Andrea Electronics and Donnelly Enter into Co-Development
3 March 2000
Andrea Electronics Corporation and Donnelly Corporation Enter into Co-Development and Co-Marketing Agreement to Integrate and Optimize Andrea Far-Field Microphone Technologies for Donnelly Automotive Mirror Products
Andrea Electronics and Donnelly Team to Develop Sate-of-the-Art Speech
Communications Interfaces for Auto Industry
MELVILLE, N.Y. and HOLLAND, Mich., March 3 -- Andrea
Electronics Corporation (Amex: AND) and Donnelly Corporation
announced today that the parties will work together to integrate and optimize
Andrea Electronics' far-field audio input microphone technologies for
Donnelly's line of automotive rear view mirror systems. The collaboration
will provide automobile manufacturers with highly advanced microphone
technologies that will dramatically advance in-vehicle speech communication
systems. The result: the clear and accurate voice communication necessary in
a noisy mobile environment. As part of the agreement, the two companies will
pursue co-marketing activities for the joint promotion of co-developed
products.
"This is a tremendously important development in a market in which
telematics are beginning to play such a vital role," said Dwane Baumgardner,
Donnelly Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Imagine hands-free voice
communication in a vehicle in which all the background noise is removed and
the person talking is as clear and easy to hear as on a land-line telephone
call. In a very real sense, that is smart sound, and it's enabled by Andrea
Electronics' advanced technology. We are very excited to be working with
Andrea to help move the technology into new automotive communications
products."
"We are excited to announce this agreement with one of the industry's most
respected and proven automotive component suppliers," said Christopher P.
Sauvigne, President and Chief Operating Officer of Andrea Electronics
Corporation. "We believe the real estate of the rear view mirror is a natural
location for embedding a voice input solution. We look forward to working
closely with Donnelly to integrate and optimize our far-field microphone
technologies for their mirror products, a task which will serve to
significantly increase our exposure in the automotive marketplace and,
ultimately, allow both companies to create products together which address the
rapidly growing demand for in-vehicle speech communications solutions."
Andrea Electronics' digital audio input software technologies
significantly reduce ambient background noise and enhance voice signals for
the optimum use of voice-activated communications applications such as with
telematics systems, in-car speaker phones and global positioning systems
(GPS), among others. Donnelly already packages the electronics for those
types of applications in its rearview mirrors. In fact, the interior rearview
mirror of a vehicle is an ideal place to house the microphone technology
because of its forward-looking position within the vehicle. Donnelly is the
world leader in the production and sale of automotive interior mirrors,
producing well over 20 million units in 1999 alone.
Andrea Electronics Corporation designs, develops and manufactures audio
technologies and equipment for enhancing applications that require high
performance and high quality voice input. The Company's patented Active Noise
Reduction (ANR READY(R)) earphone, Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) near-field
microphone, patented Digital Super Directional Array (DSDA(R)) and
patent-pending Directional Finding and Tracking Array (DFTA(TM)) far-field
microphone technologies enhance a wide range of audio products to eliminate
background noise and ensure the optimum performance of voice applications.
Applications for the Company's technologies include: speech recognition
programs, Internet telephony, video/audio conferencing, automobile PCs, home
automation systems, hand-held devices and multiplayer online games, among
others. OEM and software publisher customers and strategic partners of Andrea
Electronics' include: IBM Corporation, Intel Corporation, Symbol Technologies,
Inc., Clarion Corporation of America, Microsoft Corp., Lernout & Hauspie,
Audio Technica, J. D'Addario & Co., Lotus Development Corporation, Fonix
Corporation, HearMe.com, InterWise, Inc., ILINC, Logitech, Inc., Net2Phone,
Voyetra Turtle Beach and ZeroPlus.com, among others. Visit Andrea
Electronics' website at http://www.AndreaElectronics.com or call
1-800-707-5779.
Donnelly Corporation is a technology-driven, customer-focused
international supplier dedicated to serving customers around the world with
industry-leading components and systems. Through its mirror products and
other product lines, Donnelly is a supplier to every major automotive
manufacturer in the world. Its customers include Ford, General Motors,
Volkswagen, Daimler Chrysler, BMW, Toyota, Volvo, Honda, Mercedes Benz, PSA,
Renault, Nissan and others. The company has been based in Holland, Michigan,
since 1905, and today has approximately 7,000 employees in 12 countries
worldwide. Donnelly has been named by the Society of Automotive Engineers as
a model company in lean manufacturing practices. In addition, Donnelly is
nationally recognized as a leader in the application of participative
management principles and systems.
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words
"anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans,"
"seeks," variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of
future performance and involve matters that are subject to certain risks,
uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, including
economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors, that may
affect the business and prospects of Andrea Electronics Corporation
(the "Company"). The Company cautions investors about the following
significant factors, which, among others, have in some cases affected the
Company's actual results and are in the future likely to affect the Company's
actual results and could cause them to differ materially from those expressed
in any forward-looking statements: the rate at which Andrea Anti-Noise, DSDA,
DFTA and other Andrea technologies are accepted in the marketplace; the
competitiveness of Andrea Anti-Noise, DSDA, DFTA and other Andrea products in
terms of technical specifications, quality, price, reliability and service;
the sufficiency of the Company's funds for research and development, marketing
and general and administrative expenses; infringement and other disputes
relating to patents and other intellectual property rights held or licensed by
the Company or third parties; and the Company's continuing ability to enter
and maintain collaborative relationships with other manufacturers, software
authoring and publishing companies, and distributors. No assurance can be
given that the Company will achieve any material sales or profits from the
products introduced in this release. These and other similar factors are
discussed under the heading "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-looking
statements" included in the Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations in the Company's Annual Report on Form
10-K and in the Company's Annual Report to shareholders, and in documents
subsequently filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
"Andrea Anti-Noise," "ANR Ready," "DSDA," DSDA-PRO", "DFTA", "SuperBeam"
and "Desktop Array" are trademarks of Andrea Electronics Corporation or an
Andrea Electronics Corporation subsidiary.