<PAGE>   1
                                                                  Exhibit 10.40

                               Agreement and Plan


                                    of Merger


                                      Among


                           Sensory Science Corporation


                           Phoenix Acquisition Corp.,


                                       and


                             SONICblue Incorporated


                          Dated as of January 31, 2001
<PAGE>   2
                                TABLE OF CONTENTS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                                                   Page
                                                                                                                   ----
<S>     <C>              <C>                                                                                       <C>
Article 1 The Merger............................................................................................    1
         Section 1.1      The Merger............................................................................    1
         Section 1.2      Conversion of Shares..................................................................    2
         Section 1.3      Surrender and Payment.................................................................    3
         Section 1.4      Stock Options and Warrants............................................................    5
         Section 1.5      Adjustments...........................................................................    6
         Section 1.6      Fractional Shares.....................................................................    6
         Section 1.7      Withholding Rights....................................................................    7
         Section 1.8      Lost Certificates.....................................................................    7
         Section 1.9      Shares Held by Company Affiliates.....................................................    7
         Section 1.10     Appraisal Rights......................................................................    7

Article 2 The Surviving Corporation.............................................................................    7
         Section 2.1      Certificate of Incorporation of the Surviving Corporation.............................    7
         Section 2.2      Bylaws of the Surviving Corporation...................................................    8
         Section 2.3      Directors and Officers of the Surviving Corporation...................................    8

Article 3 Representations and Warranties of the Company.........................................................    8
         Section 3.1      Organization and Qualification........................................................    8
         Section 3.2      Capitalization........................................................................    9
         Section 3.3      Authority.............................................................................   10
         Section 3.4      Governmental Authorization............................................................   10
         Section 3.5      Non-Contravention.....................................................................   10
         Section 3.6      Subsidiaries..........................................................................   11
         Section 3.7      SEC Filings...........................................................................   11
         Section 3.8      Financial Statements..................................................................   12
         Section 3.9      Disclosure Documents..................................................................   12
         Section 3.10     Absence of Certain Changes............................................................   13
         Section 3.11     No Undisclosed Material Liabilities...................................................   14
         Section 3.12     Litigation............................................................................   15
         Section 3.13     Taxes.................................................................................   15
         Section 3.14     Employees and Employee Benefit Plans..................................................   17
         Section 3.15     Compliance with Law...................................................................   19
         Section 3.16     Finders' or Advisors' Fees............................................................   19
         Section 3.17     Environmental Matters.................................................................   19
         Section 3.18     Labor Matters.........................................................................   20
         Section 3.19     Title to Property.....................................................................   20
         Section 3.20     Leaseholds............................................................................   20
         Section 3.21     Management Payments...................................................................   21
         Section 3.22     Proprietary Rights....................................................................   21
         Section 3.23     Insurance.............................................................................   23
         Section 3.24     No Misleading Statements..............................................................   23
         Section 3.25     Opinion of Financial Advisor..........................................................   23
</TABLE>


                                       i
<PAGE>   3
<TABLE>
<S>     <C>              <C>                                                                                       <C>
         Section 3.26     Tax Treatment.........................................................................   23
         Section 3.27     Takeover Statutes.....................................................................   24
         Section 3.28     Stockholder Rights Plan...............................................................   24
         Section 3.29     Transactions with Affiliates..........................................................   24

Article 4 Representations and Warranties of Parent..............................................................   24
         Section 4.1      Organization and Qualification........................................................   24
         Section 4.2      Capitalization........................................................................   24
         Section 4.3      Authority.............................................................................   25
         Section 4.4      Governmental Authorization............................................................   25
         Section 4.5      Non-Contravention.....................................................................   25
         Section 4.6      SEC Filings...........................................................................   26
         Section 4.7      Financial Statements..................................................................   26
         Section 4.8      Disclosure Documents..................................................................   27
         Section 4.9      Absence of Certain Changes............................................................   27
         Section 4.10     Shares of Parent Common Stock.........................................................   27
         Section 4.11     Finders' or Advisors' Fees............................................................   27

Article 5 Conduct Prior to The Effective Time...................................................................   27
         Section 5.1      Conduct of Business of the Company....................................................   27
         Section 5.2      No Solicitation.......................................................................   30

Article 6 Covenants of Parent and the Company...................................................................   31
         Section 6.1      Access to Information.................................................................   31
         Section 6.2      Registration Statement and Proxy Statement............................................   32
         Section 6.3      Stockholder Meeting...................................................................   32
         Section 6.4      Reasonable Efforts; Other Actions.....................................................   32
         Section 6.5      Public Announcements..................................................................   33
         Section 6.6      Notification of Certain Matters.......................................................   33
         Section 6.7      Expenses..............................................................................   33
         Section 6.8      Affiliates............................................................................   33
         Section 6.9      Company Employee Benefit Plans........................................................   34
         Section 6.10     Indemnification.......................................................................   34
         Section 6.11     NNM Listing...........................................................................   35
         Section 6.12     Resignation of Officers and Directors.................................................   35

Article 7 Conditions to the Merger..............................................................................   36
         Section 7.1      Conditions to the Obligations of Each Party...........................................   36
         Section 7.2      Conditions to the Obligations of Parent and Merger Subsidiary.........................   36
         Section 7.3      Conditions to the Obligations of the Company..........................................   37

Article 8 Termination...........................................................................................   38
         Section 8.1      Termination...........................................................................   38
         Section 8.2      Termination by Parent.................................................................   38
         Section 8.3      Termination by the Company............................................................   39
         Section 8.4      Procedure for Termination.............................................................   39
         Section 8.5      Effect of Termination.................................................................   40
</TABLE>


                                       ii
<PAGE>   4
<TABLE>
<S>     <C>              <C>                                                                                       <C>
Article 9 Miscellaneous.........................................................................................   40
         Section 9.1      Notices...............................................................................   40
         Section 9.2      Non-Survival of Representations and Warranties........................................   41
         Section 9.3      Amendments; No Waivers................................................................   41
         Section 9.4      Successors and Assigns................................................................   42
         Section 9.5      Governing Law.........................................................................   42
         Section 9.6      Jurisdiction..........................................................................   42
         Section 9.7      Waiver of Jury Trial..................................................................   42
         Section 9.8      Counterparts; Effectiveness...........................................................   42
         Section 9.9      Entire Agreement......................................................................   43
         Section 9.10     Captions..............................................................................   43
         Section 9.11     Severability..........................................................................   43
</TABLE>


                                    EXHIBITS

Exhibit A         Form of Company Affiliates Letter


                                       iii
<PAGE>   5
                          AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER


         THIS AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER, dated as of January 31, 2001 (the
"Agreement"), by and between SENSORY SCIENCE CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation
(the "Company"), SONICBLUE INCORPORATED, a Delaware corporation ("Parent"), and
PHOENIX ACQUISITION CORP., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary
of SONICBLUE INCORPORATED ("Merger Subsidiary"),

                                    RECITALS

         WHEREAS, the respective Boards of Directors of Parent, Merger
Subsidiary and the Company have approved this Agreement, and deem it advisable
and in the best interests of each corporation and its respective stockholders to
consummate the merger of Merger Subsidiary with and into the Company upon the
terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement; and

         WHEREAS, pursuant to the Merger, among other things, and subject to the
terms and conditions of this Agreement, all of the issued and outstanding shares
of capital stock of the Company shall be converted into the right to receive
shares of voting common stock of Parent, and all outstanding options to purchase
shares of common stock of the Company shall be assumed by Parent; and

         WHEREAS, it is intended that the Merger qualify as a tax-free
reorganization within the meaning of section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended (the "Code") and be accounted for as a purchase transaction;
and

         WHEREAS, each of the parties hereto desire to make certain
representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in connection with the
transactions contemplated hereby:

         NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual
representations, warranties, covenants, agreements and conditions contained
herein, the parties hereto agree as follows:

                                    Article 1

                                   The Merger

         Section 1.1 The Merger.

         (a) In accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the "Delaware Law"), at the Effective
Time, Merger Subsidiary shall be merged (the "Merger") with and into the
Company, whereupon the separate existence of Merger Subsidiary shall cease and
the Company shall be the surviving corporation (hereinafter sometimes called the
"Surviving Corporation") in the Merger and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent.

         (b) As soon as practicable after satisfaction or, to the extent
permitted hereunder, waiver of all conditions to the Merger, the Company and
Merger Subsidiary shall file a


                                        1
<PAGE>   6
certificate of merger with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware
and make all other filings or recordings required by Delaware Law in connection
with the Merger. The Merger shall become effective at such time as the
certificate of merger is duly filed with the Secretary of State of the State of
Delaware or at such later time as is specified in the certificate of merger (the
"Effective Time").

         (c) From and after the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall
possess all the rights, privileges, property, powers and franchises and be
subject to all of the restrictions, disabilities, debts and duties of the
Company and Merger Subsidiary, all as provided under the Delaware Law.

         (d) Unless this Agreement is earlier terminated pursuant to Article 8,
the closing of the Merger (the "Closing") shall take place at the offices of
Pillsbury Winthrop LLP, 2550 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, California as soon as
practicable, but in any event within two (2) business days after the day on
which the last to be fulfilled or waived of the conditions set forth in Article
8 (other than those conditions that by their nature are to be fulfilled at the
Closing, but subject to the fulfillment or waiver of such conditions) shall be
fulfilled or waived in accordance with this Agreement or at such other time,
place and date as is mutually agreed to in writing by the parties hereto. The
date of the Closing is referred to in this Agreement as the "Closing Date."

         Section 1.2 Conversion of Shares.

         (a) As of the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any
action on the part of the holders thereof:

                  (i) Each share of common stock of Merger Subsidiary
         outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be converted
         into and become one validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable share
         of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Surviving
         Corporation with the same rights, powers and privileges as the shares
         so converted, and such shares shall constitute the only outstanding
         shares of capital stock of the Surviving Corporation. From and after
         the Effective Time, all certificates representing the common stock of
         Merger Subsidiary shall be deemed for all purposes to represent the
         number of shares of common stock of the Surviving Corporation into
         which they were converted in accordance with this Section 1.2(a)(i).

                  (ii) Each share of common stock, par value $0.001 per share,
         of the Company (a "Company Share") held by the Company as treasury
         stock or owned by Parent or any subsidiary of Parent (together with the
         associated Company Right (as defined in Section 3.2, if any)), shall be
         cancelled, and no payment shall be made with respect thereto.

                  (iii) Each Company Share (together with the associated Company
         Right) outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall,
         except as otherwise provided in Section 1.2(a)(ii), by virtue of the
         Merger and without any action on the part of the holder thereof, be
         converted into the right to receive 0.0710 (the "Exchange Ratio") of a
         share of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of Parent ("Parent
         Common Stock"); provided, however, that if average closing sale price
         of one share of Parent


                                       2
<PAGE>   7
         Common Stock on the Nasdaq National Market (the "NNM") during the ten
         (10) trading days ending on the trading day immediately prior to the
         Effective Time (the "Closing Date Average") is between $5.5213 and $
         7.0988, the Exchange Ratio shall equal the quotient (rounded to four
         decimal places) obtained by dividing $0.504 by the Closing Date
         Average; and provided further, that if the Closing Date Average is less
         than $5.5213, the Exchange Ratio shall equal 0.0913. If any Company
         Shares outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time are unvested
         or are subject to a repurchase option, risk of forfeiture or other
         condition under any applicable restricted stock purchase agreement or
         other agreement with Company, then, except to the extent otherwise
         provided in such agreement, the shares of Parent Common Stock issued in
         exchange for such Company Shares will also be unvested and subject to
         the same repurchase option, risk of forfeiture or other condition, and
         the certificates representing such shares of Parent Common Stock may
         accordingly be marked with appropriate legends.

         (b) From and after the Effective Time, all Company Shares (together
with the associated Company Rights) converted in accordance with Section
1.2(a)(iii) shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be canceled
and retired and shall cease to exist, and each holder of a certificate
representing any such Company Shares shall cease to have any rights with respect
thereto, except the right to receive the Merger Consideration (as defined
below), as applicable, and any dividends payable pursuant to Section 1.3(f).

         (c) The Parent Common Stock to be received as consideration pursuant to
the Merger by each holder of Company Shares (together with cash in lieu of
fractional shares of Parent Common Stock as specified below) is referred to
herein as the "Merger Consideration."

         (d) For purposes of this Agreement, the word "Subsidiary" when used
with respect to any Person means any other Person, whether incorporated or
unincorporated, of which (i) more than fifty percent (50%) of the securities or
other ownership interests or (ii) securities or other interests having by their
terms ordinary voting power to elect more than fifty percent (50%) of the board
of directors or others performing similar functions with respect to such
corporation or other organization, is directly owned or controlled by such
Person or by any one or more of its Subsidiaries. For purposes of this
Agreement, "Person" means an individual, a corporation, a limited liability
company, a partnership, an association, a trust or any other entity or
organization, including a government or political subdivision or any agency or
instrumentality thereof.

         Section 1.3 Surrender and Payment.

         (a) Prior to the Effective Time, Parent shall appoint an agent (the
"Exchange Agent") for the purpose of exchanging certificates representing
Company Shares (the "Certificates") for the Merger Consideration. Parent will
make available to the Exchange Agent, as needed, the Merger Consideration to be
delivered in respect of the Company Shares. Promptly after the Effective Time,
Parent will send, or will cause the Exchange Agent to send, to each holder of
record at the Effective Time of Company Shares a letter of transmittal for use
in such exchange (which shall specify that the delivery shall be effected, and
risk of loss and title shall pass, only upon proper delivery of the Certificates
to the Exchange Agent).

                                       3
<PAGE>   8
         (b) Each holder of Company Shares that have been converted into a right
to receive the Merger Consideration, upon surrender to the Exchange Agent of a
Certificate, together with a properly completed letter of transmittal, will be
entitled to receive the Merger Consideration payable in respect of the Company
Shares represented by such Certificate. Until so surrendered, each such
Certificate shall, after the Effective Time, represent for all purposes only the
right to receive such Merger Consideration.

         (c) If any portion of the Merger Consideration is to be registered in
the name of a Person other than the Person in whose name the applicable
surrendered Certificate is registered, it shall be a condition to such
registration that the Certificate so surrendered shall be properly endorsed or
otherwise be in proper form for transfer and that the Person requesting such
registration shall pay to the Exchange Agent any transfer or other taxes
required as a result of such registration in the name of a Person other than the
registered holder of such Certificate or establish to the satisfaction of the
Exchange Agent that such tax has been paid or is not payable.

         (d) After the Effective Time, there shall be no further registration of
transfers of Company Shares. If, after the Effective Time, Certificates are
presented to the Exchange Agent, the Surviving Corporation or the Parent, they
shall be canceled and exchanged for the consideration provided for, and in
accordance with the procedures set forth, in this Article 1.

