Parrot Capitalizes on Digital Music Craze with New Streaming Audio Car Kits, Compact Speaker Systems

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New York (PRWEB) June 28, 2007 -- Some say the digital music revolution started in 1999 with the debut of Napster's online music service. Others say that Apple was responsible for it with the launch of the iPod in late 2001.

Regardless, the digital music market is huge and still growing. In April, iPod sales passed the 100-million mark and this unique device has spawned hundreds of digital player competitors and knockoffs. Paralleling the sale of personal digital music players is the increasing number of online music sites, both pay-to-play (P2P) like Apple's iTunes and the freebies -- or peer-to-peer file sharing sites. iTunes has a commanding lead, having sold an estimated 2.5 billion songs at 99 cents each. But others, including Yahoo, Walmart and Napster are moving significant volumes as well.

At the end of 2006, the retail sales tracking firm NPD estimated there were 47 million "digital music households" in the U.S. (defined as a home with a member who downloaded, ripped, burned, played, or uploaded digital music). Among those households, 15 million actively downloaded at least one music file from a P2P site in 2006 -- an 8 percent increase over 2005. And the average P2P user downloaded many more files in 2006 (5 billion files) than the previous year, which represents a 47 percent increase in P2P downloading compared to 2005 (3.4 billion files).

Digital tunes and the devices that play them have become the lifeblood of not only the younger generation but of millions of people, crossing all age groups and demographics. Just look around and notice the number of people wearing headsets and walking, jogging, driving, thinking, working, doing homework, or simply relaxing with their music. It's a part of everyday life.

Now the cellular companies are playing catch-up and introducing "music phones" that are capable of storing and streaming digital music. First launched in 2006, the number of music-enabled cell phones already reached 32% of new phones sold in Q4 2006, almost double the volume only six months earlier. Wireless online retailer letstalk.com recently surveyed its phone buying customers and found that 83% of music phone purchasers are over age 25, and 55% of those 35 years and older are now listening to music on their cell phones.

Now that music has been added to cell phones -- in addition to photos, video, Internet capability and more -- it is clear that basic lifestyle necessities, conveniences and entertainment are converging in mobile phones. And one of the key underlying technologies that enables much of this to happen is Bluetooth®, the wireless short-range radio integrated into cell phones that allows image and music files to be transferred -- or streamed -- to other devices. In the fourth quarter of 2006, Bluetooth-enabled cell phones accounted for 49% of all phones sold in the U.S., up from 31% in the first quarter.

In 1994, Henri Seydoux, chairman of Parrot SA, saw this phenomena occurring and founded a company to capitalize on it.

"Our chairman was a thought leader in foreseeing how the cell phone would become the universal device it is today. The explosive growth of our company is proof that he was correct," says Ed Valdez, president, Parrot, Inc., the company's North American subsidiary. "Our products are fun, easy to use, and allow consumers to catch and ride the Bluetooth wave that is sweeping the global market.

"We're focused in three key areas -- Bluetooth-enabled hands-free car kits, digital photo frames, and wireless speakers, all of which are centered around the cell phone. We are especially excited about streaming audio because it is being rapidly adapted worldwide. For millions of people, it's no longer a luxury, it's a necessity. That's why we've launched a series of wireless products -- both car kits and speakers -- that can play music streamed from any Bluetooth stereo device."

Parrot Launches Streaming Music Products

Parrot leads the industry in audio streaming products, having introduced six all-new cars kits and stereo speakers in the last 12 months. All of these products are compatible with any Bluetooth stereo (A2DP) music source such as mobile phones, iPods and MP3 players, or PCs. Non-Bluetooth sources coupled with a Bluetooth USB Parrot dongle are also compatible with Parrot's various stereo speakers.

Parrot's first streaming audio product was launched in mid-2006. It was a pair of bookshelf stereo speakers called the Parrot SOUND SYSTEM. Each speaker has a 60-watt per channel amplifier so the only wire needed is the power cord on each speaker that plugs into a wall outlet. No wires are necessary to connect the two speakers -- they share music automatically via Bluetooth. The Parrot SOUND SYSTEM works with all Bluetooth stereo sources, plus a line-in analog connection is provided to make it compatible with traditional music sources, such as CD players and stereo systems.

A few months later came Parrot's first hands-free car kit with streaming audio capability -- the Parrot MK6000 -- which was launched in the U.S. in late 2006. It's the first professionally-installed Bluetooth hands-free car kit dedicated to music and it will turn a car into a wireless entertainment hub. The Parrot MK6000 captures music sent by a Bluetooth stereo mobile phone or MP3 player and redirects it to your car's speakers. The Parrot MK6000 is also a full-featured car kit for hands-free calling. It automatically synchronizes its phonebook with the contacts in your mobile phone. And, it features text-to-speech voice synthesis, so instead of you having to scroll through the contacts in your phone and risking this dangerous distraction, the Parrot MK6000 car kit will actually read your contacts to you.

In March 2007, the company launched the Parrot BOOMBOX, a powerful, portable single-unit stereo speaker. The Parrot BOOMBOX is a compact, 60-watt 2.1 Bluetooth Class-D hi-fi speaker. An RCA auxiliary line-in plug provides for analog audio devices such as CD players and tuners, and the unit will automatically detect the music source.

Next, Parrot launched the second-generation of streaming audio-enabled car kit - the Parrot MK6100. It will be available in the U.S. later this year and has all the features of the MK6000, but also has a dash-mounted OLED screen for viewing caller i.d. and the cell phone contact list, plus steering wheel-mounted controls.

And finally, Parrot just introduced two more new streaming audio products -- the Parrot PARTY, a personal-size portable stereo speaker small enough to fit in a backpack or purse, but powerful enough to fill a room with music. And another car kit was also launched, the plug-and-play PMK5800 that simply plugs into a vehicle's 12-volt accessory outlet and beams music via FM to the vehicle sound system.

And Parrot isn't through yet. "Hang on, because there are a lot more products coming related to music," says Valdez. "We'll have a product for virtually every music need and consumer - and they'll all be wireless, based around the music-capable cell phone."

About Parrot:

Founded in 1994, Parrot has rapidly established itself as a pivotal global player for wireless mobile telephone accessories. Drawing on its tried-and-tested expertise on voice recognition and signal processing technologies, Parrot was one of the very first companies to produce Bluetooth®-based wireless hands free car kits, having identified this standard's vast potential as early as 1999. In 2006, Parrot sold about 3 million units.

Determined to accompany wireless peripherals breakthrough into our day-to-day lives, Parrot has been developing since 2006 a new wireless range of sound and image products.

Today, Parrot truly has a major international focus: 90.5% of its sales are generated outside of France, and a large percentage of its production is outsourced to carefully selected partners, enabling it to achieve the best possible level of quality and responsiveness. Parrot is now particularly well positioned to capitalize on the bright future opening up for mobile telephone devices.

Parrot has achieved strong growth in its consolidated revenues, up from 80.9 million euros pro forma in 2005 to 166.9 million euros in 2006.

www.parrot.com      Euronext Paris - Eurolist, Compartiment B: FR0004038263 - PARRO

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