| HONG KONG, April
6, 2000 - Unbound Communications, a US subsidiary of VTech
Holdings Ltd (SEHK:303; London SE:VTH; ADR: VTKHY), announced
an agreement with Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO), a global Internet
communications, commerce and media company to deliver Yahoo!'s
Web content and services on co-branded VTech/Yahoo! Internet
appliances. The new alliance offers consumers greater levels
of portability and ease of use for email and the Web, and
will feature a variety of shared resources, including co-branded
services, promotions and Web site links.
"We are pleased to embark in this endeavor with
Yahoo!, as we share a vision-to provide easy-to-use, approachable,
friendly and fun Internet products and services for our consumers,"
said Jude Dieterman, president, Unbound Communications. "We
hope to change the way consumers connect to the Internet and
email applications-allowing for greater access, portability
and affordability."
Co-branded VTech and Yahoo! appliances are scheduled to appear
on offline retail store shelves this summer in the United
States and on Yahoo! Store (http://store.yahoo.com), including
new models of VTech's e-Mail PostBox series. These appliances
will be fortified Yahoo!, including direct links to Yahoo!
Mail (http://mail.yahoo.com) and Yahoo! Address Book (http://address.yahoo.com).
New and existing Yahoo! consumers will have portable access
to the Internet and their Yahoo! Mail accounts. The co-branded
units will be priced between US$79.99 and US$149.99, with
Unbound monthly access fees starting at under US$10. In addition,
direct links will be established between Unbound Communications
(unboundcom.com) and Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com); and a
variety of promotions will be co-sponsored by the companies.
The co-branded appliances are designed with consumers' diverse
needs in mind. For some, they will be an add-on to a home
computer, permitting users to check email easily at home or
away from home with the touch of a single button-much like
current telephone answering machines. For others who currently
are without personal computer access, these units will allow
them to link to the Internet and to exchange emails with friends
and family members, even when traveling.
"The VTech appliances allow new and existing Yahoo! consumers
to easily enjoy the freedom of portable email and address
book services," said Drew Lanham, senior director of business
development, Yahoo! Inc. "Additionally, the VTech appliances
offer Yahoo! a retail channel to reach new audiences. VTech
is an important alliance for Yahoo!, as we continue to expand
the reach of specific Yahoo! services to new and existing
Yahoo! consumers seeking to bypass the complexity and cost
of a PC. Working with VTech to distribute basic Yahoo! services
to Internet appliances is an extension of our Yahoo! Everywhere
strategy, to enable customers to gain access to Yahoo! on
pagers, data phones, personal digital assistants, and an array
of other alternative and wireless devices."
Yahoo! launched the Yahoo! Everywhere initiative to enable
consumers around the globe to access their Yahoo! content
and services on pagers, data phones, personal digital assistants,
and an array of other alternative and wireless devices.
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) is a global Internet communications,
commerce and media company that offers a comprehensive branded
network of services to 120 million individuals each month
worldwide. As the first online navigational guide to the Web,
www.yahoo.com is the leading guide in terms of traffic, advertising,
household and business user reach, and is one of the most
recognized brands associated with the Internet. The company
also provides online business services designed to enhance
Yahoo!'s clients' Web services, including audio and video
streaming, store hosting and management, and Web site tools
and services. The company's global Web network includes 22
World properties. Yahoo! has offices in Europe, the Asia Pacific,
Latin America, Canada and the United States, and is headquartered
in Santa Clara, Calif.
About Unbound Communications
Unbound Communications is a member of the VTech group of companies,
focusing on Internet and email based technology. VTech (SEHK:303;
London SE:VTH; ADR: VTKHY) is one of the world's leading consumer
electronics corporations that designs, manufactures, markets
and sells electronic learning and telecommunication products
through its extensive international distribution network.
Founded in Hong Kong in 1976, VTech currently has a presence
in 13 countries and more than 20,000 employees, including
over 1,000 R&D professionals. The group has invested over
US$48 million in R&D in FY99 and launches more than 80 innovative
and high quality products each year. VTech is the leading
provider of 900mhz telephones in the U.S. with over 50 percent
market share, and the global leader of electronic learning
toys with over 70 percent market share.
~ Ends ~
Yahoo! the Yahoo! logo and Yahoo! Everywhere
are registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are
trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective
owners.
Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 This news release contains forward-looking
statements or predictions. These statements represent our
judgment as of this date and are subject to risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results or events to differ materially
from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. Potential
risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, those
associated with economic conditions, government regulations
and delays or other problems with product development. These
and other factors are discussed in more depth in both companies'
filings with the SEC, copies of which may be accessed through
the SEC's World Wide Web site at http://www.sec.gov.
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