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Southfield : If you are appalled by drivers weaving through traffic while jabbering on cell phones, much worse vehicular distractions loom with the rising popularity of personal navigation devices, or PNDs.
Technology offered by a collaboration of wireless carriers, mapping companies and PND makers such as Garmin Ltd and TomTom NV will allow retailers to notify passing drivers about discounts or sales promotions.
Imagine receiving an audio alert while driving, accompanied by a shrill audio command to turn left at the Nordstrom Inc. outlet (122 metres) down the highway, simply because the price of your favourite Hugo Boss jacket was just reduced by 25 per cent.
Global positioning systems, cellphone towers and clever software are able to turn vehicles into rolling shopping and infotainment centres.
Luxury-car makers have been installing navigation systems in their vehicles for about a decade, at a price of $2,000 or more. Yet handheld navigation is now attracting the masses, with the price of some devices falling to less than $200. Their spending power makes a tempting opportunity.
Cellphone makers aren't missing a beat. Some phones already feature global positioning system (GPS) receivers and mapping software to help locate potential shoppers.
Garmin, in a thrust to parry the cell-phone companies, intends to sell its own phone that will include the features of a PND.
"My gut feeling is that portable navigation systems are cool for now, but carmakers with embedded nav systems are well aware of the competition," said Jon Bucci, a Toyota Motor Corp. manager for advanced technology.
Toyota, for the first time, is offering navigation in its Corolla and Matrix small cars, at a price of $1,300. Buyers of one version of Toyota's 4Runner sport-utility vehicle get a TomTom portable system.
Restaurant guide
Honda has a partnership with Zagat - which produces guides and surveys on entertainment and shopping locations - that helps drivers find nearby restaurants, providing an audio version of what the critic thinks of the place.
Traffic control is an obvious category that could use help from navigation systems. Cars soon will be able to sense how fast cars are moving - or not - and report the information so that others can choose quicker routes. Alerts for cheap gasoline would be welcomed by most motorists.
Automakers realise that watching maps and fiddling with controls while driving can be dangerous, so they have improved audio clarity, voice-recognition software and safety features.
In a Toyota, for example, a driver must stop the car before attempting to type in a new address.
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