CSI Wireless, Inc., a leader in GPS and wireless technology products for automotive, consumer and commercial applications, has announced the launch of its new GT300(TM) Geo-Telephone. The slim GT300 handset combines location sensing and GPS positioning capability with wireless communication technology (dual-band TDMA/AMPS) – permitting the delivery of location-specific information, and giving callers the option to be “seen” as well as heard anywhere in North America.
CSI Wireless is aiming the GT300, which is planned to be available this summer, at vehicle rental companies, telematics providers, fleet operators, and other companies serving mobile professionals, field service personnel and other people on the move. With the GT300, drivers can know and relay location information at any time. When GT300 users activate the phone’s real-time tracking feature, dispatchers can monitor and direct mobile assets. And individuals can stay in touch with home or office from almost anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. As a result, fleets operate more efficiently, assets and employees are protected, and customer service is enhanced.
CSI anticipates a sizeable “personal Telematics” consumer market for the GT300. For example, equipped with GT300s, family members can know and communicate each other’s location, whether about town or traveling. Consumers gain enhanced safety, a greater sense of security and the benefit of personal navigation. CSI has addressed privacy concerns by enabling the user to choose whether to activate the GT300’s tracking capability. Mr. Verhoeff said the GT300 may also play a key role in serving the fast-growing “Emergency 911” market, which is incorporating location-sensing technology into cellular phones so the physical locations of individuals making 911 calls can be quickly and accurately identified. Available with pre-paid or post-paid service, the affordable GT300 enables partners to quickly deploy a variety of location-based services including:
- Roadside and emergency assistance
- Turn-by-turn driving directions with traffic alerts
- Up-to-the-minute pick-up and delivery instructions
- Tagging outbound calls with location information
- Location-specific billing based on the call’s point of origin
- Personal productivity management
- Customer resource management
The GT300 handset’s attractive features include:
- One-button dialing to emergency call centers and pre-programmed location services
- Pre-paid capability for voice and data, or GPS services only
- Easy “trace-ability” if lost or stolen
- Send-and-receive messaging
- Short Messaging Service (SMS) and GPS aiding
- PDA compatibility for data and GPS information
- Customer branding, including on-screen logos
- 12-channel wireless-aided SiRF GPS
- 150-hour battery life in standby mode
- Full phone book access
- Hands-free kit for vehicle installations
- Light weight (6.8 ounces)
Because the GT300’s GPS is aided with cellular network information, it can be used inside most buildings and in most “urban canyons” where GPS signal blockage prevents other products from detecting and communicating their positions. The GT300 is the first wireless handset to incorporate Short Messaging Service (SMS)-aided GPS with TDMA, and the only handset with MicroBurst(TM) two-way paging for position reporting when beyond Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) digital coverage. Being both SMS- and MicroBurst- capable, the GT300 offers users access to one of the world’s largest digital cellular phone coverage areas available from a single network.
