Goodyear-branded GPS devices are being introduced by The NCC, an electronics manufacturer that has revealed its new line of officially-licensed Goodyear navigation units at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas
The products being showcased include multiple GPS units designed for consumers.
The models include the GY130 and GY135 plus the GY140 and GY145. They utilize such features as NAVTEQ maps, turn-by-turn navigation, text to speech (GY135 and GY145 only), and an exclusive “LookAhead Button” element to make entering an address faster than on competing units, according to Barry Rosenstock, NCC’s vice president of operations.
“One of our most exciting new features is the LookAhead Button, which makes address entry a breeze,” he says. “As I type, the system knows to show me the most likely options based on city or street popularity and size. Bottom line – I can enter a street or city in two or three screen taps instead of ten.”
The units also feature Instant Rerouting, which utilizes a constant, proactive analysis of all possible routes within a one mile radius to instantly calculate new directions when a user changes their route. This feature, which will be exclusive to the Goodyear GPS products, prevents the system from having to “recalculate” when a turn is missed.
“Today’s GPS systems realize when you miss a turn, but then make you wait while a progress bar shows ’rerouting’ or ’recalculating,’” says Rosenstock. “In the meantime, you could miss your next turn and not even know it. Our system doesn’t do recalculations. When you miss a turn, it’s already prepared with an alternate route, without missing a beat – or an exit.”
The company’s high-end consumer models will, in addition to borrowing features from the lower-end models, incorporate luxury features such as Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, MP3 audio playback, route exporting to Google Maps, Microsoft Outlook sync, FM transmitter, and connectivity to MSN Direct for live traffic, weather, news, stock prices and movie times. The GY440 model will also feature Voice Recognition for address entry to facilitate hands-free navigation.
“The ease-of-use, MSN Direct connectivity, and exclusive features like Instant Rerouting on these units make them unlike anything else on the market today,” Rosenstock contends. “We think our customers are really going to love them.”
The units will be competitively priced and will be made available in anticipation of the holiday shopping season, he says.
For more information, visit www.thencc.com and www.goodyear.com.
