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Logitech Acquires Slim Devices, Pioneer in Network-Based Music Systems.


Developers of Award-Winning Squeezebox squeeze·box  
n.
An accordion.
 Join Logitech to Deliver Promise of Digital Home to Music Lovers

FREMONT, Calif. & ROMANEL-SUR-MORGES, Switzerland -- Logitech International (SWX SWX Swiss Exchange (trademark of SWX Swiss Exchange)
SWX SolidWorks (3D solid modeling CAD software)
SWX Splitter / Wave Division Multiplexer
: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI LOGI Logitech Intl. (stock symbol) ) today announced that it has acquired Slim Devices Slim Devices, Inc. is a consumer electronics company based in Mountain View, California. Their main product is the Squeezebox network music player which connects to a home ethernet or Wi-Fi network, and allows the owner to stream digital audio over the network to a stereo. , Inc., a pioneer in the development of music systems that take advantage of a home network. Products from Slim Devices, such as the acclaimed ac·claim  
v. ac·claimed, ac·claim·ing, ac·claims

v.tr.
1. To praise enthusiastically and often publicly; applaud. See Synonyms at praise.

2.
 Squeezebox[TM] and the recently announced Transporter[TM], enable people to enjoy high-quality digital music in multiple rooms of the home, regardless of whether the music is streaming directly from the Internet, or from a PC, Mac, or storage device on the network. Logitech purchased the privately held Slim Devices of Mountain View, Calif. for $20 million in cash plus a possible performance-based payment, tied to reaching certain future revenue targets.

"With the acquisition of Slim Devices, Logitech is building on our foundation of innovation in digital music and home-entertainment control to address an emerging market," said Guerrino De Luca Guerrino De Luca is the president and CEO of Logitech, and has been since February 1998.

Originally from Italy, he holds a degree in Engineering from the University of Rome, and now resides in San Francisco with his wife Daniela, and two daughters, Ottavia and Chiara.
, Logitech president and chief executive officer. "Our focus is on people who want to listen to and control their digital music, anywhere in the home. Slim Devices brings expertise in both network-based music delivery and high-quality audio, and a committed community of developers. Slim Devices complements Logitech's existing technology and human-interface strengths, helping to ensure that we can deliver to music lovers the promise of the digital home."

"With digital music, the convergence between PC technology and home entertainment is particularly evident," said Junien Labrousse, senior vice president of Logitech's Entertainment and Communications business unit. "Millions of people around the world, in all walks of life, are using their PC or Mac to store their music collection - and those with broadband Internet See broadband.  connections are enjoying the wealth of Internet-radio content and other services. At the same time, increasing numbers of these music enthusiasts have wireless home networks that can be used to distribute the music throughout the home. Logitech sees significant potential for network-based digital music systems that can enhance the listening experience with high-quality audio, flexibility, choice and control."

In a recent survey of online households in the U.S., conducted by research firm Parks Associates, nearly half of respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy.  characterized char·ac·ter·ize  
tr.v. character·ized, character·iz·ing, character·iz·es
1. To describe the qualities or peculiarities of: characterized the warden as ruthless.

2.
 as music aficionados indicated very high interest in the ability to listen to any song, whenever they want, wherever they are, and one third of these respondents were very interested in listening to Internet or computer-based music/audio on their stereo. According to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.

2. In keeping with: according to instructions.

3.
 Parks Associates Chief Executive Officer Tricia Parks, "We forecast music downloads A music download refers to the transferring of a music file from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment if required. , online radio and music-subscription services at close to $1 billion in 2006 for the U.S. alone. We forecast that amount to increase in the U.S. to over $3 billion annually by 2010. Those figures don't even count the hardware revenues from necessary adapters and controllers. Clearly, Logitech's timing for the acquisition of Slim Devices is excellent, just as it was for the acquisition of the Harmony remote business. This fills out Logitech's wireless music line, and offers audiophiles interested in high-fidelity sound their own network solution."

