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REALNETWORKS AND PALMONE BRING SECURE, DIGITAL MUSIC VIA REALPLAYER MUSIC STORE TO TREO 600 SMARTPHONE, ZIRE 71 HANDHELD AND TUNGSTEN HANDHELDS
RealPlayer for Treo 600 Smartphone to Enable Consumers to Play MP3 and RealAudio Files
Consumer Electronics Show 2004, LAS VEGAS — January 7, 2004 — RealNetworks®, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK), the leading creator of digital media services and software, and palmOne, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLMO) announced that beginning today consumers can use the Zire™ 71 handheld and most Tungsten™ handhelds to play music purchased from the new RealPlayer® Music Store(1). Further, RealNetworks said that by Jan. 31, 2004, it intends to make available the RealPlayer for the Treo™ 600 smartphone, which will enable consumers to play MP3 and RealAudio® files, as well as music purchased from the RealPlayer Music Store, on their Treo 600 smartphones. This marks the first time a PDA or smartphone will be able to directly transfer and play secure, digital music purchased from a major music download service.
Tight integration between the music store, in the My Library section of RealPlayer 10, and the palmOne devices makes it easy for consumers to download and go. Through simple "drag and drop," consumers can transfer secure music to their Tungsten T3, Tungsten T2, Tungsten T, Tungsten C, Tungsten E and Zire 71 handhelds (2). With the extensive market penetration of the Treo, Tungsten and Zire product lines, music downloads from the RealPlayer Music Store will be available for transferring to more than one million palmOne™ smartphones and handhelds.
To enable support for the RealPlayer Music Store on these palmOne devices RealNetworks has integrated RealAudio® 10 with AAC and it’s Helix™ DRM (digital rights management) for Devices into the RealPlayer that runs on palmOne devices. Helix DRM for Devices enables consumer electronics manufacturers, such as palmOne, to offer consumers secure, digital media experiences on mobile and portable devices as well as connected home appliances.
"palmOne customers have shown their overwhelming desire to play music with their handhelds since we first introduced the RealPlayer for our devices. This made integration with the RealPlayer Music Store a very easy and exciting choice," said Ken Wirt, senior vice president and general manager, Handheld Business Unit, palmOne. "The combination of Helix DRM for Devices and the availability of more than a vast library of songs from the RealPlayer Music Store will ensure that palmOne customers enjoy a great digital music experience on their handhelds."
"This is a huge win for consumers who want to listen to music on the go, but don’t want to carry yet another device solely for the purpose of listening to great music," said Dan Sheeran, senior vice president marketing, RealNetworks, Inc. "It’s also a great example of how our digital media platform is being adopted by leading consumer electronics companies who want to offer the latest digital media services to their customers."
palmOne customers with a Zire 71 or one of the supported Tungsten handhelds can download RealPlayer 10 including the RealPlayer Music Store at http://www.real.com/musicstore/. RealPlayer 10 will open directly to the Music Store where consumers can follow links to download the RealPlayer for palmOne handhelds. The RealPlayer is seamless integrated with the handheld so consumers can easily take their secure Music Store files on the go. RealPlayer 10 for the Treo 600 smartphone will also be available from RealNetworks at the above URL by Jan. 31, 2004.
For More Information:
Paul Araquistain, palmOne, Inc., 408.503.7636, paul.araquistain@palmOne.com
Lisa Strong, RealNetworks, 206-892-6585, lstrong@real.com
About palmOne, Inc.
palmOne, Inc. delivers what matters most to customers -- whether a single consumer or company of thousands -- enabling users to improve their personal lives and professional productivity through mobile devices and solutions.
palmOne is the name adopted in October 2003 by Palm, Inc., when it spun off PalmSource, Inc., maker of the Palm OS(R) platform software, and acquired Handspring, Inc. Uniting the Zire(TM), Tungsten(TM) and Treo(TM) subbrands, the creation of palmOne launched a new, stronger market leader in handheld computer and communications hardware and software solutions.
More information about palmOne, Inc. is available at http://www.palmOne.com.
About RealNetworks, Inc.
RealNetworks, Inc. is the leading creator of digital media services and software including the award-winning Rhapsody Internet jukebox service and RealPlayer 10, the first product to integrate finding, organizing, buying, playing and managing digital audio and video in a single product. Consumers can access and experience audio/video programming and download RealNetworks’ consumer software at http://www.real.com. Broadcasters, network operators, media companies and enterprises use RealNetworks’ products and services to create and deliver digital media to PCs, mobile phones and consumer electronics devices. RealNetworks’ systems and corporate information is located at http://www.realnetworks.com.
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