Magellan RoadMate 700 Vehicle Navigation System Receives CNET Editors' Choice Award

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Feb. 1, 20040, 2004--Thales Navigation, a leader in GPS positioning and navigation solutions, announced today that it has received the CNET Editors' Choice award for its Magellan(R) RoadMate(TM) 700, the first portable vehicle navigation system to deliver built-in nationwide map detail for seamless coast-to-coast routing. The Magellan RoadMate 700 provides voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions and a color, touch-screen display for unrivaled ease of use, plus WAAS accuracy so drivers are precisely guided to their destination.

The coveted CNET Editors' Choice award recognizes outstanding personal technology and consumer electronic products that represent the best available choice for quality, performance, design, and service. The award logo is a mark of excellence denoting the best possible investment for technology buyers.

"It is an honor to receive the Editors' Choice award from CNET, which has become the hallmark of technology quality and innovation that consumers know and trust," said Dean Senner, President and CEO of Thales Navigation, Inc. "This is an exceptional achievement and we are very proud to be recognized for our dedication and commitment to producing the highest quality vehicle navigation product available today."

CNET Editors' Choice winners are not only recognized as top products in their respective technology categories, they contribute to the standard by which all future products are judged. A key selection requirement is the difference the product makes in the lives of its users, whether through innovative features, exceptional value for the price, remarkable ease of use, or a demonstrable boost to users' productivity.

"We found that the Magellan RoadMate 700's user-friendly touch-screen interface, its voice-enabled and text-based driving directions, and its seamless mapping database set this product apart from its competitors," said Joni Blecher, section editor for CNET Reviews.

For information on the Magellan RoadMate 700 and the CNET Editors' Choice award, please visit www.magellangps.com and www.editorschoice.cnet.com.

About Thales Navigation

Thales Navigation is one of the world's leading developers and manufacturers of positioning, navigation and guidance equipment with global operations. Thales Navigation markets its Magellan brand GPS solutions in the consumer electronics, recreation, and automotive markets, and its GPS and GNSS professional products in the survey, GIS/Mapping, and OEM markets. Through its joint venture with Hertz, Thales Navigation has developed the Hertz NeverLost(R) vehicle navigation system. Thales Navigation's key innovations include the first U.S. commercial hand-held GPS receiver for positioning and navigation, and the first handheld GPS with industry standard Secure Digital Memory Card capabilities.

Thales Navigation, headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. with European headquarters in Carquefou, France, is a subsidiary of Thales, a world leader in professional electronics in three key markets: Aerospace, Defense and Information Technology & Services (IT&S). The Group employs 60,000 people in nearly 50 countries worldwide, and generated revenues of over $11 billion in 2002. For more information, visit www.thalesnavigation.com.

Hertz NeverLost is a registered trademark of Hertz System, Inc.