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Latest Version Offers 3D Moving Maps, Wi-Fi Hotspot Finder, and Predictive and
Error-Correcting Address Entry
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Aug. 30, 2006--TeleNav Inc., the leading provider of wireless
location-based services (LBS), today introduced TeleNav GPS Navigator(TM) 5.0,
the first GPS application on mobile phones that provides US consumers with full-color
three dimensional (3D) moving maps, creating a more realistic and easy-to-follow
visual navigation experience.
The updated version of TeleNav GPS Navigator is also the first mobile navigation
service to include a Wi-Fi Hotspot finder. Customers can now quickly find and
get turn-by-turn directions to wireless hotspots across the US. With TeleNav GPS
Navigator 5.0, customers can also search "along-the-route" (ATR), enabling them
to look up a business, place of interest and even the lowest gas prices along
their predetermined routes. TeleNav GPS Navigator 5.0 also offers an address input
method with the least amount of keystrokes in the industry. The application detects
and auto-fills addresses based on current or commonly used locations, as well
as corrective entry, which automatically revises information the user may have
misspelled.
"Our mission with TeleNav GPS Navigator is to provide drivers with mobile navigation
tools that are effective, convenient and effortless to use," said HP Jin, president
and CEO at TeleNav. "The features we have launched today simplify, yet enhance,
the experience, making it as easy as possible for drivers to experience safe and
stress-free travel."
Other features of TeleNav GPS Navigator include:
-- Voice and visual directions -- Enter or call in your destination and TeleNav
GPS Navigator computes your route. As you drive, you get up-to-the minute guidance
and will automatically be re-routed if you miss a turn. Users can also preview
their routes before they begin driving and specify preferences, including highways
and streets.
-- Full-Color moving maps (available on select phones) -- See colorful maps of
specific GPS locations and pan and zoom the map to view the surrounding streets.
-- Business Finder -- Find businesses and services, including Wi-Fi hotspots,
ATMs, restaurants, hotels and gas stations, and easily navigate to them with the
click of a button. Business Finder also allows users to quickly look up and call
the phone number for a business.
-- Fuel Finder -- Save money by finding the lowest gas prices within a five-mile
or wider radius.
-- Parking Spot Marker -- Easily find your car wherever you park it, such as
in a large parking lot or on an unfamiliar downtown street.
-- My Favorites -- Save as many addresses as you want for easy access later.
-- Language Preference -- Choose English, Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, Cantonese,
Vietnamese, French or Portuguese.
TeleNav GPS Navigator, originally launched in 2003, is available for a fraction
of the price of in-car navigation systems and dedicated personal navigation devices
(PNDs). The service starts at just $9.99 per month for unlimited use, and TeleNav
GPS Navigator customers are not charged cellular airtime minutes for using the
service.
"TeleNav is an early leader in the mobile GPS navigation market, and the company
continues its leadership by driving innovation in the LBS sector," said Marina
Amoroso, wireless analyst at the Yankee Group. "With the launch of TeleNav GPS
Navigator 5.0, TeleNav has expanded its list of compelling features to rival that
of other GPS-navigation devices."
Market research firm ABI has predicted that the global GPS market will grow to
more than $22 billion by 2008. The firm estimates that handset navigation and
people tracking markets will experience the largest growth rates, significantly
outpacing the overall market growth of 12 percent through 2008.(1)
Similarly, research firm Strategy Analytics estimates that the number of GPS
devices sold worldwide -- including personal navigation units and applications
built into cell phones and handheld computers -- will grow from 18 million last
year to 88 million in 2010.(2)
The latest version of TeleNav GPS Navigator is currently available on select
mobile devices. For more information on TeleNav GPS Navigator and to find out
which wireless carriers offer the service, visit www.telenav.com.
Come see TeleNav's products at CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment, September
12-14, 2006, at the Los Angeles Convention Center:
-- TeleNav representatives will be available for questions or to show demonstrations
of TeleNav products at the following partner booths on the Exhibit Floor: Palm
(Booth #1001), Research in Motion (RIM) (Booth #261) and NAVTEQ (Booth #618).
-- HP Jin, president and CEO of TeleNav, will be a featured panelist in a session
entitled "Location Based Services in Enterprise." The panel will be from 3:30-5:00
pm on Tuesday, September 12, in room 402 of the Convention Center.
-- Hassan Wahla, TeleNav's senior director of business development, will be speaking
on a panel entitled "Security vs. Privacy" at NAVTEQ's LBS-focused Developer Conference,
which runs in conjunction with CTIA. The panel will be from 1:00-1:45 pm on Monday,
September 11, also at the Los Angeles Convention Center. --
TeleNav will also be exhibiting at the Pepcom Mobile Focus event on September
12 from 7:00-10:00 pm at the Westin Bonaventure hotel in Los Angeles.
About TeleNav Inc.
TeleNav Inc. is a global leader in wireless location-based services (LBS), including
GPS navigation, Mobile Resource Management (MRM), asset GPS tracking (AVL) and
local search. The company's flagship product, TeleNav GPS Navigator(TM), is the
first mobile-phone-based GPS navigation service that is comparable to in-car systems
found in luxury vehicles, but offers a superior experience with functionality
such as automatically updated maps and business locations, 3D moving maps, speech
recognition, lowest price fuel finder and more.
TeleNav offers its services internationally through leading wireless carriers,
including Sprint Nextel, Boost Mobile, Vivo Brazil and China Mobile. TeleNav products
work on nearly all wireless networks, including iDEN, CDMA, EV-DO, GSM, GPRS and
EDGE. TeleNav partners include Research in Motion (RIM), Motorola, Samsung, Sanyo,
LG, Palm, Audiovox, Nokia, NAVTEQ, Telcontar and Qualcomm.
For more information on TeleNav's portfolio of wireless location-based services
please visit www.telenav.com
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