Sept/Oct 2005

Toyota, working via GetMeThere, its online mapping and navigation service, has launched what it claims is the first mobile phone-based pay-as-you-go satellite navigation system. It is called TARA (Traffic Avoidance & Routing Application), and costs £1.50 per destination calculated.

The service is said to work on any compatible mobile phone, and the user also needs to obtain a separate GPS location unit. The company says these should be available at around £50.

The system's features include full turn-by-turn navigation; maps that automatically zoom in and out as a junction approaches; voice commands spoken by TARA; hands-free use while driving; and navigation that continues after users leave their vehicle.

According to Jon West, a GetMeThere director: 'With over 4.5 million navigation systems expected to be sold this year across Europe, TARA Mobile SatNav has arrived just in time to provide a low cost, quality solution for the intelligent motorist.'

 

Users can download the TARA software free from Web site, either directly to their mobile phone or via a computer.

GetMeThere is a joint service of Toyota and IS Solutions, a long-established independent information systems specialist.