Porche P'9611 GPS with Navigon Onboard

At CES 2007 NAVIGON offered the U.S. a sneak peek at the new P’9611 GPS by Porsche Design Group, a design that’s been kicking around in the wings for a while, and now it’s on display ahead of its Summer 2007 release. Designed as the ultimate luxury navigation product, the P’9611 packages the intuitive, full-featured NAVIGON experience in a super-sleek, timeless form factor.

They will be offering Subscription FREE traffic for the lifetime of the product from NAVIGON – this is standard in Europe, but not in the US, where annual subscriptions are usually around $60.

Separately, Navigon announced an agreement with ClearChannel to include TMC traffic in units that has their software with the cost of the traffic essentially included upfront. This will make the use of TMC traffic easier, and I would imagine drive adoption of the idea more broadly. The only issue will be if people walk away form the initial purchase due to the potentially higher cost of the unit.

Built-in Traffic Message Channel (TMC) functionality automatically supplies the driver with alternative routes, and coupled with NAVIGON’s revolutionary lane assistant, offers seamless navigation guidance through complicated junctures.

On multi-lane roads, NAVIGON software displays the path a driver must follow to maintain a projected route. Under the hood of the P’9611 is NAVIGON’s new MobileNavigator (MN) Premium software, which reinvigorates the navigation user experience with a robust list of smart, intuitive category-leading features such as superior text-to-speech capabilities, “street first” or “city first” destination entry, and predictive spelling support. Additional software features include actual sign text, speed warnings, and automatic increases in navigation message volume to compensate for driving noise.

The P’9611 includes the most comprehensive point of interest (POI) listings available for personal navigation devices (PND) through a strategic NAVIGON partnership with Zagat Survey. As the first PND to feature this functionality, drivers now have immediate access to five destination guides, including Zagat Survey’s Top U.S. Hotels, Resorts and Spas, America’s Top Restaurants, America’s Top Golf Courses, Attractions and Nightlife in 70+ US Cities/Locales to make informed destination choices. The millions of consumers worldwide who rely on Zagat Survey’s ratings and reviews now have immediate access to integrated content in their turn-by-turn driving directions. This partnership enhances the millions of POI listings, above and beyond lesser products, that are standard within NAVIGON’s MN software suite.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of this product,” said Andreas Hecht, NAVIGON’s General Manager for the Americas. “It’s a beautiful realization of design and innovation and represents the cutting-edge of navigation.”

Other key features include a high-contrast 480 x 272 touch screen, 520 MHz Intel
CPU, dual processor platform, graphics accelerator chip, 64 MB of both RAM and ROM, high-sensitivity GPS receiver, hands-free Bluetooth communications kits, high quality built-in speakers, and a windshield cradle that is among the most thoughtfully designed in the category. The P’9611 will be available in Summer 2007, and will sell for an MSRP of $899.

January 9, 2007

Porche P'9611 GPS with Navigon Onboard