials,
         products, supplies or services to the businesses of the Company and its
         Subsidiaries either prior to or following the Effective Time. Neither
         the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any information from any
         customer that accounted for more than 5% of the consolidated revenues
         of the Company and its Subsidiaries during the last full fiscal year to
         the effect that such customer intends to materially decrease the amount
         of business it does with the businesses of the Company and its
         Subsidiaries either prior to or following the Effective Time. The
         Disclosure Schedule lists each supplier to the Company or any
         Subsidiary that is the source of a particular raw material, product,
         supply or service with respect to which locating and qualifying a
         replacement source would, to the Company's knowledge, involve
         significant cost or delay.

2.28     Indemnification Obligations. Except as set forth in the Disclosure
         Schedule, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is a party to any
         Contract which contain any provisions requiring the Company or any
         Subsidiary to indemnify any Person (excluding indemnities contained in
         the Company's standard terms and conditions of sale, copies of which
         have been provided to Parent).

2.29     Absence of Certain Business Practices. Neither the Company, the
         Subsidiaries nor, to the Company's knowledge, any director, officer,
         employee or agent of the Company or the Subsidiaries, nor any other
         person acting on behalf of the Company or the Subsidiaries, has,
         directly or indirectly, within the past five (5) years given or agreed
         to give any gift or similar benefit or agreed to make or made any
         payment to any customer, supplier, governmental employee or other
         person who is or may be in a position to help or hinder the business of
         the Company, taken as a whole (or assist it in connection with any
         actual or proposed transaction) which (a) would reasonably be expected
         to subject the Company, the Subsidiaries, Parent or Merger Subsidiary
         to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or governmental
         litigation proceeding, or (b) violated or violates any Applicable Law.

2.30     Brokers. Except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedule, neither the
         Company nor its Subsidiaries, nor any of their directors, officers or
         employees has employed any broker, finder, or financial advisor or
         incurred any liability for any brokerage fee or commission,



                                       34


         finder's fee or financial advisory fee, in connection with the
         transactions contemplated hereby.

2.31     Minute Books. The minute books of the Company and each Subsidiary, as
         previously made available to Parent and its representatives, contain,
         in all material respects, complete and accurate records of all meetings
         of and corporate actions or written consents by the stockholders,
         Boards of Directors, and committees of the Boards of Directors of the
         Company and each Subsidiary.

2.32     Shareholder Agreements. Concurrently with the execution and delivery of
         this Agreement, the Company has delivered to Parent the shareholder
         agreements in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (the
         "Shareholder Agreements") from Persons who hold in the aggregate a
         number of shares of Company Common Stock (assuming the exercise by such
         Persons of all Company Stock Options held by them and the issuance to
         such Persons of the underlying shares of Company Common Stock) and
         Company Preferred Stock sufficient to adopt and approve this Agreement
         and the Merger under the CGCL. Among other things, in the Shareholder
         Agreement, such Shareholders shall: (i) agree to vote their shares in
         favor of the Merger; (ii) agree to negotiate exclusively with Parent
         regarding the transaction contemplated hereby and not, directly or
         indirectly, encourage or solicit the submission of, entertain
         inquiries, proposals or offers from, or enter into any agreement or
         negotiate with any person or entity (other than Parent) for the
         acquisition of the Company; and (iii) release the Parent, Merger
         Subsidiary and the Company and their respective subsidiaries, officers,
         directors, stockholders, employees and Affiliates (collectively, the
         "Released Parties") of and from any and all claims, complaints, causes
         of action or demands of whatever kind, known or unknown, which any of
         the such Shareholders has or may have against the Released Parties for
         any actions, conduct, decisions, behavior or events relating to or
         arising out of the Shareholders' status or relationship as an employee,
         officer, director or shareholder of the Company, except for claims
         arising under this Agreement.

2.33     Disclosure. No representation or warranty by Company in this Agreement
         and no statement contained or to be contained in any document,
         certificate or other writing furnished or to be furnished by the
         Company to the Parent or Merger Subsidiary in connection with the
         transactions contemplated by this Agreement, contains or will contain
         any untrue statement of a material fact or omits or will omit to state
         any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
         the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
         misleading.

2.34     Investigation by Parent. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in
         this Agreement, (a) no investigation by Parent shall affect the
         representations and warranties of the Company under this Agreement or
         contained in any other writing to be furnished to Parent in connection
         with the transactions contemplated hereunder and (b) such
         representations and warranties shall not be affected or deemed waived
         by reason of the fact that Parent knew or should have known that any of
         the same is or might be inaccurate in any respect.



                                       35


                                   ARTICLE 3
                        REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF
                          PARENT AND MERGER SUBSIDIARY

         As a material inducement to the Company to enter into this Agreement,
with the understanding that the Company will be relying thereon in consummating
the transactions contemplated hereunder, Parent and Merger Subsidiary hereby,
jointly and severally, represent and warrant to the Company that the statements
contained in this Article 3 are true and correct.

3.1      Corporate Existence and Power. Parent and Merger Subsidiary are
         corporations duly organized, validly existing and in good standing
         under the laws of their respective states of incorporation and each has
         all requisite corporate power and authority required to own, operate
         and lease their respective assets and properties as now owned, leased
         and operated and to carry on their respective businesses as now being
         conducted. Parent and Merger Subsidiary are each duly qualified or
         licensed to do business as a foreign corporation and are in good
         standing in every jurisdiction in which the character or location of
         their properties and assets owned, leased or operated by them or the
         nature of their business require such licensing or qualification,
         except where the failure to be so qualified, licensed or in good
         standing in such other jurisdiction would not, individually or in the
         aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on Parent or Merger
         Subsidiary. Merger Subsidiary is a recently-formed California
         corporation that has not conducted, and prior to the Effective Time
         will not conduct, any activities other than those incident to its
         formation and in connection with the consummation of the Merger.

3.2      Authorization. Parent and Merger Subsidiary have the requisite
         corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to carry
         out the transactions contemplated hereunder. The Boards of Directors of
         Parent and Merger Subsidiary and Parent, as the sole shareholder of
         Merger Subsidiary, have taken all action required by law, their
         respective Certificates of Incorporation and bylaws and otherwise to
         duly and validly authorize and approve the execution, delivery and
         performance by Parent and Merger Subsidiary of this Agreement and the
         consummation by Parent and Merger Subsidiary of the transactions
         contemplated herein and no other corporate proceedings on the part of
         Parent or Merger Subsidiary are, or will be, necessary to authorize
         this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.
         This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by each
         of them and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery by
         the Company of this Agreement, constitutes the legal, valid and binding
         obligations of Parent and Merger Subsidiary enforceable against each of
         them in accordance with its terms, subject to laws of general
         application relating to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
         moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally
         and rules of law governing specific performance, injunctive relief or
         other equitable remedies.

3.3      Consents and Approvals. No Consent by any individual or entity,
         including without limitation any Governmental Authority or Person, is
         required in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of
         this Agreement by Parent and Merger Subsidiary or the consummation by
         Parent and Merger Subsidiary of the transactions contemplated herein,
         other than (a) requirements of the CGCL for filing of appropriate
         documents to



                                       36


         effect the Merger, or (b) where the failure to make any such filing, or
         to obtain such permit, authorization, Consent or approval, would not
         prevent or delay consummation of the Merger or would not otherwise
         prevent Parent or Merger Subsidiary from performing their obligations
         under this Agreement.

3.4      Available Capital Resources. The Parent has existing cash reserves and
         borrowing capacity under existing credit facilities necessary to pay
         the Merger Consideration and satisfy the obligations of Parent and
         Merger Subsidiary hereunder.

3.5      Disclosure. No representation or warranty by Parent or Merger
         Subsidiary in this Agreement and no statement contained or to be
         contained in any document, certificate or other writing furnished or to
         be furnished by either Parent or Merger Subsidiary to the Company in
         connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement,
         contains or will contain any untrue statement of a material fact or
         omits or will omit to state any material fact necessary in order to
         make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under
         which they were made, not misleading.

3.6      Non-Contravention. Neither the execution, delivery and performance by
         Parent or Merger Subsidiary of this Agreement nor the consummation of
         the transactions contemplated herein will (a) contravene or conflict
         with the respective Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of Parent
         and Merger Subsidiary; (b) contravene or conflict with or constitute a
         violation of any provision of any Applicable Law binding upon or
         applicable to Parent or Merger Subsidiary or any of the Parent's or
         Merger Subsidiary's assets (c) result in the creation or imposition of
         any Lien on any of Parent's or Merger Subsidiary's assets, other than
         Permitted Liens or (d) be in conflict with, constitute (with or without
         due notice or lapse of time or both) a default under, result in the
         loss of any material benefit under, or give rise to any right of
         termination, cancellation, increased payments or acceleration under any
         terms, conditions or provisions of any note, bond, lease, mortgage,
         indenture, license, contract, franchise, permit, instrument or other
         agreement or obligation to which Parent or Merger Subsidiary is a
         party, or by which any of their respective properties or assets may be
         bound, except in the cases of clause (b) where such conflicts or other
         occurrences would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or
         in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

3.7      Brokers. Except for the engagement by Parent of U.S. Bancorp Piper
         Jaffray Inc., neither Parent nor Merger Subsidiary, nor any of their
         directors, officers or employees has employed any broker, finder, or
         financial advisor or incurred any liability for any brokerage fee or
         commission, finder's fee or financial advisory fee, in connection with
         the transactions contemplated hereby. Parent shall be solely
         responsible for all fees payable to U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Inc. in
         connection with such engagement.

3.8      Financial Statements. Parent has previously furnished or made available
         to the Company complete and accurate copies, as amended or
         supplemented, of its (a) Form 10-Q for the period ended September 28,
         2002 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and
         (b) all other reports filed by Parent under Section 13 or subsections
         (a) or (c) of Section 14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
         amended (the " of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") (such reports
         are collectively referred to herein as



                                       37


         the "Parent Reports"). The Parent Reports have been duly filed, were in
         compliance in all material respects with the requirements of the
         Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder when filed, and
         were complete and correct in all material respects as of the dates at
         which the information therein was furnished. As of their respective
         dates, the Parent Reports did not contain any untrue statement of a
         material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated
         therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
         circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The audited
         financial statements and unaudited interim financial statements of
         Parent included in the Parent Reports (i) complied as to form in all
         material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the
         published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto when
         filed, (ii) were prepared in accordance with GAAP applied on a
         consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby (except as may
         be indicated therein or in the notes thereto, and in the case of
         quarterly financial statements, as permitted by Form 10-Q under the
         Exchange Act), (iii) fairly present the consolidated financial
         condition, results of operations and cash flows of Parent as of the
         respective dates thereof and for the periods referred to therein, and
         (iv) are consistent with the books and records of Parent. Since the
         date of the filing with the SEC of Parent's most recent Form 10-Q,
         there has been no material adverse change in the financial condition or
         results of operations of Parent that has resulted in a material adverse
         change in the businesses, assets, properties, operations or condition
         (financial or otherwise) of Parent.