         (e) Any portion of the Merger Consideration made available to the
Exchange Agent pursuant to Section 1.3(a) that remains unclaimed by the holders
of Company Shares one (1) year after the Effective Time shall be returned to
Parent, upon demand, and any such holder who has not exchanged such holder's
Company Shares for the Merger Consideration in accordance with this Section 1.3
prior to that time shall thereafter look only to Parent for delivery of the
Merger Consideration in respect of such holder's Company Shares. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, Parent shall not be liable to any holder of Company Shares for
any Merger Consideration delivered to a public official pursuant to applicable
abandoned property, escheat or similar laws. Any amounts remaining unclaimed by
holders of Company Shares three (3) years after the Effective Time (or such
earlier date prior to such time as such amounts would otherwise escheat to or
become property of any governmental entity) shall, to the extent permitted by
applicable law, become the property of Parent free and clear of any claims or
interest of any Person previously entitled hereto.

         (f) No dividends or other distributions with respect to Parent Common
Stock issued in the Merger shall be paid to the holder of any unsurrendered
Certificates until such Certificates are surrendered as provided in this Section
1.3. Subject to the effect of applicable laws, following such surrender, there
shall be paid, without interest, to the record holder of the Parent Common Stock
issued in exchange therefor (i) at the time of such surrender, all dividends and
other distributions payable in respect of such Parent Common Stock with a record
date after the Effective Time and a payment date on or prior to the date of such
surrender and not previously paid and (ii) at the appropriate payment date, the
dividends or other distributions payable with respect to such Parent Common
Stock with a record date after the Effective Time but with a payment date
subsequent to such surrender. For purposes of dividends or other distributions
in respect of Parent Common Stock, all Parent Common Stock to be issued pursuant
to the Merger (but not options therefor described in Section 1.4 unless actually
exercised at the Effective Time)

                                       4
<PAGE>   9
shall be entitled to dividends pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence as
if issued and outstanding as of the Effective Time.

         Section 1.4 Stock Options and Warrants.

         (a) At the Effective Time, each outstanding option to purchase Company
Shares (a "Company Stock Option") granted under the Company's plans identified
in Section 1.4 of the Disclosure Schedule (as defined in the introductory clause
to Article 3 below) as being the only compensation or benefit plans or
agreements pursuant to which Company Shares may be issued (collectively, the
"Company Stock Option Plans"), whether vested or not vested, shall be deemed
assumed by Parent and shall thereafter be deemed to constitute an option to
acquire, on the same terms and conditions (including any provisions for
acceleration) as were applicable under such Company Stock Option prior to the
Effective Time (in accordance with the past practice of the Company with respect
to interpretation and application of such terms and conditions), the number
(rounded down to the nearest whole number) of shares of Parent Common Stock
determined by multiplying (x) the number of Company Shares subject to such
Company Stock Option immediately prior to the Effective Time by (y) the Exchange
Ratio, at a price per share of Parent Common Stock (rounded up to the nearest
whole cent) equal to (a) the exercise price per Company Share otherwise
purchasable pursuant to such Company Stock Option divided by (b) the Exchange
Ratio. The parties intend that the conversion of the Company Stock Options
hereunder will meet the requirements of section 424(a) of the Code and this
Section 1.4(a) shall be interpreted consistent with such intention. Subject to
the terms of the Company Stock Options and the documents governing such Company
Stock Options, the Merger will not terminate or accelerate any Company Stock
Option or any right of exercise, vesting or repurchase relating thereto with
respect to Parent Common Stock acquired upon exercise of such assumed Company
Stock Option. Holders of Company Stock Options will not be entitled to acquire
Company Shares after the Merger. In addition, prior to the Effective Time, the
Company will make any amendments to the terms of such stock option or
compensation plans or arrangements that are necessary to give effect to the
transactions contemplated by this Section 1.4.

         (b) Parent shall take all corporate action necessary to reserve for
issuance a sufficient number of shares of Parent Common Stock for delivery
pursuant to the terms set forth in this Section 1.4.

         (c) No later than twenty (20) days following the Effective Time, Parent
shall file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") a
registration statement on an appropriate form or a post-effective amendment to a
previously filed registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "1933 Act"), with respect to the Parent Common Stock subject to
options and other equity-based awards described in this Section 1.4, and shall
use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the current status of the
prospectus contained therein, as well as comply with any applicable state
securities or "blue sky" laws, for so long as such options or other equity-based
awards remain outstanding.

         (d) Each Warrant that remains outstanding following the Effective Time
shall continue to have, and be subject to, the same terms and conditions set
forth in the documents governing such Warrant immediately prior to the Effective
Time, except that (i) such Warrant will be exercisable for that number of whole
shares of Parent Common Stock as is equal to the

                                       5
<PAGE>   10
product of the number of Company Shares that were purchasable under the Warrant
immediately prior to the Effective Time, multiplied by the Exchange Ratio,
rounded to the nearest whole number of shares of Parent Common Stock and (ii)
the per share exercise price for Parent Common Stock issuable upon exercise of
such Warrant will be equal to the quotient obtained by dividing the aggregate
exercise price of such Warrant immediately prior to the Effective Time by the
number of shares of Parent Common Stock for which such Warrant shall be
exercisable as determined in accordance with the preceding clause (i), rounded
to the nearest whole cent.

         Section 1.5 Adjustments. If at any time during the period between the
date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, any change in the outstanding
shares of capital stock of Parent or the Company (other than as contemplated in
Section 3.2 or permitted under this Agreement) shall occur, including, without
limitation, by reason of any reclassification, recapitalization, stock split or
combination, exchange or readjustment of shares, or any stock dividend thereon
with a record date during such period, the Merger Consideration shall be
appropriately adjusted.

         Section 1.6 Fractional Shares.

         (a) No fractional shares of Parent Common Stock shall be issued in the
Merger, but in lieu thereof each holder of Company Shares otherwise entitled to
a fractional share of Parent Common Stock will be entitled to receive, from the
Exchange Agent in accordance with the provisions of this Section 1.6, a cash
payment in lieu of such fractional shares of Parent Common Stock representing
such holder's proportionate interest, if any, in the proceeds from the sale by
the Exchange Agent in one or more transactions of shares of Parent Common Stock
equal to the excess of (x) the aggregate number of shares of Parent Common Stock
to be delivered to the Exchange Agent by Parent pursuant to Section 1.3(a) over
(y) the aggregate number of whole shares of Parent Common Stock to be
distributed to the holders of Certificates pursuant to Section 1.3(b) (such
excess being herein called the "Excess Shares"). The parties acknowledge that
payment of the cash consideration in lieu of issuing fractional shares was not
separately bargained for consideration but merely represents a mechanical
rounding off for purposes of simplifying the corporate and accounting problems
that would otherwise be caused by the issuance of fractional shares. As soon as
practicable after the Effective Time, the Exchange Agent, as agent for the
holders of the certificates representing Company Shares, shall sell the Excess
Shares at then prevailing prices on the NNM in the manner provided in the
following paragraph.

         (b) The sale of the Excess Shares by the Exchange Agent, as agent for
the holders that would otherwise receive fractional shares, shall be executed on
the NNM through one or more member firms of the NNM and shall be executed in
round lots to the extent practicable. The compensation payable to the Exchange
Agent and the expenses incurred by the Exchange Agent, in each case, in
connection with such sale or sales of the Excess Shares, and all related
commissions, transfer taxes and other out-of-pocket transaction costs, will be
paid by the Surviving Corporation out of its own funds and will not be paid
directly or indirectly by Parent. Until the proceeds of such sale or sales have
been distributed to the holders of shares of Company Shares, the Exchange Agent
shall hold such proceeds in trust for the holders of Company Shares (the "Common
Shares Trust"). The Exchange Agent shall determine the portion of the Common
Shares Trust to which each holder of Company Shares shall be entitled,

                                       6
<PAGE>   11
if any, by multiplying the amount of the aggregate proceeds comprising the
Common Shares Trust by a fraction, the numerator of which is the amount of the
fractional share interest to which such holder of Company Shares would otherwise
be entitled and the denominator of which is the aggregate amount of fractional
share interests to which all holders of Company Shares would otherwise be
entitled.

         (c) As soon as practicable after the determination of the amount of
cash, if any, to be paid to holders of Company Shares in lieu of any fractional
shares of Parent Common Stock, the Exchange Agent shall make available such
amounts to such holders of Company Shares without interest.

         Section 1.7 Withholding Rights. Each of the Surviving Corporation and
Parent shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from the consideration otherwise
payable to any Person pursuant to this Article 1 such amounts as it is required
to deduct and withhold with respect to the making of such payment under any
provision of federal, state, local or foreign tax law. To the extent that
amounts are so withheld by the Surviving Corporation or Parent, as the case may
be, such withheld amounts shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as
having been paid to the holder of the Company Shares in respect of which such
deduction and withholding was made by the Surviving Corporation or Parent, as
the case may be.

         Section 1.8 Lost Certificates. If any Certificate shall have been lost,
stolen or destroyed, upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the Person
claiming such Certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed and, if required by
the Exchange Agent, the posting by such Person of a bond, in such reasonable
amount as the Exchange Agent may direct, as indemnity against any claim that may
be made against it, the Surviving Corporation or the Exchange Agent with respect
to such Certificate, the Exchange Agent will issue in exchange for such lost,
stolen or destroyed Certificate the Merger Consideration to be paid in respect
of the Company Shares represented by such Certificate as contemplated by this
Article 1.

         Section 1.9 Shares Held by Company Affiliates. Anything to the contrary
herein notwithstanding, no shares of Parent Common Stock (or certificates
therefor) shall be issued in exchange for any Certificate to any Person who may
be an "affiliate" of the Company (identified pursuant to Section 6.8) until such
Person shall have delivered to Parent a duly executed letter as contemplated in
Section 6.8. Such Person shall be subject to the restrictions described in such
letter, and such shares (or certificates therefor) shall bear a legend
describing such restrictions.

         Section 1.10 Appraisal Rights. In accordance with Section 262 of the
Delaware Law, no appraisal rights shall be available to holders of shares of
Company Shares in connection with the Merger.

                                   Article 2

                            The Surviving Corporation

         Section 2.1 Certificate of Incorporation of the Surviving Corporation.
The certificate of incorporation of Merger Subsidiary in effect at the Effective
Time shall be the certificate of incorporation of the Surviving Corporation
until amended in accordance with applicable law,

                                       7
<PAGE>   12
except that the name of the Surviving Corporation shall be changed to the
current name of the Company.

         Section 2.2 Bylaws of the Surviving Corporation. The bylaws of Merger
Subsidiary in effect at the Effective Time shall be the bylaws of the Surviving
Corporation until amended in accordance with applicable law.

         Section 2.3 Directors and Officers of the Surviving Corporation. From
and after the Effective Time, until successors are duly elected or appointed and
qualified in accordance with applicable law, (a) the directors of Merger
Subsidiary at the Effective Time shall be the directors of the Surviving
Corporation and (b) the officers of Merger Subsidiary at the Effective Time
shall be the officers of the Surviving Corporation.

                                   Article 3

                  Representations and Warranties of the Company

         Except as disclosed in a letter delivered by the Company to Parent
immediately prior to the execution of this Agreement and signed by the President
and Chief Executive Officer of the Company (the "Disclosure Schedule"; it being
understood that information disclosed on the Disclosure Schedule as an exception
to a specific representation and warranty shall be deemed to be an exception to
any other representation and warranty to the extent that it is reasonably clear
from the context of such Schedule that the information disclosed therein relates
to such other representation and warranty), the Company represents and warrants
to Parent and Merger Subsidiary as follows:

         Section 3.1 Organization and Qualification. The Company is a
corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws
of the State of Delaware and has all requisite power and authority to own, lease
and operate its respective properties and to carry on its business as now being
conducted.

         The Company is qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is
in good standing under the laws of each state or other jurisdiction in which the
nature of its business requires such qualification, which states or
jurisdictions are listed on the Disclosure Schedule, except where the failure to
be so qualified or in good standing which, taken together with all other such
failures, would not have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole. For purposes of this Agreement, the term
"Material Adverse Effect" means any change, violation, inaccuracy, circumstance
or effect that is materially adverse to the business, properties, assets
(including intangible assets), liabilities, capitalization, results of
operations or financial condition of either party and its Subsidiaries, taken as
a whole, as the case may be; provided, however, that the following shall not be
taken into account in determining whether there has been or could or would be a
"Material Adverse Effect" on or with respect to a party: (a) any occurrences
relating to the economy of the United States in general or the economies in
which such entity operates or the industries in which such entity operates in
general and not specifically relating to such party, (b) the delay or
cancellation of orders for such party's products from customers or distributors
(or other resellers) directly attributable to the announcement of this Agreement
or the pendency of the Merger, (c) the lack of or delay in

                                       8
<PAGE>   13
availability of components or raw materials from such party's suppliers directly
attributable to the announcement of this Agreement or the pendency of the
Merger, (d) any litigation brought or threatened against a party or any officer
or member of the Board of Directors of such party in respect of this Agreement
or the Merger (including any stockholder class action litigation arising from
allegations or a breach of fiduciary duty relating to this Agreement), (e) the
loss of employees as a result of reductions in force that are mutually agreed
upon by the Company and Parent, (f) the loss of employees in an amount not in
excess of twenty-five percent (25%) of the number of such employees as of the
date of this Agreement (including as lost employees in the case of the Company
such employees as shall have given any notice or indication that they will not
continue to be willing to be employed by the Surviving Corporation following the
Effective Time), and (g) changes in trading prices for such party's securities.

         Section 3.2 Capitalization. The authorized capital stock of the Company
consists of 50,000,000 Company Shares. As of December 31, 2000, (a) 14,426,970
Company Shares were issued and outstanding, (b) no Company Shares were held in
the treasury of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (c) 6,800,000 Company
Shares were reserved for issuance pursuant to the Company Option Plans, of which
stock options to purchase 2,455,513 Company Shares have been granted (of which
options to purchase an aggregate of 1,930,263 shares were exercisable), (d)
250,000 Company Shares were reserved for issuance upon the exercise of warrants
(the "Company Warrants"), and (e) 15,000,000 Company Shares were reserved for
issuance upon the exercise of rights (the "Company Rights") issued pursuant to
the Shareholder Rights Agreement dated as of April 13, 2000 between the Company
and American Securities Transfer, Inc., as Rights Agent (the "Company Rights
Agreement"). All the outstanding shares of the Company's capital stock are, and
all Company Shares that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of outstanding
employee stock options and the Company Warrants and Company Rights will be, when
issued in accordance with the terms thereof, duly authorized, validly issued,
fully paid and non-assessable. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Schedule
and except for changes since the close of business on January 30, 2001 resulting
from the exercise of employee stock options outstanding on such date, there are
outstanding (x) no shares of capital stock or other voting securities of the
Company, (y) no securities of the Company convertible into or exchangeable for
shares of capital stock or voting securities of the Company, and (z) no options,
warrants or other rights to acquire from the Company, and no preemptive or
similar rights, subscription or other rights, convertible securities,
agreements, arrangements or commitments of any character, relating to the
capital stock of the Company, obligating the Company to issue, transfer or sell,
any capital stock, voting securities or securities convertible into or
exchangeable for capital stock or voting securities of the Company or obligating
the Company to grant, extend or enter into any such option, warrant,
subscription or other right, convertible security, agreement, arrangement or
commitment (the items in clauses (x), (y) and (z) being referred to collectively
as the "Company Securities"). There are no outstanding obligations of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire
any Company Securities. There are not as of the date hereof and there will not
be at the Effective Time any stockholder agreements, voting trusts or other
agreements or understandings to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is
a party or by which it is bound relating to the voting of any shares of the
capital stock of the Company or any agreements, arrangements, or other
understandings to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by
which it is bound that will limit in any way the solicitation of proxies by or
on behalf of the Company from, or the casting of votes by, the stockholders of
the Company with respect to the Merger.

                                       9
<PAGE>   14
         Section 3.3 Authority. The Company has full corporate power and
authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and, subject to the requisite
approval of its stockholders, to perform its obligations hereunder and
consummate the transactions contemplated hereby. The execution and delivery of
this Agreement, the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and
the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly and
validly authorized and approved by all necessary corporate action on the part of
the Company, including approval of the Company's Board of Directors, and other
than the requisite approval by its stockholders, no other corporate proceedings
are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the consummation of the
transactions contemplated hereby. This Agreement has been duly and validly
executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming this Agreement constitutes a
legal, valid and binding agreement of the other parties hereto, it constitutes a
legal, valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against it in
accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application
affecting enforcement of creditors' rights generally and (ii) as limited by laws
relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other
equitable remedies.

         Section 3.4 Governmental Authorization. The execution, delivery and
performance by the Company of this Agreement and the consummation of the Merger
by the Company require no consent of, or filing with, any governmental body,
agency, official or authority other than (a) the filing of a certificate of
merger in accordance with Delaware Law, (b) if applicable, compliance with any
applicable requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of
1976 (the "HSR Act"), (c) compliance with any applicable requirements of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder (the "Exchange Act"), (d) compliance with any applicable
requirements of the 1933 Act and state securities laws, and (e) other actions or
filings which if not taken or made would not, individually or in the aggregate,
have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company.

         Section 3.5 Non-Contravention. The execution, delivery and performance
by the Company of this Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the
transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not (a) assuming compliance
with the matters referred to in Section 3.3, contravene or conflict with the
certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the Company, (b) assuming compliance
with the matters referred to in Section 3.4, contravene or conflict with or
constitute a violation of any provision of any law, regulation, judgment,
injunction, order or decree binding upon or applicable to the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries, (c) constitute a default under or give rise to a right of
termination, cancellation or acceleration of any right or obligation of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries or to a loss of any benefit to which the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries is entitled under any provision of any
agreement, contract or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries or any license, franchise, permit or other similar authorization
held by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or (d) result in the creation or
imposition of any Lien on any asset of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries,
except for such contraventions, conflicts or violations referred to in clause
(b) or defaults, rights of termination, cancellation or acceleration, or losses
or Liens referred to in clause (c) or (d) that would not, individually or in the
aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. For purposes of this Agreement,
"Lien" means any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or
encumbrance of any kind in respect of such asset other than any such mortgage,
lien, pledge, charge, security interest or encumbrance (i) for Taxes (as defined
in Section 3.13) not yet

                                       10
<PAGE>   15
due or being contested in good faith (and for which adequate accruals or
reserves have been established on the Company Balance Sheet or the Parent
Balance Sheet (as such terms are defined in Section 3.8 and Section 4.7,
respectively), as the case may be) or (ii) which is a carriers', warehousemen's,
mechanics', materialmen's, repairmen's or other like lien arising in the
ordinary course of business. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Schedule,
neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company is a party to any
agreement that expressly limits the ability of the Company or any Subsidiary of
the Company, or would limit Parent or any Subsidiary of Parent after the
Effective Time, to compete in or conduct any line of business or compete with
any Person or in any geographic area or during any period of time except to the
extent that any such limitation, individually or in the aggregate, would not be
reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect on Parent after the
Effective Time.

         Section 3.6 Subsidiaries. Each of the Company's Subsidiaries is a
corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws
of its jurisdiction of incorporation and has all requisite corporate power and
authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to carry on its business
as it is now being conducted. Each of the Subsidiaries is duly qualified as a
foreign corporation to do business, and is in good standing, in each
jurisdiction where the character of its properties owned or leased or the nature
of its activities makes such qualification necessary, which states or
jurisdictions are listed on the Disclosure Schedule, except where the failure to
be so qualified or in good standing would not have a Material Adverse Effect on
the Company. Exhibit 21 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2000 (the "2000 10-K"), as filed with SEC, lists the
only Subsidiaries of the Company at March 31, 2000, and all Subsidiaries of the
Company thereafter formed or acquired are listed in the Disclosure Schedule. All
of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Subsidiaries are validly
issued, fully paid and nonassessable and are owned by the Company free and clear
of all liens, claims, charges or encumbrances, and there are no irrevocable
proxies with respect to such shares. Except as set forth in the Disclosure
Schedule and except for the capital stock of its Subsidiaries, the Company does
not own, directly or indirectly, any capital stock or other ownership interest
in any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or
other entity which is material to the business of the Company and its
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. There are no restrictions on the Company to vote
the stock of any of its Subsidiaries.

         Section 3.7 SEC Filings.

         (a) The Company has delivered to Parent (i) its annual reports on Form
10-K for its fiscal years ended March 31, 1998, 1999 and 2000, (ii) its
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for its quarters ended June 30, 2000 and
September 30, 2000, (iii) its proxy or information statements relating to
meetings of, or actions taken without a meeting by, the stockholders of the
Company held since December 31, 1999, and (iv) all of its other reports,
statements, schedules and registration statements filed with the SEC since
December 31, 1999 (the documents referred to in this Section 3.7(a) being
referred to collectively as the "Company SEC Documents"). The Company's
quarterly report on Form 10-Q for its fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2000 is
referred to herein as the "Company 10-Q."

         (b) As of its filing date, each Company SEC Document complied as to
form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Exchange
Act and the 1933 Act.

                                       11
<PAGE>   16
         (c) As of its filing date, each Company SEC Document filed pursuant to
the Exchange Act did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit
to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made
therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.

         (d) Each such registration statement, as amended or supplemented, if
applicable, filed pursuant to the 1933 Act as of the date such statement or
amendment became effective did not contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

         Section 3.8 Financial Statements. The audited consolidated financial
statements and unaudited consolidated interim financial statements of the
Company (including any related notes and schedules) included in its annual
reports on Form 10-K and the quarterly report on Form 10-Q referred to in
Section 3.7 fairly present, in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles ("GAAP") applied on a consistent basis (except as may be indicated in
the notes thereto), the consolidated financial position of the Company and its
consolidated Subsidiaries as of the dates thereof and their consolidated results
of operations and changes in financial position for the periods then ended
(subject to normal year-end adjustments and the absence of notes in the case of
any unaudited interim financial statements). For purposes of this Agreement,
"Company Balance Sheet" means the consolidated balance sheet of the Company as
of September 30, 2000 set forth in the Company 10-Q and "Company Balance Sheet
Date" means September 30, 2000. At the Company Balance Sheet Date and as of the
Closing Date, except as set forth in the Disclosure Schedule, the Company and
its Subsidiaries had and will have no liabilities or obligations, secured or
unsecured (whether accrued, absolute, contingent or otherwise and whether or not
required to be reflected on the Company Balance Sheet under GAAP) not reflected
in the financial statements or the accompanying notes thereto, except for
liabilities and obligations that have arisen in the ordinary course of business
prior to the date of the financial statements and which, under GAAP, would not
have been required to be reflected in the financial statements and except for
liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business since the date of the
financial statements that have not resulted in Material Adverse Effect. All
accounts receivable of the Company and its Subsidiaries have arisen from bona
fide transactions of the Company or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be, in the
ordinary course of business. The Company maintains and will continue to maintain
a standard system of accounting established and administered in accordance with
GAAP.

         Section 3.9 Disclosure Documents.

         (a) The proxy statement of the Company relating to the meeting of
stockholders of the Company contemplated by Section 6.3 and the prospectus of
Parent relating to the shares of Parent Common Stock to be issued in connection
with the Merger (the "Proxy Statement/Prospectus") to be filed with the SEC in
connection with the Merger and the registration statement on Form S-4 of Parent
(the "Form S-4") to be filed under the 1933 Act relating to the issuance of
Parent Common Stock in the Merger, and any amendments or supplements thereto,
will, when filed, subject to last sentence of Section 3.9(b), comply as to form
in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the 1933
Act.

                                       12
<PAGE>   17
         (b) Neither the Proxy Statement/Prospectus to be filed with the SEC,
nor any amendment or supplement thereto, will, at the date the Proxy
Statement/Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement is first mailed to
stockholders of Company or at the time such stockholders vote on the adoption
and approval of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, contain
any untrue statement of a material fact or 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. Neither the Form S-4
nor any amendment or supplement thereto will at the time it becomes effective
under the 1933 Act or at the Effective Time 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 not misleading. No representation or
warranty is made by the Company in this Section 3.9 with respect to statements
made or incorporated by reference therein based on information supplied by
Parent for inclusion or incorporation by reference in the Proxy
Statement/Prospectus or the Form S-4.

         Section 3.10 Absence of Certain Changes. Except as set forth in the
Disclosure Schedule, since the Company Balance Sheet Date, the Company and each
Subsidiary has conducted its respective business in the ordinary course
consistent with past practice and, without limiting the generality of the
foregoing:

         (a) There has been no event, occurrence or development of a state of
circumstances or facts that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or would
be reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect;

         (b) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary issued, or authorized
for issuance, or entered into any commitment to issue, any equity security,
bond, note or other security, nor has the Company or any Subsidiary amended any
term of any outstanding security of the Company or any Subsidiary;

         (c) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary incurred additional debt
for borrowed money, or incurred any obligation or liability except in the
ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and in any event not
in excess of $25,000 for any single occurrence;

         (d) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary paid any obligation or
liability, or discharged, settled or satisfied any claim, lien or encumbrance,
except for current liabilities in the ordinary course of business consistent
with past practice and in any event not in excess of $25,000 in the aggregate;

         (e) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary declared or made any
dividend, payment or other distribution on or with respect to any share of
capital stock, other than, in the case of any Subsidiary, to the Company;

         (f) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary purchased, redeemed or
otherwise acquired or committed itself to acquire, directly or indirectly, any
share or shares of its capital stock, other than pursuant to the stock
repurchase rights under the Company Stock Option Plans;

         (g) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary mortgaged, pledged, or
otherwise encumbered any of its assets or properties, except for liens for
current taxes which are not yet delinquent, and purchase-money liens arising out
of the purchase or sale of services or products,

                                       13
<PAGE>   18
mechanics, carriers, warehousemen's and other similar liens made or arising in
the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and in any event
not in excess of $25,000 for any single item or $50,000 in the aggregate;

         (h) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary disposed of, or agreed
to dispose of, by sale, lease, license or otherwise, any asset or property,
tangible or intangible, except in the ordinary course of business consistent
with past practice, and in each case for a consideration believed to be at least
equal to the fair value of such asset or property and in any event not in excess
of $10,000 for any single item or $25,000 in the aggregate;

         (i) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary purchased or agreed to
purchase or otherwise acquire any securities of any corporation, partnership,
joint venture, firm or other entity;

         (j) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary made any expenditure or
commitment for the purchase, acquisition, construction or improvement of a
capital asset, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice and in any event not in excess of $25,000 for any single item or
$50,000 in the aggregate;

         (k) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary entered into any
material transaction or contract, or made any commitment to do the same, except
in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;

         (l) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary sold, assigned,
transferred or conveyed, or committed itself to sell, assign, transfer or
convey, any Proprietary Rights (as defined in Section 3.22) except pursuant to
licenses in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;

         (m) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary adopted or amended any
bonus, incentive, profit-sharing, stock option, stock purchase, pension,
retirement, deferred-compensation, severance, life insurance, medical or other
benefit plan, agreement, trust, fund or arrangement for the benefit of employees
of any kind whatsoever, nor entered into or amended any agreement relating to
employment, services as an independent contractor or consultant, or severance or
termination pay, nor agreed to do any of the foregoing;

         (n) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary effected or agreed to
effect any change in its directors, officers or key employees; and

         (o) The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary effected or committed
itself to effect any amendment or modification in its Certificate of
Incorporation or Bylaws.

         Section 3.11 No Undisclosed Material Liabilities. There are no
liabilities of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company of any kind
whatsoever, whether accrued, contingent, absolute, determined, determinable or
otherwise, other than:

         (a) liabilities disclosed or provided for in the Company Balance Sheet
or in the notes thereto;


                                     14
<PAGE>   19
         (b) liabilities which in the aggregate would not reasonably be expected
to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company;

         (c) liabilities disclosed in the Company SEC Documents filed prior to
the date hereof or set forth in the Disclosure Schedule; and

         (d) liabilities under this Agreement.

         Section 3.12 Litigation. There is no claim, dispute, action,
proceeding, notice, order, suit, appeal or investigation, at law or in equity,
pending or to the knowledge of the Company threatened, against the Company or
any Subsidiary or any of their respective directors, officers, employees or
agents, or involving any of their respective assets or properties before any
court, agency, authority, arbitration panel or other tribunal. The Company is
not aware of any facts which, if known to stockholders, customers, distributors,
suppliers, governmental authorities or other Persons, would result in any such
claim (other than customary and normal returns of product in the ordinary course
of business consistent with past practice), dispute, action, proceeding, suit or
appeal or investigation. The Company is not nor is any Subsidiary subject to any
order, writ, injunction or decree of any court, agency, authority, arbitration
panel or other tribunal, nor is the Company or any Subsidiary in default with
respect to any notice, order, writ, injunction or decree.

         Section 3.13 Taxes.

