SCHAUMBURG, Ill., June 18 /PRNewswire/ -- First International Digital, Inc., a Motorola spin-off, known for their innovative irock! line of MP3 players, has signed a distribution agreement with Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE:IM)
, the largest global wholesale provider of technology products and supply chain management services, for the distribution of their irock! 600 series of MP3 Players. The product line will initially be distributed through Ingram Micro U.S.
An industry first, the fully featured irock! MP3 players feature a patent pending proprietary MP3i (MP3 Interactive) technology, which enables these fun handhelds to become a portable karaoke studio. The karaoke function allows the user to view the song's lyrics in synchronization with the music. Additionally, the user can record his or her own voice along with the original recording - in effect, "cutting their own tracks."
In addition to the unique karaoke feature, the irock! 600 series comes standard with 64 MB of MMC memory, built-in voice recorder, dual headphone jacks, a belt clip that doubles as a desk stand, two pre-loaded karaoke songs, and 60 pre-selected MP3 songs (on CD). FID offers 2 models in the irock! 600 series, the irock! 620, suggested at $229.99, and the irock! 680, which also comes equipped with a built-in FM tuner, suggested at $279.99.
"The irock! MP3 players are a fun, innovative product offering for our customers," said Jim Harr, vice president product management, general manager peripherals, Ingram Micro U.S. "irock!'s unique karaoke feature differentiates it from similar product offerings in the competitive digital audio player category."
Randy Cavaiani, First International Digital's vice president of marketing and sales added: "This agreement opens up many new sales opportunities for FID. Our products will be available to thousands of retailers that utilize the vast network and unparalleled support system of Ingram Micro."
The irock! 600 series includes two models, the irock! 620 and the irock! 680:
* irock! 620- $229.99 (msrp) comes standard with 64 MB of MMC card memory, dual headphone jacks, built-in voice recorder, belt clip that doubles as a desk stand, two pre-loaded karaoke songs, and 60 pre-selected MP3 songs (on CD) * irock! 680- $279.99 (msrp) includes everything the irock! 620 has, plus an FM Tuner with five presets. More information about the irock! line can be found at: www.myirock.com. ABOUT INGRAM MICRO
Ingram Micro Inc. is the largest global wholesale provider of technology products and supply chain management services. The company operates in 36 countries with sales of $30.7 billion for the fiscal year 2000. Ingram Micro's global regions provide the distribution of technology products and services, market development programs, and supply chain management services to more than 175,000 technology solution providers and 1,700 manufacturers. The company is focused on maximizing shareowner value and achieving customer satisfaction through innovation in the information technology supply chain. Visit http://www.ingrammicro.com/corp.
ABOUT FIRST INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL
First International Digital, Inc. (http://www.myirock.com/), a Motorola spin-off headquartered near Chicago, is a global multimedia company with nearly 100 patents in audio, video, speech and communications technology. With a core competence in multimedia software development, complemented by hardware development expertise, First International Digital is a leader in the digital audio market under the brand name irock! First International Digital is privately financed by a number of institutional investors including Motorola, Via Technologies, and First International Computer. The company completed its second round of financing in October 2000.
Source: First International Digital, Inc.
Contact: Aimee Volanski of First International Digital, Inc., 847-202-
1900 Ext. 242, avolanski@fidinc.com; or Marc Mombourquette of Brodeur
Worldwide, 617-587-2037, mmombo@brodeur.com
Website: http://www.ingrammicro.com/corp
Website: http://www.myirock.com/