3.9      Litigation. There are no claims, actions, suits, proceedings or
         investigations pending against Parent or Merger Subsidiary or, to
         Parent's or Merger Subsidiary's knowledge, threatened against Parent or
         Merger Subsidiary (a) that if determined adversely to Parent or Merger
         Subsidiary would be reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Affect
         on Parent or Merger Subsidiary or (b) that challenge or seek to
         prevent, enjoin, alter or delay any of the transactions contemplated
         hereby.

                                    ARTICLE 4
                                    COVENANTS

4.1      Conduct of the Business. Except as contemplated by this Agreement or to
         the extent that Parent otherwise consents in writing, during the period
         from the date of this Agreement until the earlier of the termination of
         this Agreement or the Closing, the Company shall maintain and cause
         each Subsidiary to maintain its assets and properties and carry on its
         businesses and operations in the ordinary course of business in a
         manner consistent with past practice; and the Company shall use and
         cause each Subsidiary to use their commercially reasonable efforts to
         preserve intact its business organizations, existing business
         relationships (including without limitation its relationships with
         officers, employees, dealers, distributors, independent contractors,
         customers and suppliers), good will and going concern value.

4.2      Company's Agreements as to Specified Matters. Except as specifically
         set forth on the Disclosure Schedule or as may be otherwise agreed in
         writing by Parent, from the date hereof until the earlier of the
         termination of this Agreement or the Closing, neither the Company nor
         any of its Subsidiaries shall:



                                       38


         (a)      Amend its articles or certificate of incorporation, except as
                  contemplated by the Restated Company Charter or bylaws (or
                  other similar governing instruments);

         (b)      Borrow or agree to borrow any funds;

         (c)      Except for trade payables incurred in the ordinary course of
                  business and consistent with past practice, create, incur or
                  assume any indebtedness for borrowed money or issue any debt
                  securities or assume, guarantee or endorse the obligations of
                  any Person, or make any loans, advances or capital
                  contributions to, or investments in, any other Person;

         (d)      Pay, discharge or satisfy any claims, liabilities or
                  obligations in an amount in excess of $25,000 in the
                  aggregate, other than in the ordinary course of business,
                  consistent with past practice;

         (e)      Permit or allow any of its properties or assets which are
                  material to the operation of their businesses to be subjected
                  to any Lien, except Permitted Liens;

         (f)      Except to the extent consistent with past practice, write down
                  the value of any inventory or write off as uncollectible any
                  notes or accounts receivable or any trade accounts or trade
                  notes;

         (g)      Except in the ordinary course of business, license, sell,
                  transfer, pledge, modify, disclose, dispose of or permit to
                  lapse any right of the Company to the use of any Intellectual
                  Property Rights other than for such Intellectual Property
                  Rights which, individually or in the aggregate, are not
                  material to the conduct of their businesses;

         (h)      Sell, assign, lease, license, transfer or otherwise dispose
                  of, or mortgage, pledge or encumber (other than with Permitted
                  Liens), any of their respective assets, except for sales of
                  inventory in the ordinary course of business consistent with
                  past practice;

         (i)      (A) Terminate, enter into, adopt, institute or otherwise
                  become subject to or amend in any material respect any
                  collective bargaining agreement or employment or similar
                  agreement or arrangement with any of its directors, officers
                  or employees; (B) terminate, enter into, adopt, institute or
                  otherwise become subject to or amend in any material respect
                  any Benefit Plan; (C) contribute, set aside for contribution
                  or authorize the contribution of any amounts for any such
                  Benefit Plan except as required (and not discretionary) by the
                  terms of such Benefit Plan; or (D) grant or become obligated
                  to grant any bonus or general increase in the compensation of
                  any directors, officers or employees (including without
                  limitation any such increase pursuant to any Benefit Plan);

         (j)      Make or enter into any commitment for capital expenditures for
                  additions to property, plant or equipment individually in
                  excess of $25,000;



                                       39


         (k)      Except as specifically contemplated by this Agreement, (A)
                  declare, pay or set aside for payment any dividend or other
                  distribution in respect of its capital stock or other
                  securities (including without limitation distributions in
                  redemption or liquidation) or redeem, purchase or otherwise
                  acquire any shares of its capital stock or other securities;
                  (B) issue, grant or sell any shares of its capital stock or
                  equity securities of any class, or any options, warrants,
                  conversion or other rights to purchase or acquire any such
                  shares or equity securities or any securities convertible into
                  or exchangeable for such shares or equity securities, except
                  for the repricing of the exercise price of Company Stock
                  Options outstanding on the date hereof to $.001 per share, the
                  amendment of any such options to accelerate in full the
                  vesting of such options and to terminate any such options that
                  remain unexercised as of the Closing, and the issuance of
                  Company Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of Company Stock
                  Options outstanding on the date hereof; (C) become a party to
                  any merger, exchange, reorganization, recapitalization,
                  liquidation, dissolution or other similar corporate
                  transaction; or (D) organize any new subsidiary, acquire any
                  capital stock or other equity securities or other ownership
                  interest in, or assets of, any person or entity or otherwise
                  make any investment by purchase of stock or securities,
                  contributions to capital, property transfer or purchase of any
                  properties or assets of any person or entity;

         (l)      Except for the payment of bonuses to certain employees of the
                  Company in an aggregate amount not to exceed $225,000, pay,
                  lend or advance any amounts to (except in the ordinary course
                  of business consistent with past practice), or sell, transfer
                  or lease any properties or assets to, or enter into any
                  agreement or arrangement with, any director, officer, employee
                  or shareholder;

         (m)      Terminate, enter into or amend in any material respect any
                  Scheduled Contract, or take any action or omit to take any
                  action which will cause a breach, violation or default
                  (however defined) under any Scheduled Contract; or

         (n)      Agree, whether in writing or otherwise, to take any action
                  described in this subsection.

4.3      Full Access. The Company shall afford to Parent and its directors,
         officers, employees, counsel, accountants, investment advisors and
         other authorized representatives and agents at Parent's expense,
         reasonable access to the facilities, properties, books and records of
         the Company and its Subsidiaries in order that Parent may have full
         opportunity to make such investigations as it shall desire to make of
         the affairs of the Company and its Subsidiaries; provided, however,
         that any such investigation shall be conducted in such a manner as not
         to interfere unreasonably with business operations; and the Company and
         its Subsidiaries shall furnish such additional financial and operating
         data and other information as Parent shall, from time to time,
         reasonably request, including without limitation access to the working
         papers of their independent certified public accountants; and,
         provided, further, that any such investigation shall not affect or
         otherwise diminish or obviate in any respect any of the representations
         and warranties of the Company herein.



                                       40


4.4      Confidentiality. Each of the parties hereto agrees that it will not
         use, or permit the use of, any of the information relating to any other
         party hereto furnished or made available to it in connection with the
         transactions contemplated herein ("Information") for any purpose or in
         any manner other than solely in connection with its evaluation or
         consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement in a
         manner that the disclosing party has approved and shall in no event use
         or permit the use of any of such Information in a manner or for a
         purpose detrimental to such other party, and that they will not
         disclose, divulge, provide or make accessible (collectively,
         "Disclose"), or permit the Disclosure of, any of the Information to any
         person or entity, other than solely to their responsible directors,
         officers, employees, investment advisors, accountants, counsel and
         other authorized representatives and agents (collectively, the
         "Representatives") who have a "need to know" to carry out the purposes
         of this Agreement, except as may be required by judicial or
         administrative process or, in the opinion of such party's regular
         counsel, by other requirements of Applicable Law; provided, however,
         that prior to any Disclosure of any Information permitted hereunder,
         the disclosing party shall first obtain the recipients' undertaking to
         comply with the provisions of this subsection with respect to such
         Information. Each party shall instruct its Representatives to observe
         the terms of this Agreement and shall be responsible for any breach of
         this Agreement by any of its Representatives. The term "Information" as
         used herein shall not include any information relating to a party which
         the party receiving such information can show: (i) to have been
         rightfully in its possession prior to its receipt from another party
         hereto; (ii) to be now or to later become generally available to the
         public through no fault of the receiving party; (iii) to have been
         received separately by the receiving party in an unrestricted manner
         from a person entitled to disclose such information; or (iv) to have
         been developed independently by the receiving party without regard to
         any Information received in connection with this transaction. Each
         party hereto also agrees to promptly return to the party from whom
         originally received all original and duplicate copies of materials
         containing Information and to destroy any summaries, analyses or
         extracts thereof or based thereon (whether in hard copy form or
         intangible media) should the transactions contemplated herein not
         occur. A party hereto shall be deemed to have satisfied its obligations
         to hold the Information confidential if it exercises the same care as
         it takes with respect to its own similar information, which shall in no
         event be less than reasonable care. The provisions of this Section 4.4
         shall survive indefinitely any termination of this Agreement.

4.5      Filings; Consents; Removal of Objections. Subject to the terms and
         conditions herein, the parties hereto shall use commercially reasonable
         efforts to take or cause to be taken all actions and do or cause to be
         done all things necessary, proper or advisable under Applicable Laws to
         consummate and make effective, as soon as reasonably practicable, the
         transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation
         obtaining all Consents of any person or entity, whether private or
         governmental, required in connection with the consummation of the
         transactions contemplated herein. In furtherance, and not in limitation
         of the foregoing, it is the intent of the parties to consummate the
         transactions contemplated herein at the earliest practicable time, and
         they respectively agree to exert commercially reasonable efforts to
         that end, including without limitation: (a) the removal or
         satisfaction, if possible, of any objections to the validity or
         legality of the transactions



                                       41


         contemplated herein; and (b) the satisfaction of the conditions to
         consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.

4.6      Further Assurances; Cooperation; Notification.

         (a)      Each party hereto shall, before, at and after Closing, execute
                  and deliver such instruments and take such other actions as
                  the other party or parties, as the case may be, may reasonably
                  require in order to carry out the intent of this Agreement
                  including the satisfaction of all conditions contained in
                  Articles 5 and 6 of this Agreement.

         (b)      The Company shall cooperate with Parent to promptly develop
                  plans for the management of the businesses after the Closing,
                  including without limitation plans relating to productivity,
                  marketing, operations and improvements, and the Company shall
                  further cooperate with Parent to provide for the
                  implementation of such plans as soon as practicable after the
                  Closing. Subject to Applicable Law, Company shall confer on a
                  regular and reasonable basis with one or more representatives
                  of Parent to report on material operational matters and the
                  general status of ongoing operations.

