-- Second "Bluetooth first" for GN Netcom, an innovator of wireless
headset technology
-- Sleek, new hands-free device to be available from major mobile phone
manufacturer early this year and under GN Netcom's own JABRA brand by
mid-year 2002.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, and NASHUA, N.H., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- GN Netcom,
a leader in hands-free communications solutions, announced today that it has
received the world's first Bluetooth Version 1.1 headset certification for its
new second-generation headset using Bluetooth wireless technology.
Targeted at the hands-free mobile phone market, the headset is the second
GN Netcom headset to be Bluetooth certified. The product will be available
from a major mobile phone manufacturer early this year and under the JABRA
brand, GN Netcom's mobile telephony consumer division, by mid-year 2002.
GN Netcom continues to lead the industry in receiving Bluetooth
certification. In September 2000, GN Netcom became the first headset
manufacturer to receive Bluetooth 1.0b certification for its professional
headset with Bluetooth wireless technology -- the GN 9000 BT.
"Being the first to receive certification in the headset category
according to the Bluetooth 1.1 standard is a tremendous accomplishment for GN
Netcom. Our products incorporate state-of-the-art design coupled with a user-
friendly interface that is quite intuitive," said Hans Henrik Lund, vice
president of research and development. "Being first to market means that our
new headsets are setting the standard by which future Bluetooth headsets will
be measured," Lund added.
Leveraging its expertise in acoustical and mechanical design, GN Netcom
partnered with Denmark-based RTX Telecom, the company's preferred development
partner for Bluetooth wireless technology solutions, to design the
electronics, and U.K.-based CSR, for the Bluetooth BlueCore(TM) Chip.
"This hallmark innovation is the result of years of research during which
time GN Netcom redefined the meaning of hands-free communications," said P.
Michael Fairweather, president and CEO of GN Netcom, Inc. and executive vice
president of GN Netcom. "The beneficiary is the consumer, who will see a
sleek, new, wireless headset that's incredibly convenient and easy to use. And
that's how it should be."
Designed specifically with the busy consumer in mind, the new GN Netcom
headset represents a dramatic departure from traditional headsets in both form
and functionality. The unique, disc-shaped body features a slender, patent-
pending "flip boom" microphone that folds neatly into the headset. To power on
the unit and answer a call, the user simply opens the boom. Closing the boom
powers off the unit, preserving battery life, and also serves to protect the
microphone, whether the unit is stored in a briefcase or slipped into a pocket
or purse. The entire device is less than two inches/five centimeters in
diameter and weighs less than an ounce/26 grams.
Other intuitive features include GN Netcom's proprietary "volume
orientation" technology, which senses when the user switches from one ear to
the other and automatically reorients the volume 'up' and 'down' buttons.
Working with its partners, GN Netcom received certification for the new
headset in record time. This is good news for the industry, which has been
anxiously awaiting the arrival of second-generation products with Bluetooth
wireless technology. There is a particular sense of urgency in the mobile
phone sector, where consumers in a growing number of countries face fines for
talking on mobile phones while driving without a hands-free communications
device.
Visit JABRA at CES Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth 12900. For more
information, please call GN Netcom, Inc. at 1-800-826-4656, or visit our web
site at http://www.gnnetcom.com.
About Bluetooth
The Bluetooth wireless technology is aimed at allowing users to make
effortless, fast connections between various communications devices, such as
headsets, mobile phones and desktop & notebook computers. The sophisticated
mode of transmission adopted in the Bluetooth Specification ensures protection
from interference and seeks to ensure security of data. The Bluetooth wireless
technology operates on a globally available frequency band intended to ensure
communication compatibility worldwide. Over 2,000 industry-leading companies
worldwide support the Bluetooth wireless technology and the sales of Bluetooth
enabled products are expected to reach considerable volumes. For further
information about Bluetooth please visit http://www.bluetooth.com.
About GN Netcom
GN Netcom is a world leader in hands-free communications technologies.
Founded in 1987, the company has pioneered revolutionary sound innovations,
including its proprietary ATL (acoustic transmission line) technology, and
recently introduced the world's first wireless headset with Bluetooth wireless
technology. GN Netcom's award-winning product line includes corded and
wireless headsets, microphone arrays and related hands-free communications
devices. GN Netcom products are sold through specialty distributors,
retailers, catalogers, supply houses and dealers, under the brand names GN
Netcom, Liberation, UNEX and ACS. GN Netcom also provides OEM products to
familiar brand name companies. For more information, contact GN Netcom, Inc.,
at 1-800-826-4656, or visit http://www.gnnetcom.com.
About GN Netcom Group
The GN Netcom Group is a leading provider of hands-free communications
solutions. The group consists of three companies: GN Netcom, a leading
provider of hands-free communications products to the call center, office and
PC applications markets; JABRA, the foremost provider of innovative hands-free
products for the mobile consumer market; and Hello Direct, a leading business-
to-business direct marketer of hands-free telephony and equipment interface
solutions.
Founded in 1987, the GN Netcom Group has facilities on four continents,
and its products are sold in more than 80 countries worldwide. The GN Netcom
group is part of GN Great Nordic, a Danish-based technology group, traded on
the Copenhagen Stock Exchange (Reuters: GNTC.CO; Bloomberg: GGNDF) and the
London Stock Exchange. For more information about the GN Netcom Group, please
visit http://www.gnnetcom.com.
*Bluetooth is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and is used by GN
Netcom under license.
SOURCE GN Netcom
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Related links:
http://gnnetcom.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/128300.html
CONTACT:
Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek of GN Netcom, Inc.,
+1-800-826-4656, ext. 525, mbb@gnnetcom.com; or Elizabeth
McDonnell of McDonnell Communications, +1-203-532-0050,
emcdonne@optonline.net
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