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HTC and ALK Technologies use Gumball 3000 Rally to showcase their products April 25, 2007 [Pocket PC phone] | By Edward J. R. HTC’s ties-up with the Gumball 3000 Rally which will see each of the 120 Gumballers navigate their way across Europe with the help of a HTC-designed T-Mobile MDA Compact III PDA with sat nav technology from ALK Technologies built-in. Information from HTC Europe follows. * * * * * Gumball Rally drivers will use HTC devices to navigate 12 countries in 7 days High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC) the manufacturer of Microsoft® Windows Mobile devices, has teamed-up with ALK Technologies Ltd and T-Mobile to equip drivers in this year’s Gumball 3000, “The World’s most glamorous Rally”, with mobile-phone-based satellite navigation and tracking. Starting at Pall Mall in Central London on 29 April 2007, drivers, including Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay, Star Wars’ Hayden Christensen, MTV’s Xzibit, Caprice, Danny Dyer and The Fun Lovin' Criminals, will make their way to Frankfurt via Amsterdam, at which point all vehicles will be loaded onto enormous Antanov cargo planes and flown to Istanbul. The rally then heads back from Asia across Europe in less than a week, passing through Athens, Tirana (Albania), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Bratislava and Berlin before driving back to the finish line by Big Ben in London on 5 May 2007. Drivers will be able to complete the 3000-mile rally with ease using HTC-designed T-Mobile MDA Compact III smartphones equipped with ALK’s new CoPilot Live 7 voice-guided mobile phone navigation system. Detailed maps for the entire route, including Western Europe, Turkey, Greece, Slovakia, and Albania, will be preloaded onto each driver’s device. Gumball fans around the world will be able to check the progress of the rally in real time throughout the week at www.alk.com/gumball thanks to CoPilot Live’s in-built FleetCenter location tracking and T-Mobile’s seamless European mobile data roaming. With a built-in GPS receiver and CoPilot Live 7 preloaded, the T-Mobile MDA Compact III from HTC provides dedicated navigation performance on a phone. Based on the Windows Mobile operating system, this is a powerful mobile device that offers a full range of PDA features, allowing users to surf the web, keep up to-date with emails, and read and edit documents on the move. The camera and Windows Media player also make it ideal for spare time entertainment. 2D and 3D maps are easy to install and view using HTC’s RollRTM (Trackball and Track Wheel) and optimised 2.8 inch sharp colour screen, making it the ideal solution for people to combine their phone, e-mail, PDA and navigation system into a single personal device. The MDA Compact III is web‘n’walk-enabled, providing customers with simple, open Internet access. The device is pre-installed with a web browser that enables users to view web pages as they could on their PC. Customers that have CoPilot installed can use the T-Mobile Internet connection to send back location information which allows them to be tracked and directed over the web. All Gumball 3000 drivers will receive a special edition of ALK’s new CoPilot Live 7 navigation system, incorporating an exclusive Gumball 3000 colour scheme and customised menus. Driver safety is the priority, with 2D or 3D maps only displayed when participants are close to a turn or junction to avoid distraction. A database of European safety camera locations is also preloaded onto each device, with on-screen warnings being displayed on the approach to each one. Drivers can also use a ‘request assistance’ button that will enable them to immediately contact a member of the dedicated CoPilot Live rally support team. Michael Kornhauser, Managing Director at ALK, said, “2007 marks the third year of our partnership with the Gumball 3000. Once again we are delighted to be working with HTC and T-Mobile to equip each car in the rally with the most advanced mobile navigation and tracking technology available. We view the Gumball 3000 as being all about the fun and enjoyment of driving, a spirit which is reflected in our latest navigation system.” Florian Seiche, Vice President at HTC Europe, said, “This is the first device we have launched to cater specifically for the navigation market, so we’re really excited to see it has been selected for Gumball 3000. This award-winning device has been one of our most popular products so far this year, so there’s no doubt that it’s up to the task.” Derek Williamson, Head of Market Development at T-Mobile UK, said, “It’s great for a T-Mobile flagship device to be a central part of the Gumball 3000 for the third year running. The rally not only highlights the capabilities of the MDA Compact III as a great sat nav device but with web ‘n’ walk sending back location information allowing tracking of all 120 entrants, it also demonstrates the business benefits of using it to manage and track a small fleet of vehicles.” Maximillion Cooper, Founder & CEO Gumball 3000 commented: "We're excited to be working with technology partners at the forefront of the mobile navigation and telecommunications industry. Organising an event on this scale involves constantly travelling the world, making communication and navigation the key ingredients to ensure the operation is successfully carried out. Without these partners - we'd literally be lost!" Offering incredible value to customers, the MDA Compact III with CoPilot Live navigation is available from FREE when purchased with a monthly contract from T-Mobile UK. Credit: Richard George.  Post your comment (free registration is required to post, but if you register you can edit your posts later)
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