         (c)      At all times from the date hereof until the Closing, each
                  party shall promptly notify the other in writing of the
                  occurrence or non-occurrence of any event which it reasonably
                  believes will or is reasonably likely to result in a failure
                  by such party to satisfy the conditions specified in Articles
                  5 or 6 hereof, as applicable.

4.7      Approval of Shareholders. As promptly as practicable after the
         execution of this Agreement, the Company will take all action necessary
         in accordance with the CGCL and its Articles of Incorporation and
         Bylaws to convene a meeting of the Shareholders to consider and vote
         upon or to solicit consent in writing regarding the adoption and
         approval of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions
         contemplated hereby, including without limitation, the delivery to the
         Shareholders of an information statement (the "Information Statement")
         which shall not, on the date the Information Statement is mailed to
         Shareholders or at the Effective Time, contain any untrue statement of
         a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be
         stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
         light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
         The Information Statement shall be subject to review and reasonable
         approval by Parent and include information regarding the Company, the
         terms of the Merger and this Agreement and the unanimous recommendation
         of the Board of Directors of the Company in favor of the Merger and
         this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company
         shall also seek Shareholder approval of any payments of cash or stock
         that are described in Section 2.22 of the Disclosure Schedule that may
         be deemed to constitute "parachute payments" pursuant to Section 280G
         of the Code, such that all such payments will not be deemed to be
         "parachute payments" pursuant to Section 280G of the Code or shall be
         exempt from such treatment under such Section 280G. The Board of
         Directors of the Company has on the date of this Agreement unanimously
         adopted a resolution recommending that the Shareholders vote to adopt
         and approve the Merger and this Agreement and the



                                       42


         consummation of the transactions contemplated herein. The Company will
         use commercially reasonable efforts to solicit from the Shareholders
         votes in favor of the proposal to adopt and approve the Merger and this
         Agreement and will take other action reasonably necessary or advisable
         to secure a vote in favor of the Merger and the adoption and approval
         of this Agreement.

4.8      Additions to and Modification of the Disclosure Schedule; Breaches. At
         or prior to the Closing the Company shall provide to Parent a revised
         Disclosure Schedule that updates the Company's representations made in
         Section 2.4 (Capitalization of the Company) to account for the filing
         of the Restated Company Charter, the reclassification of shares of
         Company Common Stock into shares of Series G Preferred Stock and the
         issuance of shares of Company Common Stock upon exercise of Company
         Stock Options or conversion of shares of Series G Preferred Stock prior
         to the Closing (the "Bringdown Disclosures"). The Bringdown Disclosures
         shall not be deemed to constitute an exception to the Company's
         representations and warranties under Section 2.4. In addition, from and
         after the date of this Agreement until the Closing, the Company shall
         promptly notify Parent by written update to the Disclosure Schedule (a)
         if any representation or warranty made by the Company in this Agreement
         was when made, or has subsequently become, untrue in any material
         respect or (b) the failure of the Company to comply with or satisfy any
         covenant, condition or agreement to be complied with or satisfied by it
         pursuant to this Agreement which would be likely to result in any
         condition to the obligations of any party hereto to effect the
         transactions contemplated hereby not to be satisfied. The delivery of
         any notice pursuant to this Section 4.8 shall not cure any breach of
         any representation or warranty requiring disclosure of such matter
         prior to the date of this Agreement or otherwise limit or affect the
         rights of, or the remedies available to, Parent.

4.9      No Solicitation. The Company agrees (i) it will negotiate exclusively
         with Parent and its authorized representatives regarding the
         transaction contemplated hereby and will not, directly or indirectly,
         encourage or solicit the submission of, entertain inquiries, proposals
         or offers from, or enter into any agreement or negotiate with any
         person or entity (other than Parent) for the acquisition of the Company
         (whether by merger, combination, sale of assets, sale of stock or
         otherwise or other disposition of assets or technology other than in
         the ordinary course of business, and (ii) it will not furnish to any
         person any information with respect to any transaction prohibited by
         this Section 4.9. The Company agrees to take the necessary steps to
         promptly inform any such third party of the obligations undertaken in
         this Section 4.9 and this Agreement. The Company agrees to immediately
         inform Parent of any such inquiry from any such third party, including
         the material terms thereof (including without limitation, any terms
         regarding price) and the identity of the Person making such inquiry,
         and to keep the Parent informed, on a current basis, of the status and
         terms of any such proposals or offers.

4.10     Public Announcements. None of the parties hereto shall make any public
         announcement with respect to the transactions contemplated herein
         without the prior written consent of the other parties, which consent
         shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The parties shall
         maintain this Agreement and the terms hereof in strict confidence, and
         neither party shall disclose this Agreement or any of its terms to any
         third party unless



                                       43


         specifically ordered to do so by a court of competent jurisdiction
         after consulting with the other party or unless required by Applicable
         Law or regulation including, but no limited to, the rules and
         regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Nasdaq
         Stock Market. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the parties may, on a
         confidential basis, advise and release information regarding the
         existence and content of this Agreement or the transactions
         contemplated hereby to their respective Affiliates or any of their
         agents, accountants, attorneys and prospective lenders or investors in
         connection with or related to the transactions contemplated by this
         Agreement.

4.11     Preparation of Tax Returns: Tax Matters.

         (a)      The Company shall timely file at its expense all Tax Returns
                  required to be filed by the Company or any Subsidiary on or
                  before the Closing Date; provided, however, that, after the
                  date hereof, the Company shall not file any such Tax Returns,
                  or other returns, elections, claims for refund or information
                  statements with respect to any liabilities for Taxes (other
                  than federal, state or local sales, use, property, withholding
                  or employment tax returns or statements) for any Tax period
                  without prior written consent from Parent.

         (b)      Parent will file (or cause to be filed) all Tax Returns of the
                  Company and any Subsidiary required to be filed after the
                  Closing Date, including Tax Returns for Tax Periods (or
                  portions thereof) ending on or prior to the Closing Date.
                  Neither Parent nor its Affiliates or representatives shall
                  take any action (i) inconsistent with the tax treatment of the
                  Merger as a sale of stock by the Shareholders or (ii) which
                  has the direct or indirect effect of treating the Merger as a
                  purchase of assets by Parent or the Merger Subsidiary.

4.12     Restated Company Charter. The Company shall use commercially reasonable
         efforts to amend and restate its articles of incorporation, as in
         effect on the date hereof, to provide for, among other things, the
         reclassification of shares of Company Common Stock into shares of
         Series G Preferred Stock and to amend the liquidation preferences of
         the Company Preferred Stock in order to provide for the allocation of
         the aggregate Merger Consideration among the Company Shareholders in
         the manner set forth in Section 1.11(c) hereof (the "Restated Company
         Charter"), which Restated Company Charter shall be in substantially the
         form as Exhibit F attached hereto.

4.13     Top Heavy Report. The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts
         to provide Parent, prior to Closing, with a written report from the
         recordkeeper for the Company's 401(k) plan stating that the plan is not
         "top-heavy" pursuant to Section 416 of the Code.

4.14     Lessor Consents. The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts
         to obtain, prior to Closing, Consents from (i) Comdisco, Inc., with
         regard to that Master Lease Agreement with Comdisco, Inc. dated August
         25, 1997, and from (ii) GE Capital (as successor in interest), with
         regard to that Master Loan and Security Agreement with Lease Management
         Services, Inc. dated January 28, 1999, as amended on August 23, 2000.



                                       44


                                   ARTICLE 5
           CONDITIONS TO PARENT'S AND MERGER SUBSIDIARY'S OBLIGATIONS

         The obligation of Parent and Merger Subsidiary to effect the
transactions contemplated herein shall be subject to the satisfaction at or
prior to the Closing of each of the following conditions, any of which may be
waived by Parent:

5.1      Representations and Warranties True. The representations and warranties
         of the Company contained in this Agreement qualified by "materiality"
         or "Material Adverse Effect" shall be true and correct in all respects
         and the representations and warranties of the Company not so qualified
         shall be true and correct in all material respects, in each case, as of
         the date when made and at and as of the Closing as though such
         representations and warranties were made at and as of such time (it
         being understood that, in determining the accuracy of such
         representations and warranties for purposes of this Section 5.1, the
         Bringdown Disclosures shall be regarded but any other disclosure made
         pursuant to Section 4.8 shall be disregarded), except for changes
         specifically permitted or contemplated by this Agreement, and except
         insofar as the representations and warranties relate expressly and
         solely to a particular date or period, in which case they shall be true
         and correct in all material respects at the Closing with respect to
         such date or period.

5.2      Performance. The Company shall have performed and complied in all
         material respects with all agreements, covenants, obligations and
         conditions required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with
         by the Company on or prior to the Closing.

5.3      Filed Agreement of Merger. The Agreement of Merger shall have been
         filed with the Secretary of State of California.

5.4      Estimated Closing Balance Sheet. Parent shall have received the
         Estimated Closing Balance Sheet, which shall be prepared in accordance
         with this Agreement, subject entirely to Parent's rights under Section
         1.10.

5.5      Required Approvals and Consents.

         (a)      All action required by law and otherwise to be taken by the
                  Board of Directors of the Company and the Shareholders to
                  authorize the Restated Company Charter and the execution,
                  delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company and
                  the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby shall
                  have been duly and validly taken.

         (b)      All Consents of or from all Governmental Authorities required
                  hereunder to consummate the transactions contemplated herein,
                  and all Consents of or from all persons and entities other
                  than Governmental Authorities that are identified in Exhibit C
                  shall have been delivered, made or obtained, and Parent shall
                  have received copies thereof.

5.6      No Proceeding or Litigation. No suit, action, investigation, inquiry or
         other proceeding by any Governmental Authority or other person or
         entity shall have been instituted or



                                       45


         threatened which questions the validity or legality of the transactions
         contemplated hereby or which is reasonably expected either individually
         or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company
         and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole.

5.7      Legislation. No Applicable Law shall have been enacted which prohibits,
         restricts or delays the consummation of the transactions contemplated
         hereby or any of the conditions to the consummation of such
         transaction.

5.8      No Material Adverse Effect. Parent shall not have discovered any fact,
         event or circumstance which has not been disclosed to Parent in the
         Disclosure Schedule as of the date of this Agreement which has had, or
         would reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.

5.9      Certificates. Parent shall have received such certificates of the
         Company's officers, in a form and substance reasonably satisfactory to
         Parent, dated the Closing Date, to evidence compliance with the
         conditions set forth in this Article 5 and such other matters as may be
         reasonably requested by Parent.

5.10     Other Receipts; Good Standing. Parent shall have received copies of the
         Articles of Incorporation, or similar governing document of the Company
         and each of the Subsidiaries, in the case of the Company's Articles of
         Incorporation certified by the Secretary of State of the State of
         California; and Certificates of Good Standing (or their equivalent)
         from the Secretary of State of California evidencing the good standing
         (or its equivalent) of the Company in such jurisdiction.

