Cobra PhoneLynx™ Pairs Home Phones to Mobile Phone Service, Eliminates Landline Bills and Can Save Users an Average of $600 per Year, Every Year

CHICAGO, May 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cobra Electronics Corporation (NASDAQ: COBR), celebrating 50 years of innovation in 2011 as a leading designer and manufacturer of award-winning consumer and mobile electronics, today announced a call to action for homeowners nationwide utilizing both cellular and home phone services to combine them and save money with Cobra PhoneLynx.  Cobra PhoneLynx is an innovative Bluetooth®-enabled device that pairs mobile phones to a home phone system.  Users simply plug their home phone directly into Cobra PhoneLynx, which leverages existing cell phone plans to make and receive calls from the ergonomic comfort and convenience of their home phone system.

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According to research by the Beacon Hill Institute of Massachusetts, landline phone service averages nearly $50 per month nationwide, despite the fact that the vast majority of homes own one or more mobile phones, essentially doubling their telecom costs.  Cobra PhoneLynx eliminates the need for landline phone service, saving users an average of $600 per year, year after year.  In addition to eliminating landline phone bills and simplifying life with a single number mobile lifestyle, Cobra PhoneLynx allows users to take advantage of carry-over minutes, free night and weekend calling, and unlimited calling plans— all from the comfort and convenience of their home phone system.  What's more, users can improve cell phone reception quality by placing their mobile phone in an a location in their home with the best signal strength, yet make and receive calls from any home phone.

While this clever device works with any Bluetooth-enabled smartphone, Cobra PhoneLynx for Android offers a complementary new Android App that dramatically enhances the home phone user experience, with powerful feature integration between home phone systems and Android devices.  Features include:

• Voice Dial.  Offers access to the powerful voice dialing capabilities of an Android phone from any home phone handset.  Calls can be made to any number in the Android address book by simply using your voice.
• Message Waiting.  Activates the home phone message waiting light when a voicemail is waiting on the mobile phone, making it a true landline replacement.
• Speed Dial.  Allows the user to save frequently dialed contacts in a Speed Dial list that is accessible from both the mobile and home phone.  
• Auto Hands-free.  Auto Hands-free allows advanced user control over when and how the PhoneLynx and paired mobile phone connect.  
• Voicemail.  Provides easy access to the mobile phone's voicemail feature from any home phone.
• Alarm Clock. Lets users create and set an alarm to ring on all of the home phones at a designated time.

"As U.S. households increasingly abandon landline service in favor of a mobile phone-only, single number digital lifestyle, Cobra PhoneLynx is ideally suited for that transition," said Sally Washlow, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Cobra Electronics.  "This unique device offers the advantages of both service types, while eliminating the cost and hassle of a monthly home phone bill.  With a one-time cost of under $60, and an average three-year cost savings of $1800, our customers are finding Cobra PhoneLynx to be a very easy purchase decision."

Pricing and availability:

Cobra PhoneLynx and Cobra PhoneLynx for Android are available at retailers nationwide and online for $59.99 MSPR.  The Cobra PhoneLynx app is available at no cost to Android users via the Android Market at https://market.android.com/.  To locate a retailer or to learn more, visit www.cobraphonelynx.com.

About Cobra Electronics:

Cobra Electronics is a leading global designer and marketer of communication and navigation products, with a track record of delivering innovative and award-winning products. Building upon its leadership position in the GMRS/FRS two-way radio, radar detector and Citizens Band radio industries, Cobra identified new growth opportunities and has aggressively expanded into the marine market and has expanded its European operations. The Consumer Electronics Association, Forbes and Deloitte & Touche have all recognized Cobra for the company's innovation and industry leadership. To learn more about Cobra Electronics, please visit the Cobra site at www.cobra.com.   Follow Cobra on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CobraElectronic and Like Us at www.facebook.com/CobraElectronics.

SOURCE Cobra Electronics Corporation