Cell Phones and PDAs; Tomorrow's Navigation Systems.MINNETONKA, Minn. -- Aside from commercial or marine applications, most global positioning systems Global Positioning System: see navigation satellite. Global Positioning System (GPS) Precise satellite-based navigation and location system originally developed for U.S. military use. (GPS) are installed in cars--helping people get from point A to B while driving. But a new breed of navigation systems A GPS-based electronic system in a car or truck that provides a real time map of the vehicle's current location as well as step-by-step directions to a programmed destination. See GPS and vehicle tracking. is about to change this as millions of consumers will soon get driving directions via their cell phone or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) A handheld computer for managing contacts, appointments and tasks. It typically includes a name and address database, calendar, to-do list and note taker, which are the functions in a personal information manager (see PIM). . Navigation systems are most often sold as original equipment by the auto makers. They typically include a color screen in the center console Center console may refer to:
But vehicle navigation See GPS and vehicle tracking. systems are costly options, and customers that opt for these features are typically buyers of luxury cars or high-end SUVs. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a TRG/Metafacts Consumer Survey, 61% of navigation systems go into luxury vehicles. But a new class of systems--called PNDs (for Portable Navigation Devices)--is about to make these features very affordable. "These portable solutions offer almost the same functionality as in-vehicle navigation systems, but at a fraction of the price," said Phil Magney, TRG's principal telematics Originally coined to mean the convergence of telecommunications and information processing, the term later evolved to refer to automation in automobiles. GPS navigation, integrated hands-free cellphones, wireless communications and automatic driving assistance systems all come under the analyst. With entry prices starting as low as $300, portable navigation devices come with color displays and removable memory cards. They function much the same as the OEM-fitted solutions--often using the same map database providers. And since PNDs are portable, they can be taken from car to car - a big advantage to consumers who would not want to limit the use of a navigation system to one vehicle. The PND (Personal Navigation Device) A portable GPS-based navigation system that can be used when walking, hiking or in any vehicle. See GPS. category actually evolved from Pocket PCs, as they are about the same size and feature similar hardware. In fact, most Pocket PCs or PDAs can be turned into navigation devices when connected to a GPS receiver. Similarly, some cell phones (a.k.a. smartphones) can be converted into navigation devices--obtaining map and traffic data "on-demand" from central servers. According TRG TRG Training Group TRG The Resource Group TRG Technical Resource Group TRG Technical Review Group TRG Technology Research Group TRG Tory Reform Group TRG Tactical Reconnaissance Group TRG Training received (on overtime forms) reports, in-vehicle navigation system sales are projected to top 8.5m units this year, while portable navigation devices (PNDs) will come in close to 8.2m units. By 2011, TRG expects annual sales of in-vehicle navigation systems to exceed 20m units while PNDs should exceed 100m units.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Navigation System Potential
----------------------------------------------------------------------
USA Worldwide
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2005 2011 2005 2011
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yearly Sales: (in millions of units)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In-Vehicle Navigation Systems (#M) 1.17 4.4 8.5 20.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Portable Navigation Device (#M) 1.45 17.8 8.17 109.9
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Dedicated Navigation Devices (#M) 0.68 2.29 4.11 12.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Smartphones/PDAs w/Navigation (#M) 0.48 6.63 1.86 28.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Cell Phones w/Navigation (#M) 0.29 8.9 2.20 69.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total In-Vehicle & Portable Navigation (#M) 2.62 22.2 16.7 130.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
About TRG: TRG (Telematics Research Group, Inc.) tracks and analyzes the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and and aftermarket Aftermarket See: Secondary market. aftermarket See secondary market. for automotive electronics and telematics. TRG conducts a global telematics survey of wireless, navigation, digital entertainment and driver assist technologies. TRG's research is used as decision support by the automotive and electronics industry. TRG was established in 2001 and expanded its operation in January 2004 with the formation of TRG Europe, GmbH (Sindelfingen, Germany). |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion