News release

 Zi Corporation


Samsung signs with Zi Corporation

The world's fourth largest mobile phone manufacturer chooses eZiText™

Calgary, AB (February 20, 2001) - Zi Corporation (NASDAQ: ZICA) (TSE: ZIC) has signed a licensing agreement with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world's fourth largest mobile phone manufacturer and the top producer of CDMA products. Zi has now licensed its eZiText™ technology to Korea's top three mobile phone manufacturers.

"Samsung has always been interested in providing products with easier and friendlier user interface for text input," said Dale Sohn, senior manager, Corporate Planning Team, Samsung Electronics. "We expect that eZiText™ will help enhance the competitiveness of our products by providing an effective connection to third generation offerings."

The agreement will see Zi's eZiText™ software implemented throughout Samsung's mobile handsets.

"Samsung is known for revolutionizing the mobile phone industry with innovative designs and progressive software solutions," says Gary Kovacs, president, Zi Corporation. "Samsung's choice to have eZiText™ as its new text-entry solution is evidence of the superior interface offered by Zi's technology."

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., plays an important role in telecommunications, providing a wide variety of products and services, developing and manufacturing infrastructure systems for wireless and fixed networks as well as CDMA, GSM and PCS HHP. It also provides optical fibers and access networks that would be the core of the information super highway. CDMA systems and terminals that Samsung developed and started servicing commercially since 1995, have won high recognition worldwide for China, USA, Hong Kong, Russia, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Samsung's vision for this century is to continue to expand its leadership in the global communications market through its success in CDMA/GSM Mobile Systems and terminals and 3G total solution.

Zi Corporation is a market-driven technology company focused on developing and delivering intelligent interface solutions and services for the wireless and consumer electronics sectors. The company's core technology product, eZiText™ connects people to short messaging, e-mail, e-commerce, Web browsing and similar applications in almost any written language. The company's service division provides market-leading engineering design in Bluetooth, VoIP and man-machine interface. Zi supports its strategic partners from offices in Calgary, Beijing, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Shenzhen, Stockholm and Tokyo. A publicly traded company, Zi Corporation is listed on the NASDAQ National Market (ZICA) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (ZIC).

For a product demonstration visit Zi Corporation at:

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The information in this press release is based on Zi Corporation's current expectation and assumptions, and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such risks include, among others, general business and economic conditions and competitive actions as well as the risks and uncertainties referred to in Zi Corporation's 20-F for the most recent calendar year.

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For further information, please contact:

Diane Phillips
Zi Corporation
Manager, Investor Relations and Communications
Phone: (403) 231-4575
investor@zicorp.com
www.zicorp.com
 Dale Sohn
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Senior Manager, Corporate Planning Team
Phone: 82 2 751 2960
dales@samsung.co.kr
www.samsungelectronics.com

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