         (a) For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the
following meanings: "Tax" (and, with correlative meaning, "Taxes" and "Taxable")
means any and all taxes, including without limitation (i) any income, profits,
alternative or add-on minimum tax, gross receipts, sales, use, value-added, ad
valorem, transfer, franchise, profits, license, withholding, payroll,
employment, excise, severance, stamp, occupation, net worth, premium, property,
environmental or windfall profit tax, custom, duty or other tax, governmental
fee or assessment or charge of any kind whatsoever, together with any interest
or any penalty, addition to tax or additional amount imposed by any governmental
entity responsible for the imposition of any such tax (domestic or foreign) (a
"Taxing Authority"), (ii) any liability for the payment of any amounts of the
type described in clause (i) above as a result of being a member of an
affiliated, consolidated, combined or unitary group for any Taxable period or as
the result of being a transferee or successor thereof, and (iii) any liability
for the payment of any amounts of the type described in clause (i) or (ii) above
as a result of any express or implied obligation to indemnify any other Person.

         (b) All Tax returns, statements, reports and forms (including estimated
Tax returns and reports and information returns and reports) required to be
filed with any Taxing Authority with respect to any Taxable period ending on or
before the Effective Time, by or on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary
(collectively, the "Company Returns"), have been or will be filed when due
(including any extensions of such due date), and all amounts shown to be due
thereon on or before the Effective Time have been or will be paid on or before
such date. The Financial Statements fully accrue all actual and contingent
liabilities for Taxes with respect to all periods through the dates thereof in
accordance with GAAP. The Financial Statements (i) fully accrue consistent with
past practices and in accordance with GAAP all actual and contingent liabilities

                                       15
<PAGE>   20
for Taxes with respect to all periods through the date of the Financial
Statements and (ii) properly accrues consistent with past practices and in
accordance with GAAP all liabilities for Taxes payable after the Balance Sheet
Date with respect to all transactions and events occurring on or prior to such
date. All information set forth in the notes to the Financial Statements
relating to Tax matters is true, complete and accurate in all material respects.

         (c) No Tax liability has been incurred since the date of the Financial
Statements other than in the ordinary course of business and adequate provision
has been made for all Taxes since that date in accordance with GAAP on at least
a quarterly or, with respect to employment taxes, monthly basis. The Company and
each Subsidiary have withheld and paid to the applicable financial institution
or Taxing Authority all amounts required to be withheld. All Company Returns
filed with respect to federal income tax returns for Taxable years of the
Company in the case of the United States, have been examined and closed and
copies of audit reports previously have been provided to Parent or are Company
Returns with respect to which the applicable period for assessment under
applicable law, after giving effect to extensions or waivers, has expired. the
Company has not nor has any Subsidiary been granted any extension or waiver of
the limitation period applicable to any Company Return.

         (d) There is no claim, audit, action, suit, proceeding or,
investigation now pending or threatened against or with respect to the Company
or any Subsidiary in respect of any Tax or assessment. There are no liabilities
for Taxes with respect to any notice of deficiency or similar document of any
Tax Authority received by the Company or any Subsidiary which have not been
satisfied in full (including liabilities for interest, additions to tax and
penalties thereon and related expenses). Neither the Company, any Subsidiary nor
any Person on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary has entered into or will
enter into any agreement or consent pursuant to section 341(f) of the Code.
There are no liens for Taxes upon the assets of the Company or any Subsidiary
except liens for current Taxes not yet due. Except as may be required as a
result of the Merger, the Company has not nor has any Subsidiary been nor will
it be required to include any adjustment in Taxable income for any Tax period
(or portion thereof) pursuant to section 481 or 263A of the Code or any
comparable provision under state or foreign Tax laws as a result of
transactions, events or accounting methods employed prior to the Effective Time.

         (e) There is no contract, agreement, plan or arrangement, including
without limitation the provisions of this Agreement, covering any employee or
independent contractor or former employee or independent contractor of the
Company or any Subsidiary that, individually or collectively, could give rise to
the payment of any amount that would not be deductible pursuant to section 280G
or section 162 of the Code (as determined without regard to section 280G(b)(4)).
Other than pursuant to this Agreement, the Company is not nor is any Subsidiary
a party to or bound by (nor will they prior to the Effective Time become a party
to or bound by) any tax indemnity, tax sharing or tax allocation agreement
(whether written, unwritten or arising under operation of federal law as a
result of being a member of a group filing consolidated tax returns, under
operation of certain state laws as a result of being a member of a unitary
group, or under comparable laws of other states or foreign jurisdictions) which
includes a party other than the Company or any Subsidiary. None of the assets of
the Company or any Subsidiary (i) is property that the Company or any Subsidiary
is required to treat as owned by any other Person pursuant to the so-called
"safe harbor lease" provisions of former section 168(f)(8) of the Code, (ii)
directly or indirectly secures any debt the interest on which is tax exempt
under section 103(a) of the

                                       16
<PAGE>   21
Code, or (iii) is "tax exempt use property" within the meaning of section 168(h)
of the Code. The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary participated in (and
prior to the Effective Time the Company will not nor will any Subsidiary
participate in) an international boycott within the meaning of section 999 of
the Code. The Company has disclosed on its federal income tax returns all
positions taken therein that could give rise to a substantial understatement of
federal income tax within the meaning of section 6661 of the Code. The Company
has previously provided or made available to Parent complete and accurate copies
of all the Company Returns, and, as reasonably requested by Parent, prior to or
following the date hereof, presently existing information statements, reports,
work papers, Tax opinions and memoranda and other Tax data and documents.

         Section 3.14 Employees and Employee Benefit Plans.

         (a) The Company has provided Parent with a complete and accurate list
setting forth all employees and consultants of the Company and its Subsidiaries
as of two (2) days before the date hereof together with their titles or
positions, dates of hire, regular work location and current compensation.
Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has entered into any employment contract
or arrangement with any director, officer, employee or any other consultant or
Person (i) which is not terminable by it at will without liability, except as
the right of the Company or such Subsidiary to terminate its employees at will
may be limited by applicable federal, state or foreign law, or (ii) under which
the Company or any Subsidiary could have any liability whatsoever (collectively,
the "Employment Agreements"). Except as set forth in Section 3.14 of the
Disclosure Schedule ("Schedule 3.14"), the Company does not have nor does any
Subsidiary have any deferred compensation, pension, health, profit sharing,
bonus, stock purchase, stock option, fringe benefit, hospitalization, insurance,
severance, change in control, retention, workers' compensation, supplemental
unemployment benefits, vacation benefits, disability benefits, or any other
employee benefit plan (as defined in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
of 1974, as amended ("ERISA") or otherwise) or welfare benefit plan or
obligation covering any of its current or former officers, directors, employees
or consultants ("Employee Plans").

         (b) The Company has made available to Parent true, complete and correct
copies of (i) each Employment Agreement, (ii) each Employee Plan (or, in the
case of any unwritten Employee Plans, descriptions thereof), (iii) the most
recent annual report on Form 5500 filed with the IRS with respect to each
Employee Plan (if any such report was required), (iv) the most recent summary
plan description for each Employee Plan for which such summary plan description
is required, (v) each trust agreement and group annuity contract relating to any
Employee Plan, (vi) each determination letter and any outstanding request for a
determination letter, and (vii) all correspondence with the IRS or the United
States Department of Labor relating to any outstanding controversy or audit.
Each Employee Plan complies in all material respects with applicable laws,
including, without limitation, ERISA and the Code.

         (c) Each Employee Plan has been maintained, funded, operated and
administered in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and
regulations, including but not limited to, ERISA, the Code, and the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Each Employee Plan that is
intended to be qualified under section 401(a) of the Code and each trust forming
a part thereof that is intended to be exempt from taxation under section 501(a)

                                       17
<PAGE>   22
of the Code has received a favorable determination letter from the IRS as to its
qualification and tax-exempt status and nothing has occurred, whether by any
action or any failure to act, since the date of such determination letter that
could adversely affect the qualification of such Employee Plan or the tax-exempt
status of such related trust. No event has occurred and, to the knowledge of the
Company, there currently exists no condition or set of circumstances in
connection with which the Company could be subject to any liability under the
terms of any Employee Plans, ERISA, the Code or any other applicable law,
including any liability under Title IV of ERISA. Each Employee Plan can be
amended or terminated in accordance with its terms and any applicable law
without any material liability to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. No
Employee Plan is a "multiemployer plan" as defined in section 3(37) of the ERISA
and 414(f) of the Code, nor a "multiple employer plan" as described in section
4063(a) of ERISA and 413 of the Code, and neither the Company, any of its
Subsidiaries nor any ERISA Affiliate has ever contributed or had an obligation
to contribute to any multiemployer plan or any plan subject to Title IV of
ERISA. For purposes of this Section 6.9, an "ERISA Affiliate" is any
organization that is a member of the controlled group of organizations of the
Company and its Subsidiaries (within the meaning of Sections 414(b), (c), (m) or
(o) of the Code.

         (d) Except as set forth in Schedule 3.14, no current or former
director, officer or other employee of, or consultant to, the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries will become entitled to any retirement, severance or similar
benefit or enhanced or accelerated benefit (including any acceleration of
vesting or lapse of repurchase rights or obligations with respect to any
employee stock option or other benefit under any stock option plan or
compensation plan or arrangement of the Company) as a result of the transactions
contemplated hereby.

         (e) No Employee Plan provides post-retirement health and medical, life
or other insurance benefits for retired employees of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries (other than benefit coverage mandated by applicable statute,
including benefits provided pursuant to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1985, as codified in Code section 4980B and ERISA sections
601 et seq., as amended from time to time ("COBRA")).

         (f) There has been no amendment to, written interpretation or
announcement (whether or not written) by the Company or any of its affiliates
relating to, or change in employee participation or coverage under, any Employee
Plan that would increase materially the expense of maintaining such Employee
Plan above the level of the expense incurred in respect thereof for the twelve
(12) months ended on the Balance Sheet Date.

         (g) With respect to any Employee Plan maintained outside the United
States for the purpose of providing or otherwise making available retirement
benefits to employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (collectively,
"Non-U.S. Plans"), the following is true:

                  (i) each Non-U.S. Plan is in compliance in all material
         respects with the laws and regulations applicable to such plan;

                  (ii) each Non-U.S. Plan and related funding arrangement that
         is intended to qualify for tax-favored status has been reviewed and
         approved for such status by the appropriate government authority (or
         has been submitted for such review and approval


                                       18
<PAGE>   23
         within the applicable time period), and nothing has occurred and no
         condition exists that is likely to cause the loss or denial of such
         tax-favored status;

                  (iii) as of the most recent valuation date, there are no
         unfunded benefit liabilities.

         Section 3.15 Compliance with Law. All licenses, franchises, permits,
clearances, consents, certificates and other evidences of authority of the
Company and its Subsidiaries which are necessary to the conduct of the Company's
and its Subsidiaries' respective businesses ("Permits") are in full force and
effect and the Company is not nor is any Subsidiary in violation of any Permit
in any respect, except for such exceptions or violations that, individually or
in the aggregate, would not have, or be reasonably likely to have, a Material
Adverse Effect. Except for exceptions which would not have a Material Adverse
Effect, the businesses of the Company and its Subsidiaries have been conducted
in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations, orders and other
requirements of governmental authorities.

         Section 3.16 Finders' or Advisors' Fees. Except for Gerard Klauer
Mattison & Co., Inc. and Rick Shotenfeld, copies of whose engagement letters
have been provided to Parent, there is no investment banker, broker, finder or
other intermediary which has been retained by or is authorized to act on behalf
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries who might be entitled to any fee or
commission in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

         Section 3.17 Environmental Matters.

         (a) Except as disclosed on Section 3.17 of the Disclosure Schedule, or
as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, the
Company and its Subsidiaries are, and at all times have been, in compliance with
all applicable local, state and federal statutes, orders, rules, ordinances,
regulations and codes and all judicial or administrative interpretations thereof
(collectively, "Environmental Laws") relating to pollution or protection of the
environment, including, without limitation, laws relating to emissions,
discharges, releases or threatened releases of Hazardous Substances (as defined
below) into or on land, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, personal
property or structures (including the protection, cleanup, removal, remediation
or damage thereof), or otherwise related to the manufacture, processing,
distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport, discharge or
handling of Hazardous Substances. The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary
received any notice of any investigation, claim or proceeding against the
Company or such Subsidiary relating to releases or threatened releases of
Hazardous Substances or any action pursuant to or violation or alleged violation
under any Environmental Law, and the Company is not aware of any fact or
circumstance which could involve the Company or any Subsidiary in any
environmental litigation, proceeding, investigation or claim or impose any
environmental liability upon the Company or any Subsidiary. As used in this
Agreement, "Hazardous Substances" means any pollutant, contaminant, material,
substance, waste, chemical or compound regulated, restricted or prohibited by
any Environmental Law.

         (b) There are no Hazardous Substances in, under or about the soil,
sediment, surface water or groundwater on, under or around any properties at any
time owned, leased or occupied by the Company or any Subsidiary for which the
Company or any Subsidiary has any liability.


                                       19
<PAGE>   24
The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary disposed of any Hazardous Substances
on or about such properties other than in compliance with Environmental Laws or
other than for which the Company has any liability. There is no present release
or threatened release of any Hazardous Substances in, on, or under such
properties other than in compliance with Environmental Laws or other than for
which the Company has any liability. The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary
disposed of any materials at any site being investigated or remediated for
contamination or possible contamination of the environment other than in
compliance with Environmental Laws or other than for which the Company has any
liability.

         (c) The Company and each Subsidiary have all material permits, licenses
and approvals required by Environmental Laws for the use and occupancy of, and
for all operations and activities conducted on, the Properties, and the Company
and each Subsidiary are in compliance with all such permits, licenses and
approvals, and all such permits, licenses and approvals were duly issued, are in
full force and effect, and, to the extent required under Environmental Laws,
will be transferred to Parent by the Closing, and will remain in full force and
effect by the Closing.

         Section 3.18 Labor Matters. There are no controversies or labor
disputes or union organization activities pending or threatened between the
Company or a Subsidiary and any of its employees. None of the employees of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries belongs to any union or collective bargaining
unit. The Company and its Subsidiaries have complied with all applicable
foreign, state and federal equal employment opportunity and other laws and
regulations related to employment or working conditions, including all civil
rights and anti-discrimination laws, rules and regulations. The Company is not
nor is any of its Subsidiaries the subject of any material proceeding asserting
that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has committed an unfair labor
practice or is seeking to compel it to bargain with any labor union or labor
organization nor is there pending or, to the knowledge of the Company,
threatened, any labor strike, dispute, walkout, work stoppage, slowdown or
lockout involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

         Section 3.19 Title to Property. The Company does not nor does any
Subsidiary own any real property. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has
good and marketable title to all of its properties and assets, free and clear of
all Liens, except for liens for taxes not yet due and payable and such liens or
other imperfections of title and use restrictions, if any, as do not materially
detract from the value of or interfere with the present use of the property
affected thereby or which, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a
Material Adverse Effect.

