New System Combines Best-in-Class Products and Technology to Solve Problems
With Streaming Digital Music Over Standard Wi-Fi in the Home
DIGITAL LIFE EXHIBITION, NEW YORK, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Slim
Devices, Inc., makers of the affordable Squeezebox wireless streaming audio
players, and Ruckus Wireless, Inc., pioneers of "smart Wi-Fi" technology,
today announced a marketing partnership under which the companies will
offer the first in-home wireless digital music system that effectively
eliminates audio artifacts, extends the range and ensures the highest
reliability of digital music distribution within the home.
The companies also announced that they are demonstrating the new system
in their joint "Digital Domicile" (Stand 447) and will begin offering a
bundled solution at the Digital Life Exhibition this week in New York City.
The new digital music distribution system pairs the Ruckus MediaFlex
multimedia Wi-Fi router with the popular Squeezebox from Slim Devices. This
gives consumers, for the first time, high-quality, stutter-free music
playback throughout their home over standard Wi-Fi.
With the advances made in digital content and data compression,
consumers are now looking for an easy and reliable way to move music around
the home. While Wi-Fi has become the de facto medium for accessing data
content, it wasn't designed to support reliable whole-home multimedia
streaming. Having become accustomed to the location-freedom that Wi-Fi
affords, consumers are now looking to extend this anytime, anywhere access
to all other types of multimedia, particularly digital music.
"Moving any kind of streaming multimedia over Wi-Fi is plagued with
problems," said Rick Thompson, senior analyst at Heavy Reading. "Consumers
love and want Wi-Fi for all their digital content but have no way to deal
with the vagaries of Wi-Fi, such as RF interference, that can ruin music
playback. Slim Devices and Ruckus have really focused on helping consumers
solve these problems with an affordable and easy-to-use system."
Music Stuttering Over Wi-Fi a Thing of the Past
Unlike any other products on the market, Ruckus Wireless and Slim
Devices have created a highly-reliable digital music home distribution
system that prioritizes digital music streaming to the Squeezebox,
automatically steering it around Wi-Fi interference.
The unique solution leverages technical advances in Wi-Fi that deliver
longer range and unprecedented Wi-Fi stability by directing signals over
the best path through the air at any given time. When interference is
experienced, the system automatically steers music traffic over a better
path in the air without effecting music playback.
Unlike other systems on the market, the Ruckus Wireless part of the
solution also supports data and video streaming over the same network.
Digital music traffic will receive higher priority over other traffic, such
as file downloads, to ensure the highest quality user experience.
With the new solution, consumers are now able to reliably stream
digital music to any corner of their home over standard Wi-Fi without
experiencing audio "artifacts" or music stuttering caused by Wi-Fi
interference from microwave ovens, cordless phones, neighboring networks,
Bluetooth devices, hair dryers and other household items.
"Given a choice, people want to use Wi-Fi for moving their music around
the home but have no idea about all the things that can cause problems,"
said Patrick Cosson, vice president of sales and marketing for Slim
Devices. "With Ruckus Wireless, we're solving a huge industry problem
facing consumers while giving them a uniquely differentiated solution that
increases reliability and ensures the highest quality experience when
streaming music over Wi-Fi in the home."
No Configuration Installation
With built-in support for 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Slim Devices' Squeezebox is
easy-to-use and set up, letting users access any song in their music
collections, from any room in their home. It delivers pure digital sound,
in all of today's leading and emerging formats (e.g. FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, WMA
Lossless, Apple Lossless, MP3 and AAC), without the hassle of shuffling
through CDs. From its simple remote control, Squeezebox gives instant
access to any music on a single or multiple computers, plus hundreds of
crystal-clear Internet radio stations.
Based on revolutionary new smart antenna and quality of service
technology that increases the reliability of Wi-Fi, the Ruckus MediaFlex
router is a purpose-built in-home multimedia Wi-Fi system that connects to
any DSL modem or broadband gateway via a standard Ethernet cable.
To install the system, consumers simply power on the Ruckus MediaFlex
and plug it into the Ethernet port on their DSL modem or broadband gateway.
No configuration is necessary. Squeezebox owners merely place the
Squeezebox in the desired room and perform the simple installation of the
system. Within minutes, users are streaming music to any room without
cumbersome setup or disruptive wiring.
Pricing and Availability
Available immediately, Slim Devices is bundling the Ruckus MediaFlex
router with its Squeezebox player for $359. Slim Devices and Ruckus
Wireless will be providing Digital Life attendees with a special, one-time
offering with free shipping. Visit the Digital Domicile stand (No. 447) for
more details.
About Ruckus Wireless, Inc.
Founded in June 2004 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Ruckus
Wireless is credited with developing the first "smart Wi-Fi" system that
enables reliable transmission of digital video over standards-based in-home
wireless networks. The company's patent-pending hardware and software
technologies improve the performance, range and predictability of wireless
networks in the home, extending all the benefits of Wi-Fi to consumers'
television viewing and enabling service providers to deliver "triple play"
services of voice, video and data over one broadband connection. The
company, named to the 2006 "Fast 50" by Fast Company magazine and the 2006
Red Herring 100, has raised approximately $30 million from top investors
including Sequoia Capital, Motorola Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures,
T-Online Venture Fund, WK Technology Fund and Investor AB. Ruckus Wireless
is led by Selina Lo, CEO, named in 2005 by Light Reading magazine as
"Industry Statesman of the Year" and Dominic Orr, Chairman of the Board.
For more information, visit the company's web site at
http://www.ruckuswireless.com
About Slim Devices
Slim Devices, founded in 2001, is the worldwide pioneer of network
entertainment products for users of personal computers and the Internet.
Slim Devices' innovative hardware and Open Source software are setting the
standard for an exciting new product category. The Slim Devices logo,
Transporter and Squeezebox are trademarks or registered trademarks of Slim
Devices, Inc. Other trademarks are the property of their respective
holders.
Media Contacts
David Callisch
Ruckus Wireless
david@ruckuswireless.com
408-504-5487 mobile
Jez Hildred
Slim Devices
650-210-9400 x712
jez@slimdevices.com
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