TeleNav Adds Social Networking Features and Business Reviews to Mobile GPS Navigation Service

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TeleNav Inc. today launched its latest version of TeleNav GPS Navigator™, the original GPS navigation application for mobile phones. Available immediately, subscribers can now send their current location to any other mobile phone that can receive text messages, creating a quick and easy way to meet with friends or co-workers while on-the-go.

“GPS technology on mobile phones is surpassing standalone GPS devices”

Customers can also share addresses of favorite businesses, including restaurants, hotels or movie theaters. With TeleNav’s Fuel Finder feature, users can even send information on local gas stations with the cheapest prices for that day. Other new features include reviews and ratings for nearby businesses and the ability to rate restaurants directly from a mobile phone.

“Location-based services such as TeleNav GPS Navigator are increasingly more useful and usable, letting mobile subscribers leverage the immediacy and relevancy of the mobile phone to be more productive while on-the-go,” said Jill Aldort, Yankee Group’s senior analyst of consumer mobility applications. “Information/direction services are one of the top mobile applications that consumers express interest in, and the addition of location sharing and other community features further raises the appeal.”

TeleNav GPS Navigator originally launched in 2003 and was the first GPS navigation solution for mobile phones, offering the experience of an in-car navigation system with the portability and convenience of a mobile phone. Since launching its original version, TeleNav has continued to expand features to provide customers with many GPS-based solutions and social networking features in one, easy-to-use application.

The new version is the only mobile phone-based navigation service to include all of the following features:

Voice and on-screen turn-by-turn driving directions -- Customers type in or use voice recognition to call in destinations, and TeleNav GPS Navigator computes the routes. While driving, users get up-to-the minute guidance, including street names, and will automatically be re-routed if a turn is missed.
“My TeleNav” Web site access -- It is easy to preplan trips, save addresses and manage your account -- all online at www.telenav.com. Subscribers can save locations in their “My Favorites” folder and they will automatically download on their phone next time they launch TeleNav GPS Navigator.
Location sharing^(a) -- Now users have the ability to send their current location or the location of a nearby business to one friend or many friends all at once. This information can be sent from a mobile phone or from the “My TeleNav” account on www.telenav.com. TeleNav GPS Navigator users can quickly navigate to locations they receive using the service’s turn-by-turn directions. Mobile users not subscribing to TeleNav GPS Navigator will receive a link to view a map and static directions on their phone.
Biz Finder (local search) -- Customers can look up more than 10 million businesses and services, including ATMs, restaurants, hotels, Wi-Fi hotspots and gas stations, and easily navigate to them with the click of a button.
Business reviews and ratings^(a) -- Before they head to a restaurant or make a reservation at a hotel, users can now see how it was rated and reviewed by other people. Users can sort by highest to lowest rating to help them make a decision, or view all of the search results on a map. TeleNav GPS Navigator also allows customers to rate restaurants themselves -- directly from a mobile phone.
Real-time traffic alerts and one-click rerouting -- TeleNav GPS Navigator monitors each specific route and will proactively search every five minutes for traffic congestion or incidents. Customers will be alerted, both audibly and on-screen, and can choose to find a faster route to their location by pressing just one button.
Fuel Finder -- TeleNav GPS Navigator includes updated gas prices for local gas stations, and provides driving directions to the station with the lowest gas prices. Now, with just one click, friends and colleagues can share locations of these stations with each other as well.^(a)
Full-color 3D moving maps -- Just like an in-car navigation system, the 3D maps turn, move and stop along with the driver, while also displaying a realistic image of the streets the driver is approaching and passing. Users can also pan and zoom around the map to view surrounding streets.
Spot Marker -- Users can mark waypoints to help find their way back to a location or to record points of interest.
Pedestrian Mode -- TeleNav GPS Navigator can also be used while walking, to help guide customers through crowded downtown streets or back to a parked car.
My Favorites -- Customers can save as many addresses as needed for easy access and directions later.

“GPS technology on mobile phones is surpassing standalone GPS devices,” said Dr. HP Jin, president, CEO and co-founder of TeleNav. “Not only does TeleNav offer the convenience of GPS navigation on mobile phones, but we include numerous features that are not offered on separate, expensive navigation systems.”

The new version of TeleNav GPS Navigator (v. 5.2) is available immediately on select phones. The service is offered to customers for $9.99 per month for unlimited use. Current customers using TeleNav GPS Navigator on supported phones can access the new version by re-downloading TeleNav GPS Navigator. For more information on which phones support the new version, please visit www.telenav.com.

^(a) Currently only available on TeleNav GPS Navigator v. 5.2.

About TeleNav Inc.

TeleNav, Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, was the first company to launch a GPS navigation system on mobile phones in the United States. TeleNav is a global leader in wireless location-based services (LBS), including GPS navigation, Mobile Resource Management (MRM), asset GPS tracking (AVL) and local search. The company’s flagship product, TeleNav GPS Navigator™, is comparable to in-car systems found in luxury vehicles, but offers a superior experience with functionality such as automatically updated maps and business locations, full color 3D moving maps, traffic alerts and one-click rerouting, speech recognition, Wi-Fi hotspot finder, lowest price fuel finder and more.

TeleNav offers its services internationally through leading wireless carriers including Sprint Nextel, AT&T, T-Mobile USA, Alltel, Boost Mobile, Qwest, SouthernLINC, Rogers, China Mobile and Vivo Brazil. TeleNav partners include Research In Motion (RIM), Motorola, Samsung, Sanyo, LG, Palm, HTC, Hewlett Packard, Nokia, NAVTEQ, Tele Atlas, deCarta, Qualcomm and SiRF Technology Holdings.