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Distinctively Shaped Solid-State Electronic Device Will be Fully AudibleReady(R) and Play in Virtually Every Standard Cassette Tape Player |
| WAYNE, N.J. and MORRISTOWN,
N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 28, 2000-- Audible, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBL) and Digisette, L.L.C.
today announced an agreement whereby Digisette will develop and distribute, under
exclusive license from Audible, the Duo-MP3 digital audio player that will be AudibleReady
when it debuts in fall 2000. Audible is the leading provider of Internet-delivered spoken audio (www.audible.com(TM)) for PC-based listening or mobile playback on AudibleReady portable digital audio players. The Duo-MP3 will be able to play back over 11,000 audio titles and more than 22,000 hours of spoken word audio content that is available at audible.com. Using Audible's patented design, the Duo-MP3 allows listeners to access digital audio using a standard cassette player at home, in the car or on the go. The digital player can also be used as a stand-alone portable audio playback device. With the familiar appearance, size and shape of a standard audiocassette, the Duo-MP3 will have the capability to easily store hours of Audible's downloaded spoken audio content. Audible and Digisette will work together to co-market the new player to the expanding audible.com customer base. Using a PC to download and transfer audio content to the Duo-MP3, users will be able to enjoy audio titles on-demand or automatically via subscriptions available from audible.com, including a quality collection of audiobooks, public radio, business, news, and entertainment programming, as well as the newly launched weekly series RobinWilliams@audible.com(TM). ``The solid-state audiocassette patent was one of Audible's first inventions,'' stated Thomas Baxter, president and CEO of Audible, Inc. ``We are proud to see this concept spring to life and pleased to be working with Digisette to introduce this new digital player to our listeners.'' ``With this launch, we will be mutually able to provide an excellent spoken audio experience with a premier digital audio listening device. It's a perfect match,'' said Jeff deGracia, vice president of Marketing at Digisette, L.L.C. ``We look forward to a close collaboration with Audible to build the market for this exciting new product.'' ``We feel that the new audiocassette form-factor is an ideal fit for our customers,'' added Travis Millman, senior vice president of Business Development at Audible, Inc. ``Functionality, technology and design have been combined to create a new product that is intuitively familiar to the traditional spoken audio listener.'' Audible.com features daily selected audio content from The Wall Street Journal and daily digests of The New York Times, San Jose Mercury News, Los Angeles Times and Slate, as well as The Economist, The Industry Standard, Forbes and Harvard Business Review. The site also offers a powerful collection of audiobook best sellers and classics by authors such as Stephen King, John Grisham, Frank McCourt, Jon Krakauer, Scott Adams, Mary Higgins Clark, James Redfield, James Patterson, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson and Jane Austen. There are also speeches, lectures, language lessons, and on-demand public radio programs including Morning Edition®, All Things Considered®, Talk of the Nation®, This American Life, Marketplace, Car Talk, Fresh Air and Science Friday. About Audible, Inc. Audible is the Internet's largest, most diverse provider of premium spoken audio services for content download or playback on personal computers or AudibleReady® mobile devices. Audible allows customers to take advantage of their commuting, travel and desktop computer time by delivering premium entertainment and information audio while their eyes are busy but their minds are free. Audible's content partners include leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, magazine and newspaper publishers, business information providers, and educational and cultural institutions. Visitors to www.audible.com(TM) can browse, sample, purchase and subscribe to more than 22,000 hours of audio programs. Audible.com is Amazon.com's exclusive provider of spoken word products for downloading or streaming via the Web. Additionally, the Company is strategically aligned with Random House, Inc., to pioneer the first-ever imprint to produce spoken word content specifically suited for digital distribution, Random House Audible. Among the company's key business partners are Casio Inc., Compaq Computer Corporation, S3 Incorporated's Rio Audio Group, Microsoft Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics, RealNetworks, Inc., Texas Instruments and VoiceAge Corp. About Digisette -- Progressive Products for a Changing World Digisette, L.L.C. is a dynamic consumer electronics company that brings leading-edge technology products to the global market. Our commitment rests in providing high quality product innovations while remaining at the forefront of consumer needs. True to this vision, Digisette is the first company to uniquely maximize the benefits of today's digital audio revolution with a Duo-MP3 player. The Duo can be used as both a listening device and also be loaded in a standard cassette player, allowing consumers to enjoy their favorite digital audio wherever they go. The company looks forward to a number of other exciting product innovations that will be announced in the coming months. AudibleReady is a registered trademark and www.audible.com is a trademark of Audible, Inc. This press release contains information that is not historical fact and may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, Audible's limited operating history, history of losses, uncertain market for its services, and its inability to license or produce compelling audio content and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Contact: Digisette, L.L.C.
Gil Lavelanet, 212/753-9528
glavelanet@digisette.com
or
Audible, Inc.
Jonathan Korzen, 973/698-8045
jkorzen@audible.com
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