This if from the just full version of the 10k.
Hopefully we will see some of the following come to market......
GPS Products
Travel*Star 24TM GPS Auto Navigational System
We have developed a low cost, portable navigation unit for the automotive after-market, which we will market as the "Travel*Star 24TM." The Travel*Star 24TM utilizes the Talon GPS receiver and antenna to pinpoint the longitude and latitude of the moving vehicle. The unit is capable of calculating a route, displaying visual directions and distance as well as providing audible turn-by-turn prompts and warnings when the driver strays from the route. The Travel*Star 24TM also includes an expanded version of the proprietary and unique Road WhizTM database, providing the driver directions to over 200,000 services across the U.S.A. As the driver travels, the GPS signals are referenced to the service database, so that the driver can instantly find businesses, hotels, service stations, rest stops, restaurants, hospitals, tourist attractions, airports, etc. in more than 250 metropolitan areas, as well as directions to over 12,000 smaller cities and towns.
While there are a wealth of potential users for a GPS-based navigation system, we intend to target the Travel*Star 24TM to the 12-volt automotive after-market, which currently consists of over 150 million vehicles and grows by 15 million vehicles annually.
Currently, millions of GPS-based navigation systems are sold annually. These include installed original equipment, which are generally priced in the $2,000 range; low-end hand-held units of very limited capability (generally approximately $200); and middle market units priced in the $400 to $1000 range. Examples across this middle range can be found in the lines of Magellan, Garmin and Lowrance. Travel*Star 24TM will compete in this range, as we expect it to have an initial retail price under $300.
The Travel*Star 24TM can easily fit into a briefcase or purse; so it is portable to any rental vehicle. Testing has been ongoing and has uncovered several software issues, some of which have been resolved. Additional development and testing is required. Market introduction will occur when the product has been adequately tested and has passed the requisite test.
Travel*Star 24TM has taken much longer to complete than originally planned because the tasks and approach were much more difficult than anticipated. Nonetheless, Management feels that the result is a product that outstrips the competition in performance for the price. This assessment is derived from discussions with contacts in the retail markets at trade shows and elsewhere. We are, therefore, anticipating a positive reception when the product finally reaches the market.
Patents
We hold two additional patents that have potential utility in the GPS market. Patent 5,943,653 was awarded in August, 1999 and covers the delivery of electronic coupons in a handheld computer for discounts of services. The technology can be combined with the GPS locational function to cause time and site-specific coupons to be delivered to the driver offering, for example, a discount at the upcoming hotel. We would, of course, receive a fee for each customer that the hotel gained in this fashion.
The other related patent, which was awarded in May of 1999, covers a method of integrating a GPS receiver into a radar detection device. By use of this patented technology, it becomes practical to eliminate many false radar detection alarms, as well as to provide audible warnings of speed zones.
GPS/Internet Auto Navigation and Tracking System
For some time we have been planning an effort to exploit the synergy between the communications capabilities of the Internet and the locational capabilities of a GPS antenna. If and when the capital resources become available, we expect to commence development of a GPS/Internet auto navigation and tracking system. The utility of the product will be to create a rich link between the driver and a stationary source of communications, be it a family member on a home PC or a hotel chain soliciting the driver's business.
We plan to modify the Travel*Star 24TM to incorporate a cellular transceiver into the existing housing. Information in the vehicle would originate in and be displayed on the Travel*Star 24TM, which has a four-line text display and a menu-driven "soft key" user interface. The Travel*Star 24TM also has a built-in GPS receiver, and can generate the necessary geo- coordinates to identify the vehicle's location. The vehicle's identity, its geo-coordinates, and any outgoing messages would be passed to the cellular transceiver for broadcast to the local phone cell, then transferred via the Internet to the "Home Base" PC.
At the "Home Base", mapping software would be installed, which can translate the geo-coordinates into a position display on a map. The person at home could thus track the location and progress of the vehicle, using the connectivity provided by the Internet. The same "Windows"-based software can receive and display incoming messages, and generate pre-formatted outbound messages and position queries. Similarly, pre-formatted messages can be sent from the vehicle to the Internet site, where the messages are available to friends and family.
The GPS/Internet System is in the planning stage only. There are a number of technical tasks required to make the system operational, and we have no certainty that we can accomplish these tasks. We will also require additional capital resources or partners before we can undertake this project in earnest. |
