Hitachi and Pharos Partner to Bring Pharos' Award-Winning GPS/LBS Application to Hitachi G1000 Multimedia Communicator
TORRANCE, Calif.--Jan. 6, 2004--| Users of Hitachi's G1000(TM) Multimedia Communicator with Windows Mobile software will wirelessly access location-based services to find destinations, save driving time and enhance travel safety |
Pharos Science & Applications Inc., a leading provider of portable GPS navigation and location-based services, has announced a partnership with Hitachi, Ltd. to enable Hitachi's new G1000(TM) Multimedia Communicator with Windows Mobile software for Pocket PCs with Pharos' award-winning Ostia Smart Navigator(TM), the first Web-based service to combine GPS navigation, real-time traffic and dynamic points-of-interest lookup.
The Hitachi G1000 Multimedia Communicator is the company's first Windows Mobile-based device and the first Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC to feature an integrated camera, keyboard, and wireless phone, all in one mobile device. Based on the new Windows Mobile software for Pocket PCs from Microsoft Corp, the Multimedia Communicator combines the comprehensive functionalities of a Windows Mobile experience with the high-speed enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network to deliver the ability to take pictures, provide comfortable text input for emails with a built-in keyboard, place and receive phone calls, and browse the web.
Smart Navigator takes advantage of the wireless Internet capability of Windows Mobile devices and GPS positioning to deliver location and navigation information to a position specified by the user. Throughout the U.S., users of Windows Mobile-based Pocket PCs, such as the new Hitachi G1000, can access the nation's newest traffic reporting service, Smart Traffic(TM), to select the most efficient driving route, and improve mobility. They also can locate nearby ATM/banks, hotels, restaurants, Internet hotspots or other businesses using Smart Finder(TM), all while on the go. And along the way, Smart Navigator employs GPS satellites to guide users to their destinations.
"We are proud to be working with such a well-known and highly regarded technology and consumer products company as Hitachi. We are looking forward to enabling the company's G1000 Multimedia Communicator customers with the very latest in Web-based location information and navigation services," said James Oyang, Ph.D., president of Pharos.
"Ostia Smart Navigator, recently awarded 'Best of Innovations' honors at the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show, incorporates Smart Traffic and Smart Finder location services. Hitachi G1000 customers may never be stuck in traffic again," Oyang noted.
"Hitachi's G1000 Multimedia Communicator Pocket PC phone is the ultimate personal management device for busy people on the go. With the addition of Pharos' Smart Navigator, our G1000 customers will enjoy even greater mobility. We are delighted to be working with Pharos to make this possible," noted Yasuo Sakai, Director, Business Strategies, Mobile Information & Communication Appliance Division, at Hitachi, Ltd.
Aggregating up-to-the-minute highway monitoring data from various State Transportation Departments and their partners, Pharos' Smart Traffic provides travelers true real-time, traffic-flow information and options to avoid traffic congestion to assist them in selecting the best travel choices. In addition to visualizing real-time traffic conditions, G1000 phone users will be able to wirelessly access hundreds of thousands of points of interest (POIs) hosted on Pharos' Smart Navigator server. Smart Finder listings include addresses, phone numbers and Web sites for restaurants, hotels, gas stations, automated teller machines, banks, hospitals, airports and any number of other destinations.
Smart Navigator requires Pharos' Ostia 6.0 navigation software which is available from Pharos' authorized dealers. Ostia 6.0 users can subscribe to Smart Navigator, for just $5.95 per month, directly from the Pharos Web site (www.pharosgps.com).
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd. , headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company, with approximately 340,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2002 (ended March 31, 2003) consolidated sales totaled 8,191.7 billion yen ($68.3 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors, including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.hitachi.com. or http://www.hitachi.us/.
About Pharos
Founded in 1998 and based in Torrance, Calif., Pharos Science & Applications, Inc. is a leading provider of personal and portable navigation and location-based services for a variety of markets. Pharos is a founding member of Microsoft's Mobility Partner Advisory Council and a member of ITS America, a nonprofit organization devoted to coordinating and fostering a public/private partnership to make U.S. surface transportation safer and more effective. Pharos' products are sold through a network of leading national retail locations and online stores including CompUSA, Fry's Electronics, Dell, Toshiba, Amazon, SkyMall, MobilePlanet and others. For more information, visit www.pharosgps.com.
The Pocket GPS Navigator, Smart Navigator, Smart Traffic, Smart Finder, Smart Locator and Smart Tracking are registered trademarks of Pharos Science & Applications, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their registered owners.