Two Generations Ahead of the Competition, New CD-Recorder Redefines High-Speed Recording

CHATSWORTH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 23, 1999--Smart and Friendly® announced the world's first 12x CD-Recorder with CD-RW ReWritability today with the unveiling of the new CD Rocket Mach 12.

Following the company's successful launch of the world's first 8x CD-Recorder in November of 1997, this latest announcement solidifies Smart and Friendly's position as a technology leader -- engineering, designing and developing optical storage solutions that are a full two generations ahead of the competition.

With unprecedented 12x Write, 4x ReWrite and 32x Playback speeds, an unparalleled software suite including eight of today's hottest-selling software applications, and an Estimated Street Price (ESP) of $399 (internal model, Part No. SAF1200), the new CD Rocket Mach 12 will make professional performance available to individual users and hobbyists in early Fourth Quarter, 1999.

The CD Rocket Mach 12 features Adaptec's Easy CD Creator 4 Deluxe, allowing users to easily create audio and backup CDs, access music on the Internet, fine tune music tracks, enhance photos and videos like a pro, as well as create personalized CD labels.

An all-in-one solution for CD-Recording, this new software enables corporate, government and power users to create content with professional results. Combined with the performance of the CD Rocket Mach 12, users can create a full 650MB CD in as little as six minutes.

"CD-RW drives have entered the PC-industry mainstream because of rapid and continuing improvements in price, performance, and ease of use," said Ted Pine, president of InfoTech, a Norwich, Vt.-based market research firm.

"With new products like Smart and Friendly's CD Rocket Mach 12 offering 12x writing, 4x ReWrite and 32x Playback speeds for under $400, the industry has now entered a new phase: bringing professional-level performance to the general consumer."

"This is a pivotal development in CD-Recordable technology," said Perry Solomon, president and CEO of Smart and Friendly.

"The CD Rocket Mach 12 will completely redefine what today's CD-RW solutions should be capable of. While the rest of the industry is just now introducing their own 8x CD-Recorders, Smart and Friendly has developed and delivered a 12x CD-Recorder with an unparalleled software suite and everything you need to begin creating CDs right away, all for an Estimated Street Price of just $399."

To provide the ultimate "out-of-box" experience and ensure complete functionality to a broader range of environments, the CD Rocket Mach 12 includes the following software suite:

--   Adaptec Easy CD Creator 4 Deluxe: The easiest way to put your
     world on CD! With Adaptec Easy CD Creator 4 Deluxe, users can
     download Internet music, including MP3 tracks, and record their
     own CDs. Back up important files, make CD labels, covers and
     inserts, and create custom music CDs to play in any standard CD
     player or computer CD-ROM drive. Simply choose the type of CD you
     want to make, then drag-and-drop files or tracks into the Easy CD
     Creator window. Adaptec Easy CD Creator 4 Deluxe's new
     capabilities include MP3 music support, DirectCD, powerful music
     CD creation tools, Liquid Music Player, and MGI VideoWave® II
     SE.

--   Adaptec Toast for Macintosh: (available in external model only)
     Users can create data, audio or multimedia CDs with just a few
     mouse clicks. This application enables users to compile their
     favorite audio tracks from different sources as well as store and
     distribute data files, graphics, images and video quickly and
     easily.

--   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 disk to CD-R
     or CD-RW. For disks 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 0 to unlimited seconds,
     and printed cue sheets.

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

--   Diamond Cut Audio Restoration Tools 32: Cleans up clicks and pops
     from phonograph record source audio; removes hiss from cassette
     and reel to reel tape, and enhances CD audio recordings. Audio
     enhancement capabilities produce excellent audio masters for
     recording to CD.

--   MediaPath CD-Quickshare with MA32 MediaAgent: The fastest way to
     share all your CD-ROMs over a network, CD-Quickshare is the most
     comprehensive software-only CD-ROM network access and management
     solution. CD-Quickshare with MA32 caches the CD image to hard
     drive so users can access the CDs at hard drive speeds. Twenty
     times faster than hardware for five simultaneous users, Stac's
     LZS compression technology improves network transfer speeds by up
     to 44 percent. Track who is currently using a particular
     CD-ROM...or who used it last. Maintain security of sensitive
     data. Efficiently find, use and manage CD-ROM resources.

--   ECI Disc Inspector Pro: A complete utility package ensures that
     your 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 the software applications they select from among those
     received with the CD Rocket Mach 12.

Both the internal and external versions of the CD Rocket Mach 12 (Part No. SAF1200 and SAF1201 respectively) feature an Ultra SCSI Plug-and-Play PCI host adapter for easy integration into Windows 95/98, Windows NT. External models will be available at an ESP of $499.

About Smart and Friendly

Smart and Friendly, Inc. is recognized as the industry's largest privately held manufacturer of complete optical storage solutions, including CD-Recorders with CD-RW ReWritability, CD-ROM's, network storage, media and accessories.

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.

Smart and Friendly President and CEO Perry 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, Insight Direct, J&R Computer World, Micro Center, MicroWarehouse, Nationwide Computers, Nebraska Furniture Mart, NECX, Outpost.com, 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 Computer 2000, CHS, Ingram Micro and Tech Data.

For product and sales information, contact Smart and Friendly at 20520 Nordhoff Street, Chatsworth, Calif. 91311; http://www.smartandfriendly.com.

Phone 800/959-7001 or 818/772-8001, fax 818/772-2888. Smart and Friendly also offers free technical support over a toll-free line.

About InfoTech

InfoTech is a market research firm specializing in long-range forecasting of digital media for the entertainment and information industries. For more information on InfoTech or its services, InfoTech, Incorporated can be contacted at: 312 Elm Street, Box 1563, Norwich, Vt. 05055-1563 USA. Phone: 802/649-8700. Fax: 802/649-8877 or on the Web at: http://www.infotechresearch.com

Note to Editors: Smart and Friendly is a registered trademark. CD Rocket Mach 12 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.
     Tracy Laidlaw, 602/569-0222
     [email protected]