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Technology Stocks : COMS & the Ghost of USRX w/ other STUFF -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lost in New York who wrote (11238)	1/2/1998 8:44:00 AM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Respond to of 22053

David, Thank you and to change the subject: DATUS Inc. To Introduce the World's First All-In- One Portable Car Navigation System Using GPS Positioning and Turn-by-Turn Voice Instructions at Consumer Electronics Show Business Wire - January 02, 1998 07:14 %DATUS %CALIFORNIA %AUTOMOTIVE %COMPUTERS %ELECTRONICS %COMED %PRODUCT %TRADESHOW V%BW P%BW SAN JOSE, Calif.--(AutomotiveWire)--January 2, 1998--DATUS Inc. will introduce the world's first all-in-one portable car navigation system at the Consumer Electronics Show on January 8-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Providing address-to-address route generation and turn-by-turn driving directions in a small handheld device, the RouteFinder PNA (Portable Navigation Assistant) will use GPS satellite positioning technology and advanced text-to-speech voice instructions to safely guide drivers to their destination without requiring maps or written directions. "The RouteFinder PNA represents an important breakthrough for car navigation systems," said Andy Khanna, president of DATUS Inc. "Its lower price point will make car navigation affordable and acceptable to a much wider market for both commercial and consumer use. And, since the PNA is easily transportable between cars, it enables owners to spread its cost over multiple vehicles." Equipped with a built-in satellite receiver, the RouteFinder PNA will make use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) developed by the U.S. Department of Defense in the 1970s that consists of twenty-four satellites that circle the globe emitting radio messages indicating the time and position of each satellite. The RouteFinder PNA will use this information to instantly locate the driver's position on a digital map displayed on its 4.1" LCD screen. When a destination address is entered into the device, it calculates the fastest route, then begins to direct the driver to the destination with turn-by-turn voice instructions using its built-in speaker. As the driver approaches each turn, the device "speaks" the instruction, such as "Turn right on Harbor Lane, drive 0.5 miles," and "Take the Commerce Street exit, drive 1.5 miles." It tells the driver what to do all the way to the destination. "The RouteFinder PNA will save significant time and money for commercial delivery organizations, limousine and airport shuttle services, and business travelers," stated Mike Higgins, director of marketing at DATUS Inc. "It is also the perfect accessory for the family car, providing safety, portability between cars, and saving time for parents trying to keep up with the unpredictable delivery requirements of young children and their varied activities." Based on the Windows CE operating system version 2.0, the RouteFinder PNA is capable of running other Windows CE-compatible applications, as well as customized solutions for specific industries. A Type II PCMCIA card slot is available for adding wireless modem or two-way paging capability to enhance communication with a dispatch operator or gather real-time traffic information or e-mail. DATUS is already working with transportation and delivery organizations interested in creating custom applications using the RouteFinder PNA. DATUS plans to exhibit the RouteFinder PNA in the Daewoo Electronics booth in the main hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Models will also be displayed in the Microsoft Partners Pavilion and at the Navigation Technologies booth in the ITS Pavilion. The RouteFinder PNA will be available in production quantities in May of 1998. It will be distributed by OEMs, consumer electronics retailers, automotive aftermarket channels and value-added resellers. Expected to retail for less than $1000, final pricing has not yet been determined. About DATUS Inc. DATUS Inc. is based in San Jose, Calif. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daewoo Telecom, Ltd., a division of the Daewoo Group, a $65 billion worldwide manufacturer of industrial, commercial, and consumer products based in Seoul, Korea. Founded in January 1997 to develop portable car navigation hardware and software for both commercial and consumer markets, DATUS introduced RouteFinder for Windows95, a software product that offers address-to-address route generation and turn-by-turn driving directions for PC desktop and notebook computer users, in September of 1997. Note To Editors: A high-resolution color picture of the RouteFinder PNA model and data sheets in Adobe Acrobat format may be downloaded from the Press Info page of DATUS' web site at routefindergps.com . RouteFinder is a registered trademark of DATUS Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CONTACT: DATUS Inc., San Jose, Calif. Mike Higgins, 408/360-4205 mikehiggins@routefindergps.com