u-blox Extends Its AssistNow(R) A-GPS Service to Support Offline Instant Positioning

u-blox Extends Its AssistNow(R) A-GPS Service to Support Offline Instant Positioning

January 16, 2007

    THALWIL, Switzerland, Jan. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
u-blox AG, the leading Swiss provider of innovative GPS
receiver technology, today announced that it has extended
its AssistNow A-GPS service. The new AssistNow Offline
service provides A-GPS assistance data that enables instant
positioning over extended time periods without the need for
mobile connectivity.

    u-blox' AssistNow technology cuts a GPS receiver's Time
To First Fix to seconds by providing assistance data that
enables the receiver to compute a position instantly. While
AssistNow Online, introduced in June 2006, uses mobile
networks to provide the assistance data at each start-up,
the new AssistNow Offline service works independently of
networks and does not require server access for data
downloads at start-up. The service provides assistance data
valid for up to 14 days so users can update their assistance
data files at their own convenience. AssistNow Offline uses
AlmanacPlus(R) assistance data, u-blox' unique differential
Almanac correction method that achieves unrivalled
positioning accuracy for long time periods.

    "This new service brings instant GPS popsitioning
anytime, anywhere," said Daniel Ammann, u-blox
Executive Vice-President for GNSS Software. "Users can
now benefit from always-on, accurate location services
without having to worry about network coverage or waiting
times."

    AssistNow is scalable and supports a wide range of
services, from single user GPS-enabled applications to
complex multi-user, multi-terminal vehicle, goods or staff
management systems.

    This off the shelf service requires minimal
installation and maintenance efforts and works on all
Flash-based ANTARIS(R) 4 GPS receivers. Users can choose
between the basic "Free Service" and the
"Premium Service" with defined performance and
guaranteed service levels.

    AssistNow Offline is available immediately in Beta; the
production version is scheduled for the second quarter of
2007. To find out more about AssistNow, visit
http://www.u-blox.com/technology/assistnow/ .

    A high-resolution picture is accessible from
http://www.u-blox.com/news/assistnow_offline.jpg .

    About u-blox

    u-blox is an international company headquartered in
Switzerland, with sales organizations in the Americas,
Europe and Asia. Founded in 1997, u-blox develops leading
positioning technology, products and services based on
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), including GPS
and Galileo, for the automotive and mobile communications
markets. For more information, please visit
http://www.u-blox.com . 



    For more information, please contact:

     Georg zur Bonsen
     VP Business Marketing 
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: mail: [e-mail]

     Alicia Montoya
     Marketing Communications Manager
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]


SOURCE  u-blox AG