Glendale, CA - June 8, 2004 - Ahead Software, leaders in digital media technology, are pleased to announce the latest addition to their Nero product family, Nero PhotoShow Elite. This exciting photo management application provides digital camera users with a comprehensive set of photo editing and creation tools combined with unprecedented ease of use.

Worldwide digital cameras sales are widely expected to exceed 60 million units in 2004. There is an increasing demand for an application that allows these users to easily manage, make and share their digital photos. Ahead Software fulfills this demand with Nero PhotoShow Elite.

Nero PhotoShow Elite is packed with amazing features. Users can capture, edit and manage photos and photo albums, create musical slideshows, make screen savers and even order customized photo gifts. Users can choose to print their photos at home or order quality prints online seamlessly from within the application. Nero PhotoShow Elite's editing tools include red-eye correction, cropping, cloning, paint brush and auto-fix, to name a few. Nero PhotoShow Elite also unleashes the user's creativity, enabling them to add text, clip art, captions, frames and other effects with a click of a button. These editing tools can be applied to photos or slideshows. Photos can easily be made into musical slideshows to share with family and friends online via email or HTML link. They can even save their memories by burning them to CD or VCD. All this can be accessed through a user-friendly interface that anyone can operate.

"Ahead Software and Simple Star have developed a strong partnership which delivers a great consumer photo application and provides seamless access to popular photo services." said Udo Eberlein, President, Ahead Software Inc. "With Nero PhotoShow Elite, digital photography lovers, at any skill level, can easily manage their digital photos, share them online, or burn on CD. And what better brand to entrust your favorite memories to than Nero?"

Simple Star services, seamlessly integrated within the application, offer the user an opportunity to order custom DVDs of their musical slideshows and customized photo gifts including mugs, T-shirts, calendars and mouse pads printed with photos they have created directly from the application.

"The Nero PhotoShow Elite application provides consumers with a comprehensive solution to all their digital photo needs," said Chad Richard, CEO, Simple Star. "This product elegantly integrates a robust desktop software application with online services such as free photo sharing and the ability to order DVDs through Simple Star services. We are thrilled to engage with Ahead Software, the premier brand in digital media"

Nero PhotoShow Elite will be available online at www.nerophotoshow.com for $49.99 on June 8, 2004 and at participating retailers on July 1, 2004. For further information, visit www.nerophotoshow.com.

About Ahead

Ahead Software provides the most reliable CD/DVD software applications available to serve digital media markets worldwide. Since its inception in 1995, Ahead's leading application, Nero, has built a loyal customer base of more than 140 million users world-wide.

Ahead's award-winning flagship product, Nero 6, provides an all-in-one comprehensive digital media solution. Ahead's product line also includes Nero Digital™ - audio/video technology, the new Nero PhotoShow Elite - the easy and complete photo solution, SIPPS - VoIP, and across - professional computer aided translation software. Ahead distributes its products globally through world's leading drive manufacturers and PC makers, as well as leading worldwide retailers, online partners, and also directly to consumers at www.nero.com. Ahead Software AG is headquartered in Karlsbad, Germany, with its subsidiaries Ahead Software Inc. located in Glendale, California USA and Ahead Software K.K. located in Yokohama, Japan.

About Simple Star
"Simple Star, "The Personal Media Company", develops software products and services that enable consumers to manage, make and share media in unique and creative ways. Simple Star licenses its software to computer hardware manufacturers, digital imaging companies, cable companies and online entertainment. Simple Star products have been licensed to companies including: Eastman Kodak Company, Intel, Gateway, Vivendi Universal, MTV, Shockwave.com, RealNetworks, TDK, MusicMatch, Vivitar, HSN, The WB, ADS Technologies, and Mustek.