Resigned probably becuase of internal power struggle for the top position. SEE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY KILL BOCI'S VIDEO PHONE WHICH RETAILS FOR 399.00
Creative Delivers Feature Packed PC Videophone Solution
for Under $10
Creative Video WebPhone, Personal Version Makes Voice and Video Calls
Over the Net Easy and Affordable for Everyone
MILPITAS, Calif., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- In its commitment to provide affordable, high-quality
PC-based communications products for the consumer and small office/home office (SOHO) market,
Creative Technology Ltd has announced Creative Video WebPhone(TM) Personal Version. With
Creative Video WebPhone, users can see and speak to another person anywhere in the world for
merely the price of a local Internet connection. Packed full of features normally found in videophone
solutions priced five to ten times more, Creative Video WebPhone, Personal Version is now
available at a special introductory price of only $9.95.
Creative Video WebPhone is an easy-to-use software-based PC Internet telephone that features
live video and all the functionality of today's advanced telephones for a fraction of the cost of
videophone applications with similar features. By making Creative Video WebPhone extremely
affordable and readily available to consumers, Creative hopes to dramatically increase the usage of
videophone technology over the Internet.
"Creative's goal is to get videophone technology into the hands of as many consumers as possible,"
said Lung Yeh, vice president for the Communications and Internet Division at Creative. "Creative
has the brand name, technology, partnerships and worldwide distribution network that will allow us
to effectively deliver our videophone technology into the mass market. By offering a feature rich
videophone solution for under $10, we believe that consumers will find Creative Video WebPhone,
Personal Version hard to resist."
Creative Video WebPhone, Personal Version Features
Many of today's videophone services require users to go to a central server to communicate, but
with Creative Video WebPhone customers simply type in another user's e-mail address or search a
list of all WebPhone users. If the recipient is not there to receive the call, the sender can simply leave
a voice mail message.
Conversations come alive with Creative Video WebPhone, Personal Version. Users see the person
they are speaking with in full color at up to 12 frames per second. Because Creative Video
WebPhone, Personal Version uses automatic scaling, users can experience live person-to-person
video communications whether they are connected to the Internet through a 28.8 Kbps modem,
ISDN line, Local Area Network or intranet. With an installed video capture device such as
Creative's Video Blaster(TM) or a digital camera, users can also send video to begin enjoying
two-way video conferencing with friends and colleagues.
Creative Video WebPhone, Personal Version also gives users the ability to perform the following
key functions:
-- Send and receive video calls at up to 12 frames per second
-- Communicate over 28.8 Kbps Internet connection as well as ISDN and
Intranets supporting IP protocols
-- Capture and save snapshots from video windows
-- Experience full duplex voice communications
-- Manage messages with a fully integrated voice mail system
-- Send specific caller dependent outgoing voice mail messages
-- Participate in conference calls with other WebPhone users
-- Store the most commonly used names and numbers in a Personal Directory
-- Dial numbers with one-touch buttons
-- Select do-not-disturb for privacy
-- Redial last number
-- Provide on-hold MIDI music
-- Mute microphone for off-line conversations
-- Send text messages with on-line Noteboard
-- Encrypt conversations for maximum privacy
-- Use the SPRYNET(TM) Starter Kit that is included for Internet
connection capabilities
Creative and NetSpeak Develop Joint Technology
Creative Video WebPhone is made possible through a technology and licensing agreement with
NetSpeak Corp. Creative licenses NetSpeak's flagship product, WebPhone(R), an award-winning,
full-featured Internet telephone. By combining this technology with Creative's well-known
ShareVision(TM) desktop video conferencing technology and standard-setting Sound Blaster(R)
audio technology, Creative expects to provide consumers with the highest quality videophone
solution for the Internet.
"We are very enthusiastic about the release of Creative Video WebPhone," said Robert Kennedy,
president and chief operating officer of NetSpeak Corp. "By leveraging our collective technological
expertise with NetSpeak's commercial relationships and Creative's leadership in the retail channel,
we can dramatically increase the usage of videophone technology on the Internet. We want to see
this new technology utilized on as many corporate workstations and home PCs as possible."
Creative Video WebPhone, Personal Version is totally compatible with WebPhone and Creative's
previous version, Creative WebPhone(TM). As a result, new users can communicate with an
already large customer base of people over the Internet. In the future, Creative also plans to offer
H.323-compliance to ensure interoperabilitiy with the widest variety of products on the market.
Product Availability
Creative is selling Creative Video WebPhone, Personal Version through its extensive distribution
network in mid March for $9.95. A more advanced version of Creative Video WebPhone will also
be available for $49.95 at the same time. This version includes additional features such as phone
lines with conferencing capabilities, unlimited voice mail messages and outgoing messages, as well as
unlimited names in the personal directory. Creative's current family of telephony products include:
Creative WebPhone; Creative Video WebPhone, Personal Version; and Creative Video
WebPhone.
Customers with Creative Video WebPhone, Personal Version or Creative WebPhone can upgrade
to the full version of Creative Video WebPhone for $29.95 over the Web in March. A free demo
version of Creative Video WebPhone will also be available on the Web site. |
