July/Aug 2005

Navigon, a German-based satellite navigation specialist, says its latest range of products will bring 'next-generation' personal navigation capabilities to the European market. Its latest models have been developed in association with Tele Atlas, the digital mapping supplier, and Mio, the Far Eastern PDA manufacturer which already has a strong presence in the satnav market.

There are two versions - the Mio268, which has mapping for specific countries in compact memory cards, and the Mio269, which includes a 2.5MB hard disk pre-loaded with the entire Tele Atlas European map dataset. Both feature a built-in GPS antenna.

The new models also incorporate a traveller-oriented POI (point of interest) database, which includes for instance hotels and restaurants, train stations and airports, petrol stations and parking. And of course, both offer turn-by-turn navigation instructions.

Tele Atlas says the European personal navigation market has tripled in size in Europe in the last year. The company has also expanded vigorously in the US, where it has shipped more than 1.5 million digital maps for personal navigation in the same period.