ALCATEL/THOMSON multimedia Joint Venture and Netpliance Join Forces to OfferInternet Appliances Featuring Netpliance's i-opener Service in the U.S.
RCA Branded Product Line to Include i-opener, Giving Consumers More Choices
For Simple, All-In-One Internet Access
HANNOVER, Germany and AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ - ATLINKS, a Joint Venture between ALCATEL (NYSE: ALA) and THOMSON multimedia (NYSE: TMS), and Netpliance, Inc. today announced they will enter a strategic alliance to make Netpliance's i-opener service available through ATLINKS' Internet appliances. This alliance will speed the U.S. deployment of ATLINKS' WebTouch product line while offering consumers more choices in how they adopt the intuitive i-opener service offering.
ATLINKS intend to incorporate the i-opener service in a U.S. version of its award-winning WebTouch screenphone and Webstation Internet Appliances. The devices will be marketed under the RCA brand name and be available later this year through ATLINKS' retail distribution channels. ATLINKS, whose products are already available through Europe and Asia, will incorporate the i-opener platform to tailor the WebTouch products to the U.S. retail market, offering consumers Netpliance's rich i-opener experience. ATLINKS' products will feature the same great user experience available through Netpliance's i- opener Internet appliance service.
"This is a significant inroad into the U.S. consumer market for Internet appliances," said Bruno FABRE, CEO of ATLINKS. "With this relationship and through other up-coming partnerships, U.S. consumers soon will be able to benefit from the wide range of choices in products that provide intuitive access to the Internet. Our WebTouch products with Netpliance's i-opener service provide a winning solution for consumers."
This alliance is the first in Netpliance's business strategy to make its easy-to-use i-opener service available on all device types, including set-top boxes, PDAs, and screenphones, by providing other manufacturers with a complete, ready to use, out of the box solution for email and the Internet. Through the i-opener service on WebTouch products, consumers will gain instant access to e-mail, customized Internet content and web browsing without the hassle of set up, configuration or service provider contracts.
"It has been our goal from the start to make our service as easy and convenient as possible. By pairing i-opener with powerful brands such as RCA, Alcatel, and Thomson, ATLINKS is providing an innovative, all-in-one solution for consumers to get on the Internet without a computer. We are very excited to be working with ATLINKS to make i-opener available across a variety of Internet appliances," said Kent Savage, President and CEO of Netpliance.
About ATLINKS
With 25 millions units sold annually and an estimated turnover of 900 million Euros in the year 2000, ATLINKS, owned by ALCATEL and THOMSON multimedia is a world-leader in Internet terminals and residential telephones. The company, with its head-office located in Colombes (France), has eight subsidiaries and 1400 employees around the world. More information about ATLINKS can be found at www.AT-LINKS.com
About Netpliance
Netpliance is the all-in-one provider of an Internet appliance, nationwide Internet service and customer Internet content. The patent-pending i- opener(TM) Internet appliance and service combines instant-on Internet access and interest-specific Internet content. Through the i-opener solution, consumers gain instant access to e-mail, customized Internet content and web browsing without the hassle of set up, configuration or service provider contracts. More information about Netpliance can be found on the Internet at www.netpliance.com.
SOURCE Netpliance, Inc.
CO: Netpliance, Inc.; ATLINKS; ALCATEL; THOMSON multimedia
ST: Texas, France, Germany
IN: CPR MLM TLS
SU: JVN
02/24/2000 10:24 EST prnewswire.com |
