Olympus Announces New Ergonomic Digital Voice Recorders

January 8, 2002 -- Olympus America Inc., Consumer Products Group, the #1 manufacturer of digital voice recorders, announced today at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Macworld, the VN-900 and VN-1800 digital voice recorders. Based on the best-selling VN-90 and VN-180, these recorders are the next generation of digital voice recorders from Olympus. The recorders weigh just over two ounces and are ergonomically designed to fit snugly inside the palm of the hand. The VN-900 stores 90 minutes of voice recordings for the street price of $59.99, and the VN-1800 stores 3 hours of voice recordings for the street price of $79.99. With their long talk time, the VN-series recorders are ideal for recording meetings, school lectures or study groups, as well as short memos, ideas, phone numbers, shopping lists, and other notes. Since the VN-series recorders are so small (3.8" x 1.6" x 0.9") and lightweight, they can be taken everywhere.

New features in the VN-series recorders are:

• An easier to use jog-dial for quick navigation through folders and options.
• More folders for organizing recordings (now 4 folders).
• A convenient metal clip for shirt pockets for quick retrieval.
• A smaller lighter design, which fits better in the hand.
• A new HQ high-quality recording option for the best possible sound, as well as the standard choices of SP (slow play) and LP (long play).

"We are very excited about the release of these new digital voice recorders," said Keith Swiderski, Product Manager Voice Recorders, Consumer Products Group, Olympus America Inc. "The VN-900 and VN-1800 Digital Voice Recorders are the latest in a long line of well-styled, multi-functional Olympus recorders. They are small, ergonomic and geared for all users. The VN-900 and VN-1800 will give consumers excellent performance and high-quality sound for the price."

Recordings can be stored in up to four separate folders, with each folder capable of storing 100 messages. The three folders can be used for "Work, Personal, To Do," or can be used for different projects. A fourth folder (schedule folder) is used to segment recordings by date, allowing you to recall the day¹s meetings, expenses and reminders for easy on-the-go retrieval.

Any recording can be programmed to play automatically at any time, creating up to 20 alarms. This feature can be used as a reminder of important meetings, dates, or as a wake-up call. The user presses the button when hearing the alarm beep and hears the pre-recorded reminder.

The VN-900 has 3 recording modes, HQ mode (for the best possible quality recording, 22 minutes available recording time; SP mode (for a high-quality recording, with 33 minutes available recording time); and LP mode (for the most possible recording capacity, with 90 minutes available recording time).

The VN-1800 has 3 recording modes, HQ mode (for the best possible quality recording, 45 minutes available recording time; SP mode (for a high-quality recording, with 67 minutes available recording time); and LP mode (for the most possible recording capacity, with 180 minutes available recording time).

An LCD display is provided to check remaining recording time, the date & time, voice activation mode, play mode (HQ/SP/LP), microphone sensitivity (HI/LO) and battery status. The VN-series have a Microphone Sensitivity Selector, voice activation for hands-free recording and easy deletion of one or all messages in a folder.

The VN-900 and VN-1800 recorders will be available April 1st, 2002 for $59.99 and $79.99 respectively.

For more information, contact Olympus America, Digital & Imaging Systems Group, Two Corporate Center Dr., Melville, NY 11747-3157, ph: (631) 844-5000 (800) 347-4027, Fax: (631) 844-5262 or the Olympus Web Site: http://www.olympusamerica.com. For consumer questions/comments, e-mail us at distec@olympus.com.

SOURCE Olympus America