         Section 3.20 Leaseholds. Neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries has given or received notice of any material default under any
lease under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is the lessee of real
property (each a "Company Lease" and collectively the "Company Leases") and, to
the knowledge of the Company, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries
nor any other party thereto is in default in any material respect under any of
the Company Leases. All of the Company Leases are in full force and effect, and
are valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with their terms, except (a) as
limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and
other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors' or
lessors' rights generally and (b) as limited by laws relating to the
availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable
remedies. Except as set

                                       20
<PAGE>   25
forth in the Disclosure Schedule, neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries has leased, subleased, licensed or assigned, as the case may be,
all or any portion of its leasehold interest under any Company Lease to any
person.

         Section 3.21 Management Payments. Other than as set forth in the
Disclosure Schedule, no employee or former employee of the Company will be
entitled to additional compensation or to the early vesting or acceleration of
payment of any compensation that arises out of or are related to the
consummation of the Merger and the transactions contemplated thereby.

         Section 3.22 Proprietary Rights.

         (a) Section 3.22 of the Disclosure Schedule (the "Intellectual Property
Disclosure Schedule") sets forth a complete and accurate list of all patents and
applications for patents, trademarks, trade names, service marks and copyrights,
and applications therefor, owned or used by the Company or in which it or any
Subsidiary has any rights or licenses. The Intellectual Property Disclosure
Schedule specifies, as applicable: (i) the title of the patents, service marks,
trademarks and trade names and title of each application therefor; (ii) the
jurisdiction by or in which such patent, trademark, trade name, service mark or
copyright has been issued or registered or in which an application has been
filed, including the registration or application number and includes (iii)
material licenses, sublicenses and similar agreements to which the Company or
any Subsidiary is a party or pursuant to which any other party is authorized to
use any Proprietary Rights (as defined below) amended by the Company or any
Subsidiary. The Company has provided Parent with copies of all agreements by
which any officer, employee or consultant of the Company has assigned or
conveyed to the Company title and ownership to patents, patent applications,
trade secrets, and inventions developed or used by the Company or any Subsidiary
in its business. All of such agreements are valid, enforceable and legally
binding, subject to the effect or availability of rules of law governing
specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies (regardless
of whether any such remedy is considered in a proceeding at law or in equity).

         (b) The Company and each Subsidiary owns or possesses or has the right
to obtain valid and enforceable licenses or other rights to all patents, patent
applications, supplementary protection certificates and patent extensions,
trademarks, trademark applications, trade secrets, service marks and service
mark registrations and applications, trade names, copyrights, inventions,
business name registrations, drawings, designs, and proprietary know-how or
information, or other rights with respect thereto (collectively referred to as
"Proprietary Rights"), used or currently proposed to be used in the business of
the Company or such Subsidiary, as the case may be, and the same are all of the
Proprietary Rights necessary to conduct the Company's or such Subsidiary's
business as it has been and is now being conducted or as it is currently
proposed to be conducted. The Company or such Subsidiary, as the case may be,
has the rights to use, sell, license, sublicense, assign, transfer, convey or
dispose of such Proprietary Rights and the products, processes and materials
covered thereby.

         (c) To the knowledge of the Company, the operations of the Company and
its Subsidiaries do not conflict with or infringe, and no one has asserted to
the Company that such operations conflict with or infringe, any material
Proprietary Rights, owned, possessed or used

                                       21
<PAGE>   26
by any third party. There are no claims, disputes, actions, proceedings, suits
or appeals pending against the Company and its Subsidiaries with respect to any
Proprietary Rights owned by the Company or any Subsidiary, and to the knowledge
of the Company, none has been threatened against the Company and its
Subsidiaries. To the knowledge of the Company, there are no facts or alleged
facts which would reasonably serve as a basis for any claim that the Company or
any Subsidiary does not have the right to use and to transfer the right to use,
free of any rights or claims of others, all Proprietary Rights in the
development, manufacture, use, sale or other disposition of any or all products
or services presently being used, furnished or sold in the conduct of the
business of the Company or such Subsidiary as it has been and is now being
conducted. The Proprietary Rights referred to in the preceding sentence are free
of any unresolved ownership disputes with respect to any third party and to the
best knowledge of the Company there is no unauthorized use, infringement or
misappropriation of any of such Proprietary Rights by any third party, including
any employee or former employee of the Company or any Subsidiary nor, is there
any breach of any license, sublicense or other agreement authorizing another
party to use such Proprietary Rights. The Company has not nor has any Subsidiary
entered into any agreement granting any third party the right to bring
infringement actions with respect to, or otherwise to enforce rights with
respect to, any Proprietary Right.

         (d) The Intellectual Property Disclosure Schedule contains a complete
and accurate list of any proceedings before any patent or trademark authority to
which the Company or a Subsidiary is a party, a description of the subject
matter of each proceeding, and the current status of each proceeding, including,
without limitation, interferences, priority contests, opposition, and protests.
Such list includes any pending applications for reissue or reexamination of a
patent. The Company or a Subsidiary has the exclusive right to file, prosecute
and maintain any such applications for patents, copyrights or trademarks and the
patents and registrations that issue therefrom.

         (e) All registrations and filings relating to Proprietary Rights are in
good standing. All maintenance and renewal fees necessary to preserve the rights
of the Company and its Subsidiaries in respect of Proprietary Rights have been
made. The registrations and filings relating to Proprietary Rights are
proceeding and there are no facts of which the Company and its Subsidiaries have
knowledge which could significantly undermine those registrations or filings or
reduce to a significant extent the scope of protection of any patents arising
from such applications beyond that which ordinarily might occur in a patent
prosecution proceeding.

         (f) All patents and registered trademarks, service marks, and other the
Company product or service identifiers and registered copyrights held by the
Company and its Subsidiaries are valid and enforceable.

         (g) The Company is not, and will not be as a result of the execution,
delivery or performance of this Agreement or the consummation of the Merger or
the other transactions contemplated hereby in breach, violation or default of
any third party Proprietary Rights. The rights of the Company to the Proprietary
Rights will not be affected by the execution, delivery or performance of this
Agreement or the consummation of the Merger or the other transactions
contemplated hereby.

                                       22
<PAGE>   27
         (h) The Company and each Subsidiary have taken all other measures it
deems reasonable and appropriate to maintain the confidentiality of the
Proprietary Rights used or proposed to be used in the conduct of its business
the value of which to the Company and its Subsidiaries is contingent upon
maintenance of the confidentiality thereof.

         (i) The Company and each Subsidiary have secured valid written
assignments from all consultants and employees who contributed to the creation
or development of the Company's or such Subsidiary's Proprietary Rights of the
rights to such contributions that the Company or such Subsidiary does not
already own by operation of law.

         (j) Each employee and officer of and consultant to the Company and each
Subsidiary has executed a proprietary information and inventions agreement or
other nondisclosure agreement and either a non competition agreement or a key
employee agreement in the forms provided to Parent. No employee or officer of or
consultant to the Company is in violation of any term of any employment
contract, proprietary information and inventions agreement, non competition
agreement, or any other contract or agreement relating to the relationship of
any such employee or consultant with the Company or any previous employer.

         Section 3.23 Insurance. The Company has provided Parent with copies of
all insurance policies to which the Company or a Subsidiary is a party or is a
beneficiary or named insured. All of the insurable properties of the Company and
its Subsidiaries are insured, pursuant to insurance policies and all such
insurance policies are in full force and effect. There have been no claims in
excess of $25,000 asserted under any of the insurance policies of the Company or
its Subsidiaries in respect of all general liability, professional liability,
errors and omissions, property liability and worker's compensation and medical
claims since the Company's incorporation.

         Section 3.24 No Misleading Statements. No representation or warranty
made herein, in the Disclosure Schedule or in the Appendices, Schedules and
Exhibits attached hereto or any certificate furnished or to be furnished to
Parent pursuant hereto or in connection with the transactions contemplated
hereby (when read together) contains any untrue statement of a material fact or
omits a material fact necessary in order to make the statements contained herein
or therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not
misleading. The Company has disclosed to Parent all material information of
which it is aware relating specifically to the operations and business of the
Company as of the date of this Agreement or relating to the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement.

         Section 3.25 Opinion of Financial Advisor. The Company has received the
opinion of Gerard Klauer Mattison to the effect that, as of the date of such
opinion, the Exchange Ratio is fair from a financial point of view to the
holders of Company Shares (other than Parent or any of its Subsidiaries or
affiliates), and, as of the date hereof, such opinion has not been withdrawn.

         Section 3.26 Tax Treatment. Neither the Company nor any of its
affiliates has taken or agreed to take any action or is aware of any fact or
circumstance that would prevent the Merger from qualifying as a reorganization
within the meaning of section 368 of the Code (a "368 Reorganization").

                                       23
<PAGE>   28
         Section 3.27 Takeover Statutes. The Board of Directors of the Company
has taken the necessary action to make inapplicable Section 203 of the Delaware
Law and any other applicable antitakeover or similar statute or regulation to
this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby.

         Section 3.28 Stockholder Rights Plan. The Board of Directors of the
Company has resolved to, and the Company promptly after execution of this
Agreement will, take all action necessary to render the rights issued pursuant
to the terms of the Company Rights Agreement inapplicable to the Merger, this
Agreement, and the other transactions contemplated hereby.

         Section 3.29 Transactions with Affiliates. Except as set forth in the
Company SEC Documents, since the date of the Company's last proxy statement
filed with the SEC, no event has occurred that would be required to be reported
by the Company, pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC.

                                   Article 4

                    Representations and Warranties of Parent

         Except as disclosed in a letter delivered by Parent to the Company
immediately prior to the execution of this Agreement and signed by a duly
authorized officer of Parent (the "Parent Disclosure Letter"), Parent represents
and warrants to the Company as follows (provided, that the following
representations and warranties relating to Merger Subsidiary shall instead be
made as of such time as Merger Subsidiary becomes a party hereto):

         Section 4.1 Organization and Qualification. Each of Parent and Merger
Subsidiary is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good
standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has all requisite corporate
power and authority to own, lease and operate its respective properties and to
carry on its business as now being conducted.

         Each of Parent and Merger Subsidiary is qualified to do business as a
foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of each state or
other jurisdiction in which the nature of its business requires such
qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing
which, taken together with all other such failures, would not have a Material
Adverse Effect on Parent.

         Since the date of its incorporation, Merger Subsidiary has not engaged
in any activities other than in connection with or as contemplated by this
Agreement. Parent has made available to the Company true and complete copies of
Parent's and Merger Subsidiary's certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as
amended to the date hereof. All of the issued and outstanding capital stock of
Merger Subsidiary is owned by Parent.

         Section 4.2 Capitalization. The authorized capital stock of Parent
consists of 175,000,000 shares of Parent Common Stock and 5,000,000 shares of
preferred stock, $.0001 par value per share ("Parent Preferred"), of which
500,000 shares have been designated Series A Participating Preferred Stock
("Parent Series A Preferred"). As of January 30, 2001, (a) 93,054,332 shares of
Parent Common Stock were issued and outstanding, (b) 23,222,817 shares of Parent
Common Stock were reserved for issuance pursuant to Parent's stock option plans,


                                       24
<PAGE>   29
stock option agreements and employee stock purchase plan, of which 20,431,187
shares are subject to outstanding stock options, (c) 2,000,000 shares of Parent
Common Stock were reserved for issuance pursuant to an outstanding warrant, and
(d) 5,385,015 shares of Parent Common Stock were reserved for issuance upon
conversion of Parent's 5-3/4% Convertible Subordinated Notes due 2003. As of the
date of this Agreement, no shares of Parent Preferred are outstanding, and
500,000 shares of Parent Series A Preferred are reserved for issuance pursuant
to the Rights Agreement dated as of May 14, 1997 between Parent and The First
National Bank of Boston, as Rights Agent.

         Section 4.3 Authority. Each of Parent and Merger Subsidiary has full
corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and, subject
to the requisite approval of its stockholders, to consummate the transactions
contemplated hereby. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly and validly
authorized and approved by the respective Boards of Directors of Parent and
Merger Subsidiary, and no other corporate proceedings are necessary to authorize
this Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby. This
Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by Parent and Merger
Subsidiary and, assuming this Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding
agreement of the other parties hereto, it constitutes a legal, valid and binding
agreement of Parent, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except
(a) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium
and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors' rights
generally and (b) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific
performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies.

         Section 4.4 Governmental Authorization. The execution, delivery and
performance by Parent and Merger Subsidiary of this Agreement and the
consummation of the Merger by Parent and Merger Subsidiary require no consent
of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency, official or authority other
than (a) the filing of a certificate of merger in accordance with Delaware Law,
(b) compliance with any applicable requirements of the HSR Act, (c) compliance
with any applicable requirements of the Exchange Act, (d) compliance with any
applicable requirements of the 1933 Act and state securities laws, and (e) other
actions or filings which if not taken or made would not, individually or in the
aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

         Section 4.5 Non-Contravention. 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 hereby do not and will
not (a) assuming compliance with the matters referred to in Section 4.3,
contravene or conflict with the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of Parent
or Merger Subsidiary, (b) assuming compliance with the matters referred to in
Section 4.4, contravene or conflict with or constitute a violation of any
provision of any law, regulation, judgment, injunction, order or decree binding
upon or applicable to Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, (c) constitute a
default under or give rise to a right of termination, cancellation or
acceleration of any right or obligation of Parent or any of its Subsidiaries or
to a loss of any benefit to which Parent or any of its Subsidiaries is entitled
under any provision of any agreement, contract or other instrument binding upon
Parent or any of its Subsidiaries or any license, franchise, permit or other
similar authorization held by Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, or (d) result
in the creation or imposition of any Lien on any asset of Parent or any of its
Subsidiaries, except for such contraventions, conflicts or violations referred
to in

                                       25
<PAGE>   30
clause (b) or defaults, rights of termination, cancellation or acceleration, or
losses or Liens referred to in clause (c) or (d) that would not, individually or
in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as disclosed in the
Parent Disclosure Letter, neither Parent nor any Subsidiary of Parent is a party
to any agreement that expressly limits the ability of Parent or any Subsidiary
of Parent to compete in or conduct any line of business or compete with any
Person or in any geographic area or during any period of time except to the
extent that any such limitation, individually or in the aggregate, would not be
reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect after the Effective Time.

        Section 4.6     SEC Filings.

