Card Access to Develop Handspring Springboard Module for Playback of Internet-Delivered Spoken Audio From Audible.com.Business Editors/High Tech Writers COMDEX The former, premier computer trade show in the U.S. Although it grew into an end user event, it was originally created for dealers and distributors (it was the COMputer Dealers EXposition). Fall 2000 LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 2000 Demonstration Of The New "Audible(R) Advisor" Springboard Module Available At COMDEX --Handspring Booth L5650-- First Palm OS Device Designed For Listening To Newspapers, Magazines, Audiobooks And More On The Visor(TM) Handheld Computer A computing device that can be easily held in one hand while the other hand is used to operate it. The Palm devices are a popular example. See Palm, smartphone and palmtop. Audible, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBL ADBL Agricultural Development Bank Limited (Nepal) ) and Card Access, Inc. today announced collaboration on the development of a SpringBoard(TM) module for the Handspring(TM) Visor(TM) to play the more than 26,000 hours of audio content available for download from www.audible.com(TM). The ultra-small, battery-less Springboard module is the third in Card Access' Wristband wristband An identifying bracelet attached to a Pt's wrist at the time of admission to a health care facility, which may be the only identifier used during a person's stay in a hospital (TM) family of products. Card Access is the developer of other top-selling modules for the Handspring Visor handheld including the award-winning Wristband(TM) Thinmodem. Card Access innovations are setting the standard for Springboard modules that fit squarely into the Visor expansion slot A receptacle inside a computer or other electronic system that accepts a printed circuit board. The number of slots determines future expansion. See PC data buses. (hardware) expansion slot - A connector in a computer into which an expansion card can be plugged. without adding size to the unit. Audible(R) is the leading provider of Internet-delivered spoken audio (www.audible.com) for PC-based listening or mobile playback on AudibleReady(TM) portable digital audio players. The module, called the Audible Advisor, is expected to be available during the first quarter of 2001. The Audible Advisor will transform the Visor(TM) handheld into an AudibleReady portable digital audio player, allowing users to access the entirety of Audible's spoken audio programming. The Card Access Audible Advisor is the first AudibleReady device for the Palm OS. The Audible Advisor's small form factor derives from a revolutionary combination of silicon and software. By using Analog Devices' (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : ADI) DSP (1) (Digital Signal Processor) A special-purpose CPU used for digital signal processing applications (see definition #2 below). It provides ultra-fast instruction sequences, such as shift and add, and multiply and add, which are commonly used in math-intensive (digital signal processing See DSP. Digital Signal Processing - (DSP) Computer manipulation of analog signals (commonly sound or image) which have been converted to digital form (sampled). ) chipset, the Audible Advisor consumes less than 40 milliamps (mA). This translates into an AudibleReady(R) player with no battery. Combining the Visor handheld and Audible content will allow daily subscriptions (available at audible.com) to be easily and automatically downloaded and transferred via the Handspring Visor's cradle during everyday HotSync operations. The Audible Advisor comes complete with headphones Head-mounted speakers. Headphones have a strap that rests on top of the head, positioning a pair of speakers over both ears. For listening to music or monitoring live performances and audio tracks, both left and right channels are required. , PC installation software and play back software preloaded on the module, making installation of Audio Advisor fast and intuitive. The Audible Advisor has an estimated street price of USD USD In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the U.S. Dollar. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. $119. After instant rebates for subscribing to Audible's service, the unit will be available to content users for less than $20. This provides Visor handheld owners the lowest priced AudibleReady player on the market today. Audible.com features daily selected audio content from The Wall Street Journal and daily digests of The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times, San Jose Mercury News The San Jose Mercury News is the major daily newspaper in San Jose, California and Silicon Valley. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group. Its headquarters and printing plant are located in North San Jose next to the Nimitz Freeway (Interstate 880). , Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). , and Slate, as well as The Economist, The Economist, The Weekly magazine of news and opinion, founded in 1843 and published in London, generally regarded as one of the world's preeminent journals of its kind. Industry Standard, Forbes and Harvard Business Review Harvard Business Review is a general management magazine published since 1922 by Harvard Business School Publishing, owned by the Harvard Business School. A monthly research-based magazine written for business practitioners, it claims a high ranking business readership and . 