5.11     Opinion of Company Counsel. Parent shall have received an opinion from
         Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP, counsel to the Company dated the
         Closing Date, in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit D.

5.12     Escrow Agreement. The Company, the Shareholders' Representative and
         Escrow Agent shall have executed and delivered the Escrow Agreement.

5.13     Shareholder Agreements. The Shareholder parties thereto shall have
         executed and delivered the Shareholder Agreements.

5.14     Shareholder Approval. At least ninety percent (90%) of the shares of
         Company Capital Stock issued and outstanding as of the Closing Date
         shall have voted in favor of this Agreement and the Merger.

5.15     Resignation. Parent shall have received Letters of Resignation dated
         effective as of the Effective Time, from the officers and directors of
         the Company and its Subsidiaries.

5.16     Restated Company Charter. The Restated Company Charter shall have been
         approved by the Shareholders in accordance with Applicable Law and
         shall have been duly filed with and accepted and approved by the
         Secretary of State of California.



                                       46


5.17     Termination of Marketing and Sales Agreement. The Marketing and Sales
         Agreement, dated as of October 20, 2000, between the Company and JHK
         Investments, LLC shall have been terminated.

5.18     Termination of Management Rights Agreement. The letter agreement
         regarding "Management Rights", dated as of January 27, 1997, between
         the Company and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers VIII shall have been
         terminated.

5.19     Termination of Observation Rights Agreement. The letter agreement
         regarding "Observation Rights", dated as of February 20, 1998, between
         the Company and Tredegar Investments, Inc. shall have been terminated.

5.20     Termination of Voting Agreement. The Voting Agreement, dated as of
         October 20, 2000, between the Company and certain other parties listed
         therein, shall have been terminated.

5.21     Termination of Investor Rights Agreement. The Investor Rights
         Agreement, dated as of December 28, 2001, between the Company and the
         Investors (as such term is defined therein), shall have been
         terminated.

                                   ARTICLE 6
                       CONDITIONS TO COMPANY'S OBLIGATIONS

         The obligation of the Company to effect the transactions contemplated
herein shall be subject to the satisfaction at or prior to the Closing of each
of the following conditions, any of which may be waived by the Company:

6.1      Representations and Warranties True. The representations and warranties
         of Parent and Merger Subsidiary contained in this Agreement qualified
         by "materiality" or "Material Adverse Effect" shall be true and correct
         in all respects and the representations and warranties of Parent and
         Merger Subsidiary not so qualified shall be true and correct in all
         material respects as of the date when made and at and as of the
         Closing, as though such representations and warranties were made at and
         as of such time, except for changes permitted or contemplated in this
         Agreement, and except insofar as the representations and warranties
         relate expressly and solely to a particular date or period, in which
         case they shall be true and correct in all material respects at the
         Closing with respect to such date or period.

6.2      Performance. Parent shall have performed and complied in all material
         respects with all agreements, covenants, obligations and conditions
         required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by Parent
         at or prior to the Closing.

6.3      Filed Agreement of Merger. The Agreement of Merger shall have been
         filed with the Secretary of State of California.

6.4      Corporate Approvals.



                                       47


         (a)      The Boards of Directors of Parent and Merger Subsidiary and
                  Parent, as sole stockholder of Merger Subsidiary, shall have
                  approved the transactions contemplated hereby. All action
                  required to be taken by Parent to authorize the execution,
                  delivery and performance of this Agreement by Parent and the
                  consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby shall
                  have been duly and validly taken.

         (b)      All Consents of or from all Governmental Authorities required
                  hereunder to consummate the transactions contemplated herein.

6.5      No Proceeding or Litigation. No suit, action, investigation, inquiry or
         other proceeding by any Governmental Authority or other person or
         entity shall have been instituted or threatened which questions the
         validity or legality of the transactions contemplated hereby or which
         is reasonably expected either individually or in the aggregate, to have
         a Material Adverse Effect on Parent.

6.6      Legislation. No Applicable Law shall have been enacted which prohibits,
         restricts or delays the consummation of the transactions contemplated
         hereby or any of the conditions to the consummation of such
         transaction.

6.7      Certificates. Parent shall have furnished the Company with such
         certificates of Parent's officers, in a form and substance reasonably
         acceptable to the Company, dated the Closing Date, to evidence
         compliance with the conditions set forth in this Article 6 and such
         other matters as may be reasonably requested by the Company.

6.8      Other Receipts; Good Standing. The Company shall have received copies
         of the Certificate of Incorporation, or similar governing document of
         Parent and Merger Subsidiary, certified by the Secretary of State of
         the state of incorporation of Parent and Merger Subsidiary; and
         Certificates of Good Standing (or their equivalent) from the Secretary
         of State of each state in which Parent and Merger Subsidiary is
         incorporated.

6.9      Opinion of Parent Counsel. Parent shall have delivered to Company an
         opinion from Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP, counsel to Parent, dated
         the Closing Date, in substantially the form of Exhibit E.

6.10     Escrow Agreement. Parent and the Escrow Agent shall have executed and
         delivered the Escrow Agreement and the appropriate funding obligations
         with respect thereto shall have been satisfied.

                                    ARTICLE 7
                                   TERMINATION

7.1      Methods of Termination. Subject to the other provisions of this Article
         7, this Agreement may be terminated and the transactions contemplated
         herein may be abandoned at any time notwithstanding approval thereof by
         the Shareholders, at any time prior to the Closing:

         (a)      By mutual written consent of Parent, Merger Subsidiary and the
                  Company; or



                                       48


         (b)      By Parent and Merger Subsidiary on or after the Termination
                  Date, or such later date as may be established pursuant to
                  Section 1.3, if any of the conditions provided for in Article
                  5 of this Agreement have not been reasonably satisfied or
                  waived in writing by Parent prior to such date (unless the
                  failure results primarily from a breach by Parent or Merger
                  Subsidiary of any representation, warranty or covenant
                  contained in this Agreement); or

         (c)      By the Company on or after the Termination Date, or such later
                  date as may be established pursuant to Section 1.3, if any of
                  the conditions provided for in Article 6 of this Agreement
                  have not been reasonably satisfied or waived in writing by the
                  Company prior to such date (unless the failure results
                  primarily from a breach by the Company of any representation,
                  warranty or covenant contained in this Agreement); or

         (d)      By the Parent and Merger Subsidiary if there has been a
                  material breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or
                  agreement on the part of the Company or any Subsidiary set
                  forth in this Agreement; or

         (e)      By the Company if there has been a material breach of any
                  representation, warranty, covenant or agreement on the part of
                  Parent or Merger Subsidiary set forth in this Agreement; or

         (f)      By either party if any court of competent jurisdiction or any
                  other governmental body has issued an order, decree or ruling
                  or taken any other action permanently enjoining, restraining
                  or otherwise prohibiting the transactions contemplated hereby
                  and such order, decree, ruling or other action has become
                  final and nonappealable.

7.2      Procedure Upon Termination. In the event of termination and abandonment
         pursuant to Section 7.1, written notice thereof will forthwith be given
         to the other party or parties, and, Subject to Article 8, the
         transactions contemplated herein will be abandoned, without further
         action by any party hereto.

7.3      Effect of Termination. If this Agreement is terminated as provided
         herein:

         (a)      each party will, upon request, return all documents, work
                  papers and other material of any other party (and all copies
                  thereof) relating to the transactions contemplated herein,
                  whether so obtained before or after the execution hereof, to
                  the party furnishing the same;

         (b)      the obligations of Sections 4.4, 4.10 and 11.3 and Article 9
                  will continue to be applicable; and

         (c)      any and all remedies available to each party either in law or
                  equity shall be preserved and survive the termination of this
                  Agreement.

                                   ARTICLE 8
                          SURVIVAL AND INDEMNIFICATION





                                       49

8.1      Survival. The representations and warranties of each party contained in
         this Agreement, and all claims in respect of any breach of any such
         representation or warranty, will survive the Closing and shall expire
         upon the later of (a) eighteen (18) months after the Closing Date or
         (b) the Earnout Payment DATE. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any
         representation or warranty that would otherwise terminate in accordance
         with this Section 8.1 shall continue to survive, if a notice of Claim
         pursuant to this Article 8 shall have been timely given under Section
         8.4 on or prior to such termination date, until the related claim has
         been satisfied or otherwise resolved as provided herein. The covenants
         set forth in this Agreement shall survive the Closing indefinitely. The
         right to indemnification or any other remedy based on representations,
         warranties, covenants and obligations in this Agreement will not be
         affected by any investigation conducted, whether before or after the
         execution and delivery of this Agreement or the Closing Date, with
         respect to the accuracy or inaccuracy of or compliance with, any such
         representation, warranty, covenant or obligation. The waiver of any
         condition based on the accuracy of any representation or warranty, or
         on the performance of or compliance with any covenant or obligation,
         will not affect the right to indemnification or any other remedy based
         on such representations, warranties, covenants and obligations.

8.2      Indemnification by Shareholders. Subject to Section 8.5, the
         Shareholders, severally and not jointly, agree to indemnify, defend and
         hold harmless Parent, its directors, officers, employees and agents,
         from and against any and all Damages asserted against, relating to,
         imposed upon, suffered or incurred by Parent, Merger Subsidiary, its
         officers, directors, employees, agents and Affiliates, out of and to
         the extent of the Escrow Funds and/or Parent's right of off set against
         the Earnout Payment, if any, in connection with enforcing their
         indemnification rights pursuant to this Section 8.2 by reason of or
         resulting from (i) any untrue representation of, or breach of warranty
         by, the Company or its Subsidiaries in any part of this Agreement, (ii)
         any nonfulfillment of any covenant, agreement or undertaking of the
         Company or its Subsidiaries in any part of this Agreement, (iii) any
         Product Liability Claim or other third party claim relating to the
         Company or its Subsidiaries, whether presently in existence or arising
         hereafter from acts, events, conditions or circumstances existing or
         occurring on or before the Effective Time, regardless of whether such
         Product Liability Claim or third party claim arises out of or
         constitutes a breach of any representation, warranty or covenant in
         this Agreement, (iv) any payments made to Dissenting Shareholders
         pursuant to the CGCL in excess of the Merger Consideration per share of
         Company Common Stock or Company Preferred Stock held by Dissenting
         Shareholders, and (v) any negative Purchase Price Adjustment made
         pursuant to Section 1.10 (each of the above shall be referred to herein
         as an "Indemnification Liability").

