Logitech

January 2008 — This week at the Consumer Electronics Show, Logitech unveiled the Harmony One advanced universal remote control, marking a significant leap in the evolution of the best-selling line of Harmony remotes. Offering the same one-touch, activity-based control as other Harmony remotes, the Harmony One makes controlling home entertainment even easier with a full-color touch screen, an intuitive button layout and an exceptionally comfortable user-friendly design. The product has received the CES 2008 Design and Engineering Award: Best of Innovations in Home-Entertainment Accessories.

As home-entertainment systems become more sophisticated and complex, people are often frustrated and overwhelmed by the need to have multiple devices, the frequent necessity for family members to have written instructions to control the system (otherwise known as a cheat sheet) and the growing number of remotes on the coffee table. And, according to industry research, more and more families will face this problem. IMS Research’s report, “The Future of High-Definition TV – 2007 Edition,” forecasts strong worldwide growth for HDTV over the next four years (nearly 148 million HDTV households by 2011). And in the U.S. alone, consumer spending on digital-living products is on track to hit $300 billion in 2010 (Parks Associates, “Digital Living Forecast,” Dec. 2006). Read more

January 10, 2008—This week at CES Logitech unveiled the Logitech Squeezebox Duet network music system, extending the promise of the award-winning Squeezebox products, which allow people to access and listen to the music they love in any room of their home. The new Squeezebox Duet system offers an innovative controller, which includes a full-color LCD screen, and a compact receiver – enabling people to wirelessly browse, select and play their digital music on their existing stereo speakers anywhere in the home – even when their computer is off.

With the Logitech Squeezebox Duet network music system, music lovers can listen to their personal digital music collection, Internet radio and subscription services on their home-entertainment system in their living room, the stereo system in their bedroom, even on the mini-system in their kitchen – anywhere they have audio gear. And with the Squeezebox Duet controller, listeners can control their digital music from the palm of their hand. Read more

January 8, 2008--Seven Logitech products were named 2008 CES Innovations award winners for excellence in design and engineering, including the Logitech Harmony One advanced universal remote, which won the prestigious Best of Innovations award in the Home-Entertainment Accessories category.

“It is truly an honor for Logitech to be recognized alongside so many other great products,” said Jerry Quindlen, chief executive officer of Logitech. “These awards validate our deep commitment to world-class design and acknowledge our design and engineering organizations for their persistent devotion to delivering products that delight our customers.” Read more

Skype and Logitech have partnered to deliver High Quality Video over the Internet. Logitech reports that High Quality Video on Skype offers “image-perfect detail and clarity”, to help people connect better without having to buy expensive video-conferencing equipment. High Quality Video brings VGA-quality video calls (640-by-480-pixels) at up to 30 frames per second to people using a broadband connection, a High Quality Video-certified Logitech webcam and a PC with a dual-core processor. Skype 3.6 for Windows is expected to be available as a free download at skype.com in early November and will support 28 languages. The Logitech QuickCam Software version 11.5 is available now for free download at www.logitech.com/downloads. Read more

Oct. 30, 2007 — Skype and Logitech today announced a collaboration to deliver a new standard of video calls over the Internet: High Quality Video. With High Quality Video on Skype™, 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.” Read more

September 12, 2007 -- Logitech today announced its continued support of the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system with the Logitech® Cordless Vantage™ Headset for PLAYSTATION 3 and Logitech® Cordless MediaBoard Pro™ Bluetooth Keyboard for PLAYSTATION 3 – giving gamers the freedom and reliability of Bluetooth® wireless technology for their PS3 gaming experience.

“Logitech is pleased to offer two Bluetooth-enabled products for the PLAYSTATION 3 console platform, making the PS3 experience even better,” said Bruce Lancaster, vice president of Logitech’s interactive entertainment business unit. “The Cordless Vantage Headset for PS3 allows gamers to coordinate with teammates – wirelessly. And the Cordless MediaBoard Pro Bluetooth keyboard significantly improves the PLAYSTATION® Network experience, making it easier and faster to manage accounts and text with friends.” Read more

August 16, 2007--Logitech today announced the Logitech® Pure-Fi Dream™ Premium Bedroom Music System for iPod®, establishing a new category of iPod speakers for the bedroom. With premium audio, an innovative application of motion- and light-sensing technology, a built-in digital AM/FM radio and a dual alarm with battery backup, the Pure-Fi Dream speakers are perfect for any nightstand.

“Pure-Fi Dream is our most thoughtful and sophisticated design for iPod users,” said Jef Holove, general manager and vice president of Logitech’s audio business unit. “Though people use their iPods in the bedroom more than anywhere else, until today, a high-quality, iPod bedroom speaker system did not exist. First and foremost an impressive audio platform, the Pure-Fi Dream will make listening to iPod music in a bedroom a great experience any time of day. And at night, with its innovative light- and motion-sensing technology, as well as its alarm clock, the Pure-Fi Dream is the ideal bedroom system for iPod lovers.” Read more

August 16, 2007--Logitech today announced the Logitech® Pure-Fi Anywhere™ Compact Speakers for iPod®, optimizing portability and delivering big sound in a small size.

Building on the success of the Logitech® mm50 portable speakers, the company’s best-selling iPod speaker system, the Pure-Fi Anywhere speakers offer a rechargeable battery, now with a battery-life indicator; an improved traveling case; and a redesigned, advanced remote control with one-touch access to Shuffle and Repeat. The Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere speakers give iPod owners what they want to complete the portable experience. Read more

Aug. 1, 2007 — Logitech today introduced the newest addition to its award-winning line of G-series peripherals for PC gaming. The Logitech G9 Laser Mouse takes customization to the extreme, giving PC gamers the ability to modify nearly every part of the G9 mouse for the best personal fit, feel and performance.

For even greater gameplay domination, Logitech also unveiled an upgrade to the popular Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard – now with native support from the most popular games for its exclusive GamePanel LCD screen, a backlighted 160 by 43 pixel screen that gives gamers critical information to help them win. Read more

June 28, 2007 --Logitech today unveiled the Logitech® QuickCam® Pro 9000 and the Logitech® QuickCam® Pro for Notebooks, featuring lenses designed in an exclusive collaboration with Carl Zeiss, one of the world’s leading optics companies. Combining Logitech’s webcam leadership with Carl Zeiss’s 160-year history of optical expertise, these new QuickCam Pro-series webcams establish a new standard for webcam image quality – making video calls of image-perfect detail and clarity a reality.

Logitech has been driving webcam technology since its inception and recently shipped its 50 millionth webcam. The company’s cooperation with Carl Zeiss represents a significant step in the evolution of video communications.

Logitech’s exclusive collaboration with Carl Zeiss – the recognized leader in optics for many applications, including cameras, eyeglass lenses and space telescopes – ensures that the QuickCam Pro 9000 and the QuickCam Pro for Notebooks are the first webcams to meet Zeiss’s world-renowned standards for lens design and manufacturing. The new QuickCam Pro-series webcams incorporate a Carl Zeiss Tessar® lens, a lens design renowned for delivering superior sharpness while being very light weight and compact. Read more