IFA: PND manufacturers expand their service range to maintain influence
At the Berlin International Consumer Electronics Show (IFA) held in late August and early September this year, portable navigation device (PND) manufacturers introduced many new products and broke through the hardware category. Although Blaupunkt, Medion, Mio, Falk, Garmin MyGuide and other manufacturers have launched new products and additional services, the most notable is obviously TomTom and its new series of connected PNDs.
The current trend is that selling products alone has not kept up with the times. Improving the user experience and providing additional services have become as important as hardware innovation.
Hardware focus
At this exhibition, Blaupunkt launched a new innovative solution to improve the navigation experience. The company's new TravelPilot 500 and 700 use these new technologies. Both products will start selling in September this year, and both provide real-time video navigation. Using an integrated camera, these two PNDs display real-time video of the road ahead on the navigation screen, and integrate all the functions and displays of the traditional navigation system. Using the same camera, TravelPilot 500 and 700 also have a camera-based traffic sign recognition system to alert drivers to speed limits.
TravelPilot 500 and 700 also have WiFi connection function, which can realize Internet browsing in WiFi hotspot. In addition, the TravelPilot 700 is equipped with a DVB-T TV.
Medion launched its new high-end PND, the X5535, which has a gyro tester and can provide direction information when the GPS signal is temporarily lost. The product also has a fingerprint reader, priced at 349 euros, and will be available in September.
Another new PND on display at Medion is the GoPal 5235, which has a 5-inch screen and will be available in November, when it will use new navigation software with 3D landmarks.
Travel guide publisher Merian announced that its PND product portfolio has expanded from one to three. All three products have European map data and a 3.7-inch touch screen. Among them, "P" stands for high-end models, "C" stands for compact, and "I" stands for personalization.
The high-end model of Scout Navigator has more than 1 million points of interest (POL), covering all parts of Europe. In addition, more than 50,000 points of interest in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are accompanied by information such as photos, preliminary guides and texts. In order to ensure the safety of the driver, each guide text can be read to the driver during navigation.
WiFi frequently shows his face
Two companies, Blaupunkt and MyGuide, exhibited PNDs that support WiFi. Although this technology cannot be used while driving, it does allow users to take the PND outside the car and use it for other purposes. Comprehensive browser Internet connectivity allows users to directly access multimedia files such as MP3 or YouTube videos through these PNDs without having to connect to a home computer.
This is another way for manufacturers to keep their products attractive to users. Integrating WiFi and other technologies refutes this view: PND is actually a single-use device, the future of navigation lies in GPS-enabled mobile phones-can also be used outside the car, and even more useful.
Engage consumers; geotagging
Mio introduced the new Moov 570 and C728 PND. The C728 has a DVB-T TV receiver and a large 7-inch screen. Moov 570 is a more traditional PND, but it provides the possibility of photo navigation. This means that users can download geo-tagged photos from Flickr and use them as destination tags. Users can also use Mio's Leap G50 GPS mobile phone to take photos with geotags.
Falk has launched a "learning" PND F10 to allow users to intervene. Falk's new navigation software Navigator 8 has a learning function and can take into account the user's driving habits. If the route selected by the driver is different from the route calculated by the device, the device will follow the route selected by the driver and store the relevant information for future use.
Using Falk's online community, users can upload their stored route information while downloading information from other users. The Travel Guide 2.0 portal can be used for updating and rating interest, and can also add special personal travel information. This information can be shared with other users.
Garmin is committed to upgrading its products and enhancing user participation. The company has launched a new 7x5 series PND. New features include lane assist, near-realistic display of interstate highway intersections, and 3D landmarks and buildings.
In addition, users of 7x5 series PNDs can now use Google Panoramio ’s geo-tag photo download site to use it as a place of day. The upgraded 2x5 series launched at this exhibition has the same function. Garmin uses the technology that has been used in its high-end products on these products: Bluetooth and TMC traffic information.
MyGuide launched its new high-end PND, m.imore 4338, and also used this exhibition to reposition itself. The company does not want to be regarded only as a manufacturer of navigation equipment, the key is still geo-tagging.
For this exhibition, the company launched two devices. m.itagger can be used to track hiking or other outdoor activities, and has an external GPS receiver to add geotags to photos. Connected with Everytrail, users can use an online portal similar to "Google Earth" to upload photos and track and share photos.
MyGuide also introduced what it calls the first GPS digital camera-icatcher, which can be used to add geotags to videos. Friends and other users in the same online community for itagger can get these videos. In order to improve the interaction between consumers and the company's website, MyGuide also re-created its website. The home page now has four main tabs: street navigation, outdoor activities, geotagging, and MyGuide Life.
Need to have a comprehensive product portfolio
Some manufacturers participating in the IFA show expanded their existing product portfolio. Navigon launched a new product: 1200/1210. Although promoted as entry-level products, these products still have advanced route planning functions such as Reality View Pro and Lane Assist Pro.
Merian entered the market last year with a 799 euro product, and has realized that to succeed, it must strive to capture a larger market share. For the German company, this means expanding from one product to three products while continuing to focus on travel guides. After the launch of P, I and C products, the price of its products will range from 799 Euro Premium to 399 Euro Individual.
PND manufacturers realize that in today's market, it is not enough to focus on only products. Manufacturers need to be able to reach as many customers as possible, and providing multiple entry and high-end models is the only way for most manufacturers. Merian realized this after finding that he had only limited success in the market with high-end products.
TomTom is in the limelight
However, the most high-profile statement came from TomTom. The company announced that it will sell its connected PND series x40 Live across Europe starting this fall. The lowest price of these products is 349 euros, and the highest is Go 940 Live at 499 euros.
These products have a GPRS SIM card, users can access high-definition traffic information (HD Traffic), fuel prices, weather information, speed cameras, and most importantly, Google Local Search. The monthly service fee will be 9.95 Euros. The company uses GPRS technology as a channel to provide services instead of using it as a differentiation factor. In order to prevent users from evading the newly launched Live service, TomTom provides long-term trials for users who purchase their products. In addition, users do not need to sign a contract and can cancel the subscription service at any time.
TomTom has been slowly but surely introducing connectivity to its customers. Starting with TomTom home, the company continues to improve the connectivity of its products and user participation in the products. Bluetooth mobile phones can be used to receive some services, and users can use Mapshare to correct the map.
The company's advanced high-definition traffic service uses an external GPRS receiver to provide advanced traffic information. TomTom has now integrated this GPRS module and expanded its service range using SIM cards.
in conclusion
It is obvious from the IFA exhibition that PND manufacturers must seriously think about how to make their business bigger. Just telling the user that the route between the two points is not enough. Everyone knows this truth. What seems less clear is how to achieve sustained success.
Some manufacturers such as Blaupunkt and MyGuide have chosen to integrate WiFi in some products to provide a complete browser. This makes it more reasonable to argue that the use of such products is not limited to navigation. Some other manufacturers, such as Mio or Falk, extend the user experience beyond the product itself through an online portal and can share information, points of interest, and map corrections. This strategy not only adds new features to the product, but also establishes connections between devices, users, and manufacturers.
TomTom has used TomTom home and Mapshare to allow users to intervene in related services for some time. Now the company has announced its first connected product line that allows users to access Google Local Search using a GPRS module. Although there is no complete browser, users can access a huge information database integrated in their devices.
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