ArialPhone Readies for Retail

VERNON HILLS, ILL. — The retail rollout of ArialPhone's first consumer product will include the Internet sales channels and print catalogs of Hello Direct, the direct marketer of desktop phone products.

The company's $399-suggested ArialPhone cordless earset phone, which lets users voice-dial phone numbers stored in a PC's contact list, will be available through Hello Direct upon its retail release in July. The product was initially available through ArialPhone's Web site. The primary retail targets are office superstores and SoHo distributors.

"Hello Direct has become one of the leading telephony outlets in the U.S. today," said ArialPhone CEO Jim Alland. "That's why this agreement is strategic to our success. Not only will ArialPhone be able to take part in a world-class direct marketing program, but we'll also be able to leverage Hello Direct's extensive reach to build brand name recognition at a critical phase in our growth."

The ArialPhone represents a completely new category that combines wireless headset or earset, PC-based telephony and voice-command service, Alland said.

The earset weighs about an ounce and communicates via 900MHz cordless frequencies with a base station that plugs into a computer. Via voice commands through the cordless earset, users can dial phone numbers from an existing PC database such as Microsoft Outlook.

"The relationship with ArialPhone gives Hello Direct's customers access to an entirely new category of telecommunications product that will make them more productive in a small office or home office setting," said Matt McDowell, Hello Direct's product marketing director.

ArialPhone will be targeted initially to professionals who work in a small office/home office environment. Hello Direct serves this group, which represents 39 million Americans, or 16 percent of the nation's population, with a variety of products.