HERCULES AND THRUSTMASTER TO OFFER FREE CALLING
Guillemot Corporation signs an agreement with Skype
Carentoir, 28th October, 2004 ? The Guillemot Corporation Group, a major player in the market of peripherals and accessories for computers and game consoles under its Hercules and Thrustmaster brand names, is pleased to announce the signing of a worldwide partnership agreement with Skype Technologies S.A.
Under the agreement Skype software, which enables free Internet telephony for unlimited PC to PC calling, will be bundled with Guillemot products worldwide.
Skype is the global Internet telephony company currently revolutionizing the world of telecommunications by allowing Skype users to make superior quality voice calls via the Internet to other Skype users for free, or to any landline or mobile worldwide for the price of a local call.
?The performance and ergonomics of our Hercules and Thrustmaster audio solutions, combined with the Skype software?s superior quality, will allow consumers to experience a new dimension in free telephony via the Internet,? stated Claude Guillemot, President of the Guillemot Corporation Group. ?Internet telephony provides new opportunities for communications and therefore is a growth vector for our lines of gaming and computer peripherals.?
?Our partnership with the Guillemot Corporation Group allows us to increase our visibility within the gaming community,? explains Niklas Zennström, CEO and Co-Founder of Skype. ?We invite all gamers to try Skype with the new bundles provided by the Guillemot Corporation Group.? Skype is available for the Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and Pocket PC platforms, providing a simple, reliable and user-friendly communications tool that works in any location with an Internet connection. Skype users can communicate with friends, family, colleagues or fellow gamers with greater flexibility than ever before.
?For the first time ever, we are offering consumers complete solutions dedicated to Internet telephony,? states Laurent Derennes, Producer at Guillemot Corporation. ?The first product covered by this partnership will be the Muse Pocket USB (offered at ?59), an external USB audio unit that sits on the user?s desktop. When used with Skype to make calls, it adds the convenience of being able to control the volume or instantly switch off the speakers or headset directly via the main button, without having to make any adjustments on the computer. What?s more, users can do this on any type of computer.?
Skype software has been downloaded more than 27 million times in more than 210 countries and territories around the world.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Guillemot Corporation is a designer and manufacturer of interactive entertainment hardware and accessories. The Group offers a diversified range of products under the Hercules and Thrustmaster brand names. Active in this market since 1984, the Guillemot Corporation Group is currently present in 12 countries including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and several east-European countries and distributes its products across 45 countries. The Group?s mission is to offer innovative, high-quality products which increase the performance and pleasure experienced by gamers and music lovers alike. |
