CEA Launches MP3 Accessories Guide for Consumers; MyCEknowhow.com Helps Consumers Accessorize Portable Music Players

Business Wire, March 8, 2006

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA(R)) today announced that it has enhanced its consumer website, MyCEknowhow.com, with a guide to help consumers accessorize the 27 million MP3 players that will be sold this year. Not just a fashion statement, MP3 accessories keep products safe, extend functionality and augment the consumer experience. According to CEA Market Research, 25 percent of U.S. households currently have a portable music player.

"So intense is the American love affair with portable music, that the market for MP3 accessories is now at $1 billion," said CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. "From simple carrying cases to speaker docks to high-end audio connections, consumers have an overwhelming number of options for how to outfit their portable music players. MyCEknowhow.com will help consumers understand the accessories they'll need to perfect their digital lifestyle."

The guide, MP3 Accessories for a Better World, can be found under the MP3 category of MyCEknowhow.com. It offers tips for consumers on selecting the right accessories for how they want to use their portable music player, whether it's on the go, working out or just hanging out. Users will find information on cases, batteries, memory, docking stations, speaker systems, workout gear, wireless headphones and more.

For consumers still on the sidelines of the portable music player phenomenon, MyCEknowhow.com also offers an MP3 primer with tips for choosing a device, managing digital music and taking music on the go. Users can find answers to a wide variety of questions regarding MP3 players, such as why memory determines price, how many songs a player can store, file size and sound quality trade-offs, easy ways to take music on the road, why your jukebox matters and how to rip CDs and join podcasts.

The buying guides on MyCEknowhow.com are developed in partnership with CNET.com, a popular consumer website that helps people buy and use technology through unbiased product reviews, real-time pricing and interactive how-to content. CEA hopes to educate buyers, ease consumer confusion about technology and lessen returns by providing information before consumers even enter the store. Consumers visiting MyCEknowhow.com can print out PDF summaries that serve as a checklist they can take into the store. Additional buying guides will be added to MyCEknowhow.com later in the year.

About CEA:

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the consumer technology industry through technology policy, events, research, promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA represents more than 2,100 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of audio, video, mobile electronics, wireless and landline communications, information technology, home networking, multimedia and accessory products, as well as related services that are sold through consumer channels. Combined, CEA's members account for more than $125 billion in annual sales. CEA's resources are available online at www.CE.org, the definitive source for information about the consumer electronics industry.

CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES - Defining Tomorrow's Technology. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy.

UPCOMING EVENTS

--  CEA 2006 Winter Technology and Standards Forum
    March 6-10, 2006, Clearwater Beach, FL

--  CEA Entertainment Technology Policy Summit
    March 15-16, 2006, Washington, DC

--  CEA Digital Patriots Dinner
    March 15, 2006, Washington, DC

--  EHX Spring 2006
    March 28-April 1, 2006, Orlando, FL

--  CONNECTIONS (TM) - The Digital Home Conference & Showcase
    May 2-4, 2006, Santa Clara, CA

--  2006 PARA Conference
    May 3-7, 2006, Hilton Head, SC

--  The 10th Annual Consumer Electronics CEO Summit
    June 21-24, 2006, Southampton, Bermuda

--  2006 SINOCES
    July 7-10, 2006, Qingdao, China

--  2006 CEA Summer Technology and Standards Forum
    July 24-28, 2006, Coronado, CA

--  CEA Industry Forum
    October 16-18, 2006 San Francisco, CA

--  2007 PARA Conference
    May 16-20, 2007, Coronado, CA