Empresas y finanzas

Sharper, Smoother, Better: Skype and Logitech Join Forces, Fulfill Promise of High Quality Video-Calling Experience



    Skype and Logitech (SWX:LOGN) (NASDAQ:LOGI), the world´s leading
    manufacturer of webcams, today announced a collaboration to deliver a
    new standard of video calls over the Internet: High Quality Video.
    With High Quality Video on Skype(TM), people worldwide can enjoy free
    video calls that are sharper and smoother than ever before. The
    experience is so good, it might be better than being there.

    "This is a major leap in the clarity and smoothness of free video
    calls over the Internet," said Gareth O´Loughlin, Skype´s general
    manager, mobile and hardware devices. "High Quality Video is a
    tremendous opportunity to delight our more than 246 million users and
    take their Skype experience to a whole new level. One in four Skype
    calls already involve video, so we know our users love to show and not
    just tell. High Quality Video will take Skype conversations to a whole
    new level of realism. In the past, only big businesses could afford
    this kind of video quality. It´s now time to take it to everyone
    else."

    "High Quality Video takes all the promises of video calling -
    staying connected with family and friends, traveling the world without
    a suitcase and increasing collaboration among colleagues spread across
    a global network - and dramatically enhances the quality of the
    experience," said Gina Clark, general manager and vice president of
    Logitech´s Internet Communications business unit. "Once people start
    enjoying High Quality Video at VGA resolution and 30 frames per second
    - a level of quality that is sharper and smoother than we´ve ever seen
    on Skype before - it will quickly become an indispensable way to stay
    connected."

    About High Quality Video

    Whether it´s a father reading a book to his kids back home while
    he travels for work, grandchildren giving their grandparents a
    close-up view of their first lost tooth, or colleagues connecting
    across continents to discuss a business proposal, High Quality Video
    offers image-perfect detail and clarity to help people connect better
    with their friends and families, co-workers and clients - without
    having to buy and install expensive video-conferencing equipment.

    High Quality Video (Skype 3.6 for Windows and Logitech QuickCam(R)
    software, version 11.5) brings VGA-quality video calls
    (640-by-480-pixels) at up to 30 frames per second (fps) to people
    using a broadband connection (384 kbps connection or higher), a High
    Quality Video-certified Logitech webcam and a PC with a dual-core
    processor. Both parties require minimum system requirements to
    experience High Quality Video. As a result, people can enjoy
    significantly sharper, smoother video calls in full-screen mode.

    A collaborative effort between Logitech and Skype, the High
    Quality Video experience is created through Skype software, Logitech
    webcams, and a fully redesigned set of drivers in the QuickCam
    software, all optimized to work together in a way never achieved
    before. Logitech´s new webcam drivers are specially tuned to recognize
    callers who have the new Skype software.

    Logitech Webcams Certified for High Quality Video

    High Quality Video on Skype is available with the following
    premium Logitech webcams: the Logitech(R) QuickCam(R) Pro 9000, the
    Logitech(R) QuickCam(R) Pro for Notebooks and the Logitech(R)
    QuickCam(R) Orbit AF (Logitech(R) QuickCam(R) Sphere AF in Europe).

    All three High Quality Video-certified webcams offer a Carl Zeiss
    lens and a premium autofocus system for fast, fluid focusing that
    helps eliminate the inconvenience of manual focusing. Logitech´s
    autofocus system refocuses images in less than three seconds and helps
    ensure that images remain crisp even in extreme close-ups (up to 4
    inches/10 cm from the camera lens).

    For the office and the home, the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 comes
    with a flexible universal base, which allows it to rest comfortably on
    nearly any monitor. For the on-the-go professional, the Logitech
    QuickCam Pro for Notebooks is sold with a protective travel case and
    an adjustable, spring-tension clip that accommodates even large
    laptops with panels up to 20 mm thick. The QuickCam Orbit AF webcam
    can cover 190 horizontal degrees and 100 vertical degrees of a room
    and offers a unique pan-and-tilt tracking technology.

    Pricing and Availability

    Skype 3.6 for Windows is expected to be available as a free
    download at skype.com in November and will support 28 languages. The
    Logitech QuickCam Software version 11.5 is available now for free
    download at www.logitech.com/downloads.

    The Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 and Logitech QuickCam Pro for
    Notebooks webcams are available now worldwide for a suggested retail
    price of $99.99 (U.S.). The Logitech QuickCam Orbit AF (QuickCam
    Sphere AF) is available now worldwide for a suggested retail price of
    $129.99 (U.S.). The webcams are also available for purchase at
    www.skype.com/shop.

    About Skype

    Skype sets the standard in providing new and easy ways to stay in
    touch over the internet. Millions of people every day make free
    Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls and send instant messages using
    our software. Some pay a little per minute for long-distance and
    international calls to phones and mobiles and for SMS, voicemail and
    call forwarding, or they buy subscriptions that give unlimited calls
    nationwide.

    We certify and sell hundreds of hardware products from more than
    50 partners and work with third-party developers to create software to
    extend Skype´s functionality. Skype has been downloaded more than half
    a billion times and over 246 million people from almost every corner
    of the globe have registered.

    Skype is an eBay company (NASDAQ:EBAY), and you can learn more and
    get Skype at www.skype.com.

    Make your world a smaller place: talk, share and do more with
    Skype.

    About Logitech

    Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving
    innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music,
    home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices. Founded in
    1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the
    SWX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market
    (LOGI).

    Skype, SkypeIn, SkypeOut, Skype Me, Skype Certified, Skypecasts,
    associated logos and the "S" symbol are trademarks of Skype Limited.
    Access to a broadband Internet connection is required for Skype and
    all Skype Certified devices and accessories. Skype is not a
    replacement for your traditional telephone service and cannot be used
    for emergency calling.

    Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are
    registered in the United States and other countries. All other
    trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more
    information about Logitech and its products, visit the company´s Web
    site at www.logitech.com.

    (LOGI - IR)