        (a)     Parent has made available to the Company (i) its annual reports
on Form 10-K for its fiscal years ended December 31, 1997, 1998 and 1999, (ii)
its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for its quarter ended September 30, 2000,
(iii) its proxy or information statements relating to meetings of, or actions
taken without a meeting by, the stockholders of Parent held since December 31,
1999 and (iv) all of its other reports, statements, schedules and registration
statements filed with the SEC since December 31, 1999 (the documents referred to
in this Section 4.6(a) being referred to collectively as the "PARENT SEC
DOCUMENTS"). Parent's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for its fiscal quarter ended
September 30, 2000 is referred to herein as the "PARENT 10-Q."

        (b)     As of its filing date, each Parent SEC Document complied as to
form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Exchange
Act and the 1933 Act.

        (c)     As of its filing date, each Parent SEC Document filed pursuant
to the Exchange Act did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made
therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.

        (d)     Each such registration statement, as amended or supplemented, if
applicable, filed pursuant to the 1933 Act as of the date such statement or
amendment became effective did not contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

        Section 4.7     Financial Statements. The audited consolidated financial
statements and unaudited consolidated interim financial statements of Parent
(including any related notes and schedules) included in its annual reports on
Form 10-K and the quarterly report on Form 10-Q referred to in Section 4.6
fairly present, in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent basis (except as
may be indicated in the notes thereto), the consolidated financial position of
Parent and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of the dates thereof and their
consolidated results of operations and changes in financial position for the
periods then ended (subject to normal year-end adjustments and the absence of
notes in the case of any unaudited interim financial statements). For purposes
of this Agreement, "PARENT BALANCE SHEET" means the consolidated balance sheet
of Parent as of September 30, 2000 set forth in Parent 10-Q and "PARENT BALANCE
SHEET DATE" means September 30, 2000.


                                       26
<PAGE>   31
        Section 4.8     Disclosure Documents.

        (a)     The Proxy Statement/Prospectus to be filed with the SEC in
connection with the Merger and the Form S-4 to be filed under the 1933 Act
relating to the issuance of Parent Common Stock in the Merger, and any
amendments or supplements thereto, will, when filed, subject to the last
sentence of Section 4.8(b), comply as to form in all material respects with the
requirements of the Exchange Act and the 1933 Act.

        (b)     Neither the Proxy Statement/Prospectus to be filed with the SEC,
nor any amendment or supplement thereto, will, at the date the Proxy
Statement/Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement is first mailed to
stockholders of Parent or at the time such stockholders vote on the adoption and
approval of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, contain any
untrue statement of a material fact or 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. Neither the Form S-4 nor any amendment or
supplement thereto will at the time it becomes effective under the 1933 Act or
at the Effective Time 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 not misleading. No representation or warranty is made by
Parent in this Section 4.8 with respect to statements made or incorporated by
reference therein based on information supplied by the Company for inclusion or
incorporation by reference in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus or the Form S-4.

        Section 4.9     Absence of Certain Changes. Except as and to the extent
disclosed in Parent's SEC Filings filed prior to the date hereof, since the date
of the most recent consolidated balance sheet included in Parent's SEC Filings
filed prior to the date hereof, there has not been (a) any event, occurrence or
development of a state of circumstances or facts that, individually or in the
aggregate, has had or would be reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse
Effect on Parent and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (b) any amendment or
change in Parent's Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws.

        Section 4.10     Shares of Parent Common Stock. The shares of Parent
Common Stock to be issued pursuant to the Merger will, when issued and delivered
and the shares of Parent Common Stock to be issued pursuant to Company Stock
Options and Company Warrants will, when issued and delivered to the holders
thereof on payment of the consideration provided for therein, be duly
authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

        Section 4.11     Finders' or Advisors' Fees. There is no investment
banker, broker, finder or other intermediary which has been retained by or is
authorized to act on behalf of Parent or any of its Subsidiaries who might be
entitled to any fee or commission in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement.

                                   ARTICLE 5

                       CONDUCT PRIOR TO THE EFFECTIVE TIME

        Section 5.1     Conduct of Business of the Company. During the period
from the date of this Agreement and continuing until the earlier of the
termination of this Agreement and the


                                       27
<PAGE>   32
Effective Time, the Company agrees (except as contemplated by this Agreement or
to the extent that Parent shall otherwise consent in writing) to carry on its
business in the usual, regular and ordinary course in substantially the same
manner as heretofore conducted, to pay its debts and Taxes when due, to pay or
perform other obligations when due, and, to the extent consistent with such
business, to use all commercially reasonable efforts consistent with past
practice and policies to preserve intact its present business organization, keep
available the services of its present officers, key employees and independent
contractors, and preserve its relationships with customers, suppliers,
distributors, licensors, licensees, and others having business dealings with it,
all with the goal of preserving unimpaired its goodwill and ongoing businesses
at the Effective Time.

        Following the date of this Agreement, the Company shall promptly notify
Parent of any materially negative event related to the Company or the business
of the Company. Without limiting the foregoing, except as expressly contemplated
by this Agreement, the Company shall not, without the prior written consent of
Parent:

        (a)     Enter into any material commitment or transaction not in the
ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;

        (b)     Transfer to any Person or entity any material Proprietary
Rights, other than pursuant to licenses in the ordinary course of business;

        (c)     Enter into any material agreements (or material amendments
thereto) pursuant to which any unrelated third party is granted marketing,
distribution or similar rights of any type or scope with respect to any products
of the Company other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with
past practice;

        (d)     Amend or otherwise modify, except in the ordinary course of
business, or violate the material terms of, any of the agreements set forth or
described in the Company SEC Documents;

        (e)     Commence any material litigation;

        (f)     Declare, set aside or pay any dividends on or make any other
distributions (whether in cash, stock or property) in respect of any of its
capital stock, or split, combine or reclassify any of its capital stock or issue
or authorize the issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or
in substitution for shares of its capital stock or other equity interests, or
repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any shares of
its capital stock (or options, warrants or other rights exercisable therefor),
except pursuant to purchase rights under agreements with employees and
consultants;

        (g)     Except for the issuance of Company Shares upon exercise of
presently outstanding Company Options (as to which the Company shall deduct and
withhold such amounts as it is required to deduct and withhold under any
provision of federal, state, local or foreign tax law) or upon conversion of
outstanding Company Preferred Stock, issue, grant, deliver or sell or authorize
or propose the issuance, grant, delivery or sale of, or purchase or propose the
purchase of, any voting debt or any shares of its capital stock or securities
convertible into, or subscriptions, rights, warrants or options to acquire, or
other agreements or


                                       28
<PAGE>   33
commitments of any character obligating it to issue any such shares or other
convertible securities;

        (h)     Cause or permit any amendments to its Certificate or Bylaws (or
other charter documents);

        (i)     Acquire or agree to acquire any assets in excess of $25,000 in
the case of a single transaction, or acquire by merging or consolidating with or
by purchasing or by any other manner, any equity securities;

        (j)     Sell, lease, license or otherwise dispose of any of its
properties or assets, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with
past practice;

        (k)     Incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee any such
indebtedness or issue or sell any of its debt securities or guarantee any debt
securities of others;

        (l)     Grant any severance or termination pay (i) to any director or
officer or (ii) to any other employee other than pursuant to the existing
agreements of the Company;

        (m)     Adopt or amend any employee benefit plan, or enter into any
employment contract, extend employment offers to any Person whose aggregate
annual base salary would exceed $50,000, pay or agree to pay any special bonus
or special remuneration to any director or employee other than in connection
with normal annual bonus and salary adjustments for all non-officers and
directors upon consultation with Parent, or increase the salaries or wage rates
of its other employees, except as consistent with the ordinary course of
business consistent with past practice;

        (n)     Revalue any of its assets, including without limitation writing
down the value of inventory or writing off notes or accounts receivable, other
than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;

        (o)     Pay, discharge or satisfy, in an amount in excess of $10,000 (in
any one case) or $25,000 (in the aggregate), any claim, liability or obligation
(absolute, accrued, asserted or unasserted, contingent or otherwise), other than
the payment, discharge or satisfaction in the ordinary course of business of (i)
liabilities reflected or reserved against in the Financial Statements and that
are not in excess of $25,000 or (ii) liabilities that arose in the ordinary
course of business subsequent to the Balance Sheet Date and that are not in
excess of $25,000, or (iii) liabilities under contracts entered into in the
ordinary course of business, which payments are due in accordance with the terms
of such contracts and that are not in excess of $25,000; or (iv) expenses
consistent with the provisions of this Agreement incurred in connection with the
transactions contemplated hereby and that are not in excess of $25,000;

        (p)     Make or change any material election in respect of Taxes, adopt
or change any accounting method in respect of Taxes, enter into any closing
agreement, settle any claim or assessment in respect of Taxes, or consent to any
extension or waiver of the limitation period applicable to any claim or
assessment in respect of Taxes;


                                       29
<PAGE>   34
        (q)     Incur expenses in connection with the Merger, including, without
limitation, the preparation, execution and performance of this Agreement and the
transactions contemplated hereby, and all fees and expenses of investment
bankers, finders, brokers, agents, representatives, counsel and accountants, and
expenses incurred in connection with the Stockholder Meeting (as defined below),
the Form S-4 and the Proxy Statement/Prospectus in excess of $2.6 million,
provided, however, that the SEC filing fee, the mailing costs and the printing
costs incurred by the Company in connection with the Proxy Statement/Prospectus
shall not be included in such expense limitation; or

        (r)     Take, or agree in writing or otherwise to take, any of the
actions described in Section 5.1(a) through (q) above, or any other action that
would prevent the Company from performing or cause the Company not to perform
its covenants hereunder.

        Section 5.2     No Solicitation. The Company agrees that, from and after
the date of this Agreement until the earlier of the Termination Date and the
Effective Time, neither it nor any of its Subsidiaries nor any of the officers
or directors of it or its Subsidiaries, nor its or their employees, investment
bankers, attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, agents or other
representatives (collectively, "REPRESENTATIVES"), shall directly or indirectly,
initiate, encourage, solicit or otherwise induce any inquiries or the making of
a Company Acquisition Proposal (as defined below). The Company further agrees
that neither it nor any of its Subsidiaries nor any of its or its Subsidiaries'
officers or directors shall, and that it shall direct and use its best
reasonable efforts to cause its Representatives not to, directly or indirectly,
have any discussions with or provide any confidential information or data to any
Person relating to a Company Acquisition Proposal or engage in any negotiations
concerning a Company Acquisition Proposal, or otherwise facilitate any effort or
attempt to make or implement a Company Acquisition Proposal; provided, however,
that nothing contained in this Agreement shall prevent the Company or its Board
of Directors from (a) making any disclosure to its stockholders if, in the good
faith judgment of its Board of Directors, failure so to disclose would be
inconsistent with its obligations under applicable law; (b) negotiating with or
furnishing information to any Person who has made a bona fide written Company
Acquisition Proposal which did not result from a breach of this Section 5.2; or
(c) recommending such Company Acquisition Proposal to its stockholders, if and
only to the extent that, in the case of actions referred to in clause (b) or
clause (c), such Company Acquisition Proposal is a Superior Proposal (as defined
below) and Parent is given at least two (2) business days' written notice of the
identity of the third party and all material terms and conditions of the
Superior Proposal to respond to such Superior Proposal. The Company agrees that
it will, on the date hereof, immediately cease and cause to be terminated any
existing activities, discussions or negotiations with any Person conducted
heretofore with respect to any Company Acquisition Proposal. Nothing contained
in this Agreement shall prevent the Board of Directors of the Company from
complying with Rule 14d-9 and Rule 14e-2 promulgated under the Exchange Act with
regard to a Company Acquisition Proposal; provided that the Board of Directors
of the Company shall not recommend that the stockholders of the Company tender
their shares in connection with a tender offer except to the extent the Board of
Directors of the Company determines in its good faith judgment that such a
recommendation is required to comply with the fiduciary duties of the Board of
Directors of the Company to stockholders under applicable law, after receiving
the advice of outside legal counsel.


                                       30
<PAGE>   35
        For purposes of this Agreement, "COMPANY ACQUISITION PROPOSAL" shall
mean any offer or proposal (other than an offer or proposal by Parent) relating
to any transaction or series of related transactions involving: (a) any purchase
from the Company or acquisition by any Person or "group" (as defined under
section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder) of
more than a five percent (5%) interest in the total outstanding voting
securities of the Company or any tender offer or exchange offer that if
consummated would result in any person or "group" (as defined under section
13(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder) beneficially
owning five percent (5%) or more of the total outstanding voting securities of
the Company or any merger, consolidation, business combination or similar
transaction involving the Company; (b) any sale, lease (other than in the
ordinary course of business), exchange, transfer, license (other than in the
ordinary course of business), acquisition or disposition of more than five
percent (5%) of the assets of the Company; or (c) any liquidation or dissolution
of the Company. For purposes of this Agreement, a "SUPERIOR PROPOSAL" means, in
respect of the Company, an unsolicited, bona fide Company Acquisition Proposal
for or in respect of at least a majority of the outstanding Company Shares on
terms that the Board of Directors of the Company determines, in its good faith
judgment (based on consultation with its financial advisors) to be more
favorable to the Company's stockholders than the terms of the Merger, that is
not subject to a financing condition, and is from a Person that in the
reasonable judgment of the Company's Board of Directors (based on advice from a
nationally recognized investment bank, it being recognized for the purposes of
this Section 5.2 that Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co., Inc. is a nationally
recognized investment bank) is financially capable of consummating such
proposal.

                                   ARTICLE 6

                       COVENANTS OF PARENT AND THE COMPANY

        Section 6.1     Access to Information.

        (a)     From the date of this Agreement until the earlier of the
Termination Date and the Effective Time, each of the Company and Parent will
give the other party and their authorized representatives (including counsel,
environmental and other consultants, accountants and auditors) access during
normal business hours to all facilities, personnel and operations and to all
books and records of it and its Subsidiaries, will permit the other party to
make such inspections as it may reasonably require and will cause its officers
and those of its Subsidiaries to furnish the other party with such financial and
operating data and other information with respect to its business and properties
as such party may from time to time reasonably request.

        (b)     Each of the parties hereto will hold and will cause its
consultants and advisors to hold in strict confidence pursuant to the
Confidentiality Agreement dated January 3, 2001 between the parties (the
"CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT") all documents and information furnished to the
other in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement as if
each such consultant or advisor was a party thereto.


                                       31
<PAGE>   36
        Section 6.2     Registration Statement and Proxy Statement.

