Free “SkypeOut” to Draw Millions More to Skype—and Sennheiser

June 2006—Just in case anyone needed another reason to own a Sennheiser headset, Skype Technologies has announced a promotion offering free “SkypeOut” calls to landlines and cellular phones within the US and Canada via the internet through 2006.

With more than 100 million “Skypers” worldwide, Skype is rapidly becoming the universal key to free and very-low-cost global communication. Sennheiser Communications, a subsidiary of the German company synonymous with quality headphone and microphone products, recently joined forces with Skype and has developed a series of Skype-certified headset models specially optimized for this PC-oriented speech application.

“As a key partner to Skype, Sennheiser is thrilled to be a part of this SkypeOut promotion,” says Bill Whearty, vice president of telecommunications at Sennheiser Electronic Corporation, which distributes the Sennheiser Communications product line stateside. “We’re confident that it will encourage countless Americans and Canadians to give Skype a try, bringing millions of new users and making Skype as nearly universal here as it is in Europe—and, we hope, introducing many to the quality and performance of Sennheiser headsets.”

Ranging from stereo headsets to sub-mini wired and wireless Bluetooth™ “earsets,” the Skype headset line features Sennheiser’s hallmark sonic clarity and rugged high quality, and includes the firm’s widely regarded noise-canceling microphones for improved real-world intelligibility, and unique ActiveGard™ circuitry to protect users from uncomfortable and potentially harmful noise bursts.

The internet-based Skype voice communications system uses free, downloadable “Skype” software – available online at www.skype.com – to allow people around the world to converse at no cost via existing broadband-internet connections. Computer-to-computer calls are absolutely free to all users worldwide, while calls from computers to conventional telephones are only available at no cost during the “SkypeOut” promotion, which runs until December 31.

Skype runs on all popular personal computing platforms including Mac OSX, Windows, Linux, and Pocket PC. For additional information about Sennheiser, visit www.sennheiserusa.com.

SOURCE Sennheiser