8.3      Indemnification by Parent. Subject to Section 8.5, Parent agrees to
         indemnify, defend and hold harmless each of the Shareholders from and
         against any and all Damages asserted against, relating to, imposed
         upon, suffered or incurred by the Shareholders in connection with
         enforcing their indemnification rights pursuant to this Section 8.3 by
         reason of or resulting from (i) any untrue representation of, or breach
         of warranty by, Parent or Merger Subsidiary in any part of this
         Agreement, (ii) any nonfulfillment of any covenant, agreement or
         undertaking of Parent or Merger Subsidiary in any part of this
         Agreement; (iii) any liability of the Company arising out of the
         operation of the


                                       50


         Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective businesses after the
         Closing Date; (iv) any Liabilities for Taxes of the Company, any
         Subsidiary or any respective predecessor in interest with respect to
         any tax period or portion thereof beginning after the Closing Date; and
         (v) any Product Liability Claim or other third party claim relating to
         the Company or any Subsidiary, arising from acts, events, conditions or
         circumstances existing or occurring after the Effective Time. Subject
         to the limitations set forth in Section 11.13(b), each of the
         Shareholders is an intended third party beneficiary of the foregoing
         covenants

8.4      Claims for Indemnification.

         (a)      Subject to Section 8.1, whenever any claim arises for
                  indemnification hereunder the party seeking indemnification
                  (the "Indemnified Party"), will promptly notify the party from
                  whom indemnification is sought (the "Indemnifying Party") of
                  the claim and, when known, the facts constituting the basis
                  for such claim. In the event that the Shareholders are seeking
                  indemnification as the Indemnified Party hereunder, or
                  indemnification is sought against the Shareholders as an
                  Indemnifying Party hereunder, then in either such case, the
                  Shareholders' Representative shall be entitled to act on
                  behalf of, and receive notice on behalf of, the Shareholders
                  for any and all purposes stated therein. In the case of any
                  such claim for indemnification hereunder resulting from or in
                  connection with any claim or legal proceedings of a third
                  party (a "Third Party Claim"), the notice to the Indemnifying
                  Party will specify with reasonable specificity, if known, the
                  basis under which the right to indemnification is being
                  asserted and the amount or an estimate of the amount of the
                  liability arising therefrom. The Indemnifying Party shall have
                  the right to dispute and defend all Third Party Claims and
                  thereafter so defend and pay any adverse final judgment or
                  award or settlement amount in regard thereto. Such defense
                  shall be controlled by the Indemnifying Party, and the cost of
                  such defense shall be borne by the Indemnifying Party, except
                  that the Indemnified Party shall have the right to participate
                  in such defense at its own expense, and provided, however that
                  the Indemnifying Party must first acknowledge that the claim
                  is a bona fide indemnification claim under this Agreement. The
                  Indemnified Party shall cooperate in all reasonable respects
                  in the investigation, trial and defense of any such claim,
                  including making personnel, books, and records relevant to the
                  claim available to the Indemnifying Party, without charge,
                  except for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. If the
                  Indemnifying Party fails to take action within thirty (30)
                  days as set forth above, then the Indemnified Party shall have
                  the right to pay, compromise or defend any Third Party Claim
                  and to assert the amount of any payment on the Third Party
                  Claim plus the reasonable expenses of defense or settlement as
                  the claim. The Indemnified Party shall also have the right and
                  upon delivery of advance written notice to such effect to the
                  Indemnifying Party, exercisable in good faith, to take such
                  action as may be reasonably necessary to avoid a default prior
                  to the assumption of the defense of the Third Party Claim by
                  the Indemnifying Party, and any reasonable expenses incurred
                  by Indemnified Party so acting shall be paid by the
                  Indemnifying Party. Except as otherwise provided herein, the
                  Indemnified Party will not, except at its own cost and
                  expense, settle or compromise any Third



                                       51


                  Party Claim for which it is entitled to indemnification
                  hereunder without the prior written consent of the
                  Indemnifying Party, which will not be unreasonably withheld.
                  The parties intend that all indemnification claims be made as
                  promptly as practicable.

         (b)      If the Indemnifying Party is of the opinion that the
                  Indemnified Party is not entitled to indemnification, or is
                  not entitled to indemnification in the amount claimed in such
                  notice, the Indemnifying Party will deliver, within ten (10)
                  business days after the receipt of such notice, a written
                  objection to such claim and written specifications in
                  reasonable detail of the aspects or details objected to, and
                  the grounds for such objection. If the Indemnifying Party
                  filed timely written notice of objection to any claim for
                  indemnification, the validity and amount of such claim will be
                  determined by arbitration pursuant to Article 9. If timely
                  notice of objection is not delivered or if a claim by an
                  Indemnified Party is admitted in writing by an Indemnifying
                  Party or if an arbitration award is made in favor of an
                  Indemnified Party, the Indemnified Party, as a non-exclusive
                  remedy, will have the right to set-off the amount of such
                  claim or award against any amount yet owed, whether due or to
                  become due, by the Indemnified Party or any subsidiary thereof
                  to any Indemnifying Party by reason of this Agreement or any
                  agreement or arrangement or contract to be entered into at the
                  Closing.

8.5      Indemnification Limits.

         (a)      Subject to the remainder of this Section 8.5 and except for
                  fraud, the indemnification provisions set forth in this
                  Article 8 shall be the exclusive remedy for the Indemnified
                  Party for a breach of any representation, warranty or covenant
                  by the Indemnifying Party and shall be in lieu of any rights
                  the Indemnified Party may have under law or in equity with
                  respect to any such breaches or otherwise. The liability of
                  each Shareholder as an Indemnifying Party under Section 8.2
                  shall be limited to such Shareholder's interest in the Escrow
                  Fund and the Earnout Payment, if any (the "Maximum Amount").

         (b)      Except as expressly provided otherwise herein, and subject to
                  the provisions of Section 8.4, neither the Shareholders nor
                  the Parent, as the case may be, will be entitled to
                  indemnification for any Damages under this Article 8 unless
                  the aggregate of all Damages is more than Two Hundred Thousand
                  U.S. Dollars ($200,000) (the "Basket Amount"), other than
                  Damages under clauses (iv) and (v) of Section 8.2 or for a
                  breach of the representation in Section 2.17(b), which shall
                  not be subject to the Basket Amount. When the aggregate amount
                  of all such Damages hereunder, other than Damages under
                  clauses (iv) and (v) of Section 8.2 or for a breach of the
                  representation in Section 2.17(b), equals or exceeds the
                  Basket Amount, the Parent or the Shareholders, as the case may
                  be, will be entitled to full indemnification of all claims,
                  including the Two Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars ($200,000)
                  that amounted to the Basket Amount. The parties hereto agree
                  that the Basket Amount is not a deductible amount, nor that
                  the Basket Amount will be deemed to be a definition of
                  "material" for any purpose in this Agreement.



                                       52


8.6      Right of Off-Set. Parent shall be entitled to set-off against any
         amounts otherwise payable by Parent to the Shareholders under this
         Agreement (including without limitation the Earnout Payment) any
         amounts to which Parent is entitled based on a claim for
         indemnification by Parent under this Article 8. Neither the exercise
         of, nor the failure to exercise, such right of set-off will constitute
         an election of remedies nor limit Parent in any manner in the
         enforcement of any other remedies that may be available to it.

8.7      Escrow Funds. The Escrow Funds will be held in an interest-bearing
         escrow account as established pursuant to the Escrow Agreement for the
         purpose of satisfying claims by an Indemnified Party for
         indemnification under this Article 8 and will be released to an
         Indemnified Party only in accordance with the terms of the Escrow
         Agreement. Subject to, and in accordance with, the terms and conditions
         set forth in the Escrow Agreement, the Escrow Agent shall deliver or
         cause to be delivered to the Shareholders the balance, if any, of the
         Escrow Funds.

8.8      Expenses of Shareholders' Representative. The reasonable out-of-pocket
         costs and expenses of the Shareholders' Representative incurred on the
         Shareholders' behalf in connection with this Agreement or the Escrow
         Agreement (including legal and other fees incurred in connection with
         the defense of claims under Article 8 ) shall be paid out of the Escrow
         Funds; provided, that in the event the Escrow Funds are insufficient or
         have been released pursuant to the terms of the Escrow Agreement then
         such costs and expenses shall be paid out of the Earnout Payment, if
         any.

                                    ARTICLE 9
                                   ARBITRATION

9.1      Dispute. Except for any controversy, claim or dispute arising out of
         the failure by any party to this Agreement to consummate the Merger and
         the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and subject to the last
         sentence of this Section 9.1, any controversy, claim or dispute of
         whatever nature arising between the parties under this Agreement or in
         connection with the transactions contemplated hereunder, including
         those arising out of or relating to the breach, termination,
         enforceability, scope or validity hereof, whether such claim existed
         prior to or arises on or after the Effective Time (a "Dispute"), shall
         be resolved by mediation or, failing mediation, by binding arbitration.
         The agreement to mediate and arbitrate contained in this Article 9
         shall continue in full force and effect despite the expiration,
         rescission or termination of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the
         foregoing, either party may seek injunctive relief with respect to any
         controversy or claim arising out of or relating to any provision of
         this Agreement in any court of competent jurisdiction.

9.2      Mediation. No party shall commence an arbitration proceeding pursuant
         to the provisions set forth below unless such party shall first give a
         written notice (a "Dispute Notice") to the other parties setting forth
         the nature of the Dispute. The parties shall attempt in good faith to
         resolve the Dispute by mediation under the CPR Institute for Dispute
         Resolution ("CPR") Model Mediation Procedure for Business Disputes (the
         "CPR Procedure") in effect at the time of the Dispute. If the parties
         cannot agree on



                                       53


         the selection of a mediator within 20 days after receipt of the Dispute
         Notice, the mediator will be selected in accordance with the CPR
         Procedure.

9.3      Arbitration.

         (a)      If the Dispute has not been resolved by mediation as provided
                  in Sections 9.1 and 9.2 within 60 days after receipt of the
                  Dispute Notice or such greater period as the parties may agree
                  upon in writing, or if a party fails to participate in a
                  mediation, then the Dispute shall be determined by binding
                  arbitration in Chicago, Illinois. The arbitration shall be
                  conducted in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules
                  of the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") in effect on
                  the date on which the Dispute Notice is sent, subject to any
                  modifications contained in this Agreement. The Dispute shall
                  be determined by one arbitrator, except that if the Dispute
                  involves an amount in excess of $250,000 (exclusive of
                  interest and costs), three arbitrators shall be appointed.
                  Persons eligible to serve as arbitrators shall be members of
                  the AAA Large, Complex Case Panel or a CPR Panel of
                  Distinguished Neutrals, or persons who have professional
                  credentials similar to those persons listed on such AAA or CPR
                  panels. The arbitrator(s) shall have the right to appoint an
                  independent expert (including an independent accounting firm)
                  and the costs and expenses of such expert, together with the
                  costs and expenses of the arbitrator(s), shall be born
                  one-half by the Shareholders and one-half by Parent. The award
                  shall be in writing and include the findings of fact and
                  conclusions of law upon which it is based.

