Parrot Unveils First Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit: No Installation Required; Plug-n-Drive Calling Adds Convenience and Safety

Business Wire, May 24, 2004

Business Editors/Automotive Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 24, 2004

Parrot, a European leader in the development of Bluetooth products, today announced the U.S. launch of DriveBlue(TM), the first Bluetooth(R) hands-free car kit requiring no installation. A revolutionary off-the-shelf, consumer electronics product, DriveBlue is easy, fast and efficient, offering a cost-effective, Plug-n-Drive voice recognition solution that creates a wireless in-car environment.

"DriveBlue is a critical breakthrough for the hands-free market," said Christophe Dissaux, Executive Vice President of Parrot, Inc. "DriveBlue is portable so you can take it from car to car," Dissaux added.

When plugged into a car's cigarette lighter, DriveBlue instantly and wirelessly provides advanced hands-free functionality without the installation constraints of other Bluetooth car systems. Ready-to-use and portable, DriveBlue features are:

-- Installation-free: Plugs into any car's cigarette lighter

-- Universal: Compatible with all Bluetooth-enabled phones

regardless of carrier

-- Voice recognition dialing: Speed dial from your DriveBlue or

phone memory

-- Compact design: lightweight unit with speaker and buttons

-- Automatic connection in Full Duplex mode

-- Digital Signal Processor: Noise reduction, echo cancellation

-- Software upgrade: Maintain high level of features with newest

phones

Based on Bluetooth wireless technology, which allows differing electronic devices to "speak" to each other, DriveBlue establishes a short-range radio connection using one of the phone's audio profiles: Headset or Hands-free. With a range of 10m (33 ft), the connection provides remote hands-free control of phone and audio channel. DriveBlue retails for $99. Other Parrot products include theCK3000, the first-ever Bluetooth car kit. The CK3000 is hardwired to your car's stereo speakers for maximum audio quality.

The week of May 24 is designated Wireless Safety Week by CTIA, to focus attention on how wireless technology serves personal and public safety.

ABOUT PARROT

Headquartered in Paris, Parrot is a privately-held company founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux. The company, with U.S. offices in New York, provides proven and reliable technology for automotive telecommunications. From the outset, Parrot focused on embedded noise-robust voice recognition and signal processing technologies for mobile computing and automotive markets, adding Bluetooth to its core competence in 2002. The company is now the Bluetooth car kit leader in Europe with products sold in 35 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.say-parrot.com.