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Audible Advances Co-Marketing Program With New AudibleReady Smart Devices From Sprint

Posted on: Monday, 25 October 2004, 12:00 CDT

WAYNE, N.J., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Audible, Inc. , the leading provider of digitally delivered spoken word audio, today announced an extension of its technology and co-marketing program with Sprint . Under the agreement, two new Sprint PCS Vision Smart Devices will be AudibleReady(R). Integration of the http://www.audible.com(r/) Internet audio service allows users of Sprint's newest Windows Mobile(TM)-- based Pocket PC device, the Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device PPC-6601, to listen to audiobooks, audio editions of newspapers and magazines, business news and analysis, language instruction, educational programming, and radio programs at audible.com. The companies also announced that in November the Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device Treo 650 by palmOne will be added to the growing selection of AudibleReady Sprint Smart Devices which are capable of playing Audible's 55,000 hours of audio entertainment and information.

Each new Sprint Smart Device will include the AudiblePlayer(R) application and introductory audio content loaded into the device ROM or provided via Web links on the in-box CD. The Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device PPC-6601 will be available early next month through Sprint business channels and ships with Audible's branding on the box and service offers. Sprint customers will be offered $50 cash back when joining an AudibleListener(R) annual plan or receive a complimentary free month of membership when joining on a month-to-month basis. Complete details and restrictions can be found at http://www.audible.com/sprint/ppc6600. The same rebate and trial service offers will be available to users of the camera version of this device, the Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device PPC-6600, when it is available at Sprint Stores and online at http://www.sprintpcs.com/ later this year.

"Bundling AudibleReady features onto powerful new Sprint PCS Vision Smart Devices extends our new relationship with Sprint and will introduce new users to Audible," said Foy Sperring, Senior Vice President, Affiliate Partnerships, Audible, Inc. "We will continue to develop our audio content for Smart Devices while providing current users with valuable audio and compelling services."

About Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device 6601 by Audiovox:

* Price: Suggested Retail price of $629.99

* Power: 400 MHz Intel(R) PXA263 processor

* Memory: RAM 128 MB/ROM 64MB

* Dimensions: 4.9" x 2.75" x .74" Weight: 7.35 ounces

* Operating System: Microsoft(R) Windows Mobile(TM) 2003 Software for

Pocket PC Phone Edition

* Digital Dual-Band: Operates on the 1900MHz and 800MHz CDMA networks

* Talk time: Up to 3.6 hours continuous talk time or up to six days of

continuous digital standby time

* Full-color screen: 65K color TFT 240 x 320 display

About Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device Treo 650 by palmOne:

* Price: Suggested retail price $599.99

* Operating System: Palm OS 5.4

* Form factor: Candy bar form factor with integrated QWERTY keyboard

* Dimensions: 4.44" x 2.33" x .88" Weight: 6.05 ounces

* Power: Intel(R) PXA270 312 MHz (new Bulverde series)

* Memory: 32 MB of RAM (23 MB available for end user storage)

* Digital Dual-band: Operates on the 1900mHz and 800mHz CDMA networks

* Talk time: Up to 5 hours continuous talk time or more than two weeks

continuous digital standby time

* Large, full-color screen: Vivid 1.84" x 1.81" TFT display with 65K

colors

About Audible.com:

Audible.com, recently named the best consumer Web service by CNet.com, and one of the "Best of Today's Web" by PC World, features daily audio editions of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times - available on a subscription basis in time for the morning drive to work each day - as well as Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Scientific American, and Fast Company. The site offers a powerful collection of audiobook best sellers and classics by authors such as Tom Clancy, Stephen King, John Grisham, Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, the Dalai Lama, David McCullough, Stephen Hawking, William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, and Jane Austen. There are also speeches, lectures, and on-demand radio programs including Marketplace, All Things Considered, Car Talk, Fresh Air, and This American Life, and original shows such as RobinWilliams@audible.com. All of the programs at audible.com are available for computer-based playback, burning to audio CD, and on-the-go listening using numerous AudibleReady(R) portable digital audio players offered by leading consumer electronics and computer manufacturers.

About Audible, Inc.:

Audible(R) (http://www.audible.com(r/)) is the Internet's leading provider of digitally delivered spoken word audio. Content from Audible is downloaded and played back on personal computers, CDs, or AudibleReady(R) computer-based mobile devices. Audible has 55,000 hours of audio programs from more than 175 content partners that include leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible.com is Amazon.com's and the Apple iTunes Music Store's pre-eminent provider of spoken word products for downloading or streaming via the Web. Additionally, the Company is strategically aligned with Random House, Inc. in the first-ever imprint to produce spoken word content specifically suited for digital distribution, Random House Audible. Among the Company's key business relationships are Apple Corp., Bertelsmann AG, Creative Labs, holtzbrinck networXs, Hewlett-Packard Company, Microsoft Corporation, palmOne, Inc., PhatNoise Inc., RealNetworks, Inc., Rio Audio, Roxio, Inc., Sony Electronics, Texas Instruments Inc., and VoiceAge Corporation.

Audible, http://www.audible.com/, AudibleListener, and AudibleReady are registered trademarks of Audible, Inc. and all are part of the family of Audible, Inc. trademarks. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

This press release contains information about Audible, Inc. that is not historical fact and may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements about the company. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, Audible's limited operating history, history of losses, uncertain market for its services, and its inability to license or produce compelling audio content and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Audible

CONTACT: Jonathan Korzen of Audible, Inc., +1-973-837-2718,jkorzen@audible.com

Web site: http://www.geekfactory.com/http://www.audible.com/

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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