         (b)      The arbitration shall be governed by the substantive laws of
                  the State of Minnesota, without regard to conflicts-of-law
                  rules, and by the arbitration law of the Federal Arbitration
                  Act (Title 9, U.S. Code). Judgment upon the award rendered may
                  be entered in any court having jurisdiction.

         (c)      Except as otherwise required by law, the parties and the
                  arbitrator(s) agree to keep confidential and not disclose to
                  third parties any information or documents obtained in
                  connection with the arbitration process, including the
                  resolution of the Dispute. If a party fails to proceed with
                  arbitration as provided in this Agreement, or unsuccessfully
                  seeks to stay the arbitration, or fails to comply with the
                  arbitration award, or is unsuccessful in vacating or modifying
                  the award pursuant to a petition or application for judicial
                  review, the other party or parties, as applicable, shall be
                  entitled to be awarded costs, including reasonable attorneys'
                  fees, paid or incurred in successfully compelling such
                  arbitration or defending against the attempt to stay, vacate
                  or modify such arbitration award and/or successfully defending
                  or enforcing the award.



                                       54


                                   ARTICLE 10
                                   DEFINITIONS

10.1     Definitions. The following terms, as used herein, have the following
         meanings:

         (a)      "Affiliate" means, with respect to any Person, (a) any Person
                  directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under
                  direct or indirect common control with such other Person,
                  through the ownership of all or part of any Person, or (b) any
                  Person who may be deemed to be an "affiliate" under Rule 145
                  of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

         (b)      "Applicable Law" means, with respect to any Person, any
                  domestic or foreign, federal, state or local common law or
                  duty, caselaw or ruling, statute, law, ordinance, policy,
                  guidance, rule, administrative interpretation, regulation,
                  code, order, writ, injunction, directive, judgment, decree or
                  other requirement of any Governmental Authority (including any
                  Environmental, Safety and Health Laws) applicable to such
                  Person or any of its Affiliates or Plan Affiliates or any of
                  their respective properties, assets, officers, directors,
                  employees, consultants or agents (in connection with such
                  officer's, director's, employee's, consultant's or agent's
                  activities on behalf of such Person or any of its Affiliates
                  or Plan Affiliates).

         (c)      "Benefit Plan" means all Pension Plans, Welfare Plans and
                  Compensation Plans.

         (d)      "Business Day" means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or
                  other day on which commercial banks in Minneapolis, Minnesota
                  are authorized or required by law to close.

         (e)      "COBRA" means the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation
                  Act of 1985, as amended, as set forth in Section 4980B of the
                  Code, part 6 of Title I of ERISA and applicable regulations
                  issued thereunder.

         (f)      "Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended,
                  and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

         (g)      "Company" means, unless the context otherwise specifically
                  requires, the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries.

         (h)      "Company Capital Stock" means shares of Company Common Stock
                  and Company Preferred Stock.

         (i)      "Company Common Stock" means the common stock of the Company.

         (j)      "Company Preferred Stock" means the Series A Convertible
                  Preferred Stock, Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, Series
                  C Convertible Preferred Stock, Series D Convertible Preferred
                  Stock, Series E Convertible Preferred Stock, Series F
                  Convertible Preferred Stock, and Series G Preferred Stock of
                  the Company.



                                       55


         (k)      "Company Stock Option" means an option to purchase a share of
                  the Company's Common Stock granted pursuant to the Company
                  Stock Option Plans.

         (l)      "Company Stock Option Plans" collectively means the Company's
                  1995 Stock Option/Stock Issuance Plan and the 1998 Stock
                  Option/Stock Issuance Plan, each as may be amended from time
                  to time.

         (m)      "Company Warrant" shall mean a warrant to purchase shares of
                  Company Common Stock or Company Preferred Stock.

         (n)      "Compensation Plan" means any material benefit or arrangement
                  that is not either a Pension Plan or a Welfare Plan,
                  including, without limitation, (a) each employment or
                  consulting agreement, (b) each arrangement providing for
                  insurance coverage or workers' compensation benefits, (c) each
                  bonus, incentive bonus or deferred bonus arrangement, (d) each
                  arrangement providing termination allowance, severance or
                  similar benefits, (e) each equity compensation plan, (f) each
                  current or deferred compensation agreement, arrangement or
                  policy, and (g) each compensation policy and practice
                  maintained by the Company, any Subsidiary or any other ERISA
                  Affiliate covering the employees, former employees, directors
                  and former directors of the Company, any Subsidiary or any
                  other ERISA Affiliate and the beneficiaries of any of them.

         (o)      "Contracts" means all contracts, agreements, options, leases,
                  licenses, sales and accepted purchase orders, commitments and
                  other instruments of any kind, whether written or oral, to
                  which the Company is a party on the Closing Date, including
                  the Scheduled Contracts.

         (p)      "Damages" means all demands, claims, actions or causes of
                  action, assessments, losses, damages, costs, expenses,
                  liabilities, judgments, awards, fines, sanctions, penalties,
                  charges and amounts paid in settlement, net of insurance
                  proceeds actually received, including, but not limited to, (i)
                  interest on cash disbursements in respect of any of the
                  foregoing at the "prime rate" as published in The Wall Street
                  Journal, from time to time from the date each such cash
                  disbursement is made until the Person incurring the same shall
                  have been indemnified in respect thereof, and (ii) reasonable
                  costs, fees and expenses of attorneys, accountants, bankers
                  and other agents of the Person incurring such expenses.
                  Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall Damages
                  include (x) expenses incurred in connection with
                  investigations unless a claim is made, (y) Damages
                  specifically identified (as to scope and amount) in the
                  Disclosure Schedule, or (z) liabilities specifically disclosed
                  (as to scope and amount) on the Latest Balance Sheet.

         (q)      "Earnout Payment" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
                  1.9.

         (r)      "Environmental, Safety and Health Laws" means all Applicable
                  Laws in any way relating to Environmentally Regulated
                  Materials, toxic torts, occupational health and safety, or the
                  environment, including, without limitation, the Safe Drinking
                  Water and Toxic Enforcement Act ("Proposition 65"), the
                  Federal Resource



                                       56


                  Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA"), the Federal
                  Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and
                  Liability Act ("CERCLA"), the Federal Clean Air Act, the
                  Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Federal Safe Drinking
                  Water Act, the Federal Toxic Substances Control Act ("TSCA"),
                  the Federal National Environmental Policy Act, the Federal
                  Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, the Federal
                  Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, the
                  Federal Hazard Communication Act, the Federal Occupational
                  Safety and Health Act, any requirements promulgated pursuant
                  to these Applicable Laws, amendments, or restatements thereof
                  or similar enactments thereof, as is now or at any time
                  hereafter may be in effect, or any analogous foreign, state or
                  local Applicable Laws.

         (s)      "Environmental Liabilities" means all Liabilities of a Person
                  (whether such Liabilities are owed by such Person to
                  Governmental Authorities, third parties, or otherwise) whether
                  currently in existence or arising hereafter solely with
                  respect to facts or circumstances as they exist on the Closing
                  Date which arise under or relate to any Environmental Law.

         (t)      "Environmentally Regulated Material" means any element,
                  compound, waste, pollutant, contaminant, substance, material
                  or any mixture thereof: (a) the presence of which requires
                  investigation or remediation under any Applicable Law; (b)
                  that is defined as a "hazardous waste" or "hazardous
                  substance," or chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive
                  toxicity under any Applicable Law; (c) that is toxic,
                  explosive, corrosive, flammable, infectious, radioactive,
                  carcinogenic or mutagenic or otherwise hazardous and is
                  regulated by any Governmental Authority having or asserting
                  jurisdiction over the Company; (d) the presence of which
                  causes a nuisance, trespass or other tortious condition; (e)
                  the presence of which poses a hazard to the health or safety
                  of Persons; (f) without limitation, that contains gasoline,
                  diesel fuel or other petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated
                  biphenols (PCBs) or asbestos, (g) that gives rise to any
                  exposure prohibition or warning requirement under any
                  Environmental Law; or (h) that is otherwise regulated in any
                  way under any Environmental Law.

         (u)      "ERISA" means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
                  1974, as amended.

         (v)      "ERISA Affiliate" means any "person," within the meaning of
                  Section 7701(a)(1) of the Code, that together with the Company
                  or any Subsidiary is considered a single employer pursuant to
                  Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Code or Section 3(5) or
                  4001(b)(1) of ERISA.

         (w)      "Escrow Agent" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
                  1.13.

         (x)      "Escrow Agreement" means the agreement, in substantially the
                  form attached hereto as Exhibit G, to be entered into by and
                  among Parent, the Company and the Escrow Agent, pursuant to
                  which a portion of the Initial Merger Consideration will be
                  held in escrow in accordance with Section 1.8.



                                       57


         (y)      "Estimated Initial Merger Consideration" shall have the
                  meaning set forth in Section 1.8(a).

         (z)      "FDA" means the United States Food and Drug Administration.

         (aa)     "Final Initial Merger Consideration" shall have the meaning
                  set forth in Section 1.10(d).

         (bb)     "GAAP" means generally accepted accounting principles in the
                  United States.

         (cc)     "Governmental Authority" means any foreign, domestic, federal,
                  territorial, state or local governmental authority,
                  quasi-governmental authority, instrumentality, court,
                  government or self-regulatory organization, commission,
                  tribunal or organization or any regulatory, administrative or
                  other agency, or any political or other subdivision,
                  department or branch of any of the foregoing.

         (dd)     "Group Health Plan" means any group health plan, as defined in
                  Section 5000(b)(1) of the Code.

         (ee)     "HSR Act" means the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements
                  Act of 1976, as amended.

         (ff)     "IRS" means the Internal Revenue Service.

         (gg)     "Intellectual Property" shall mean all rights in patents,
                  patent applications, trademarks (whether registered or not),
                  trademark applications, service mark registrations and service
                  mark applications, trade names, trade dress, logos, slogans,
                  tag lines, uniform resource locators, Internet domain names,
                  Internet domain name applications, corporate names, copyright
                  applications, registered copyrighted works and commercially
                  significant unregistered copyrightable works (including
                  proprietary software, books, written materials, prerecorded
                  video or audio tapes, and other copyrightable works),
                  technology, software, trade secrets, know-how, technical
                  documentation, specifications, data, designs and other
                  intellectual property and proprietary rights, other than
                  off-the-shelf computer programs, used in or necessary to the
                  conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries.

