New Everyday Price Does Not Rely on Rebates, Coupons or Gimmicks

CHATSWORTH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 21, 1999--Smart and Friendly® Inc., the No. 1 supplier of CD-R products to retail, continues its long-standing campaign to make the hightest quality CD-R technology affordable for all users by declaring one of the industry's most aggressive price reductions this year.

With the new, lower pricing, the estimated street price (ESP) for the internal CD-SpeedWriter Plus drops to only $199 -- a savings of 20 percent. Able to record a CD in as few as 17 minutes, the CD-SpeedWriter Plus provides 4x2x24x performance.

A 2-Megabyte buffer, a generous software suite and a blank CD-R disc are included in this ReWritable storage solution, providing users with a complete, ultimate out-of-box experience.

"By offering an 4x CD-RW drive below $200, Smart and Friendly is leading the market in providing users a real incentive to replace their existing CD-ROM drives with a CD-Recorder that also reads CD-ROM at high performance," said Wolfgang Schlichting, research manager for International Data Corp. (IDC), a Framingham, Mass.-based market research firm that focuses on the storage industry.

"The new price point will make higher performance CD-RW solutions available to a broader range of users who need to share large files," added Schlichting.

Now at a price point that makes the technology available to virtually all users, the high-performance, ReWritable CD-SpeedWriter Plus is ideal for a growing list of applications.

Individual users and hobbyists, as well as software developers, music groups, government organizations and educational institutions can record beta releases or test recordings onto CD-ReWritable discs; new files can be appended to the disc; earlier sets can be erased; and the CD-ReWritable disc can be used again and again.

"The added value we provide with this next-generation product makes the CD-SpeedWriter Plus an exceptional solution for even the most performance-minded users," explained Perry Solomon, Smart and Friendly president and chief executive officer. "But the new, lower pricing, simplified installation and ease of use make it possible for everyone to explore the advantages of CD-RW for themselves."

With its 24x Playback speed, the CD-SpeedWriter Plus helps expedite processes such as installing software and searching for files or data on a CD. In addition, a generous 2-Megabyte internal buffer assures an optimal recording experience by reducing the risk of failed recordings that can result from hard drive performance problems associated with smaller buffers.

Designed for easy installation, the CD-SpeedWriter Plus Internal Model has a standard ATAPI (EIDE) interface. As a result, users need only open the computer, install the drive into an available drive bay, connect cables and close the computer.

To further enhance the exceptional price/performance of the CD-SpeedWriter Plus, Smart and Friendly includes a feature-rich software suite that includes:

--   Adaptec Easy CD Creator Standard Edition: Enables users to create
     music, audio, data, video or mixed-mode CDs. Easy CD Creator runs
     on Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0.

--   PowerQuest Drive Image: Drive Image is the leading backup and
     disaster recovery software package available on the market today.
     Drive Image enables the user to create bootable CD-R or CD-RW
     discs for disaster recovery or for hard drive upgrade that can be
     run on any CD-ROM drive. Further, PowerQuest Drive Image allows
     the user to back up selected partitions or an entire hard drive
     to CD-R or CD-RW. For hard drives larger than the capacity of one
     CD-R disc, backup data can span across multiple CD-R or CD-RW
     discs.

--   Sonic Foundry CD Architect: Writes studio-quality audio CDs;
     samples audio from compact discs; records from DAT cartridges or
     digitizes material through a Windows-compatible sound card.
     Provides extensive support for PQ editing -- including track
     times, adjusting gaps between tracks from zero to unlimited
     seconds, and printed cue sheets.

--   Sonic Foundry Sound Forge XP: Composes professional-quality sound
     tracks with more than 25 digital audio effects and processes.
     Sound Forge also lets users incorporate audio into Web page
     design.

--   Diamond Cut Enhance/CDR: Gives users the ability to make any
     audio sound better -- even professionally recorded audio without
     noise. Includes a revolutionary Paragraphic EQ, Tube Warmth
     Emulator, a compressor/expander and many other sound-shaping
     tools.

--   MediaPath MediaAgent: The most comprehensive software only
     CD-ROM, network access and management solution. Efficiently find,
     use and manage CD-ROM resources.

--   ECI Disc Inspector Pro: A complete utility package ensures that
     the user's discs are written correctly. Disc Inspector Pro
     includes data compare, lost session recovery, CD Table of
     Contents display and more.

--   Smart and Friendly CD Consultant: Simplifies the installation
     process. This utility gives users the ability to automatically
     install software applications they select from among those
     received with the CD-SpeedWriter Plus. For Windows 95, Windows 98
     and Windows NT 4.0.

Shipping now, the internal version of the CD-SpeedWriter Plus (Part No. SAF798) has an estimated street price of $199 and includes a blank Smart and Friendly CD-R disc.

About Smart and Friendly

Smart and Friendly is recognized as the industry's largest privately held manufacturer of CD-Recordable, CD-ReWritable, CD-ROM, and optical storage technology. The company was recently named the country's Number One Supplier to Retail of CD-Recorders and CD-ReWritable products by Personal Technology Research (PTR), publishers of the HOT Market Monitor USA.

Smart and Friendly was also selected by NewMedia Magazine as one of the digital media industry's most influential suppliers, and placed on the NewMedia 500 List. Solomon was recently named to the board of directors of the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) and is chairman of the market development committee.

Smart and Friendly products are available at leading retail outlets including American TV, Best Buy, CDW, CompUSA, ComputAbility, Damark, DataVision, Fred Meyer, Fry's Electronics, the good guys!, Insight Direct, J&R Computer World, Micro Center, MicroWarehouse, Nationwide Computers, Nebraska Furniture Mart, PC Connection, Staples, Value America and Wal-Mart, and to resellers through D&H, Ingram Micro, Merisel and Tech Data.

Smart and Friendly products are available internationally through a network of in-country distributors and globally through CHS, Ingram Micro and Tech Data.

For product and sales information, contact Smart and Friendly at 20520 Nordhoff St., Chatsworth, Calif. 91311; phone 800/959-7001 or 818/772-8001; fax 818/772-2888; http://www.smartandfriendly.com. Smart and Friendly also offers free technical support over a toll-free line.

Keywords: Adaptec, CD-R, CD-Recorder, CD-ROM, CD-RW, CD-SpeedWriter, CD-SpeedWriter Plus, Creative Labs, HP, H-P, Hewlett Packard, Imation, Iomega, Memorex, Philips, Recordable, Ricoh, Sony, TEAC, Yamaha

Note to Editors: Smart and Friendly is a registered trademark and CD-SpeedWriter Plus is a trademark of Smart and Friendly, Inc. Any other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

     Smart and Friendly Inc., Chatsworth
     Perry Solomon, 818/772-8001
     [email protected]
     www.smartandfriendly.com
        or
     Beyond Words Ltd., Phoenix
     Tracy Laidlaw, 602/569-0222
     [email protected]