zBoost Brings Your iPhone to Life

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wi-Ex, a leading provider of consumer and commercial cell phone signal boosters, announced today the launch of the zBoost Metro YX540iP iPhone™ Signal Booster initially available exclusively at Amazon. Showcased at the CEA Line Show and Pepcom Digital Experience, the zBoost Metro YX540iP is optimized for use with the iPhone allowing users to take full advantage of their iPhone's voice, data and Internet services including 3G high-speed data and all those “apps”. The zBoost Metro YX540iP includes a $15 apps gift card and a zBoost Your Business Application Guide featuring iPhone and iPad™ apps for the business user or teleworker on the go.

“The zBoost Metro YX540iP is bundled with an iTunes gift card and the zBoost your Business Application Guide to help our customers looking for an iPhone centric solution to maximize their device, reduce dropped calls and put an end to slow data.”

"The app guide and app card deliver an ideal zBoost bundle for Apple users. iPhone, iPad and now iCloud™ users are leading today's rapid increase in data consumption and connected devices. No longer is a reliable cell phone signal nice to have, it is a necessity for a wide variety of users, from teleworking executives and moms on the go, to teens and grandparents staying connected," said Sharon Cuppett, Wi-Ex vice-president of marketing. "The zBoost Metro YX540iP is bundled with an iTunes gift card and the zBoost your Business Application Guide to help our customers looking for an iPhone centric solution to maximize their device, reduce dropped calls and put an end to slow data.”

Designed for use in a single-story urban living, the zBoost Metro YX540iP iPhone Signal Booster boosts indoor signal for multiple users operating any mobile device that operates on the 800 and 1900MHz frequencies including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Sprint. The zBoost Metro YX540iP includes everything a user needs to boost their signal up to 1500 square feet including a base unit, base antenna, low-loss cable, window-mount signal antenna and power supply. The zBoost Metro YX540iP is now available.

Unlike other boosters in the market, the zBoost Metro YX540iP requires no vertical separation making it a perfect solution for the many urban dwelling iPhone users. Other benefits of the zBoost YX540iP iPhone Signal Booster include:

Supports multiple users simultaneously
Increases voice and data transmission
Easy to set up - comes with everything needed to boost signal
No cradle or connections to your iPhone
Extends battery life - uses less power when signal is stronger
Protects the carrier network with patented technology

Connected Consumers

According to the annual zBoost State of the Signal Survey commissioned by Wi-Ex and conducted online by Harris Interactive in April 2011, 65 percent of online cell phone/smartphone owners experience problems with their cell phone or smartphone service including dropped calls or data, poor reception or dead zones in their home or poor signal reception or dead zones at work. In addition and important to iPhone and iPad users, 58 percent of online cell phone/smartphone owners who use data functions have experienced problems with service while using data functions including slow transmission of data (38 percent), poor signal/dead zone in home (23 percent) and poor signal/dead zone at work (20 percent.)

"Consumer reliance on iPhones, iPads and other smartphone and connected devices is increasing rapidly, making a strong cell phone signal indoors even more important. Who wants a device you can only use half the time because you don't have a strong in-door signal," added Cuppett. "We are constantly looking at the needs and digital lifestyles of our customers so we can provide them with a zBoost solution to fit their needs.”

Tablet Techie - It is estimated that nearly 70 million media tablets will be shipped in 2011 and they are being used as a personal device as well as an enterprise tool that enables users to stay on top of work after hours and during down time.

Smartphone Savvy - The smartphone is a staple in today's hyperconnected world and by the end of 2011 it is expected that half of Americans will use a smartphone. A third of Americans use these digital Swiss Army knives to keep up with their schedules, check personal and work emails, the weather and stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

iFamily - Today's families are more connected than ever before with moms leading the adoption of smartphones to check weather, stay connected to the family and manage their schedules at home and on the go. The zBoost State of the Signal Survey found that 54 percent of online cell phone/smartphone owners have used their cell phone or smartphone to stay connected to others in the home by calling or texting others who are in the home at the same time.

iWorker - The zBoost survey also revealed that 55 percent of online teleworkers¹ who use a smartphone/cell phone for teleworking experience problems with their service while teleworking including poor signal, dead zones or dropped calls. Cell phones/smartphone can be essential communication tools for teleworkers and when they don't get signal, it can make even more work.

About Wi-Ex

Wi-Ex (www.wi-ex.com), a leading provider of cell phone signal boosters, developed zBoost, the first consumer-priced signal booster that “extended cell zones” for the small office/home office cell phone market. Wi-Ex expanded their “extending cell zone coverage” beyond consumers to corporate enterprises and large commercial applications. From M2M applications to large commercial complexes to the rising number of teleworkers, the zBoost line provides a business-centric solution for improving poor in-door cell phone coverage domestically and internationally. The zBoost product line works with most carriers in the US and abroad including AT&T, Sprint, Vodaphone, Verizon and T-Mobile. The award-winning zBoost home and office solutions help today's connected consumers including iPhone, iPad, Android (DROID), BlackBerry, and smartphone users with dropped calls and slow data. They were awarded a 2007 and 2010 Consumer Electronics Association Innovations Honoree by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). They also were selected as a finalist for the 2007 and 2009 CTIA Emerging Technologies (E-Tech) Award. As the leader, zBoost has more awards, more sales and more locations than all their competitors combined. Wi-Ex continues to develop innovative products to meet the demands of an increasingly wireless society by enhancing wireless signals.

About the zBoost State of the Signal Survey

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Wi-Ex from April 5-7, 2011 among 2,260 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Deanna Anderson at danderson@aquapr.com.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what’s next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

¹ For the purposes of this survey, telework is defined as working from home