Simple Star Agrees to Acquire Photo Print & Share Leader OurPictures, Combined Products to Create More Complete Solution for Consumers and Partners

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 28, 2005--
Integrated PhotoShow(TM) Solution Combines Complementary, Award-Winning Products and Services, Offers Consumers More Choices for Sharing Memories

Simple Star, Inc., the leading independent provider of easy-to-use consumer imaging products and services for industry leaders including Comcast, Walgreens, Snapfish, Shutterfly, Pentax and Nero, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire photo print and share innovator OurPictures, Inc. This acquisition enables Simple Star to expand its current award-winning PhotoShow products and services to partners by offering a more complete consumer photo solution.

OurPictures currently provides photo software print and share services to Ritz Camera Centers. This print to retail partnership complements another Simple Star partnership that allows PhotoShow users to order prints from Walgreens. Simple Star recognizes that consumers will soon print the majority of their photos at retail, just as they traditionally have when printing from film. As a result of the acquisition, PhotoShow will now allow people to print at more than 25,000 locations nationwide.

Through the Simple Star PhotoShow platform, partners are able to offer customized solutions that allow consumers to do anything they want with their photos, from simple organization and printing to creating and sharing movie-like PhotoShows. Consumers have a broad range of possibilities including:

-- Manage photos with simple import, tagging, calendar and
favorites views, as well as powerful search tools

-- Choose from many printing options:

-- Print to more than 25,000 locations through Walgreens and
Ritz Camera Centers, as well as at Longs Drugs, Wal-Mart
and thousands of independent photo finishers

-- Print through online photo services such as Shutterfly and
Snapfish

-- Print at home

-- Create PhotoShows that include photos, video clips, music,
transitions, effects, animated clip art and captions

-- Order PhotoShow DVDs to let people enjoy PhotoShows in the
comfort of the living room

-- Create a personalized PhotoShow Circle website for online
sharing of PhotoShows with family and friends

-- Edit photos with one-click Auto Fix -- powered by Perfectly
Clear(TM) or utilize advanced editing tools

-- Archive photos through the PictureSafe(TM) archiving service,
generally recognized as the easiest-to-use and most
comprehensive back up service available
"The PhotoShow platform, with the combined OurPictures innovations, will now provide solutions that our partners can offer to their customers for even more printing, sharing and archiving choices," said Chad Richard, Chief Executive Officer of Simple Star, Inc. "The acquisition brings together two partner centric, consumer focused companies with complementary technologies and management teams, each with proven track records of success."

"Printing of digital photos at retail is by far the fastest-growing print segment," said Jill Aldort, Senior Consultant at InfoTrends/CAP Ventures. "Consumers are beginning to realize how important it is to back up their digital photos," she continued. "PhotoShow, with the addition of OurPictures' print to retail and enhanced archiving capabilities, gives consumers an excellent solution for managing and sharing their photos, as well as now printing and archiving."

"OurPictures brings important innovations to the PhotoShow platform," said John Paul, now Executive Vice President of Simple Star, and founder and former CEO of OurPictures. "OurPictures created the first desktop software to offer consumers the convenient print-to-retail option and the easiest-to-use photo archiving system available."

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Simple Star will retain OurPictures' entire team and will tap into the depth and experience of its veteran management to help guide the company's growth, which has centered on offering partners innovative products and services that give people choice in how they manage, print, archive and share digital images.

About Simple Star, Inc.

Founded in 2001, Simple Star provides easy-to-use products and services that help consumers share their memories in entertaining ways through PhotoShow, the most complete photo platform available. Simple Star distributes its award-winning PhotoShow solution primarily through partners such as MSO's, digital media software providers, online photo services, retailers with photo finishing services and hardware manufacturers. Simple Star partners include industry leaders such as Comcast, Cablevision, Nero, Shutterfly, Snapfish, Ritz Camera Centers, Walgreens, Pentax and Vivitar.

Simple Star, PhotoShow, PhotoShow DVD, PhotoShow Circle, OurPictures and PictureSafe are trademarks of Simple Star, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.