ViaMoto being pilot tested in US for directions & other location based services

[amphibian]

Motorola Unveils Location-Based Services Software for Wireless, Enterprise Businesses

Consumers can easily access maps and turn-by-turn directions on wireless devices via one of Motorolaâ??s first location-based software applications

SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS, January 23 2003¾ Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) announced today that it is offering wireless carriers, auto manufacturers and other enterprises location-based services software that will deliver relevant, easily accessible information to consumers while they are mobile. Information delivered through the â??ViaMotoâ?? software can be customized depending on a consumerâ??s personal preference, will be available in virtually any environment and will be available on a variety of wireless phones or other devices.

The first two tiers of software offered in the ViaMoto package, GoViaMoto and FindViaMoto, are currently available and are undergoing customer trials with Motorola GPS-enabled cell phones in North America. Consumers can easily interact with ViaMoto applications through human operators (similar to directory assistance), voice recognition, keypad entry, or websites.

Easy-to-use location applications like those provided by ViaMoto are expected to be useful, and appealing, to most mobile users. Driscoll-Wolfeâ??s 2002 Wireless Location-Based Services Marketing Research Study states that nearly half of all cell phone users are interested in receiving directions to their destination on their handsets. That same study showed that a third of all mobile phone users would agree to pay $5 per month for unlimited navigation assistance on their phones.

â??Each of Motorolaâ??s customers has a varying level of requirements in their location-based services strategy,â?? said Neal Campbell, general manager of location services for Motorolaâ??s Personal Communications Sector. â??Motorola has designed a software stack that enables us to work with each of our customers to tailor and deploy varying degrees of location-based services technology to support their voice and data needs, and the needs of consumers.â??

Motorolaâ??s GoViaMoto solution is a dynamic software package that transforms a wireless phone, and other wireless devices, into "navigators" that deliver textual or audible route guidance prompts to users. More practical than viewing a foldout map, the software enables consumers to receive spoken turn-by-turn directions through their cell phones. GoViaMoto literally â??talks you throughâ?? directions to a destination, speaking street names and maneuvers along the way. Motorolaâ??s ViaMoto server is continuously updated with map data and is integrated with traffic conditions and point-of-interest databases to provide users with the most accurate and up-to-date navigation services possible.

Motorolaâ??s FindViaMoto solution is a local information guide similar to a community events weekly newspaper or phonebook, and adds an extra level of location technology. The software ties together with GoViaMoto and provides point-of-interest lookup, mapping, and up-to-date traffic information specific to the userâ??s route.

Another of Motorolaâ??s software products, the Motorola Navigation Application, is available as a component of Trafficmaster Plc's Smartnav in-vehicle navigation system in the U.K.

Motorola, Inc (NYSE:MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communications and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 2001 were $30 billion. For more information, please visit: www.motorola.com.

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Media Contact:
David Rudd
Director, Communications and Public Affairs
Personal Communications Sector
Motorola
+1-847-523-4714
david.rudd@motorola.com

MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2003.

[Badams1]

All that stuff sounds pretty sweet.

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[Evaunit01berserk]

i wonder if they will use the gps features on the phones