Toshiba Launches 'Music in Color'(TM)

Toshiba Launches 'Music in Color'(TM)

Toshiba launches the new gigabeat line of portable music devices with a major integrated marketing campaign and launch party hosted by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and featuring a performance by Blues Traveler

WAYNE, N.J., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C., ("Toshiba") long a leader in DVD and storage devices announces the spring 2005 availability of gigabeat(R), the first in the Toshiba gigastyle family of products announced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. The gigastyle concept introduces products that are hard drive based and allow the ultimate in flexibility and entertainment options.

"Our heritage in consumer products has shown us that ease of use is crucial to building consumer awareness and adoption. We have leveraged our core display and storage expertise to develop a number of features that promote format flexibility, ease of use, and enhance the user's entertainment experience," said Yoshi Uchiyama, Group Vice President of Toshiba's Digital A/V Group.

With a large 2.2 inch QVGA LCD screen and a resolution of 320 x 240, the new gigabeat offers amongst the best picture quality available today. Emphasizing the visual as well as the audio experience, gigabeat lets consumers download their photographs, create slideshows to music, customize their screens and backgrounds and even attach album covers to each album and track when the art is available. To demonstrate the incredible resolution, every gigabeat comes preloaded with a Demo that displays the slideshow feature.

gigabeat will download and play MP3, WMA or WAV files. For consumers with large CD collections, gigabeat offers the ultimate in convenience -- CD Rip Rec(TM). Designed with simplicity in mind, CD Rip Rec can transfer the contents of an entire CD to the gigabeat in as little as 5 minutes which ensures that consumers can still enjoy their valuable CD collection. Simply place the CD in the PC tray, press the "CD Rip Rec" button on the supplied gigabeat cradle and copy the content from the CD directly onto the gigabeat device.

Flexibility

In order to offer consumers the greatest flexibility and download options, Toshiba has been working with both Microsoft and Napster to provide Windows PlaysForSure(TM) and Napster To Go(TM) compatibility at launch timing. In addition to the supplied gigabeat room(TM) management software, gigabeat will be able to download music via Windows Media Player 10 and windows based subscription services.

Announcing "Music in Color" Integrated Marketing Campaign

To support the product launch, Toshiba has developed an integrated marketing campaign that incorporates advertising, public relations, online, promotions and point of sale. Based on the theme of "Music in Color", the new ad campaign will feature well-known artists such as Blues Traveler, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and the new emerging band, Vendetta Red. To celebrate the launch, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will be hosting tonight's gigabeat launch party at the Times Square Studios in New York featuring a live performance by Blues Traveler.

The "Because Music is Just Better in Color"(TM) advertising campaign, starting this spring, will emphasize the product's innovative 2.2 inch display. The campaign will feature TV spots appearing on MTV networks' properties such as VH-1(TM), MTV(TM), Comedy Central(TM) and TV Land(TM). In conjunction with the TV campaign, print ads will highlight the "Because Music is Just Better in Color" theme. Toshiba has also partnered with Rolling Stone magazine to promote gigabeat both in print and online.

"The integrated marketing campaign and strong partnerships allow us to leverage the Toshiba brand at retail in order to develop a solid presence in the MP3 market," said Tina Tuccillo, Toshiba's Vice President of Marketing Communications.

Rounding out the launch will be the unveiling of http://www.gigabeat.com/. A site dedicated to gigabeat and the gigabeat community, gigabeat.com will feature innovative product guides, music links, accessory information and product updates.

Get the Beat with Universal Motown Records Group

The gigabeat experience begins when the consumer gets their product home. With this in mind, Toshiba has teamed up with one of the music industry's hottest labels-Universal Motown Records Group(TM) -- to provide consumers with a free UMRG music sampler. A collection of UMRG's hottest new artists as well as tracks by their well-known artists will be featured on the UMRG gigabeat music sampler. Every gigabeat device will ship with a pre-recorded "sizzler track" directing them to the http://www.giga-style.com/ website for their free download. By simply registering their new gigabeat, consumers can download the UMRG sampler to their gigabeat.

Covering all of the bases, gigabeat will be available in four capacities and seven distinct colors -- 10GB in silver, blue and black acrylic priced at $279 (MEG-F10), 20GB in silver and black brushed aluminum finish at $329 (MEG- F20), 40GB in a brushed aluminum champagne finish (MEG-F40) at $399 with in- line remote control and the 60GB model in a "steel" brushed aluminum finish at $449 (MEG-F60) with in-line remote control. Every gigabeat offers a 16 hour rechargeable battery that can be charged via the supplied docking cradle or via a USB cable from any PC.

About Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C.

Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is a limited liability company, owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in high technology products with subsidiaries worldwide. Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is a pioneer in DVD technology and a leading manufacturer of a full line of home entertainment products, including televisions, home theater projectors, combination products and portable devices. Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey with production facilities in Lebanon, Tennessee. For additional information please visit http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Motown Records Group is a division of Universal Music and Video Distribution, itself a division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company with wholly-owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, one of the industry's largest global music publishing operations.

Universal Music Group consists of record labels Decca Record Company, Deutsche Grammophon, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor, Universal Music Latino, Universal Motown Records Group, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Strategic Marketing and Commercial Affairs (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, a new media and technology division.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi Universal, a global media and communications company.

Source: Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C.

CONTACT: Alejandro Arango of Brodeur Worldwide, +1-617-587-2034, aarango@brodeur.com

Web site: http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/ http://www.gigabeat.com/

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