        (a)     Parent and the Company shall file with the SEC as soon as is
reasonably practicable after the date hereof the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and
Parent shall file the Registration Statement in which the Proxy
Statement/Prospectus shall be included. Parent and the Company shall use all
commercially reasonable efforts to have the Registration Statement declared
effective by the SEC as promptly as practicable. Parent shall also take any
action required to be taken under applicable state blue sky or securities laws
in connection with the issuance of shares of Parent Common Stock pursuant to
this Agreement. Parent and the Company shall promptly furnish to each other all
information, and take such other actions, as may reasonably be requested in
connection with any action by any of them in connection with this Section
6.2(a).

        (b)     If at any time prior to the Effective Time any event shall occur
which is required to be described in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus or Form S-4,
such event shall be so described, and an amendment or supplement shall be
promptly filed with the SEC and, as required by law, disseminated to the
stockholders of the Company; provided that no amendment or supplement to the
Proxy Statement/Prospectus or the Form S-4 will be made by Parent or the Company
without the approval of the other party. To the extent applicable, each of
Parent and the Company will advise the other, promptly after it receives notice
thereof, of the time when the Form S-4 has become effective or any supplement or
amendment has been filed, the issuance of any stop order, the suspension of the
qualification of the shares of Parent Common Stock issuable in connection with
the Merger for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or any request by the SEC
for amendment of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus or the Form S-4 or comments
thereon and responses thereto or requests by the SEC for additional information.

        (c)     Parent and the Company shall each use all commercially
reasonable efforts to cause to be delivered to the other a comfort letter of its
independent auditors, dated a date within two (2) business days of the effective
date of the Form S-4, in form reasonably satisfactory to the other party and
customary in scope and substance for such letters in connection with similar
registration statements.

        Section 6.3     Stockholder Meeting. The Company shall call a meeting of
its stockholders (the "STOCKHOLDER MEETING") to be held as promptly as
practicable in accordance with applicable law and the Company's certificate of
incorporation and bylaws for the purpose of voting upon the adoption and
approval of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby (the
"COMPANY STOCKHOLDER APPROVAL"). Except as otherwise required by the fiduciary
duties of its Board of Directors (as determined in good faith by such Board
following the receipt of advice of its outside legal counsel to such effect) and
in accordance with Section 5.2 of this Agreement, the Company will, (a) through
its Board of Directors, recommend to its stockholders the approval and adoption
of this Agreement and the Merger and (b) use commercially reasonable efforts to
obtain the foregoing approval of their stockholders. The Company shall use
commercially reasonable efforts to hold the Stockholder Meeting as soon as
practicable after the date on which the Form S-4 becomes effective.

        Section 6.4     Reasonable Efforts; Other Actions. Subject to the terms
and conditions herein provided and applicable law, the Company and Parent shall
use all commercially reason-


                                       32
<PAGE>   37
able efforts promptly to take, or cause to be taken, all other actions and do,
or cause to be done, all other things necessary, proper or appropriate under
applicable laws and regulations to consummate and make effective the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including, without limitation, (a)
if required, the filing of Notification and Report Forms under the HSR Act with
the Federal Trade Commission (the "FTC") and the Antitrust Division of the
Department of Justice (the "ANTITRUST DIVISION") and using their reasonable best
efforts to respond as promptly as practicable to all inquiries received from the
FTC or the Antitrust Division for additional information or documentation, (b)
the taking of any actions required to qualify the Merger as a 368
Reorganization, and (c) the lifting of any legal bar to the Merger. To that end,
the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause (a) Edward
Brachocki, Steven Maine and Chris Porter to enter into Employment Agreements and
Non Competition and Non Solicitation Agreements in forms reasonably satisfactory
to Parent and such individuals ("EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS"), (b) cause all
executive officers and each stockholder owning 5% or more of the Common Shares
to grant to Parent irrevocable proxies to vote all shares owned by such
executive officer or stockholder in favor of the Merger, and (c) cause the
parties to the agreements listed in Section 7.2(c) of the Disclosure Schedule to
deliver their consents, approvals or waivers, as appropriate, to the Merger and
the transactions contemplated hereby.

        Section 6.5     Public Announcements. Before issuing any press release
or otherwise making any public statements with respect to the Merger, Parent and
the Company will consult with each other as to its form and substance and shall
not issue any such press release or make any such public statement prior to such
consultation, except as may be required by law.

        Section 6.6     Notification of Certain Matters. Each of the Company and
Parent shall give prompt notice to the other party of (a) any notice of, or
other communication relating to, a breach of this Agreement or event which, with
notice or lapse of time or both, would become a breach, received by it or any of
its Subsidiaries subsequent to the date of this Agreement and prior to the
Effective Time, under any contract to which it or any of its Subsidiaries is a
party or it, any of its Subsidiaries or any of its or their respective
properties is subject, which breach would be reasonably likely to have a
Material Adverse Effect on it, or (b) any notice or other communication from any
third party alleging that the consent of such third party is or may be required
in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

        Section 6.7     Expenses. Except as set forth in Section 8.5, Parent and
the Company shall bear their respective expenses incurred in connection with the
Merger, including, without limitation, the preparation, execution and
performance of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, and all
fees and expenses of investment bankers, finders, brokers, agents,
representatives, counsel and accountants, except that expenses incurred in
printing, mailing and filing (including without limitation, SEC filing fees and
stock exchange listing application fees) the Form S-4 and the Proxy
Statement/Prospectus shall be shared equally by the Company and the Parent.

        Section 6.8     Affiliates. Section 6.8 of the Disclosure Schedule
contains a complete and accurate list of those persons who may be deemed to be,
in the Company's reasonable judgment, "affiliates" of the Company within the
meaning of Rule 145 promulgated under the Securities Act (each, a "COMPANY
AFFILIATE" and collectively, the "COMPANY AFFILIATES"). The Company shall
provide Parent with such information and documents as Parent reasonably requests
for


                                       33
<PAGE>   38
purposes of reviewing such list. The Company shall cause each person who is so
identified as an Affiliate to deliver to Parent, prior to the date of mailing of
the Proxy Statement/Prospectus to the Company's stockholders, a letter dated as
of the Closing Date substantially in the form attached as Exhibit A (the
"COMPANY AFFILIATES LETTER"). Parent shall be entitled to place appropriate
legends on the certificates evidencing any Parent Common Stock to be received by
a Company Affiliate pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, and to issue
appropriate stop transfer instructions to the transfer agent for the Parent
Common Stock, consistent with the terms of the Affiliate Agreements.

        Section 6.9     Company Employee Benefit Plans.

        (a)     Parent agrees that all employees of the Company and its
Subsidiaries who continue employment with Parent, the Surviving Corporation or
any Subsidiary of the Surviving Corporation after the Effective Time
("CONTINUING EMPLOYEES") shall be eligible to continue to participate in the
Surviving Corporation's health and welfare benefit plans in accordance with the
terms of those plans; provided, however, that (i) nothing in this Section 6.9 or
elsewhere in this Agreement shall limit the right of Parent or the Surviving
Corporation to amend or terminate any such health or welfare benefit at any
time, and (ii) if Parent or any Surviving Corporation terminates any such health
or welfare benefit plan, then (upon expiration of any appropriate transition
period), the Continuing Employees shall be eligible to participate in Parent's
health and welfare benefit plans, to substantially the same extent as similarly
situated employees of Parent. Nothing in this Section 6.9 or elsewhere in this
Agreement shall be construed to create a right in any employee to employment
with Parent, the Surviving Corporation or any other Subsidiary of Parent, and
the employment of each Continuing Employee shall be "at will" employment, if
permitted under applicable law.

        (b)     The Company agrees that it will take all necessary actions to
cause its 401(k) plan, or any other 401(k) plan that it sponsors or maintains
for the benefit of any of the Company employees, to be terminated, frozen and/or
modified prior to the Effective Time, or merged, as of or as soon as practicable
following the Effective Time into the appropriate qualified plan of Parent, as
determined by Parent in its sole discretion, provided that Parent shall provide,
as of the Effective Time, comparable benefits under any such 401(k) plan to each
employee of the Company as are provided to similarly situated employees of
Parent.

        Section 6.10     Indemnification.

        (a)     For a period of six (6) years after the Effective Time, Parent
agrees that it will indemnify, defend and hold harmless each present and former
director, officer, employee, agent and representative of the Company (when
acting in such capacity) determined as of the Effective Time (the "INDEMNIFIED
PARTIES"), against any costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees),
judgments, fines, losses, claims, damages or liabilities (collectively, "COSTS")
incurred in connection with any claim, action, suit, proceeding or
investigation, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, arising
out of matters existing or occurring at or prior to the Effective Time, whether
asserted or claimed prior to, at or after the Effective Time, to the fullest
extent that the Company would have been permitted under the DGCL and its
certificate of incorporation, bylaws and other agreements in effect on the date
hereof to indemnify such Person (and Parent shall also advance expenses as
incurred to the fullest extent permitted under


                                       34
<PAGE>   39
applicable law, the Company's certificate of incorporation, bylaws and such
other agreements in effect on the date hereof; provided, however, that the
Person to whom expenses are advanced provides an undertaking to repay such
advances if it is ultimately determined that such Person is not entitled to
indemnification).

        (b)     Any Indemnified Party wishing to claim indemnification under
paragraph (a) of this Section 6.10, upon learning of any such claim, action,
suit, proceeding or investigation, shall promptly notify Parent thereof. In the
event of any such claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation (whether
arising before or after the Effective Time), (i) Parent or the Surviving
Corporation shall have the right to assume the defense thereof and Parent shall
not be liable to such Indemnified Parties for any legal expenses of other
counsel or any other expenses subsequently incurred by such Indemnified Parties
in connection with the defense thereof, (ii) the Indemnified Parties will
cooperate in the defense of any such matter and (iii) Parent shall not be liable
for any settlement effected without its prior written consent; and provided,
further, that Parent shall not have any obligation hereunder to any Indemnified
Party if and when a court of competent jurisdiction shall ultimately determine,
and such determination shall have become final, that the indemnification of such
Indemnified Party in the manner contemplated hereby is prohibited by applicable
law.

        (c)     For a period of three (3) years after the Effective Time, Parent
shall cause to be maintained in effect the current policies of directors' and
officers' liability insurance maintained by the Company (provided that Parent
may substitute therefor policies of at least the same coverage and amounts
containing terms and conditions which are no less advantageous) with respect to
claims arising from facts or events which occurred before the Effective Time;
provided, however, that Parent shall not be obligated to make annual premium
payments for such insurance to the extent such premiums exceed two hundred
percent (200%) of the premiums paid as of the date hereof by the Company for
such insurance.

        (d)     The provisions of this Section are intended to be for the
benefit of, and shall be enforceable by, each of the Indemnified Parties and
their heirs and estates. Nothing in this Section shall limit in any way any
other rights to indemnification that any current or former director or officer
of the Company may have by contract or otherwise.

        Section 6.11     NNM Listing. If required by the NNM, Parent shall
promptly prepare and submit to The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. a listing
application or other notice covering the shares of Parent Common Stock issuable
in the Merger and upon exercise of the Company Stock Options, and shall use
commercially reasonable efforts to obtain, prior to the Effective Time, approval
(if required) for the listing of such Parent Common Stock, subject to official
notice of issuance.

        Section 6.12     Resignation of Officers and Directors. The Company
shall use all reasonable efforts to obtain and deliver to Parent on or prior to
the Closing the resignation of each officer and director of the Company and its
Subsidiaries.


                                       35
<PAGE>   40
                                   ARTICLE 7

                            CONDITIONS TO THE MERGER

        Section 7.1     Conditions to the Obligations of Each Party. The
obligations of the Company, Parent and Merger Subsidiary to consummate the
Merger are subject to the satisfaction (or, to the extent legally permissible,
waiver) at or prior to the Closing of the following conditions:

        (a)     this Agreement shall have been adopted by the stockholders of
the Company in accordance with Delaware Law;

        (b)     no provision of any applicable law or regulation and no
judgment, injunction, order or decree shall prohibit or enjoin the consummation
of the Merger;

        (c)     the Form S-4 shall have been declared effective under the 1933
Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Form S-4 shall be in
effect and no proceedings for such purpose shall be pending before or threatened
by the SEC; and

        (d)     the shares of Parent Common Stock to be issued in the Merger
shall have been approved for listing on the NNM, subject to official notice of
issuance, if required.

        Section 7.2     Conditions to the Obligations of Parent and Merger
Subsidiary. The obligations of Parent and Merger Subsidiary to consummate the
Merger are subject to the satisfaction (or, to the extent legally permissible,
waiver) of the following further conditions:

        (a)     (i) the Company shall have performed in all material respects
all of its obligations hereunder required to be performed by it at or prior to
the Effective Time, (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company
contained in this Agreement shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date
with the same force and effect as if made on the Closing Date (provided that any
such representation and warranty made as of a specific date shall be true and
correct as of such specific date), except for such inaccuracies that
individually or in the aggregate do not have a Material Adverse Effect on the
Company as of the Closing Date and except for changes contemplated by this
Agreement (it being understood that, for purposes of determining the accuracy of
such representations and warranties, all "Material Adverse Effect"
qualifications and other qualifications based on the word "material" or similar
phrases contained in such representations and warranties shall be disregarded,
and any update of or modification to the Disclosure Schedule made or proposed to
have been made after the execution of this Agreement shall be disregarded), and
(iii) Parent shall have received a certificate signed by the chief executive
officer of the Company to the foregoing effect;

        (b)     All necessary action shall have been taken to ensure that
neither the entering into of this Agreement nor the consummation of the Merger
will cause the common stock purchase rights issued pursuant to the Company
Rights Agreement to become exercisable, cause Parent to become an Acquiring
Person (as such term is defined in the Company Rights Agreement), or give rise
to a Distribution Date (as such term is defined in the Company Rights
Agreement);


                                       36
<PAGE>   41
        (c)     the parties shall have received all consents, waivers and
approvals required in connection with the consummation of the transactions
contemplated hereby in connection with the agreements, contracts, licenses or
leases set forth in Section 7.2(c) of the Disclosure Schedule;

        (d)     each of the Company Affiliates set forth in Section 6.8 of the
Disclosure Schedule shall have entered into the Company Affiliates Letter and
each of such agreements shall be in full force and effect as of the Effective
Time;

        (e)     the Company shall have provided to Parent the executed
resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Company and executed amendment to
any Company 401(k) Plan required pursuant to Section 6.9(b) hereof;

        (f)     each member of the Company's Board of Directors, including Roger
E. Hackett, shall have granted Parent an irrevocable proxy to vote all shares
owned by each member of the Company's Board of Directors in favor of the Merger;
and

        (g)     Roger E. Hackett shall have entered into an amendment to the
Separation Agreement by and between Roger E. Hackett and Sensory Science
Corporation (f.k.a. Go-Video, Inc.) dated as of August 2, 1993 (the "SEPARATION
AGREEMENT") to amend the terms of the non-competition portions of the Separation
Agreement to include the digital television market.

