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Logitech Audio Products Make Internet Voice Calling as Easy as Using a Phone


WEBWIRE

FREMONT, Calif. — Aug. 14, 2006 — Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) today unveiled three new audio products that make calling friends and family over the Internet easier — and more like using a traditional phone.

The Logitech® QuickCall™ USB Speakerphone delivers crystal-clear and echo-free PC calls. The Logitech® Cordless Internet Handset offers the familiarity of a traditional phone handset and can be used to make Internet-based calls from anywhere in the home with the push of a button. And the Logitech® Cordless Headset for PC and Mobile Phones fits comfortably on one ear, enabling people to enjoy a PC call as they roam freely around the home; it also works as a mobile-phone headset for phones enabled with Bluetooth® wireless technology.

While the traditional telephone system and mobile-phone networks are the most commonly used means of making a phone call today, a communications revolution is underway. People are beginning to take advantage of a different network — the Internet — and a wide range of free and affordable voice-over-IP (VoIP) services to make audio calls using their PC. Logitech´s new personal peripherals make this new form of communication more natural.

“Three main components define the experience of any phone call: the network, the service, and the phone or device that delivers the calls,” said Gina Clark, vice president of product marketing for Internet Communications. “Internet calling is becoming more popular with the growth of broadband and the emergence of VoIP services. But people need the right device to touch or hold in their hand — more than simply a computer with a microphone — to make the experience easy, more natural, and more like what they are used to with their traditional or mobile phone. Our new products make the experience of Internet calling simple.”

Logitech QuickCall USB Speakerphone for Internet Calling
The Logitech QuickCall USB Speakerphone for Internet Calling delivers premium voice quality in a speakerphone by using a two-microphone array — one on each side of the wing-shaped phone — that can capture voices and sounds from a wider area in a room, transmitting even whispers from several feet away. The QuickCall speakerphone also includes Logitech´s RightSound™ Technology, which eliminates echoes caused by a speaker and microphone in close proximity, a common problem with computer speaker systems and other speakerphones. When privacy is important, it´s easy to plug a headset into the speakerphone´s built-in auxiliary port. Because it uses USB to connect to the PC, the speakerphone requires no other power source, making the speakerphone simple to install, or to take on the road and use with a notebook PC.

The QuickCall speakerphone features all the controls people need to pick up and hang up calls, adjust volume and mute calls. The phone´s alert lights make it clear when a voice-over-IP (VoIP) call is connected and ended. Using the included Logitech® CallCentral™ software, people can choose which communications applications to use with the phone´s controls.

The QuickCall USB Speakerphone looks cool in any environment. Its wing-shaped design rests elegantly on any desktop or table top, and its chrome, backlighted center volume knob helps make the sophisticated phone a stylish accent to a computer system.

The Logitech QuickCall USB Speakerphone will be available in the U.S. in October and in Europe beginning in December. Its suggested retail price in the U.S. is 99.99

Logitech Cordless Internet Handset
The Logitech Cordless Internet Handset makes using Skype™ on the PC as easy as using an ordinary cordless telephone. The stylish phone offers a crystal-clear calling experience at up to 164 feet/50 meters from the PC — more than enough range for most homes. The Skype Certified™ handset supports the key Skype calling functions, including Skype to Skype calling, SkypeOut™, SkypeIn™, call forwarding to mobile and landline phones or to another Skype user name, and conference calling. A color LCD displays available Skype contacts, offers access to Skype voicemail, and enables people to check incoming and outgoing call logs. It´s simple to scroll to a contact, select it, and click the call button to make a Skype call.

Additional premium features include a hands-free speakerphone mode, an illuminated keypad, and a variety of ring tones. The Logitech Cordless Internet Handset and its charging cradle can be kept in any room — and the phone remains wirelessly connected to the PC and Internet through the included USB base station.

The Logitech Cordless Internet Handset will be available in the U.S. and in Europe beginning in October. Its suggested retail price in the U.S. is $99.99.

Logitech Cordless Headset for PC and Mobile Phones
The versatile Cordless Headset for PC and Mobile Phones can be used for hands-free and cords-free phone calls on both PCs and mobile phones. The headset comes with a USB wireless receiver that plugs into a desktop PC or laptop and offers an instant connection with the headset. The headset can also be connected directly to any mobile phone with Bluetooth® wireless technology, making it an ideal solution for frequent travelers.

The headset has a range of approximately 30 feet/10 meters — and its convenient, integrated call pick up/hang up button enables people to accept and end calls away from the PC or mobile phone. The headset also can be used with Logitech´s award-winning QuickCam webcams to make video calls on the PC.

The headset features Logitech´s patent-pending WindStop™ technology for calls in windy conditions. Logitech WindStop microphones are surrounded by a sintered plastic material that serves as a barrier to disruptive air currents. Voice signals are able to penetrate the material, enabling clear conversations even outdoors on a windy day, or in a car with the windows open.
The Logitech Cordless Headset for PC and Mobile Phones will be available in the U.S. and in Europe beginning in October. Its suggested retail price in the U.S. is $99.99.

About Logitech
Founded in 1981, Logitech designs, manufactures and markets personal peripherals that enable people to effectively work, play, and communicate in the digital world. Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and in the U.S. on the Nasdaq National Global Select Market (LOGI).

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Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are owned by Logitech and may be registered. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its products, visit the Company´s Web site at www.logitech.com.



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