Share the Holidays -- in Real Time -- With Friends and Family Around the World

[BigBlueBall News]

Newstream

December 5, 2002

Video Instant Messaging Adds a New Dimension to the Holiday "Get Together"

December 2002 (Newstream) -- For the first time in many years, the Mills Family will not be together in Buffalo, New York for the holidays - but that won’t keep them from getting together. This year, the family plans to see each other and share their holiday cheer via their web cameras and video instant messaging software. And they’re not alone... many families can’t travel to be near each other for the holidays, so Logitech is making it easy and inexpensive to stay in touch. Anyone can log onto http://companion.logitech.com and download Logitech’s free IM Video Companion™ application, which enables live video with either MSN® Messenger or AOL Instant Messenger(SM). With this software, a web camera and an Internet connection, families and friends can visit face to face, in real time, without leaving home.

"I’m an avid instant messaging user, and when I learned about video instant messaging, my family and I realized this would be a great way to stay in touch," said Sean Mills of San Francisco. "Since I live in California and my family is back east, we’re rarely together, except during the holidays. But, this year, we can’t all make it back to Buffalo for Christmas, so we decided to purchase webcams for all the aunts, uncles, and grandparents - and we plan to see each other live, even though we’re on opposite sides of the country."

As the leading manufacturer of web cameras, Logitech has created a variety of products to fit different lifestyles and budgets - giving people the tools they need to visually stay in touch. One of Logitech’s newest products, the Logitech® ClickSmart™ 420, offers the flexibility of a digital still camera and web camera in one. The ClickSmart 420 enables instant sharing of digital pictures and videos with its QuickSync™ download feature. The camera automatically downloads images to the PC and offers one-click email - so pictures and videos can quickly reach their destination. In addition, the same camera can be used as a webcam to stay in touch via video instant messaging. The ClickSmart 420 is now shipping, in time for holiday purchases in US and European retail outlets and online at www.logitech.com. The suggested U.S. retail price for ClickSmart 420 is $99.95.

"Logitech is focused on creating imaging products and applications that enable people to stay connected," said Spencer Johnson, director of product marketing for Logitech’s Video Business Unit. "The holidays are always an important time for family and friends to get together - but in today’s economy it is not always possible to travel hundreds of miles to see one another, so our cameras and software are bringing people together as more and more of us realize the impact and power that live video and digital pictures can bring to our lives."

About Logitech: Logitech designs, manufactures and markets personal interface products that enable people to effectively work, play, and communicate in the digital world. With operational headquarters through its U.S. subsidiary in Fremont, California, and regional headquarters through local subsidiaries in Switzerland, Taiwan and Hong Kong, Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded in Switzerland on the Swiss Stock 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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Produced for Logitech

Contact:



Susan Ross:

510-713-4031


susan_ross@logitech.com

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