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, Anne Rice, James Redfield, James Patterson, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson and Jane Austen. There are also speeches, lectures and on-demand radio programs including This American Life This American Life (TAL) is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by Chicago Public Radio. It is distributed by Public Radio International and is also available as a free weekly podcast. , Marketplace, Car Talk, Fresh Air and All Things Considered All Things Considered (ATC) is a news radio program in the United States, broadcast on the National Public Radio network. It was the first news program on the network, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets. . Audible.com offers content from more than 160 leading providers organized into more than 100 subject categories. "It's great to see Card Access and Audible collaborate on this project as it will bring an entirely new functionality to the Visor product line," said Ed Colligan, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Handspring. "Card Access continues to provide valuable and affordable solutions to the handheld customer and their work with Audible to create the Audible Advisor is the next example of their dedication to our platform." "The Audible Advisor will provide tremendous value to existing and new Visor customers interested in accessing great business, educational and entertaining audio content", said Ray Ivins, vice president of Sales for Card Access. "We were struck by the close correlation between the demographic profiles of the Handspring and Audible customer bases and are pleased to be bringing the Audible service to the Handspring(TM) platform via a Springboard(TM) module expressly designed for this purpose." "Audible is delighted to be working with Card Access, a company with a proven track record developing great products on the Handspring platform," stated Travis Millman, Audible's senior vice president of Business Development. "We look forward to welcoming the Audible Advisor as an exciting addition to the growing family of AudibleReady(TM) portable audio solutions." About Audible Advisor The Audible Advisor supports the Springboard slot for plug and play integration with all Handspring Visor Handheld models. The Audible Advisor comes complete with headphones, PC installation software and play back software preloaded on the module and will sell for $119. After instant rebates from audible.com the module sells for as little as $19. Audible Advisor Features - Springboard compatible product - For use with AudibleReady(TM)content - Analog Devices, Inc. programmable DSP technology - 16 MB flash memory for audio content and user storage - 3.5mm headphone See headphones. jack - Earbud headphones - Up to 4 hours of playback memory capacity - Capable of playing two different quality levels of same audio - Software CD containing: - Audible Advisor GUI (Graphical User Interface) A graphics-based user interface that incorporates movable windows, icons and a mouse. The ability to resize application windows and change style and size of fonts are the significant advantages of a GUI vs. a character-based interface. player - AudibleManager - Encryption/decryption software to allow for secure playback - Power Consumption - Active [less than]40mA - Sleep [less than]200(mu)A Refer to www.cardaccess-inc.com and www.audible.com for product information and availability About Audible, Inc.: Audible(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) 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 26,000 hours of audio programs. 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 (company) Compaq Computer Corporation - The largest US manufacturer and vendor of IBM PC compatible personal computers and servers. Compaq was started in 1982 by three ex-Texas Instruments employees. Quarterly sales $2499M, profits $210M (Aug 1994). http://compaq.com/. , Sonicblue Incorporated's Rio Audio Group, Microsoft Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics, RealNetworks, Inc., Texas Instruments and VoiceAge Corp. About Card Access: Founded in 1995, Card Access, Inc. has an extensive background in the mobile communications arena including PC card, Mini PCI and custom form factor designs. Card Access researches, develops, tests and manufactures a variety of embedded communications devices. Concentrating in the embedded communications market segment, Card Access focuses on providing innovative, small, low power communications designs for operating system independent applications. Card Access, the Card Access Logo, and Wristband are trademarks of Card Access, Inc. Handspring, the Handspring logo, Visor and Springboard are trademarks of Handspring, Inc. Audible is a registered trademark of Audible, Inc.; AudibleReady and www.audible.com are trademarks 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. |
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