Navicore Personal 2006/1 launches in the UK with new features designed to make mobile phone-based GPS even better

o Full postal code support, dynamic routing based on traffic information, cycle, pedestrian and car ‘modes’, safety camera download all included.
o Pricing remains the same, making Navicore Personal 2006/1 one of the most competitive mobile phone-based GPS solutions on the market, today.
o Simple upgrade process for existing users at the new Navicore online shop.

January 25, 2006 – Navicore today announces the UK availability of Navicore Personal 2006/1, the latest version of its complete GPS package which enables consumers to turn their Symbian-based mobile phones into a full satellite navigation system. 

The new release adds a whole raft of innovative and useful enhancements for people as they travel around, designed to really benefit consumers and make mobile phone-based GPS navigation even better.  These include the following:

• New! The latest UK maps from Tele Atlas with improved graphics, new points of interest added, along with higher map resolution.

• New! Full 7 digit UK postal code now supported making navigating even simpler.

• New! Traffic information updates now provided free via GPRS  offering dynamic routing thereby keeping drivers out of traffic jams as they happen. Navicore uses traffic information data provided by iTIS Holdings Plc, one of the UK’s premier providers of traffic information and vehicle security services.  iTIS collects traffic information from ‘floating’ vehicles, automatic data collection systems, highway agencies, The AA, police and emergency services. 

• New! Safety camera downloads and updates for free via GPRS1 at user specified times.

• New! Car, cyclist and pedestrian modes make Navicore Personal 2006/1 the ideal GPS solution for everyone whatever their mode of transport. As maps are stored locally on the phone, this means that Navicore is the ideal personal navigation solution as maps are with you all the time, on the device you have always with you – your mobile phone. 

• New! Support for addresses stored in your phone’s PIM (personal information management) makes it simple to navigate to friends, colleagues and family at the click of a button, without having to re-key in address information. 

William Morgan, Navicore’s UK sales agent, says, “With this new launch, we are offering people the most compelling and feature-rich mobile phone–based GPS solution on the market, today.  It has everything you need to navigate easily, and its been designed with simplicity in mind, even for those people who are not technology literate. All the maps are supplied on a memory card which is inserted into the phone.  The GPS solution is recognized automatically without the need for laborious or complicated adjusting of settings. You’re off and away in seconds.”

Navicore Personal 2006/1 has been specifically developed for mobile phone use and, as a result, is the most responsive product on the market.  It contains a fast proprietary routing algorithm which responds to directions taken by users immediately. This means that calculating routes of hundreds of miles takes just moments.

Navicore Personal 2006/1 is sold as a complete retail package containing everything necessary to start navigating straight away.  The following is included in the box:

o A 256 MB memory card containing the Navicore Personal 2006/1 application and the latest UK maps from Tele Atlas;

o A Bluetooth GPS receiver featuring the latest SiRF III GPS chip. This makes it possible to receive an accurate signal even if placed in a bag, a pocket or in the glove compartment of a car;

o A Nokia compatible in-car charger for the GPS Receiver. 

Navicore Personal shows clear and easily understandable instructions on screen and also gives spoken instructions in multiple languages.  It has innovative features like location messaging which allows users to text their location and a map to friends, colleagues and family so they can be found easily.

Availability and pricing

Navicore Personal 2006/1 UK is being launched today for Symbian Series 60 handsets.  European map availability, along with additional operating system support – namely Symbian Series 80 and UIQ – will be announced in Q1 2006. 

The recommended retail price for Navicore Personal 2006/1 is £199.99 (including VAT) for Symbian Series 60 handsets which has been kept the same as the previous version. 

Navicore Personal 2006/1 is available from a variety of retail outlets nationwide including: The Link, 02 stores, The Carphone Warehouse, and online at www.Tesco.com, www.mobilefun.co.uk/navicore, and www.satnav2u.com

For existing Navicore Personal customers, an upgrade to the 2006/1 version can be purchased from the new Navicore online shop at shop.navicoretech.com. The upgrade is priced at £61.00 for a new MMC card containing the software and maps or £54.00 for a CD-ROM.

Phone compatibility

Navicore Personal 2006/1 is available for Symbian Series 60 phones today, and later in Q1 2006, for Symbian Series 80 and Symbian UIQ handsets.

Currently supported phone models include: Nokia 3230, 6600, 6260, 6630, 6670, 6680, 7610, N-Gage QD, 6630, 6680, 6681, N70, N90, Siemens SX-1. 

For a complete list of handsets supported, please visit the web at www.navicore.co.uk and click on the ‘compatibility’ icon.