Navman poised to keep US, European drivers on the right road

By RICHARD WOOD

New Zealand navigation technology exporter Navman has launched a self-contained GPS in-car navigation system for the US and Europe.

The iCN630 is the culmination of two to three years' development and is to be shipped in six weeks. It was shown at the international Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas two weeks ago.

Pre-orders have already been sought for the product which will retail in the US for about US$999, including mapping data.

The system is slightly larger than a PDA and incorporates a version of the Navman navigation software launched last September for operation with a PocketPC PDA.

The executive vice-president of the company's land navigation division, Jamie Macdonald, said the iCN630 had been built from the ground up to provide a larger, clearer screen for automotive use, a built-in GPS, enhanced audio and easier-to-use controls, while still being a hand-held device.

He said it was designed to be seen in sunlight through sunglasses, was targeted at the general public and had business efficiency applications. The potential market was half a billion cars worldwide.

Macdonald said that, while it was not so apparent in New Zealand, in some countries drivers could face a return journey of 80km if they took a wrong turn.

The iCN630, using street maps, will automatically zoom in on turns to show you where you are, identify immediately when you are off track and give you rerouting directions. It will also warn you in advance of your motorway exit.

It uses the Intel PXA250 Xscale processor with 64Mb of map storage memory, 64Mb for system operation, an SD/MMC memory expansion slot, a USB port to connect to a PC and has a magnesium-alloy case.

Macdonald said the firm had been able to do everything it wanted to with the product because it designed it from the chip level. It also created its own specially written operating system for the device.

"That was the most efficient way to build the product. Bear in mind we're chucking around large pieces of data and doing calculations for routing and rerouting that automatically put you back on track within seconds if you fail to follow a turn."

The 10-layer PCB boards inside the device were made overseas but the assembly and software was done in New Zealand.

The raw mapping data is provided to Navman by global supplier Navtech and can be loaded into the device by using a CD through a PC, or using a Secure Digital memory card.

Macdonald said typically the volume of data was too much to download from the net without a high-speed link.

He said a New Zealand version was only a "matter of months" away and was being trialled using data from Auckland firm Air Logistics.