Slim Devices was founded in 2001 by Sean Adams, serving as chief executive officer, who was joined by Dean Blackketter, serving as chief technology officer. The company has worked with the contribution of a worldwide open source community to develop the SlimServer software, which powers the Squeezebox and Transporter, as well as the SqueezeNetwork, which delivers content to the devices from the Internet, without requiring a PC. By becoming part of Logitech, the Slim Devices team gains the advantage of Logitech's expertise in interface-product design and amplified-audio systems, as well as marketing resources and distribution channels, which include consumer electronics retailers in countries throughout the world.

Led by Sean Adams, the Slim Devices team will become a distinct group within Logitech's Entertainment and Communications business unit. "Slim Devices has been very successful in developing and enhancing network-based solutions for delivering premium-quality digital music and Internet radio Listening to audio broadcasts via the Internet. There are more than 4,000 broadcasts available on the Internet that can be streamed and played by a software media player in the computer or in a stand-alone Internet radio with the software built in.  to music lovers, thanks to our effective collaboration with our open source community," said Sean Adams. "Now we have the opportunity to leverage the marketing, sales, distribution, supply chain, manufacturing and engineering resources of a company that shares our passion for innovation in digital music and that can help us reach a wide range of mainstream customers. We're very excited about joining the Logitech team to continue to shape the future of digital music in the home."

Labrousse continued, "We're very enthusiastic about broadening our development efforts with the inclusion of the Slim Devices team and one of their key assets - a committed community of developers."

Logitech Foundation in Audio and Home-Entertainment Control

Audio is one of Logitech's fastest-growing businesses, growing by 112 percent in the company's last full fiscal year, ended March 31, 2006. The growth has been driven by the increasing popularity of digital music, which Logitech supports with award-winning, premium PC speakers, as well as a line of stylish Stylish is a free Mozilla extension that allows for the manipulation of web pages and XUL application user interfaces through the use of CSS or user styles available localy or from centralized web-site [1], which allows style sharing.  and high-quality iPod/MP3 speakers and 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. . Logitech is the worldwide market leader in PC speakers, and is gaining significant momentum in the iPod/MP3 speaker market.

As part of its commitment to the emerging market of wireless music systems, Logitech recently launched the Wireless DJ[TM] Music System, which allows people to stream digital music from a PC to a stereo without a home network. The product includes the Wireless DJ remote, which makes it easy to browse (1) To view the contents of a file or a group of files. Browser programs generally let you view data by scrolling through the documents or databases. In a database program, the browse mode often lets you edit the data. See Web browser.  and play music selections from anywhere in the home.

Logitech's presence in the living room includes delivery of digital music as well as control of music and home-entertainment systems. Since acquiring its Harmony remote business in 2004, Logitech has become the clear market leader in advanced programmable remote controls in the U.S., and the emerging leader in Europe. Distinguished by their ease of setup See BIOS setup and install program.  and use, the Harmony remotes have become widely available in consumer retail outlets retail outlet npunto de venta

retail outlet npoint m de vente

retail outlet retail n
 throughout North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere.  and Europe.

Impact on Current Fiscal Year

While Logitech views the long-term potential of the acquisition to be very promising, the impact of the acquisition on Logitech's current fiscal year is not expected to be material.

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 SWX Swiss Exchange

An all-electronic securities exchange formed from the 1995 merger of exchanges in Geneva, Basel, and Zurich. The exchange offers trading in equity securities, investment funds, exchange-traded funds, bonds, Eurobonds, and options.
 (LOGN) and in the U.S. on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).

This press release contains forward-looking statements forward-looking statement

A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections.
, including the statements regarding the expected effect of the acquisition on Logitech's financial performance. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause Logitech's actual performance to differ materially from that anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include Logitech's ability to successfully integrate the Slim Devices products, technology and operations, the retention of the Slim Devices employees, and whether (and how quickly) the market for network-based music systems develops and evolves as anticipated. For information regarding other related risks, see the risk factors section in Logitech's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006, and our quarterly reports on Form 6-K, available from the SEC's Edgar database at www.sec.gov and upon request from Logitech by calling (510) 713-4220. Logitech does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements.

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.

(LOGI - IR)
COPYRIGHT 2006 Business Wire
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2006 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

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Publication:Business Wire
Date:Oct 19, 2006
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