AAA and Networks In Motion Announce First GPS-Enabled Navigation System for Mobile Phones with Integrated Roadside Assistance

location based services

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AAA, North America’s foremost motoring and leisure travel organization, and Networks In Motion (NIM), the award-winning wireless navigation and location-based services (LBS) company, today announced an industry first in mobile phone-based GPS navigation and travel assistance. A new application called AAA Mobile, powered by the NIM LBS platform, transforms the mobile phone into a powerful navigation device and travel companion.
AAA Mobile subscribers can use their mobile phone to receive visual and audible directions to any travel destination in the U.S.; locate AAA Approved® points of interest (POIs), including Diamond Rated® hotels and restaurants; and find locations that offer AAA member savings. Subscribers can review detailed AAA descriptions for POIs on their phone, receive a map showing a destination on the mobile phone screen, and bookmark locations as favorites for quick recall in future.
When users experience vehicle difficulties, AAA Mobile streamlines access to AAA’s Roadside Assistance service. The press of a single button on the phone sends the phone’s GPS location to AAA and connects the user with AAA for quick and reliable roadside assistance services.
AAA Mobile’s main menu provides users with the option to:
Navigate to a destination using turn-by-turn directions with audible prompts and automatic rerouting if customers miss a turn;
Search for AAA-inspected POIs from AAA’s travel-tested TourBook® guide listings, and navigate to the selected location;
Search for other POIs such as ATMs, gas stations and theaters; and
View maps of selected locations, and store destinations in “My Places” for quick recall.
“Unlike navigation devices that must be outdoors to work, AAA Mobile uses assisted GPS technology that allows users to find a route or get a map while sitting in a covered parking lot or meeting room,” said Marshall L. Doney, Vice President of Automotive Services for AAA. “AAA Mobile always has up-to-date maps and listings of restaurants and other businesses, eliminating the need to purchase software upgrades or maps for new cities.”
Subscribers can search by category, such as hotel or restaurant, for the closest locations or those that match all or part of a business name entered using the keyboard. AAA Mobile users can view a map of their current location, another address, an intersection, an airport, a recently searched location or a bookmarked location. Pan and zoom functions allow users to scroll to a place on the map, search for a nearby business, or request a route to that location, as well as save that location for future reference.
“The ability to find AAA Approved locations, determine a property’s Diamond Rating or transmit your GPS location directly to AAA for roadside assistance takes mobile phone applications to the next level. It’s a convenience car travelers won’t want to be without,” said Doug Antone, President and CEO for Networks In Motion. “AAA Mobile combines a personal concierge and GPS navigation capabilities in one device – a mobile phone that’s always carried with you – and a subscription that is more affordable than an in-car navigation system or personal navigation device.”
AAA is currently in discussions with major US wireless carriers, with availability of AAA Mobile projected for the second half of 2007. Please visit us at CTIA Booth #217 for further information or to see a demonstration of AAA Mobile.
About Networks In Motion
Networks In Motion™ (NIM) is an award-winning wireless navigation and LBS Company, with products that are built on a foundation of strategic patents, scalable and extensible server network, advanced mapping technology and integration with emerging wireless and positioning technologies. Founded in 2000, the company is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, Calif. More information is available at http://www.networksinmotion.com.
About AAA
As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 50 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com.