Uniden to Launch GPS Units this Fall

Update: We have pictures of the New Uniden GPS units. Not a lot of feature details for each, but pictures.

Uniden GPS Map Trax 352 - 3.5 inch screen list price about $400

Uniden GPS MapTrax 402 - 4 inch screen list price about $500

Original Post Follows:

Uniden announced its entrance into the Global Positioning System (GPS) category. The company will debut a new line of portable GPS navigation, Uniden MapTrax, beginning in Fall 2006. The line up looks to be mid to high end on the feature set, with mid to large sized screens available. No big news as far as ground breaking features yet, but I look forward to hearing more on the development in the near future.

News from their release follows:

“With more than 40 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry and a solid understanding of consumers’ needs, Uniden’s debut into the GPS arena is a natural next step for our growing company and its brand” said Larry Johannes, senior director of marketing for Uniden.

Uniden’s new GPS series will be characterized by compact designs, large displays and cutting-edge technology. New features offered by Uniden include Bluetooth capabilities, text-to-speech navigation and pin point positioning accuracy down to three meters. Powered by NAVTEQTM navigation software, all the Uniden models feature TFT digital color LCD screens that automatically adjust between night and daylight viewable settings in accordance with the time of day. The daylight viewable setting minimizes glare while the night-view setting offers a bright, easy-to-read display. In addition to excellent picture quality, Uniden’s portable GPS systems are all equipped with intuitive user-interfaces with EZ touch screens, a pre-loaded map of North America, two gigabytes of map memory, a windshield mount for easy use in the car, voice prompt and the fastest available processors for real-time accuracy.

With access to up to 14 million points-of-interest in its new models, Uniden leads the industry in offering navigational information for a wide-range of locations, resulting in a more comprehensive product offering for consumers. Uniden’s portable GPS series is a full-featured product line with display sizes ranging from 3.5-inches to 7-inches, allowing Uniden to offer the largest GPS LCD screen in the industry at seven inches. Some of the models within the series will feature user-friendly designs that provide an accurate navigation experience, such as external turn signals, text-to-speech navigation and WAAS mapping accuracy.

In addition, one of the models in Uniden’s portable GPS navigation line-up will offer Bluetooth compatibility. This allows the GPS system to synchronize with any Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to permit caller ID on the GPS display, providing a central location for all in-vehicle communications. Uniden’s expertise in Bluetooth technology, proven by the successful introduction of two Bluetooth-enabled cordless phones, is illustrated in the intuitive engineering and exceptional functionality of this model.

“Uniden is proud to honor its commitment in the consumer electronics industry with the introduction of this revolutionary new line of portable GPS navigation systems,” said Rich Tosi, President of Uniden America Corp. “Our rich history and extensive brand recognition in this industry has given Uniden the insight and the opportunity to expand into this new, growing category and we are pleased to offer these new GPS products to consumers.”

In addition to the 2006 products, Uniden plans to introduce at least two additional new models to the GPS series in 2007.

September 7, 2006

Uniden to Launch GPS Units this Fall