Sonic Enters Multi-Year Licensing Agreement
with RIM
Roxio® Software Enhances the Rich Media Capabilities of the New BlackBerry® Curve™
May 7, 2006 — Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ: SNIC) today
announced it has entered a multi-year agreement with Research In Motion
(RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM, TSX: RIM) to license a customized version of its
Roxio Media Manager software application. Roxio Media Manager for BlackBerry,
which is now shipping with the new multimedia-capable BlackBerry Curve,
enables users to easily share photos, videos, and music between their
PC and smartphone. The application includes features for quickly finding
and organizing media, creating audio playlists, and automatically converting
files for optimal playback in the enhanced BlackBerry media player.
Media Manager also makes it easy to transfer rich media from the BlackBerry
back to the PC for further editing, archiving, and sharing. Roxio
Media Manager will also be available to owners of BlackBerry 8100 series
(BlackBerry Pearl™) and 8800 series smartphones as
part of an update to the BlackBerry Desktop Manager.
“Our collaboration with Sonic has helped define an application that further showcases
the BlackBerry Curve as not only an ideal mobile companion for work, but also
an exceptional platform for the capture and enjoyment of rich media,”
[said contact, title,] at Research In Motion. “With Roxio
Media Manager for BlackBerry, users can easily move the 2-megapixel photos captured
on the Curve to their PC for editing and sharing, as well as upload their music
playlists and optimized digital video for entertainment on-the-go.”
Roxio Media Manager offers a straightforward user interface and workflow
that enables users to easily move content between their system and
the smartphone’s internal or external memory storage. Complementing
the BlackBerry Curve’s crisp, clear audio system, Media Manager enables
users to create MP3 music files from CDs, add audio tags and album
artwork, and generate smart playlists that allow a song to be used
across multiple playlists without duplicating the file on the device.
Media Manager also includes an innovative feature called AutoMix that
instantly creates perfect playlists of complementary songs based on
a single ‘seed’ song chosen by the user. The inclusion of the PhotoSuite
application lets users fix and enhance photos for optimal viewing on
the new ultra-bright 320x240 display. In addition, photos captured
using the built-in 2 megapixel camera can be transferred back to the
PC for preservation or printing. Media Manager also supports the conversion
of a broad range of video files with predefined quality settings to
ensure the smoothest possible playback.
“We are extremely pleased to be associated with the Blackberry -
a brand recognized throughout the world for its quality and innovation
- and enthusiastically support the launch of a product that sets a
new benchmark for mobile multimedia enjoyment,” said Dave Habiger,
president and CEO, Sonic Solutions. “Our agreement with RIM is a solid
endorsement of our technology and an ideal entry into the mobile media
space for our highly targeted OEM solutions.”
Based on the award-winning Easy Media Creator 9, Roxio Media Manager
was specifically designed to provide mobile device manufactures and
wireless carriers with a powerful PC application that complements and
extends their solutions and services with the broadest possible range
of digital media capabilities. More information on Media Manager is
available at: www.roxio.com/mediamanager.
About Sonic
Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC; http://www.sonic.com) enables the creation,
management, and enjoyment of digital media content from Hollywood
to home. Sonic's products range from the advanced authoring systems
used to produce Hollywood DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray Disc film releases
to the award-winning Roxio®-branded photo, video, music, and digital-media
management applications. Sonic’s patented technologies and AuthorScript®
media engine are relied upon by leading technology firms to define
rich media experiences on a wide array of consumer electronics, mobile
devices, set-top players, retail kiosks, and PCs. Always an innovator,
Sonic has taken a leading role in helping professional and consumer
markets make the successful transition to the new high-definition
media formats and, through Sonic DVD On Demand™, defining new models
for the digital distribution of premium Hollywood entertainment.
Sonic Solutions is headquartered in Marin County, California.
Sonic, the Sonic logo, Sonic Solutions, AuthorScript, Roxio DVD On
Demand, Easy Media Creator and Roxio are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Sonic Solutions or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or
other countries. All other company or product names are trademarks
of their respective owners and, in some cases, are used by Sonic Solutions
under license.
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