New Licensing Agreement Offers Consumers Easy Access to On-Device
Entertainment in Select Coby MP3 Players
NEW YORK and DALLAS, June 4 -- Coby(R) Electronics
(http://www.cobyusa.com), a leader in portable consumer electronics
products designed to fit every lifestyle, and kannuu, Inc.(TM)
(http://www.kannuu.com), the global leader in lookup technology, today
announced a strategic alliance that will deliver unprecedented user
satisfaction on future versions of select Coby MP3 players bundled with
kannuu's proprietary technology. Coby is slated to release the new units at
retail stores nationwide in Q3 2008.
In response to the rapidly expanding and competitive digital
entertainment market, this strategic partnership reinvents the portable
music experience by empowering consumers with immediate access to on-device
content. kannuu-enabled Coby devices allow the broadest range of users to
make the most of their digital collections with a state-of-the-art, easy to
use, low-cost solution, which eliminates lengthy searches or scrolls
through hundreds or possibly thousands of files.
Using kannuu's Partial Word Completion(TM) process, the user is
presented with four characters that correspond with the MP3 player's
control pad. The user inputs the desired file name by choosing from the
displayed letters with an easy to control up, down, left, right and center
selection. kannuu's indexing capabilities enable the fastest (3x faster
than iPod) and most accurate results, regardless of database size. The
user-friendly four-way default controller eliminates the need to search by
artist, track, album or genre alone. Instead, all matching results are
presented with one query alleviating the tedious "track-back" to
superfluous menus and settings. By combining browsing and searching into
one efficient "find" function, Coby users need not fumble through an A-Z
search, or be limited by an auto-complete function. kannuu delivers
error-free results and immediate access to desired content with minimal
clicks.
"kannuu is a natural partner for us to further enhance Coby's
feature-rich MP3 players," said Kenji Higa, R&D Manager, Coby Electronics.
"kannuu's technology helps deliver an effortless search experience, which
is perfectly 'in tune' with our mission to provide consumers with
affordable and easy-to-use CE products. The seamless integration of
kannuu's new software will help deliver the portable music experience with
convenience and simplicity, so users can spend more time enjoying their
favorite digital content and less time searching for it."
Fueled by the popularity of its newest line-up, Coby recently expanded
its multi-functional MP3 player offerings to include features such as
touchpads, touch screens and improved video capability. Incorporating
kannuu's industry-leading technology improves the entire
search-and-discovery experience with a precisely intuitive user interface
and accurate results from multiple field aggregation. The upcoming devices
are expected to have a needle-moving impact on customer satisfaction.
"We are excited to partner with Coby," said Sean-Michael Daley, CEO,
kannuu, Inc. "With the proliferation of digital content comes the growing
need to simplify and accelerate the time-consuming task of searching on the
go. Our unmatched lookup technology will give music fans everywhere a
better, faster and easier way of accessing their digital libraries, and we
are pleased to help Coby 'turn up the volume' for consumers."
Portable digital entertainment continues to grow at exponential rates,
driving an industry-wide essential need for a "best-in-class" on-device
user experience. Through this new relationship, Coby and kannuu aim to
advance the portable device landscape by offering a complete, top-tier
solution designed to improve users' digital media experience.
About kannuu, Inc.
A privately funded company, kannuu unveiled its patented technology at
DEMOfall 07. kannuu distributes its application globally through strategic
licensing partnerships. Setting a new standard in defining how content is
accessed in the mobile and device environment, kannuu's patented Partial
Word Completion(TM) defines new models for how consumers interact with a
wide array of digital media and devices. Headquartered in Dallas, with
sales and marketing offices in San Francisco, the kannuu team is comprised
of individuals dedicated to providing innovation with the power of finding,
not searching.
About Coby Electronics Corporation
Headquartered in Lake Success, New York, Coby is a manufacturer of
quality consumer electronics products. Since its inception in 1990, Coby
has risen through the ranks of the consumer electronics industry. Today,
the company is redefining the way consumer electronics products are
created, enhancing its ability to lead the industry through a challenging
economy. With the understanding of its customers' needs and desires, Coby
has developed a strategy of maintaining the lowest cost structure in the
industry without compromising the quality of its products. Within the past
decade, Coby's team of inventors, engineers and designers have earned a
number of U.S. patents and design awards, with several additional patents
pending.
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