NAVIGON Expands Operations in North American with First U.S. OEM Partner and Is Recruiting Additional OEM and Corporate Partners to Bring Benefits of GPS Technologies to Businesses Chicago, November 9 — NAVIGON, the European market leader of mobile GPS navigation systems for dynamic telematics, navigation solutions and driver assistance systems, today announced an OEM agreement with EasyPocketNAV.com, a leading distributor for portable GPS navigation solutions.
EasyPocketNAV.com will market and sell the OnCourse Navigator 4 software, based on NAVIGON’s technology platform, which turns Microsoft-powered Pocket PCs into an easy-to-use voice guided GPS navigation system.
Available Nov. 9 at www.OnCourseNavigator.com, OnCourse Navigator 4 gives users access to an advanced navigation system independently from their vehicles, allowing for accurate and secure travel no matter the location. Easy to use and install without any mounting costs or additional fees, OnCourse Navigator 4 offers advanced features such as individualized navigation maps for car and pedestrian navigation. OnCourse Navigator 4 also has the industry’s highest compression rate of map data, fewer than 1GB, allowing users to store maps on a smaller memory card and save money.
With the development of the world’s first dynamic GPS Navigation system eight years ago, NAVIGON Inc.’s parent company, NAVIGON GmbH, based in Germany, is the European market leader in the mobile navigation systems industry. NAVIGON has been expanding internationally since 2003, opening up new markets in twelve European countries. With the launch of its OEM solution from EasyPocketNAV.com, NAVIGON is further extending its market expertise and reach to benefit U.S. and Canadian companies looking to generate time and cost savings using GPS navigation technology for applications such as enterprise and fleet management and Location Based Services (LBS).
Joe Kee, president of Easy PocketNAV.com, said, “We selected NAVIGON to be our GPS software partner because of their extensive knowledge and market experience in providing excellent GPS software. They are a market leader in terms of giving customers what they want — innovative user-friendly features. With the strong development team from NAVIGON, we believe our OnCourse Navigator software will generate strong adoption and market-share in the North American market.”
Using its MapExport tool, the OnCourse Navigator 4 software lets users plan complex routes with multiple stops, allowing the users to tailor maps based on need rather than what’s available. This allows the user to save memory, while at the same time, receive a map that allows them to travel seamlessly without having to switch between maps. OnCourse Navigator 4 also offers an Itinerary Planner, allowing the user to plan an entire trip before they depart. Users can select locations from any point and OnCourse Navigator will calculate a complete door-to-door route with complete street level detail anywhere in North America. Users can type in their Point of Interest (POI) final destination such as a hotel address, and make any stops along the way.
Additional product features of OnCourse Navigator 4 include:
– Highly up-to-date map data of Canada and the United States through partner Navteq at the highest compression rate in the industry
– East to west coast navigation with detail street level map in under 7MB (e.g. from NYC to San Francisco)
– A newly-developed Base-Name-Street search for precise navigation to the end destination, down to a house number.
– Route calculation around traffic jams, road works or other obstacles
– Voice activated navigation to destinations with Voice Command
– 1.95 Million POIs as special destinations such as airports or car rental stations.
– Precise voice guide with prompts regarding interstates
– The highest number of speech files, providing users with the best and safest voice guidance of all navigation systems
– Flexible tour planning with as many intermediate destinations as you like and cross border navigation through states and countries without the need for additional memory or map switching
– Easy-to-read map display with a realistic display of crossroads and traffic flow arrow symbols, as well as further customizable features (for example optional 3D view, speed display, compass, etc.) to help find the correct turn on the most complex intersections
– Integration with Pocket PC (MS-Outlook) allows use to navigate directly from their contact database without re-typing addresses
– Pedestrian mode to complete the trip with the shortest possible distance to walk and wireless GPS receiver (e.g. Bluetooth)
Edgar Christen, general manager for NAVIGON, Inc., said, “NAVIGON’s core corporate philosophy is to create secure and comfortable mobility for individuals and companies, wherever and whenever, that is easy to plan and efficient to operate. Our partnership with EasyPocketNAV.com is an example of the types of OEM partnerships we are actively seeking with companies looking to bring GPS benefits to businesses and consumers.”
NAVIGON is active in three business areas including mobility, automotive and business solutions for the field. NAVIGON’s business strategy for North America is based on a proven model already successfully applied in the European market, focusing on its software’s compatibility with Pocket PCs and the new generation of smart phones, as well as product ‘bundles’ with hardware from manufacturers and OEMs partners. Current customers and partners include Fujitsu-Siemens, Hewlett-Packard, DaimlerChrysler, VW, BMW and Microsoft.
ADAC is third largest automobile club in the world, with more than 14 million members. Oliver Neumueller, ADAC cooperation manager, said, “Our main goal is to make driving for our members as enjoyable and stress free as possible. In order to ensure the safest passage on unknown paths and routes for our customers, we reviewed all available mobile navigation systems, and NAVIGON’s solutions convinced us. NAVIGON’s platform is very user friendly and unbeatable in price. Plus it offers pedestrian navigation, allowing our members to enhance every aspect of their travels. ADAC would recommend the NAVIGON system to all our members and drivers.”
OnCourse Navigator 4TM is available at www.OnCourseNavigator.com along with a comprehensive line of solutions specifically designed for new and existing Pocket PC users. In addition to this, there are also a number of e-tailers that can be found under the “Where to Buy” section of the website. Pricing begins at 99.95 for cross upgrade and $ 199.95 for complete car kit.
About NAVIGON, Inc.
Established in March 2004, NAVIGON, Inc. the U.S. subsidiary of NAVIGON GmbH, Europe’s market leader in GPS Navigation Systems, provides navigation systems for corporate, mobile and automobile use. NAVIGON GmbH developed the world’s first dynamic GPS Navigation system eight years ago and has been expanding internationally since the end of 2003, opening markets in twelve European countries. NAVIGON’s products enable consumers to use GPS navigation technology software on their mobile phones, PDA’s and in their automobiles. NAVIGON’s strategic partners include major automobile manufacturers and computer manufacturers including VW, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Fujitsu-Siemens and Hewlett-Packard. For more
information on NAVIGON, visit www.navigon.com.
