Garmin International Inc. a member of the Garmin group of companies, pioneers in design, manufacture and marketing of GPS technology-enabled navigation, communication and information gadgets and software for aviation, automotive, mobile, outdoor and marine markets, on October announced the launch of their latest software solution for mobile phones. This is a unique, completely-automated state-of-the-art solution that turns compatible GPS enabled mobile phone models into most-modern Garmin navigators.
The brand new software solution marketed under the name of Garmin Mobile XT is poised to give users Garmin software experience on their GPS enabled handhelds.
This is a direct response to the increasing trend of including GPS technology in modern handhelds by mobilephone manufacturers. Available as an optional upgrade, Garmin is hoping to bank on this new trend and make their offering a market success.
“This software seamlessly connects the phone’s built-in GPS with Garmin’s software so that customers can derive all the benefits of navigation anywhere in North America or Europe. Apart from providing seamless navigation, Garmin Mobile XT gives free access to Garmin Online(TM) where users have free access to dynamic content such as real-time traffic alerts and fuel prices,” says a Garmin spokesperson.
The software comes pre-loaded in a microSD card, with miniSD and standard SD card converter, and includes Garmin navigation software for United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Europe. Users can choose between Puerto Rico or Europe based on their requirements, but US and Canada is common for both packges.
Commenting on their latest offering soon after the launch Charles Morse, director of mobile and PND marketing, Garmin Inc said that their product was a revolutionary application, thus far unheard of in the mobile phone market. “Garmin Mobile XT is easy-to-use and affordable, with no monthly charges. It’s a one-time investment that gives customers full-featured GPS navigation on their smartphone whenever and wherever they need it, including areas outside of wireless network coverage,” said Morse.
There is no complicated installation or set up process to start using the Garmin Mobile XT, all that a user has to do is to insert the microSD card into the compatible mobile phone and the application launches immediately and loads Garmin’s “Where to?” and “view map” welcome screen. With a few button taps, customers can easily route to a specific street address or choose from millions of points of interest — such as restaurants, hotels, ATMs, and gas stations. In addition to turn-by-turn, voice prompted directions, users will also see their exact position on a detailed moving map.
Garmin Mobile XT comes pre-built with excellent features including travel guide support, topo maps and custom points of interest, route planning and saving and trip logs. Garmin Mobile XT also includes PeerPoints(TM), a powerful feature enabling users to send their position to any other phone as well as view and navigate to the location of other Garmin Mobile XT users.
Priced at $99, Garmin Mobile XT is currently available in the US and includes a complete NAVTEQ-provided map of all the 52 states. The European version of Garmin Mobile XT features map data for 30 countries of the continent. Pricing of the application for UK is not revealed yet.