         (hh)     "Liability" or "Liabilities" means any liabilities,
                  obligations or claims of any kind whatsoever whether absolute,
                  accrued or unaccrued, fixed or contingent, matured or
                  unmatured, asserted or unasserted, known or unknown, direct or
                  indirect, contingent or otherwise and whether due or to become
                  due, including without limitation any foreign or domestic tax
                  liabilities or deferred tax liabilities incurred in respect of
                  or measured by the Company's or any Subsidiary's income, or
                  any other debts, liabilities or obligations relating to or
                  arising out of any act, omission, transaction, circumstance,
                  sale of goods or services, state of facts or other condition
                  which occurred or existed on or before the date hereof,
                  whether or not known, due or payable, whether or not the same
                  is required to be accrued on the financial statements or is
                  disclosed on the Disclosure Schedule.



                                       58


         (ii)     "Lien" means, with respect to any asset, any mortgage, title
                  defect or objection, lien, pledge, charge, security interest,
                  hypothecation, restriction, encumbrance, adverse claim or
                  charge of any kind in respect of such asset.

         (jj)     "Material Adverse Effect" means, with respect to the Company
                  or any of its Subsidiaries (together as one party for purposes
                  of this Section), or Parent, in either case as applicable, an
                  individual or cumulative adverse change in or effect on the
                  business, customers, customer relations, operations,
                  properties, working capital condition (financial or
                  otherwise), assets, properties, liabilities or prospects
                  (financial or otherwise) of such party which (a) would be
                  materially adverse to the business, properties, working
                  capital condition (financial or otherwise), assets,
                  liabilities or prospects (financial or otherwise) of such
                  party or its Subsidiaries taken as a whole but shall not
                  include any of the foregoing arising out of, related to or
                  otherwise by virtue of (i) conditions affecting the United
                  States economy or the United States financial markets
                  generally, (ii) events, circumstances of conditions generally
                  affecting the medical device industry, (iii) any change in law
                  or GAAP, (iv) commencement or material escalation of a war,
                  armed hostilities or other international or national crisis or
                  security event directly or indirectly involving the United
                  States or any of its territories after the date of this
                  Agreement; (b) would prevent such party from consummating the
                  transactions contemplated hereby.

         (kk)     "Merger Consideration" means the aggregate consideration that
                  becomes payable to the Shareholders under this Agreement,
                  including the Final Initial Merger Consideration and the
                  Earnout Payment.

         (ll)     "Net Product Revenues" means Parent's properly recognized
                  consolidated aggregate gross revenues received from sales of
                  the Products for any use or indication, less the sum of the
                  following deductions paid by the Parent where applicable and
                  not otherwise reimbursed by distributors, customers or another
                  third party: shipping, handling, freight and similar costs of
                  the Parent; sales, use or other excise or similar taxes
                  imposed upon particular sales of the Products (excluding
                  income taxes); customs duties; allowances or credits to
                  customers because of rejections or returns of Product;
                  commercially reasonable trade or quantity discounts and fees
                  given by the Parent to distributors or customers, as
                  calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting
                  principles consistently applied by Parent in accordance with
                  its revenue recognition policies. In the event that Parent
                  bundles the Product with any other of Parent's products or
                  services, the amount of Net Product Revenue to be attributed
                  as having been received by Parent hereunder for the bundled
                  products and services will be calculated by the determining
                  the relevant proportion that the standard list price of the
                  Product bears to the standard list prices of the other
                  products and services bundled with the Product.

         (mm)     "Payment Agent" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
                  1.13.



                                       59


         (nn)     "Pension Plan" means an "employee pension benefit plan" as
                  such term is defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA.

         (oo)     "Permitted Liens" means (i) Liens for Taxes or governmental
                  assessments, charges or claims the payment of which is not yet
                  due, or for Taxes the validity of which are being contested in
                  good faith by appropriate proceedings; (ii) statutory Liens of
                  landlords and Liens of carriers, warehousemen, mechanics,
                  materialmen and other similar Persons and other Liens imposed
                  by Applicable Law incurred in the ordinary course of business
                  for sums not yet delinquent or being contested in good faith;
                  (iii) Liens relating to deposits made in the ordinary course
                  of business in connection with workers' compensation,
                  unemployment insurance and other types of social security or
                  to secure the performance of leases, trade contracts or other
                  similar agreements; (iv) Liens and Encumbrances specifically
                  identified in the Latest Balance Sheet; (v) Liens securing
                  executory obligations under any lease that constitutes an
                  "operating lease" under GAAP; and (vi) other Liens set forth
                  on the Disclosure Schedule; provided, however, that, with
                  respect to each of clauses (i) through (v), to the extent that
                  any such Lien on any of the Company's or its Subsidiaries'
                  assets arose prior to the date of the Latest Balance Sheet and
                  relates to, or secures the payment of, a Liability that is
                  required to be accrued for under GAAP, such Lien shall not be
                  a Permitted Lien unless all such Liabilities have been fully
                  accrued or otherwise reflected on the Latest Balance Sheet.
                  Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Lien arising under the Code
                  or ERISA with respect to the operation, termination,
                  restoration or funding of any Benefit Plan sponsored by,
                  maintained by or contributed to by the Company or any of its
                  ERISA Affiliates or arising in connection with any excise tax
                  or penalty tax with respect to such Benefit Plan shall be a
                  Permitted Lien.

         (pp)     "Person" means an individual, corporation, partnership,
                  limited liability company, association, trust, estate or other
                  entity or organization, including a Governmental Authority.

         (qq)     "Plan Affiliate" means, with respect to any Person, any
                  Benefit Plan sponsored by, maintained by or contributed to by
                  such Person, and with respect to any Benefit Plan, any Person
                  sponsoring, maintaining or contributing to such plan or
                  arrangement.

         (rr)     "Product" or "Products" means the Her Option(TM) Cryoblation
                  Therapy(TM) System and any of its individual component parts,
                  including without limitation, consoles and disposables and any
                  other products developed, modified or derived after the
                  Closing that (i) cryoablate the uterine lining or uterine
                  fibroids, or (ii) are covered by any claim in any patents
                  listed in Section 2.19 of the Disclosure Schedule, any patent
                  issuing from any patent application listed in Section 2.19 of
                  the Disclosure Schedule or any claim in any issued patent
                  claiming priority to any of the foregoing.

         (ss)     "Properties" means any real property owned or leased by or to
                  the Company or a Subsidiary.



                                       60


         (tt)     "Restated Company Charter" shall have the meaning set forth in
                  Section 4.12.

         (uu)     "Scheduled Contracts" shall have the meaning set forth in
                  Section 2.13(a).

         (vv)     "Securities Act" means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

         (ww)     "Series D, E & F Preference Amount" means the aggregate total
                  of the liquidation preference amounts determined in clauses
                  (i), (ii) and (iii) of Article III, Section B.2(a) of the
                  Restated Company Charter.

         (xx)     "Severance Accruals" means severance payments and relocation
                  expenses, if any, payable to employees of the Company at or
                  after the Closing, pursuant to written agreements between the
                  Company and such employees entered into prior to, and in
                  accordance with the terms existing as of, the Closing, all of
                  which are listed on Schedule 10.1(xx) attached hereto.

         (yy)     "Shareholders" means the Persons who hold of record
                  immediately prior to the Effective Time shares of Company
                  Capital Stock.

         (zz)     "Subsidiary" or "Subsidiaries" means each corporation or other
                  legal entity as to which more than fifty percent (50%) of the
                  outstanding equity securities having ordinary voting rights or
                  power at the time of determination is being made is owned or
                  controlled, directly or indirectly, by the Company.

         (aaa)    "Tax" or "Taxes" means all taxes imposed of any nature
                  including federal, state, local or foreign net income tax,
                  alternative or add-on minimum tax, profits or excess profits
                  tax, franchise tax, gross income, adjusted gross income or
                  gross receipts tax, employment related tax (including employee
                  withholding or employer payroll tax, FICA or FUTA), real or
                  personal property tax or ad valorem tax, sales or use tax,
                  excise tax, stamp tax or duty, any withholding or back up
                  withholding tax, value added tax, severance tax, prohibited
                  transaction tax, premiums tax, environmental tax, intangibles
                  tax or occupation tax, together with any interest or any
                  penalty, addition to tax or additional amount imposed by any
                  Governmental Authority (domestic or foreign) responsible for
                  the imposition of any such tax. The term Tax shall also
                  include any Liability of the Company or the Subsidiaries for
                  the Taxes of any other Person under U.S. Treasury Regulations
                  Section 1.1502-6 (or similar provisions of state, local or
                  foreign law), as a transferee or successor by contract or
                  otherwise.

         (bbb)    "Tax Return" means all returns, declarations, reports,
                  estimates, forms, information returns and statements or other
                  information required to be filed with respect to any Tax.

         (ccc)    "Transaction Expenses" means (i) all fees and expenses
                  incurred by or on behalf of the Company in connection with the
                  Merger payable to a third party including, without limitation,
                  all legal, accounting, financial advisory, investment banking,
                  consulting and all other fees and expenses of third parties
                  incurred in connection with the negotiation and preparation of
                  this Agreement and the transactions



                                       61


                  contemplated hereby, and (ii) all bonuses payable to employees
                  of the Company solely as a result of the Closing, all of which
                  are listed on Schedule 1.8 (d) hereto.

         (ddd)    "U.S. Government" means the United States Government,
                  including any agencies, commissions, branches,
                  instrumentalities and departments thereof.

         (eee)    "Welfare Plan" means an "employee welfare benefit plan" as
                  such term is defined in Section 3(1) of ERISA (including
                  without limitation a plan excluded from coverage by Section 4
                  of ERISA).

                                   ARTICLE 11
                                  MISCELLANEOUS

11.1     Notices. All notices, requests, demands, claims and other
         communications hereunder shall be in writing. Any notice, request,
         demand, claim, or other communication hereunder shall be deemed duly
         given (i) if personally delivered, when so delivered, (ii) if mailed,
         two Business Days after having been sent by registered or certified
         mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid and addressed to the
         intended recipient as set forth below, (iii) if given by facsimile,
         once such notice or other communication is transmitted to the facsimile
         number specified below and electronic confirmation is received,
         provided that such notice or other communication is promptly thereafter
         mailed in accordance with the provisions of clause (ii) above or (iv)
         if sent through an overnight delivery service in circumstances to which
         such service guarantees next day delivery, the day following being so
         sent:

         If to Company prior to Closing:

                  To:      Cryogen, Inc.
                           11065 Sorrento Valley Court
                           San Diego, CA  92121
                           Attn:  Chief Executive Officer
                           Fax:   (858) 453-2663

                  With a copy to:

                           Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP
                           12390 El Camino Real
                           San Diego, CA  92121
                           Attn:  Michael S. Kagnoff, Esq.
                           Fax:   (858) 720-2555

         If to the Company after Closing or to the Parent or Merger Subsidiary:

                  To:      American Medical Systems, Inc.
                           10700 Bren Road West
                           Minnetonka, Minnesota 55343
                           Attn:  Chief Executive Officer
                           Fax:   (612) 930-6695



                                       62

                  With a copy to:

                           Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP
                           Plaza VII, 45 South Seventh Street, Suite 3400
                           Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
                           Attn:    Thomas A. Letscher, Esq.
                           Fax:     (612) 607-7100

         If to the Shareholders' Representative:

                  To:      Robert Knarr
                           JHK Investments LLC
                           One Gorham Island
                           Westport, CT 06880
                           Telephone: (203) 341-9200
                           Fax: (203) 341-9800

         Any party may give any notice, request, demand, claim or other
communication hereunder using any other means (including ordinary mail or
electronic mail), but no such notice, request, demand, claim or other
communication shall be deemed to have been duly given unless and until it
actually is received by the individual for whom it is intended. Any party may
change the address to which notices, requests, demands, claims and other
communications hereunder are to be delivered by giving the other parties notice
in the manner herein set forth.

