PRESS RELEASE: Roxio Unveils PhotoShow Touch for Windows 7
Gestures Replace Clicks in Innovative Multi-Touch Slideshow Creation and Sharing Application
Santa Clara, California (April 30, 2009) — Roxio®, a division of Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ: SNIC), today announced Roxio PhotoShow® Touch, a version of the company’s popular multimedia slideshow creation and online sharing application designed specifically for multi-touch, Windows 7-based systems. The result of close collaboration with Microsoft Corp. in developing for Windows 7, PhotoShow Touch enables families to compose and share entertaining slideshows using simple finger gestures to directly manipulate objects on screen. For example, to zoom in and out of photo collections, users simply touch the screen and pinch fingers together or apart.
Whether they are photos or footage shot during a recent vacation, college graduation or other important family event, PhotoShow Touch makes it fun and interactive for families to turn these personal memories into an expressive multimedia story. PhotoShow Touch desktop application connects users seamlessly to the Web-based PhotoShow service, where slideshows can be shared and enjoyed via the Web, on DVDs, TVs, handheld devices, and popular social media sites.
"PhotoShow Touch will light up the multi-touch interface on Windows 7 and delight consumers by making the process of creating a slideshow as engaging and fun as the results," said Matt DiMaria, general manager, Roxio. "Our User Experience design and development efforts around PhotoShow Touch, our first touch-centric product, will serve us extremely well as natural user interaction becomes the common interface in computing and touch systems grow in the market."
PhotoShow Touch is part of a new generation of applications and services from Roxio that are the result of a design-led development initiative. The elegantly designed products, which are based on extensive usability testing, make digital media tasks extremely accessible and provide consumers a fun and intuitive environment in which to work.
"Independent software vendors like Roxio have always played a key role in enhancing and expanding the Windows experience, which will continue to be the case with Windows 7," said Jeff Price, Senior Director of Windows Product Management at Microsoft Corp. “Digital media based applications such as PhotoShow Touch are a very practical use of multi-touch technology and are particularly well suited to the natural user interface metaphor, bringing back a tactile element to the experience of working with personal content such as photos."
PhotoShow Touch makes it easy and enjoyable for families to turn personal memories into expressive stories. Using simple touch, drag and release gestures, users can reorder and rotate photos, then tap to select a pre-defined PhotoShow Style. The one-tap styles automatically generate a polished production, complete with animated introduction, soundtrack, and appropriate transitions based on a theme such as Sports, Music Videos, Greeting Cards, Vacations, Birth Announcements, and many more. Users may further enhance and customize their PhotoShow using touch input to dynamically add, size, and position animated graphics, as well as insert caption treatments and decorative borders. A range of professional music tracks (included) or personal music set the mood for the show. Users can share a completed show through email by simply dragging it onto an icon of a friend or enjoy shows on PCs, DVDs, TVs, handheld devices, and popular social media sites with Roxio’s online PhotoShow basic and premium services (http://www.photoshow.com/). PhotoShow Touch is expected to be available shortly on PCs from major manufacturers. The application is part of a new range of products from Roxio for Windows 7 and the emerging Touch-Screen and Netbook PC segments.
About Roxio
Roxio enables consumers to easily manage, share, and enjoy personal digital media content and conveniently access premium Hollywood entertainment from a broad range of connected devices. A wide array of leading technology companies and developers rely on Roxio applications, services and technologies to bring innovative digital media functionality to next-generation devices and platforms.
Roxio is a division of Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC), headquartered in Marin County, California.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, including the launch, distribution, and market acceptance of Roxio PhotoShow Touch. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in Sonic Solutions’ annual and quarterly reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release should be read in conjunction with Sonic Solutions' most recent annual report on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which contain a more detailed discussion of the Company's business including risks and uncertainties that may affect future results. Sonic Solutions does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements.
Sonic, Sonic Solutions, Roxio, the Roxio logo, and PhotoShow are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by Sonic Solutions in the United States and/or other countries. All other company or product names are trademarks of their respective owners and, in some cases, are used by Sonic Solutions under license. Specifications, pricing and delivery schedules are subject to change without notice.
(First posted on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 21:38 EDT)