        Section 7.3     Conditions to the Obligations of the Company. The
obligation of the Company to consummate the Merger is subject to the
satisfaction (or, to the extent legally permissible, waiver) of the following
further conditions:

        (a)     (i) Parent shall have performed in all material respects all of
its obligations hereunder required to be performed by it at or prior to the
Effective Time, (ii) the representations and warranties of Parent contained in
this Agreement shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date with the same
force and effect as if made on the Closing Date (provided that any such
representation and warranty made as of a specific date shall be true and correct
as of such specific date), except for such inaccuracies that individually or in
the aggregate do not have a Material Adverse Effect on Parent as of the Closing
Date and except for changes contemplated by this Agreement (it being understood
that, for purposes of determining the accuracy of such representations and
warranties, all "Material Adverse Effect" qualifications and other
qualifications based on the word "material" or similar phrases contained in such
representations and warranties shall be disregarded, and any update of or
modification to the Parent Disclosure Letter made or proposed to have been made
after the execution of this Agreement shall be disregarded), and (iii) the
Company shall have received a certificate signed by the chief executive officer
of Parent to the foregoing effect; and

        (b)     the Company shall have received an opinion of Snell & Wilmer,
L.L.P. in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, on the
basis of certain facts, representations and assumptions set forth in such
opinion, dated the Effective Time, to the effect that the Merger will be treated
for federal income tax purposes as a reorganization qualifying under the
provisions of section 368(a) of the Code and that each of the Company, Merger
Subsidiary and Parent will be a party to the reorganization within the meaning
of section 368(b)


                                       37
<PAGE>   42
of the Code. In rendering such opinion, such counsel shall be entitled to rely
upon certain representations of officers of the Company and Parent reasonably
requested by counsel. If the opinion referred to in this Section 7.3(b) is not
delivered, such condition shall be deemed to be satisfied if the Parent shall
have received an opinion from Pillsbury Winthrop LLP or another law firm
selected by Parent and reasonably acceptable to the Company. The Company will
cooperate in obtaining such opinion, including, without limitation, making (and
requesting from affiliates) appropriate representations with respect to relevant
matters.

                                   ARTICLE 8

                                   TERMINATION

        Section 8.1     Termination. This Agreement may be terminated at any
time prior to the Effective Time, whether before or after approval by the
stockholders of the Company or Parent:

        (a)     by mutual consent of Parent and the Company;

        (b)     by either Parent or the Company if the Merger shall not have
been consummated on or before September 30, 2001 (the "END DATE"), which date
may be extended by mutual written consent of the parties hereto; provided,
however, that the right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 8.1(b)
shall not be available to any party prior to September 30, 2001 whose action or
failure to act has been a principal cause of or resulted in the failure of the
Merger to occur on or before such date and such action or failure to act
constitutes a material breach of this Agreement.

        (c)     by either Parent or the Company, if any court of competent
jurisdiction in the United States or other governmental body in the United
States shall have issued an order (other than a temporary restraining order),
decree or ruling or taken any other action restraining, enjoining or otherwise
prohibiting the Merger, and such order, decree, ruling or other action shall
have become final and nonappealable; provided that the party seeking to
terminate this Agreement shall have used all commercially reasonable efforts to
avoid, remove or lift such order, decree or ruling; or

        (d)     by either Parent or the Company, if the Company Stockholder
Approval is not obtained at the meeting of stockholders duly called and held
therefor; provided, however, that the right to terminate this Agreement under
this Section 8.1(d) shall not be available to the Company where the failure to
obtain Company Stockholder Approval shall have been caused by the action or
failure to act of the Company and such action or failure to act constitutes a
material breach by the Company of this Agreement.

        Section 8.2     Termination by Parent. This Agreement may be terminated
by action of the Board of Directors of Parent, at any time prior to the
Effective Time, before or after the approval by the stockholders of Parent or
the Company, if (a) the Company shall have failed to comply in any material
respect with any of the covenants or agreements contained in Articles 1, 5 and 6
of this Agreement to be complied with or performed by the Company at or prior to
such date of termination; provided, however, that if such failure to comply is
capable of being cured prior to the End Date, such failure shall not have been
cured within thirty (30) days of delivery to


                                       38
<PAGE>   43
the Company of written notice of such failure, (b) there exists a breach or
breaches of any representation or warranty of the Company contained in this
Agreement such that the closing condition set forth in Section 7.2(a) would not
be satisfied; provided, however, that if such breach or breaches are capable of
being cured prior to the End Date, such breaches shall not have been cured
within thirty (30) days of delivery to the Company of written notice of such
breach or breaches, or (c) a Company Triggering Event (as defined below) shall
have occurred.

        For the purposes of this Agreement, a "COMPANY TRIGGERING EVENT" shall
be deemed to have occurred if: (a) the Board of Directors of the Company or any
committee thereof shall for any reason have withdrawn or shall have amended or
modified in a manner adverse to Parent its recommendation in favor of, the
adoption and approval of the Agreement or the approval of the Merger; (b) the
Company shall have failed to include in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus the
recommendation of the Board of Directors of the Company in favor of the adoption
and approval of the Agreement and the approval of the Merger; (c) the Board of
Directors of the Company or any committee thereof shall have approved or
recommended any Superior Proposal with respect to the Company; or (d) a tender
or exchange offer relating to securities of the Company shall have been
commenced by a Person unaffiliated with Parent and the Company shall not have
sent to its securityholders pursuant to Rule 14e-2 promulgated under the
Exchange Act, within ten (10) business days after such tender or exchange offer
is first published, sent or given, a statement disclosing that the Company
recommends rejection of such tender or exchange offer.

        Section 8.3     Termination by the Company. This Agreement may be
terminated at any time prior to the Effective Time, before or after the approval
by the stockholders of Parent or the Company, by action of the Board of
Directors of the Company, if (a) Parent shall have failed to comply in any
material respect with any of the covenants or agreements contained in Articles 1
and 6 of this Agreement to be complied with or performed by Parent at or prior
to such date of termination; provided, however, that if such failure to comply
is capable of being cured prior to the End Date, such failure shall not have
been cured within thirty (30) days of delivery to Parent of written notice of
such failure, (b) there exists a breach or breaches of any representation or
warranty of Parent contained in this Agreement such that the closing condition
set forth in Section 7.3(a) would not be satisfied; provided, however, that if
such breach or breaches are capable of being cured prior to the End Date, such
breaches shall not have been cured within thirty (30) days of delivery to Parent
of written notice of such breach or breaches, or (c)(i) the Board of Directors
of the Company authorizes the Company, subject to complying with the terms of
this Agreement, to enter into a binding written agreement concerning a
transaction that constitutes a Superior Proposal with respect to the Company and
the Company notifies Parent in writing in accordance with Section 5.2 that it
intends to enter into such an agreement, attaching the most current version of
such agreement (or a description of all material terms and conditions thereof)
to such notice and (ii) the Company upon such termination pursuant to this
clause (c) pays to Parent in immediately available funds the fees required to be
paid pursuant to Section 8.5.

        Section 8.4     Procedure for Termination. In the event of termination
by Parent or the Company pursuant to this Article 8, written notice thereof
shall forthwith be given to the other.


                                       39
<PAGE>   44
        Section 8.5     Effect of Termination.

        (a)     In the event of termination of this Agreement pursuant to this
Article 8, no party hereto (or any of its directors or officers) shall have any
liability or further obligation to any other party to this Agreement, except as
provided in this Section 8.5 and Section 6.1(b) hereof.

        (b)     If

                (i)     the Company shall terminate this Agreement pursuant to
        Section 8.3(c);

                (ii)    Parent shall terminate this Agreement pursuant to
        Section 8.2(c), unless at the time of such Company Triggering Event, any
        of the conditions set forth in Section 7.3(a) would not have been
        satisfied as of such date and would not be reasonably capable of being
        satisfied; or

                (iii)   either the Company or Parent shall terminate this
        Agreement pursuant to Section 8.1(d) in circumstances where the Company
        Stockholder Approval was not been obtained at the Stockholder Meeting
        and prior to the Stockholder Meeting a Company Acquisition Proposal was
        made by any Person and within twelve (12) months after termination of
        this Agreement the Company consummates a Company Acquisition or enters
        into a definitive agreement with respect to such Company Acquisition
        Proposal that provides for a Company Acquisition;

then in any case as described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) the Company shall pay
to Parent (by wire transfer of immediately available funds not later than the
date of termination of this Agreement or, in the case of clause (iii), the date
of such definitive agreement) an amount equal to $404,000. For purposes of this
Agreement, the term "COMPANY ACQUISITION" shall mean (i) a merger,
consolidation, business combination, recapitalization, liquidation, dissolution
or similar transaction involving the Company pursuant to which the stockholders
of the Company immediately preceding such transaction hold less than fifty
percent (50%) of the aggregate equity interests in the surviving or resulting
entity of such transaction, (ii) a sale or other disposition by the Company of
assets representing in excess of fifty percent (50%) of the aggregate fair
market value of the Company's business immediately prior to such sale, or (iii)
the acquisition by any person or group (including by way of a tender offer or an
exchange offer or issuance by the Company), directly or indirectly, of
beneficial ownership or a right to acquire beneficial ownership of shares
representing in excess of fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of the then
outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company.

                                   ARTICLE 9

                                  MISCELLANEOUS

        Section 9.1     Notices. Any notice, request, instruction or other
document to be given hereunder by any party to the other shall be in writing and
delivered personally or sent by certified mail, postage prepaid, by telecopy
(with receipt confirmed and promptly confirmed by personal delivery, U.S. first
class mail, or courier), or by courier service, as follows:


                                       40
<PAGE>   45
        (a)     If to Parent or Merger Subsidiary to:

                SONICblue Incorporated
                2841 Mission College Blvd.
                Santa Clara, CA 95054
                Attn:  Chief Executive Officer
                Telecopier:  (408) 980-5429

        with a copy to:

                Pillsbury Winthrop LLP
                2550 Hanover Street
                Palo Alto, CA 94304
                Attn:  Jorge A. del Calvo
                Telecopier:  (650) 233-4545

        (b)     If to the Company to:

                Sensory Science Corporation
                7835 East McClain Drive
                Scottsdale, AZ 85260
                Attn:  Chief Executive Officer
                Telecopier: (480) 951-4404

        with a copy to:

                Kramer & Kramer LLP
                708 3rd Avenue, 15th Floor
                New York, NY 10017
                Attn:  Darryl Kramer
                Telecopier:  (212) 983-0028

        and to:

                Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P.
                One Arizona Center
                Phoenix, AZ 85004
                Attn:  Jon Cohen
                Telecopier:  (602) 382-6070

        Section 9.2     Non-Survival of Representations and Warranties. The
representations and warranties contained herein and in any certificate or other
writing delivered pursuant hereto shall not survive the Effective Time or the
termination of this Agreement.

        Section 9.3     Amendments; No Waivers.

        (a)     Any provision of this Agreement (including the Exhibits and
Schedules hereto) may be amended or waived prior to the Effective Time if, and
only if, such amendment or waiver


                                       41
<PAGE>   46
is in writing and signed, in the case of an amendment, by the Company, Parent
and Merger Subsidiary, or in the case of a waiver, by the party against whom the
waiver is to be effective; provided that after the adoption of this Agreement by
the stockholders of the Company, no such amendment or waiver shall, without the
further approval of such stockholders, alter or change (i) the amount or kind of
consideration to be received in exchange for any shares of capital stock of the
Company, (ii) any term of the certificate of incorporation of the Surviving
Corporation or (iii) any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement if such
alteration or change would adversely affect the holders of any shares of capital
stock of the Company.

        (b)     No failure or delay by any 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.

        Section 9.4     Successors and Assigns. The provisions of this Agreement
shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their
respective successors and assigns; provided that no party may assign, delegate
or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement
without the consent of the other parties hereto except that Merger Subsidiary
may transfer or assign, in whole or from time to time in part, to one or more of
its affiliates, its rights under this Agreement, but any such transfer or
assignment will not relieve Merger Subsidiary of its obligations hereunder.

        Section 9.5     Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed in
accordance with and governed by the law of the State of Delaware, without regard
to principles of conflicts of law.

        Section 9.6     Jurisdiction. Any suit, action or proceeding seeking to
enforce any provision of, or based on any matter arising out of or in connection
with, this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby shall be brought
exclusively in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, and each of the
parties hereby consents to the jurisdiction of such court (and of the
appropriate appellate courts therefrom) in any such suit, action or proceeding
and irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection
which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of the venue of any such suit,
action or proceeding in any such court or that any such suit, action or
proceeding which is brought in any such court has been brought in an
inconvenient forum. Process in any such suit, action or proceeding may be served
on any party anywhere in the world, whether within or without the jurisdiction
of any such court. Without limiting the foregoing, each party agrees that
service of process on such party as provided in this Section 9.6 shall be deemed
effective service of process on such party.

        Section 9.7     Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY
IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING
ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED
HEREBY.

        Section 9.8     Counterparts; Effectiveness. This Agreement may be
signed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with
the same effect as if the


                                       42
<PAGE>   47
signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. This Agreement
shall become effective when each party hereto shall have received counterparts
hereof signed by all of the other parties hereto.

        Section 9.9     Entire Agreement. This Agreement (including the Exhibits
and Schedules hereto) and the Confidentiality Agreement constitute the entire
agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter of this
Agreement and supersede all prior agreements and understandings, both oral and
written, between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and
thereof. Except as provided in Section 6.10(d), no provision of this Agreement
or any other agreement contemplated hereby is intended to confer on any Person
other than the parties hereto any rights or remedies.

        Section 9.10     Captions. The captions herein are included for
convenience of reference only and shall be ignored in the construction or
interpretation hereof.

        Section 9.11     Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or
restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or
other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the
terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in
full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated
so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated
hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any party. Upon such
a determination, the parties shall negotiate in good faith to modify this
Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as
possible in an acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated
hereby be consummated as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

                  [Remainder of page intentionally left blank]


                                       43
<PAGE>   48
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed, all
                      as of the date first above written.

                                    SONICBLUE INCORPORATED



                                    By /s/ Kenneth F. Potashner
                                    ____________________________________________
                                               Kenneth F. Potashner
                                      President and Chief Executive Officer


                                    SENSORY SCIENCE CORPORATION



                                    By /s/ Roger B. Hackett
                                    ____________________________________________
                                                 Roger B. Hackett
                                      President and Chief Executive Officer


                                    PHOENIX ACQUISITION CORP.



                                    By /s/ Kenneth F. Potashner
                                    ____________________________________________
                                               Kenneth F. Potashner
                                      President and Chief Executive Officer


                                       44