11.2     Amendments; No Waivers.

         (a)      Subject to Applicable Law, any provision of this Agreement may
                  be amended or waived if, and only if, such amendment or waiver
                  is in writing and signed, in the case of an amendment, by all
                  parties hereto, or in the case of a waiver, by the party
                  against whom the waiver is to be effective.

         (b)      No waiver by a party of any default, misrepresentation or
                  breach of warranty or covenant hereunder, whether intentional
                  or not, shall be deemed to extend to any prior or subsequent
                  default, misrepresentation or breach of warranty or covenant
                  hereunder or affect in any way any rights arising by virtue of
                  any prior or subsequent occurrence. No failure or delay by a
                  party in exercising any right, power or privilege hereunder
                  shall operate as a waiver thereof nor shall any single or
                  partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further
                  exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or
                  privilege. The rights and remedies herein provided shall be
                  cumulative and not exclusive of any rights or remedies
                  provided by law.

11.3     Expenses. All costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the
         negotiation, preparation, execution, delivery and performance of this
         Agreement and in closing and carrying out the transactions contemplated
         hereby shall be paid by the party incurring such cost or expense. This
         Section 11.3 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.


                                       63




11.4     Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure
         to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors
         and permitted assigns. No party hereto may assign either this Agreement
         or any of its rights, interests or obligations hereunder without the
         prior written approval of each other party.

11.5     Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, construed and
         enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Minnesota
         (regardless of the laws that might otherwise govern under applicable
         principles of conflicts of law).

11.6     Counterparts; Effectiveness. This Agreement may be signed in any number
         of counterparts and the signatures delivered by facsimile, each of
         which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures
         thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. This Agreement shall
         become effective when each party hereto shall have received a
         counterpart hereof signed by the other parties hereto.

11.7     Entire Agreement. This Agreement (including the Disclosure Schedule,
         all Exhibits and Schedules and all other agreements referred to herein
         or therein which are hereby incorporated by reference and the other
         agreements executed simultaneously herewith) constitutes the entire
         agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof
         and supersedes all prior agreements, understandings and negotiations,
         both written and oral, between the parties with respect to the subject
         matter of this Agreement. Neither this Agreement nor any provision
         hereof is intended to confer upon any Person other than the parties
         hereto any rights or remedies hereunder.

11.8     Captions. The captions herein are included for convenience of reference
         only and shall be ignored in the construction or interpretation hereof.
         All references to an Article or Section include all subparts thereof.

11.9     Severability. If any provision of this Agreement, or the application
         thereof to any Person, place or circumstance, shall be held by a court
         of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, unenforceable or void, the
         remainder of this Agreement and such provisions as applied to other
         Persons, places and circumstances shall remain in full force and effect
         only if, after excluding the portion deemed to be unenforceable, the
         remaining terms shall provide for the consummation of the transactions
         contemplated hereby in substantially the same manner as originally set
         forth at the later of the date this Agreement was executed or last
         amended.

11.10    Construction. The parties hereto intend that each representation,
         warranty and covenant contained herein shall have independent
         significance. If any party has breached any representation, warranty or
         covenant contained herein in any respect, the fact that there exists
         another representation, warranty or covenant relating to the same
         subject matter (regardless of the relative levels of specificity) that
         the party has not breached shall not detract from or mitigate the fact
         that the party is in breach of the first representation, warranty or
         covenant.


                                       64



11.11    Cumulative Remedies. The rights, remedies, powers and privileges herein
         provided are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights, remedies,
         powers and privileges provided by law.

11.12    Third Party Beneficiaries. No provision of this Agreement shall create
         any third party beneficiary rights in any Person, including any
         employee of Parent or Merger Subsidiary or employee or former employee
         of the Company or any Affiliate thereof (including any beneficiary or
         dependent thereof).

11.13    Appointment of Shareholders' Representative; Enforcement of Rights,
         Benefits and Remedies.

         (a)      By adopting this Agreement, the Shareholders hereby
                  irrevocably constitute and appoint Robert Knarr as the
                  Shareholders' Representative, effective as of the Effective
                  Time, for the purpose of performing and consummating the
                  transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Escrow
                  Agreement. The appointment of such Shareholders'
                  Representative is coupled with an interest and all authority
                  hereby conferred shall be irrevocable and such Shareholders'
                  Representative is hereby authorized and directed to perform
                  and consummate all of the transactions contemplated by this
                  Agreement. Not by way of limiting the authority of the
                  Shareholders' Representative, each and all of the
                  Shareholders, by their adoption of this Agreement, for
                  themselves and their respective heirs, executors,
                  administrators, successors and assigns hereby authorize the
                  Shareholders' Representative to:

                  (i)      effect any amendment to this Agreement or the Escrow
                           Agreement which the Shareholders' Representative
                           deems necessary or desirable,

                  (ii)     execute and deliver on their behalf all documents and
                           instruments which may be executed and delivered
                           pursuant to this Agreement or the Escrow Agreement,
                           except that all stock powers and letters of
                           transmittal with respect to the transfer of the
                           Company Common Stock or Company Preferred Stock shall
                           be personally executed by the Shareholders,

                  (iii)    make and receive notices and other communications
                           pursuant to this Agreement or the Escrow Agreement
                           and service of process in any legal action or other
                           proceeding arising out of or related to this
                           Agreement or the Escrow Agreement or any of the
                           transactions hereunder,

                  (iv)     settle any dispute, claim, action, suit or proceeding
                           arising out of or related to this Agreement or the
                           Escrow Agreement or any of the transactions
                           hereunder, including, without limitation, the
                           calculation of the Merger Consideration or the
                           defense, settlement or compromise of any claim,
                           action or proceeding for which Parent or Merger
                           Subsidiary may be entitled to indemnification,

                  (v)      receive and distribute the Initial Merger
                           Consideration and Earnout Payment,


                                       65



                  (vi)     appoint or provide for successor agents, and

                  (vii)    pay expenses incurred or which may be incurred by or
                           on behalf of the Shareholders (and to be reimbursed
                           by the Shareholders for their pro rata share of such
                           expenses out of the sums held by the Escrow Agent
                           pursuant to the Escrow Agreement) in connection with
                           this Agreement and the Escrow Agreement.

                  In the event of the death or disability of the Shareholders'
                  Representative, a majority of the remaining Shareholders shall
                  promptly appoint a replacement. No person serving as the
                  Shareholders' Representative under this Agreement shall have
                  any personal liability to any Shareholder or its permitted
                  assigns with respect to any action taken, suffered or omitted
                  by him hereunder as a Shareholders' Representative while
                  acting in good faith and in the absence of gross negligence or
                  willful misconduct, and any act done, suffered or omitted
                  pursuant to the advice of counsel shall be deemed hereunder to
                  have been done in good faith, except to the extent that such
                  person may have liability as a Shareholder hereunder. The
                  Shareholders shall severally and not jointly indemnify the
                  Shareholders' Representative and hold him harmless against any
                  loss, liability or expense incurred without bad faith or gross
                  negligence on the part of the Shareholders' Representative and
                  arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or
                  administration of their duties hereunder.

         (b)      Any claim, action, suit, or other proceeding, whether in law
                  or equity, to enforce any right, benefit or remedy granted to
                  Shareholders under this Agreement or the Escrow Agreement
                  shall be asserted, brought, prosecuted or maintained only by
                  the Shareholders' Representative. With respect to any matter
                  contemplated by this Section 11.13, the Shareholders shall be
                  bound by any determination in favor of or against the
                  Shareholders' Representative or the terms of any settlement or
                  release to which the Shareholders' Representative shall become
                  a party.

         (c)      Any notice given the Shareholders' Representative will
                  constitute notice to each and all of the Shareholders at the
                  time the notice is given to the Shareholders' Representative.
                  Any action taken by, or instruction received from, the
                  Shareholders' Representative will be deemed to be action be,
                  or notice or instruction from, each and all of the
                  Shareholders. Parent may, and the Escrow Agent will, disregard
                  any notice or instruction received directly from any of the
                  Shareholders other than the Shareholders' Representative.

         (d)      At any time during the term of the Escrow Agreement, holders
                  of a majority in interest of the Escrow Funds can remove and
                  replace the Shareholders' Representative by sending notice and
                  a copy of the written consent appointing such new individual
                  or individuals signed by holders of a majority in interest of
                  the Escrow Funds to Parent and the Escrow Agent.







                                       66





                     (Following Page is the Signature Page)





                                       67



         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
duly executed by their respective authorized officers as of the day and year
first above written.



                                                             
AMERICAN MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.                                   CRYOGEN, INC.
a Delaware corporation                                           a California corporation

By: /s/ M. James Call                                            By: /s/ Charles Tribie
    -------------------------------                                  -------------------------------
Name: M. James Call                                              Name: Charles Tribie
      -----------------------------                                    -----------------------------
Title: Executive Vice President and                              Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
       Chief Financial Officer


SNOWBALL ACQUISITION CORP.                                       SHAREHOLDERS' REPRESENTATIVE
a California corporation

By: /s/ M. James Call                                            /s/ Robert A. Knarr
    -------------------------------                              -----------------------------------
Name: M. James Call                                                      Robert Knarr
      -----------------------------
Title: Chief Financial Officer








                                       68




                                 SCHEDULES INDEX

Schedule 1.8(d)               Schedule of Transaction Expenses

Schedule 1.11(c)              Schedule of Shareholders

Schedule 1.11(c)(i)           Schedule of Percentage Interests in the
                              Series D, E & F Preference Amount

Schedule 1.11(c)(iv)          Schedule of Percentage Interests in the Fourth
                              Preference Amount

Schedule 10.1(xx)             Schedule of Severance Accruals








                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

EXHIBIT A                Form of Agreement of Merger

EXHIBIT B                Form of Shareholder Agreement

EXHIBIT C                Third Party Consents

EXHIBIT D                Form of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP Legal Opinion

EXHIBIT E                Form of Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP Legal Opinion

EXHIBIT F                Form of Restated Company Charter

EXHIBIT G                Form of Escrow Agreement






                                        i