CeBIT: Logitech Celebrates 25 Years; Introduces Products for Internet Communications, Digital Music, Home-Entertainment Control
Company´s Easy-to-Use Entry Line of QuickCam Webcams Get Smaller to Fit with Modern PC Environments
HANNOVER, Germany — CeBIT — March 8, 2006 — Today at a CeBIT press conference, Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) kicked off the European celebration of the company´s 25th anniversary, with Logitech executives highlighting the key consumer trends that are driving the company´s growth — the pervasiveness of broadband Internet, the increasing use of the Internet for voice and video communications, the popularity of digital audio, and the growing need for easier control over home-entertainment systems.
“As Logitech celebrates our 25th year, we´re reminded of how important PC technology has been in both the evolution of the digital lifestyle and our company´s growth,” said Guerrino De Luca, Logitech president and chief executive officer. “We started as the mouse company, supporting an intuitive form of navigation on the PC. As the PC has become more media-rich, and as new digital platforms have emerged, we have expanded our portfolio of innovative personal peripherals to address these changes — so much so that our products are much less peripheral, and far more central, to our customers´ enjoyment of digital audio, Internet communications, and home entertainment.”
The company also used its press conference as the first public appearance of Gerald P. Quindlen as Logitech´s senior vice president of sales and marketing. Mr. Quindlen joined Logitech from Kodak in October 2005.
“At CeBIT, we are adding to our rich portfolio of products for Internet communications and digital audio, as well as expanding our line of mice and remote control products,” said Quindlen. “And during our 25th year, we will continue to innovate, with continued leadership in design and quality. Year after year Logitech has brought exciting new innovations to the world of personal peripherals, making one´s experience with a PC, a game console, an iPod or a home-entertainment center more personal. This year will be no exception.”
De Luca will deliver a keynote address at CeBIT on Friday, March 10, 2006 at 10:00 Central European Time. He will frame the importance of PC technology on today´s digital lifestyle and offer a look at how innovative personal peripherals are becoming central to rich enjoyment of today´s digital experience.
At CeBIT, Logitech unveiled speakers and headphones for digital audio, remote controls for home entertainment, webcams for Internet video calling, computer mice with precision laser tracking, and enhanced digital pen technology. Some of the highlights include:
New Digital Audio Products
Logitech introduced two new products in its expanding portfolio of products for the growing audience of digital music consumers.
* The best-selling Logitech® mm50 Portable Speakers for iPod are now available in black to match the design of the new black iPod nano and iPod video models. Logitech´s speakers designed to match the white iPod models have become one of Logitech´s most popular speaker products, thanks to their combination of portability, stylish design and superior sound quality. The speakers are available for a suggested retail price of $149.99 (U.S.).
* The Logitech® Noise Canceling Headphones deliver premium noise canceling technology and unmatched price performance. Using Logitech® SilentSound™ noise canceling technology, these headphones filter out environmental noise over a broad range of frequencies, including the sound of a jet engine, a fan, or an office air conditioner. The Logitech Noise Canceling Headphones, available in Europe and in the U.S. beginning in April, remove up to 22 decibels, and 92 percent, of background noise — a level comparable to other noise canceling headphones, even those that are twice the price. And for a suggested retail price of $149.99 (U.S.), Logitech´s headphones outperform other products in their price range, which typically claim to remove 10-18 decibels of noise.
Growing Harmony in Europe: Harmony 785 and Harmony 555 Remotes
Logitech bolstered its Harmony® lineup for the European market with the introduction of the new Harmony® 785 and Harmony® 555 remotes, each designed to deliver complete and simple one-touch control of the increasingly complex assortment of home-entertainment devices. An emerging force in the U.S. remote control market, the Harmony family of remote controls is showing strong signs of what Logitech believes will be similar success in Europe. The total number of new Harmony remote owners in Europe connecting their remotes since February 2005 has increased by an average of 45 percent per month.
Internet Communications
Fueled by the growth of broadband and the increasing number of people using the Internet to make audio and video calls, sales of Logitech headsets and webcams are on the rise. Logitech has now sold more than 17 million PC headsets since 2001, and unit sales of the company´s PC headsets increased 78 percent during the first three quarters of the company´s current fiscal year (April-December), when compared with the same timeframe the previous year.
Logitech introduced four affordable new webcams that make it easy for people to participate in live video calls using popular applications such as Skype® and MSN® Messenger. The new QuickCam® Connect, QuickCam® Messenger, QuickCam® Chat, and QuickCam® Express webcams each feature a new minimalist version of Logitech´s hallmark eyeball design, one of the most recognizable shapes in the PC industry.
Extending Logitech´s Laser Leadership
Logitech unveiled four new laser mice targeted at four distinctly different audiences: gamers, left-handers, notebook PC users, and desktop PC users. With Logitech´s laser tracking technology, these mice track on virtually any surface and work with much greater precision than traditional optical mice.
* In Europe, Logitech is introducing a special edition of the award-winning Logitech® G7 Laser Cordless Mouse, featuring a compact, ultra-mobile black LAN case — making it easy for gamers to take their extreme-performance mouse to competitions, while protecting it from the wear and tear of travel. The G7 mouse offers full-speed USB cordless performance, uses 2.4 GHz digital cordless technology, features a 2000 dpi laser engine, and comes with two lithium-ion battery packs.
* Designed specifically for left-handers, the Logitech® MX™610 Left-Hand Laser Cordless Mouse features a sculpted design to provide a comfortable fit for the left hand. Available beginning in early April for a suggested retail price of $59.99 (U.S.), this versatile new mouse offers Logitech´s precision laser tracking system, advanced cordless technology, extensive navigation controls, and e-mail and instant message notification lights.
* The company´s new corded Logitech® MX™400 Precision Laser Mouse, available in Europe and in the U.S. beginning in April (suggested retail price: $39.99 U.S.), delivers a combination of laser performance, a sculpted right-hand fit, and a comfortable soft-touch grip for desktop PC users.
* The Logitech® V150 Laser Mouse for Notebooks includes precision laser tracking technology that works on more surfaces than typical optical technology, giving people the freedom to use their notebooks wherever they please. The plug-and-play USB mouse will be available in Europe and the U.S. beginning in June for an affordable suggested retail price of $29.99 (U.S.).
Digital Pen Turns Notes into Digital Text in Seconds
Logitech announced the new version of the Logitech® io™2 Digital Pen, with improved handwriting recognition and a new written shortcut that efficiently transforms notes into a Microsoft® Word® document. The new pen — which converts handwriting into digital text in seconds — also is available at a lower retail price. The Logitech io2 Digital Pen´s improved handwriting recognition software learns the user´s personal lexicon and individual handwriting style for a more accurate conversion of notes into digital text. People can now use a simple handwritten symbol to indicate portions of their handwritten notes they want to send to a new Word document. When the pen is docked, the notes appear instantly within a split-screen interface, as both handwritten notes and as automatically converted text, allowing people to edit the text or click one button to send it directly into a new Word document.
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 Market System (LOGI). The company has manufacturing facilities in Asia and offices in major cities in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
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