Feb/March 2007

A GPS-based satellite navigation system designed 'to make navigation on a phone as easy to use as a dedicated satnav device' has been launched by ALK Technologies under the brand name CoPilot Live 7.

It is in fact available for PDAs as well as mobile phones. A key selling point is that it supports the latest Windows Mobile 6 operating system from the start.

Features include redesigned 2D and 3D map views; user-selectable map 'skins'; and natural text-to-speech voice directions.

Entering an exact destination is done in a redesigned step-by-step process using finger-touch buttons, and features include predictive address matching and on-screen set-up wizards. Large buttoned menus make frequently used features quickly accessible.

 

The system incorporates latest European digital mapping from Navteq, which uses house numbers or seven-digit UK postcodes. Coverage includes the Republic of Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Scandinavia.

An interesting feature is an accompanying desktop management application, CoPilot Central, which enables customers to create personal colour schemes, routes, trips and points of interest databases for downloading to their CoPilot. It also includes mapping and trip-planning.