Contact:
Greg Winsky
Executive Vice President
(609) 386-2500
FRANKLIN ELECTRONIC PUBLISHERS, INC. Putting a World of Knowledge in Your Hand
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. (NYSE:FEP), the originator of the handheld electronic reference product, continues to put a world of knowledge and increased value in its users' hands in a wider variety of formats and in newer, friendlier, yet more sophisticated platforms.
Franklin creates electronic reference products to provide instant access to data anywhere at any time for audiences ranging from young children to seasoned medical practicioners, foreign travelers, students, professionals and leisure-time readers. The platforms retrieve data through keyboard commands and display it on a liquid crystal screen. The Company's product line encompasses more than 200 titles, including dictionaries in 16 languages, translators, Holy Bibles, encyclopedias, medical references, family health guides, entertainment and educational publications.
Franklin's platforms offer several special advantages to create value and ease of use for its customers. Many products contain the BOOKMAN® feature, which supplements a built-in database with the ability to read from one or two book (ROM) cards holding additional works, giving readers access to more than one title at a time. Franklin's speaking products are an exceptionally useful tool in polishing English and Spanish pronunciation, give a vibrant voice to content in products such as a Holy Bible with daily devotionals read by musical legend Johnny Cash, and even help users with special needs to learn and communicate better.
The Company has an unrivalled ability to adapt books for handheld platforms, and has broadened the scope of its business to achieve its goal of giving customers an array of choices of reference works, not just for Franklin's platforms, but for other popular handheld devices such as Palm®, Windows® CE, Psion® and Handspring®. Franklin has expanded its long-standing, successful relationships with major publishers in the reference and medical fields to offer downloadable versions of indispensable medical works such as the Physicians' Desk Reference ("PDR®). Franklin's website, http://www.franklin.com, generated more than 21,000,000 hits in 1999, and is the source for downloadable content for Franklin and non-Franklin platforms.
Franklin has positioned itself for continued growth through its leadership in hardware and software technology, and its established and expanding relationships with publishers. The Company enjoys dominant market shares in North America, Europe, and the Middle East, and is expanding its sales and distribution efforts in the Far East. The Company has licensing agreements with leading print publishers such as Merriam-Webster, HarperCollins and Havas Interactive for dictionaries; Merck and Medical Economics for medical products such as the Merck Manual and the Pocket PDR® Medical Book System; and various entertainment publishers for crossword and game products. Franklin also has formed a joint venture with Kinpo Electronics, a major manufacturer, to develop Chinese/English reference products to meet the needs of the Pan-Asian market.
Franklin has sold more than 21,000,000 books, and sells products through 45,000 retail outlets worldwide, online through its website, via direct marketing, and through sales and distribution subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Benelux countries, Canada, Australia and Mexico. The Company has production management offices in Tokyo and Hong Kong. In addition, Franklin's OEM/Vertical Market division serves the medical and educational communities and develops custom products for publishers and other information providers.
Franklin, the exclusive producer and provider of ROLODEX® Electronics personal information management products, revitalized its organizer line in 1999 to offer more features at lower price points and improved connectivity with users' personal computers.
Based in Burlington, New Jersey, the Company was established in 1981.
ROLODEX® is a registered trademark of Berol Corporation, a subsidiary of Newell Rubbermaid, Inc.
Other trademarks and product names are the property of their respective proprietors.
Except for the historical
information contained herein, the matters discussed throughout this
release, including, but not limited to, those that are stated as the
Company's belief or expectation or preceded by the word
"should" are forward looking statements that involve risks
to and uncertainties in the Company's business, including, among
other things, the timely availability and acceptance of new
electronic reference products, organizers, and computer companion
products, changes in technology, the impact of competitive
electronic products, the management of inventories, the Company's
dependence on third party component suppliers and manufacturers,
including those that provide Franklin-specific parts, and other
risks and uncertainties that may be detailed from time to time in
the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
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