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A Smartphone...With GPS Nav Built In

Techstination feature for Monday, January 29, 2007

A smartphone…with built in GPS navigation. Bloomberg Boot Camp, a report on today's technology. Pharos, which has been in the business of selling GPS navigation devices for years, is now in the cell phone business. The company has begun selling a high end Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphone…..equipped with a GPS receiver and navigation software. It is a quad band GSM phone…that is unlocked…meaning you can use a SIM card in it from carriers such as Cingular or T-Mobile. Pharos VP Jim White…says unlike some navigation services being sold for mobile phones…

"You don't even have to be within cellular range to still maintain navigation capability. It's completely independent of the cell phone system and service. But rather it's right onboard this device. So you can go anywhere, navigate anywhere, door to door, with or without GSM service."

The Pharos GPS Phone also includes a two megapixel digital camera….and an FM radio. The price, about 700 dollars. White says that includes a trial subscription to traffic data services…

"The initial product price comes with three months of free Pharos Ostia Smart Navigator services. That's an online service that we provide which includes Smart Traffic."

Pharos has lots of competition in the portable navigation business…from companies like Garmin, Navman and Mio. The GPS Smartphone, helps to set it apart. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.