NETGEAR Unveils Smart Network Cloud Application Platform For Its Consumer Products; Invites Developers to Join the Revolution
NETGEAR’s New Smart Network Allows Consumers to Tap the Power of Customized Apps to Add New Capabilities and Features to Their Home Networks for the First Time Ever
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – January 9, 2012 — NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced its Smart Network Cloud Application Platform, a new technology platform that enables consumers to purchase and download apps from the cloud for their home network to optimize and personalize their connected home. Enabled exclusively through NETGEAR’s latest routers, ReadyNAS® storage devices, media players and future products, the NETGEAR Smart Network gives consumers far more control over their home network than ever before and enables enhanced capabilities and management of practically any connected device. The Smart Network Cloud Application Platform also provides a platform for innovative new applications to exist in the cloud and be readily downloaded by consumers – allowing users to customize their network capabilities and manageability to match their particular lifestyle and needs.
NETGEAR’s Smart Network Cloud Application Platform allows consumers to download apps from a variety of categories to their NETGEAR home network products. These downloaded apps will enable a nearly infinite number of capabilities, controls and applications for these connected NETGEAR home network devices, including media, gaming, security, energy conservation, and more. Consumers can use apps to do everything from managing smart home devices, such as WiFi thermostats, for increased energy efficiency, to ensuring priority and performance for streaming media entertainment. Other apps will greatly enhance personal productivity tasks, such as enabling simple print sharing and cloud printing capabilities for tablets or sharing pictures and home videos with friends and family on social networks without having to upload any files to public web sites.
Smart Network Apps can be developed by anyone, from an independent programmer to a game developer, home appliance company, major utility company and more. For example, an independent programmer can develop a simple data usage meter app that alerts consumers when they near their data cap. Utility companies can provide applications that allow users to more closely monitor, and even lower, their energy usage. Game developers can provide network optimizers that ensure higher network priorities for their particular high-bandwidth game. Internet service providers could even create applications that allow simple sharing of user-generated content without the need to upload any content files to public web sites.
“NETGEAR’s Smart Network Cloud Application Platform opens up a whole new world of possibilities for consumers everywhere. For the first time, consumers can use our dashboard to create a customized network experience that caters to their needs and desires,” said Cedar Milazzo, Senior Director of Engineering. “Today’s smart devices are only as smart as the networks they are connected to. Over the years, mobile phones have evolved into smartphones, and televisions have evolved into Smart TVs. Now NETGEAR is driving the evolution from home networks to Smart Networks. NETGEAR Smart Network will allow consumers to use innovative new applications to harness the power of all of their network devices and use those devices in new ways that meet customers’ needs and that enable accessibility from anywhere.”
AppManager for Increased Control
NETGEAR’s AppManager is a dashboard that enables consumers to select and use downloadable apps from a convenient cloud operated by NETGEAR. The AppManager dashboard offers a variety of apps built by NETGEAR as well as third party vendors, with more apps being added all the time. Users can interact with the apps directly from the dashboard, giving them a simple overview of their connected devices. From the NETGEAR Smart Network Application Cloud, consumers can easily download and install new apps to fit their needs.
Developers to Join the Revolution
NETGEAR is opening its Smart Network platform to developers to create apps that let consumers customize their network to their lifestyle. Enabled through NETGEAR’s latest routers, media players, storage solutions and other devices, the Smart Network software develop kit (SDK) provides a technology agnostic XML API to interact with network devices and other applications on the Smart Network. As the home networking market leader, NETGEAR is also the broadest deployed platform shipping tens of millions of routers and gateways every year. NETGEAR is now accepting applications from developers to become a part of the Smart Network developer’s community Early Access Program. Interested parties are encouraged to visit www.netgear.com/smartnetwork.
More information
To learn more about the Smart Network, please visit www.netgear.com/smartnetwork.
About NETGEAR, Inc.
NETGEAR (NASDAQGM: NTGR) is a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers. For consumers, the company makes high performance, dependable and easy to use home networking, storage and digital media products to connect people with the Internet and their content and devices. For businesses, NETGEAR provides networking, storage and security solutions without the cost and complexity of Big IT. The company also supplies top service providers with retail proven, whole home solutions for their customers. NETGEAR products are built on a variety of proven technologies such as wireless, Ethernet and Powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. NETGEAR products are sold in approximately 28,000 retail locations around the globe, and through more than 37,000 value-added resellers. The company's headquarters are in San Jose, Calif., with additional offices in 25 countries. More information is available at http://www.NETGEAR.com or by calling (408) 907-8000. Connect with NETGEAR athttp://twitter.com/NETGEAR and http://www.facebook.com/NETGEAR.
© 2012 NETGEAR, Inc. NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo and ReadyNAS are registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. NETGEAR shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. All rights reserved.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for NETGEAR, Inc.:
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Specifically, statements concerning NETGEAR's business and the expected performance characteristics, specifications, reliability, and specific uses of NETGEAR's products and technology are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the following: the actual price, performance and ease of use of NETGEAR's products may not meet the price, performance and ease of use requirements of customers; product performance may be adversely affected by real world operating conditions; failure of products may under certain circumstances cause permanent loss of end user data; new viruses or Internet threats may develop that challenge the effectiveness of security features in NETGEAR's products; the ability of NETGEAR to market and sell its products and technology; the impact and pricing of competing products; and the introduction of alternative technological solutions. Further information on potential risk factors that could affect NETGEAR and its business are detailed in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties listed in the section entitled "Part II - Item 1A. Risk Factors," pages 48 through 67, in the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended October 2, 2011, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 8, 2011. NETGEAR undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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U.S. Media Contact: Jeff Norris, Weber Shandwick for NETGEAR, 408) 530-8458,JNorris2@webershandwick.com
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