May/June 2004

Could this device represent a breakthrough in "portable" telematics? Telematics company Masternaut claims it is the smallest device in the world to combine GPS satellite tracking, GPRS mobile communication and full telematics facilities in a single unit powered from a standard mobile phone battery.

The company says developers both in the UK and in its native France have been working on the project, which incorporates the latest in microelectronics. It is so light, Masternaut says, that it can be held in place in the vehicle by means of a magnet. And because its power consumption is so modest, it is said to be able to provide continuous live communication for 10 hours from a small mobile-phone rechargeable battery back up.

One of the key benefits, says the company, is that it can be transferred easily from one vehicle to another very easily and fitted in minutes.

Masternaut's hope is that it will stimulate interest from markets that have previously been slow to adopt telematics technology - notably car rental, asset and freight tracking, plant hire, sales force fleets, motorbike couriers and security services.

We don't have much detail yet about what's in it or how it works, but we're told it is scheduled for full release later this year.