Audible's Content and Audio Delivery Solutions to Support Symbol Technologies' Hardware Platform.

Business & Technology Editors

WAYNE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2001

Audible, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBL) today announced that it has partnered with Symbol Technologies, Inc. in their Symbol Software Development Partner program. Audible is the leading provider of Internet-delivered spoken audio (www.audible.com(R)) for computer-based listening or mobile playback on AudibleReady(TM)PC-based portable digital audio players.

Audible will promote the advantages of Symbol's Pocket PC devices to current and future AudibleEnterprise(TM) and AudibleWireless(TM) clients, with an initial focus on the healthcare industry.

Digital spoken audio for the AudibleEnterprise platform on Symbol's Pocket PC devices can include sales updates, proprietary corporate research, product overviews, and management bulletins. Additional content can consist of premium audio titles such as audiobooks and audio versions of leading newspapers and magazines, hand-picked from Audible's rich portfolio to advance corporate goals.

"AudibleEnterprise clients create their own mobile audio `channels,' accessed wirelessly, from the Internet or a company intranet, which would feature audio programs specific to that audience as well as offer special pricing and discounts on content from the audible.com store," added Matthew Fine, senior vice president for Enterprise Sales at Audible, Inc. "Coupled with Symbol's WWAN-enabled Pocket PCs, Audible's wireless vertical solution will create a cost- effective, timely and reliable audio component to a blended mobile enterprise communications and training network."

"Symbol is pleased to partner with innovative companies such as Audible, Inc.," said John Muller, Director, Channel Business Development, Symbol Technologies. "We are confident that certain industries, healthcare in particular, will be very interested in our joint offerings. Symbol's hardware and Audible's content and delivery platform have the potential to create a powerful audio delivery system to convey sales, product, corporate communications and competitive information to mobile employees and clients," stated Muller.

"Partnering with a global leader such as Symbol is a significant event in Audible's continued growth," added Robert Kramer, executive vice president and CTO for Audible, Inc. "Symbol's rugged mobile computing devices are widely deployed in vertical applications and our core competencies are quite complimentary. We look forward to deepening our mutually beneficial relationship."

About AudibleWireless(TM):

AudibleWireless services will provide customized spoken audio content based on the customer's individual selections, delivered to a wireless device or accessed with an ordinary handset. Available content includes a wide selection of news, entertainment, business and educational content, along with the ability for institutions to utilize Audible's enterprise solution for corporate communications, training or other proprietary information.

Wireless personalized audio provides both customers and carriers with significant benefits. Customers can now turn "drive time" into productive time. For carriers, Audible's premium spoken audio services offer significant new sources of revenue. Our brand-name programming provides an opportunity to attract new customers and to generate new revenue through consumption of additional airtime minutes, wireless data services or sales of program subscriptions. In addition, wireless personalized audio provides product differentiation and reduces churn, retaining customers who build personalized listening profiles.

About Audible, Inc.:

Audible(R) (www.audible.com(R)) is the Internet's largest, most diverse provider of premium spoken audio services for content download or playback on personal computers or AudibleReady(TM) PC-based mobile devices. Audible has more than 30,000 hours of audio programs and 165 content partners that include leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, magazine and newspaper publishers and business information providers. Audible.com is Amazon.com's (www.amazon.com) 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, Hewlett-Packard Company, Microsoft Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics, RealNetworks, Inc., SONICblue Incorporated's Rio Audio Group, Texas Instruments and VoiceAge Corp.

Audible and www.audible.com are registered trademarks of Audible, Inc.;

AudibleReady is a trademark of Audible, Inc. and all are part of the family of Audible, Inc. trademarks.

About Symbol Technologies, Inc.:

Symbol Technologies, Inc., winner of the National Medal of Technology, is a global leader in mobile data transaction systems, providing innovative customer solutions based on wireless local area networking for data and voice, application-specific mobile computing and bar code data capture. Symbol's wireless information appliances connect the physical world of people on the move, packages, paper and shipping pallets, to information systems and the Internet. Today, some 10 million Symbol bar code scanners, mobile computers and wireless LANs are utilized worldwide in markets ranging from retailing to transportation and distribution logistics, manufacturing, parcel and postal delivery, government, healthcare and education. Symbol's systems and products are used to increase productivity from the factory floor to the retail store, to the enterprise and out to the home. Information about Symbol is available at and 1-800-722-6234.

This press release contains information about Audible, Inc. that is not historical fact and may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements about the company. 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.