SONICblue's Newest Rio Players Receive Rave Reviews From Top Consumer Publications
VANCOUVER, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 25, 2001--Rio®, a division of SONICblue(TM) Incorporated (Nasdaq:SBLU - news), today announced that its Rio 800 and RioVolt digital audio players have recently received product review awards from top consumer publications, including PC Magazine, CNET, ZDNet, Smart Business, MP3.com and others. Winning these coveted awards highlights the strength of Rio's newest handheld offerings and reflects Rio's continued leadership in digital audio technology.
``With the Rio 800 and RioVolt players, our focus is on giving consumers greater freedom to listen to digital music in the format and style they choose and, as evidenced by these awards and initial strong sales, it's clear that we've succeeded,'' said Jim Cady, president of Rio. ``This success is a significant milestone for us as it underscores our continued lead in the portable market and highlights the Rio technology and brand strengths that we believe will help drive new products into the home and car audio markets.''
Recent Rio 800 accolades include winning PC Magazine and CNET Editor's Choice awards, being named a ZDNet Best Buy and a member of Smart Business's A-List, as well as receiving a five out of five rating from MP3.com. RioVolt also won a CNET Editor's Choice award, was named CNET's No. 1 MP3 player and a member of Smart Business's A-List, and received a five out of five rating from MP3.com.
About the Products
Expanding on Rio's award-winning 600 players, the Rio 800 comes with 2, 4 or 12 hours of music storage and features an ergonomic shape, large display, support for MP3 and Windows Media Audio (WMA) formats, a rechargeable battery and voice record capabilities. The Rio 800 also offers the industry's only Backpack expansion technology, allowing users to further expand the music storage of their Rio 800 by simply purchasing and slipping on a new Backpack.
The first portable CD player in the Rio product family, the Rio Volt plays standard music CDs and recordable CDs containing MP3 and WMA files -- making it possible to store and play more than 250 songs on a single CD. The RioVolt also enables users to view track number, song and artist names, as well as the ability to quickly and simply navigate through the songs on the CD. Additional features include a user interface that is as simple to use as a CD player, skip-free listening and the ability to play up to 15 hours of music on two AA batteries.
The Rio 800 and the RioVolt are available today on Rio's eStore (www.riohome.com) and through leading North American retail outlets including Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA and Fry's Electronics.
About Rio
Rio, a division of SONICblue Incorporated, is a pioneer and acknowledged leader in digital audio. Focused on delivering a family of digital audio products designed for various lifestyles, Rio is dedicated to engineering superior portable, home and car digital audio products for consumers.
About SONICblue Incorporated (www.SONICblue.com)
SONICblue is a leader in the converging Internet, digital media and consumer device markets. Working with partners that include some of the biggest brands in consumer electronics, SONICblue creates and markets products that let consumers enjoy all the benefits of a digital home and connected lifestyle. SONICblue holds significant financial assets, global marketing capabilities and a focused technology portfolio, that includes Rio® digital audio players, HomeFree(TM) home networking solutions, Diamond(TM) Internet access products and frontpath(TM) Information Appliances.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements as to the ability of the Rio technology and brand strengths to drive new products into the home and car audio markets, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the ``safe harbor'' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to, manufacturing difficulties, possible delays in the release of other products, the impact of competitive products and pricing and of alternative technological advances, and other risks detailed from time to time in the SEC reports of SONICblue Incorporated, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2000. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. SONICblue and Rio disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
Note to Editors: SONICblue, HomeFree, Diamond and frontpath are trademarks of SONICblue. Rio is a registered trademark of RioPort, Inc. and is used by SONICblue under license from RioPort, Inc. Other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.
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Contact:
SONICblue Incorporated
Tracy L. Perry, 408/588-8086 (Investor)
ir@sonicblue.com
or
Rio
Paul Crossley, 408/588-8060 (Editorial)
pcross@SONICblue.com
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