The consumer models, including the affordably priced GY130 and GY135 and mid-range GY140 and GY145, will utilize such industry-leading features as NAVTEQ maps, turn-by-turn navigation, text to speech (GY135 and GY145 only), and an exclusive "LookAhead Button" feature to make entering an address faster than on competing units.

"One of our most exciting new features is the LookAhead Button, which makes address entry a breeze," said Barry Rosenstock, VP of Operations for The NCC. "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 will 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 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,'" said 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, for a true hands-free navigation experience.

"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," said Rosenstock. "We think our customers are really going to love them."

The NCC's consumer units will be competitively priced and will be made available in anticipation of the holiday shopping season.

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