MapQuest Brings Mobile Turn-by-Turn Navigation Directly to Mobile Handsets for $4.99 a Month
MapQuest Teams with Telmap to Make Upgraded MapQuest Navigator Available for Direct Download from MapQuest.com; New Features Include Live Traffic, Gas Prices and AOL CityGuide Integration
DENVER, CO - Nov, 19, 2007
MapQuest, in partnership with Telmap, today announced that the newest version of its voice-guided, GPS-enabled wireless application, MapQuest Navigator 5.0, is now widely available to consumers through a new direct-to-consumer storefront on MapQuest.com. Customers, including the 50 million monthly MapQuest.com users*, who sign up for new version 5.0 at http://navigator.mapquest.com between now and December 31, 2007 can download the application directly to their handset and purchase the service for the promotional price of $4.99 per month for the life of the subscription.
In addition, MapQuest® Navigator 5.0 includes feature enhancements such as live traffic, gas price and station locator, and City’s Best® ratings from AOL® CityGuide.
"Consumers now have immediate access to GPS navigation on compatible devices at a fraction of the price of competitive products," said Alan Beiagi, Director of MapQuest Wireless. "In addition, the enhancements to MapQuest Navigator 5.0 provide consumers with enhanced local content to more confidently explore the places in which they live and visit."
Recent research has shown the high value that consumers place on Location Based Services, particularly personal navigation. According to a recent J.D. Power and Associates survey, 40% of smart phone users want their phone to have GPS.**
New features in the latest version of MapQuest Navigator 5.0 include:
- Live Traffic - Powered by INRIX®, the leading provider of traffic flow information in the U.S., MapQuest Navigator lets users see the latest traffic flow along their route, get traffic alerts, and even be rerouted according to live traffic conditions in more than 106 markets across the United States.
- AOL CityGuide Content including City’s Best Ratings - AOL CityGuide provides MapQuest Navigator users with local listings and ratings of restaurants and nightlife information for nearly 40 of the top cities nationwide.
- Gas Prices - Find the lowest fuel prices nearest to your location, and search by station brand, distance or fuel type, including diesel and alternative fuels.
- Can easily access the maps and directions sent to their phones via a text message containing a URL link.
- Text to Speech (TTS) Technology - Street names and navigation instructions are voice-announced along the route in advance of turns; while each maneuver and cross-streets are conveniently labeled on the display. The voice interface will even specify the destination as "on the left" or "on the right" upon arrival.
- 3D Map View - Full-color 3D moving maps, allowing users to gain an above-view and forward-looking perspective as they travel.
Coming soon, users will be able to leverage a new "Send to Navigator" feature, enabling them to research and plan their trips on MapQuest.com® and send locations from the site to MapQuest Navigator.
"We believe that making more local content available for the consumer through mobile navigation will increase the use of these services in day-to-day life activities," said David Singer, Vice President and General Manager of Telmap Inc., "In partnership with MapQuest, our goal is to enhance consumer satisfaction with an application that offers much more than navigation."
MapQuest Navigator 5.0 is based on the next generation technology Mobile Optimized Navigation Data, ("MOND") from Telmap, a world-leading provider of mobile mapping and navigation solutions. MOND enables users to be re-routed in the event of a missed turn without the need to contact the mapping server when the user is located within the downloaded route corridor, resulting in more rapid and reliable re-routing.
More information, including a list of compatible mobile devices and supporting carriers, is available at http://navigator.mapquest.com
* comScore Media Metrix, October 2007
** J.D Power Associates, 2007 Business Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction Study, Nov. 2007
About TelMap
Telmap is a developer of award-winning, location-based mobile mapping and navigation solutions; its server-based technology offers enhanced navigation experience, comprehensive global geographic coverage, premium content, traffic information and traffic-aware routing, and exclusive cross-platform support for Java, BREW, BlackBerry Windows Mobile and Symbian devices. The company’s flagship product, Telmap Navigator, is the most widely deployed navigation service with implementations by leading wireless operators and handset manufacturers around the world, including Vodafone (D2, UK and ES), Vodacom, Boost Mobile and IUSACELL. For more information, visit www.telmap.com.
About MapQuest, Inc
AOL is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs the country's largest Internet access business, and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., AOL LLC is based in Dulles, Virginia. AOL and its subsidiaries also have operations in Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.
About AOL
AOL® is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., AOL LLC and its subsidiaries have operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.
Contacts
MapQuest
Chris Savarese
212-206-4589
Chris.savarese@corp.aol.com