REDMOND, Wash., and HANOVER, Germany, March 9, 2005 — MSN and Logitech today announced at CeBIT 2005 an extension of their global relationship, through which MSN will launch a high-quality, integrated video and audio service powered by Logitech that enables customers to see and talk to friends and family over the Internet. The new service will be available when it is released this spring to MSN®
Messenger 7.0 customers.
For the past two years, Logitech and MSN have worked together to bring video capabilities to customers through the Webcam feature of MSN Messenger. Each month more than 30 million of the MSN Messenger service’s 155 million unique customers use the current feature, and MSN and Logitech have facilitated more than 3 billion webcam sessions since it was introduced. Building upon their relationship, the companies are combining their expertise to deliver a higher-quality, more advanced service that will seamlessly enable synchronized audio and video conversations that customers can enjoy with one easy click.
“A core piece of the MSN mission is to bring our customers closer to the people who matter most to them,” said Blake Irving, corporate vice president for MSN Communications Services and Member Platform Group at Microsoft Corp. “Our upcoming integrated audio and video instant messaging service delivers on this mission in a tangible way for our customers. We’re pleased to be working more closely with Logitech to introduce this new service that enables our customers to see and talk with family across the country or friends around the world.”
“The new capabilities we’re delivering with MSN will remove barriers that in the past have prevented widespread consumer use of video and audio communications,” said Junien Labrousse, senior vice president of the Video Business Unit at Logitech. “With just a PC, a broadband connection, a headset and a webcam, MSN Messenger subscribers will soon enjoy high-quality, fully synchronized video and audio over the Internet using tools they’re already familiar with.”
Enhanced video and audio features from Logitech and MSN will be available this spring for MSN Messenger consumers in the United States, Germany and additional markets globally. The current Webcam for MSN Messenger feature is offered worldwide and is localized in 14 languages.
About Logitech
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