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about Palm company info company background contact us events legal notices palm blog jobs press room press contacts press releases 2007 2006 2005 2004palmOne Canada Launches GPS Navigation Solution for Zire 72 Handheld
Perfect for Tech-savvy Road Warriors, the Zire 72 and TomTom GPS Navigation Pak is an Affordable, Door-to-door Personal Navigation System
TORONTO, Nov. 18, 2004 – palmOne Canada, in alliance with TomTom, today announced the Zire™ 72 GPS Navigation Pak, an all-in-one solution that transforms the popular Zire 72 multimedia handheld into a comprehensive vehicle navigation tool.
The Zire 72 GPS Navigation Pak includes a silver special edition Zire 72, 64MB expansion card1, and TomTom® GPS Navigation Kit featuring real-time 3-D and 2-D navigation display, detailed street and motorway maps for Canada and the United States, and more than 4 million "points of interest."
The Bluetooth® solution delivers users easy-to-follow directions based on the latest global positioning system (GPS) technology. With voice-guided turn-by-turn instructions, the palmOne™ GPS solution allows drivers to focus on road conditions, eliminates the need for unwieldy paper maps, and includes a charging cable and vehicle power adapter to keep both the Bluetooth GPS receiver and the Zire 72 fully charged.
"The Zire 72 GPS solution is a flexible and affordable in-car navigation system for Canadians who love to drive and hate getting lost," said Michael Moskowitz, president and general manager, palmOne Canada. "The Zire 72 system can be installed into any car, transferred when a new car is bought, and even be used in rental cars when on business trips or holiday."
How It Works
The Bluetooth technology-enabled receiver sits on the car dashboard, where it identifies the car's position using at least three satellites. By communicating with the GPS receiver via Bluetooth, the Zire 72 handheld obtains real-time location information and displays 2-D or 3-D maps by TomTom. Using the handheld's high-resolution screen, these maps automatically show the receiver's (and hence, the car's) current location.
Why You Won't Get Lost
After a location has been identified, the Zire 72 GPS Navigation Pak can do the following:
• Display detailed street and highway maps for Canada and the entire United States;
• Customize directions using door-to-door navigation;
• Give voice-guided turn-by-turn instructions;
• Automatically recalculate the route after a wrong turn;
• Instantly re-route to avoid a roadblock or congestion; and
• Highlight millions of points of interest, including gas stations, airports, shops and other destinations
Sold separately, the combined elements of the Zire 72 GPS Navigation Kit would retail for more than $9002. However, with a recommended retail price of only $599, the Zire 72 GPS Navigation Pak offers consumers more than $250 in savings and is a cost-effective alternative to built-in car navigation systems. The bundle also includes recharging cables and an easily removable windshield mount.
The award-winning Zire 72 handheld includes the following multimedia features:
• Built-in 1.2-megapixel camera;
• Ability to capture photos and video clips3;
• One-button access to MP3 player4;
• High-resolution, 320 x 320 colour screen;
• Ability to create and edit Word- and Excel-compatible files;
• Synchronization with Outlook5 to ensure the user's email, calendar, contacts and tasks are up-to-date;
• Built-in powerful wireless Bluetooth technology lets users share files, photos and more as well as receive wireless email and Internet access6; and
• 32MB7 of memory and an expansion slot for SD Memory Cards and MultiMediaCard media8.
Pricing and Availability
With a recommended retail price of $599, the Zire 72 GPS solution is available now at selected retailers in Canada, including Best Buy, CompuSmart, Dumoulin, Radio Shack / Battery Plus, Future Shop, Staples Business Depot, Office Depot, and London Drugs.
(1) User-available memory is 61MB.
(2) All pricing in Canadian dollars. Silver Zire 72 special edition (value of $399), GPS Navigation Kit (value of $449), 64MB expansion card (value of $54.95).
(3) Requires the use of an expansion card, sold separately. Captured resolution of photos and video may be lower.
(4) Stereo headphones sold separately. Listening to MP3s requires the use of an expansion card, sold separately.
(5) Windows only.
(6) Compatible Bluetooth phone model and wireless GSM/GPRS carrier subscription
required, not included. An Internet service provider account, data service and carrier
subscription may be required for Internet and email access. These services may need to be purchased separately.
(7) 24MB actual storage capacity.
(8) Must be purchased separately. Prices vary by retailer.
About TomTom
TomTom is a global provider of navigation solutions for mobile consumers. TomTom offers mobile users a broad range of innovative travel products for handheld computers and mobile phones, including personal navigation systems, travel guides and dictionaries. TomTom was founded in 1991 in The Netherlands and has offices in Amsterdam, London, and Concord, Massachusetts. The company's products are sold through a distribution network of top retailers in more than 15 countries. To learn more about TomTom, visit www.tomtom.com.
About palmOne, Inc.
palmOne, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLMO) -- the leader in handheld computing and communications solutions -- strives to put the power of computing in people's hands so they can access and share their most important information. The company's products include Zire™ and Tungsten™ handhelds and Treo™ smartphones, software and accessories.
palmOne products are sold at The palmOne Store (http://store.palmOne.com/) and palmOne Retail Stores, and through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator partners throughout the world.
More information about palmOne, Inc. is available at http://www.palmOne.com.
