New Technology for Kenwood Excelon Music Keg(TM), Organizes Music and Speaks to Drivers Who Can Choose Tunes While Watching the Road

'Voice Index On Tap' Lets Drivers Browse the Kenwood Music Keg's Hard Drive With Their Ears, Choosing by Artist, Album, Genre or Custom Playlists

LONG BEACH, Calif., Nov. 12 -- Kenwood, a leading manufacturer of mobile entertainment products introduced "Voice Index On Tap" for the Kenwood Excelon Music Keg(TM) mobile digital music server. A new browsing interface, Voice Index On Tap automatically organizes all the music on the Kenwood Music Keg by album, artist, genre or custom playlist, and audibly announces the user's choices through the vehicle's audio system. This safe, convenient and unique new feature is included on all new Kenwood Excelon Music Kegs (Model KHD-CX910), and is available now as an upgrade for all current Kenwood Music Keg owners.

Kenwood Music Kegs store hundreds of hours of music, recorded books, and audio programming (MP3, WAV, FLAC and WMA audio files) on a single palm-sized DMS cartridge, giving listeners effortless access to a tremendous amount of mobile entertainment.

Developed by PhatNoise Inc., a leading innovator in car audio technology, Voice Index On Tap automatically organizes your music at the touch of a button. In a significant enhancement to the Kenwood Excelon's Music Keg's existing text display capabilities, Voice Index On Tap uses industry-leading AT&T speech technology to announce music selections as they are scanned, so drivers can easily choose tunes without ever taking their eyes off the road.

"The Kenwood Music Keg created the entire hard drive-based automotive product category, and offers cutting edge technology not seen elsewhere in mobile entertainment," said Rick Noetzli, product manager of mobile entertainment, Kenwood USA. "The enhanced capabilities that Voice Index On Tap brings makes the Kenwood Excelon Music Keg an even more compelling solution for our customers."

"PhatNoise is all about introducing cutting-edge advances in digital music technology that significantly enhance the in-car experience," said Dan Benyamin, CTO and Co-Founder of PhatNoise. "We're pleased to be working with Kenwood, and the Voice Index On Tap feature is a natural addition to the Kenwood Excelon Music Keg."

Voice Index On Tap will be included standard in new Kenwood Excelon Music Kegs (model KHD-CX910). An upgrade package for current Kenwood Music Keg owners is available now at http://www.phatnoise.com/kenwood/kenwood_ssa.php at a special introductory price of $75.00.

Company Information

Kenwood -- Founded in 1961, Kenwood USA Corporation is a leading developer and manufacturer of audio and video products for home, car, and personal use. Offering more than 250 products, Kenwood is one of the three largest selling brands of audio and video entertainment products in the United States and is recognized by consumers and the consumer electronics industry for providing superior quality, reliability and value. Kenwood USA Corporation, based in Long Beach, Calif., is the largest subsidiary of Kenwood Corporation (Japan).

Further information can be obtained by contacting Kenwood USA Corporation, P.O. Box 22745, Long Beach, CA 90801, by calling 1-800-Kenwood, or by visiting www.kenwoodusa.com .

PhatNoise Inc. is an innovator in the drive to create seamless automotive access to the digital world. The company's advanced platforms and software for digital media offer complete solutions for introducing digital content and technology into the automobile in intuitive and highly integrated applications to enhance the consumer entertainment experience. PhatNoise creates products and technology for license and distribution by leading partners in the automotive, consumer electronics, and multimedia industries, including the Kenwood Music Keg and the Volkswagen/Audi Digital Car Audio System. For more information on PhatNoise and its technologies and products, visit www.phatnoise.com .

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