Rand McNally's StreetFinder GPS For Palm III And for Palm V Organizers Win Workstyle Award At 2000 International Consumer Electronics Show

Business Wire, Jan 25, 2000

Business/Technology Editors

CES 2000

SKOKIE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 2000

New Cordless, Handheld Navigation Equipment

Commended by Industry Leaders

Rand McNally's new StreetFinder(R) GPS for Palm III(TM) and for Palm V(TM) organizers were among the winners of the first official CES Workstyle Awards presented recently in Las Vegas at 2000 International CES, announced Margaret Stender, Rand McNally senior vice president, consumer travel solutions. The Rand McNally receivers were unveiled as the first cordless GPS units designed specifically for Palm(TM) connected organizers, offering today's business travelers an integrated, all-in-one mapping and navigation solution. StreetFinder(R) GPS for Palm III(TM) and Palm V(TM) organizers were selected as winners in hand-held navigational equipment from a competitive field of technology products exhibited at the show.

&uot;These Workstyle Award recipients represent the finest aspects of the larger trend in which people are changing the way they do business,&uot; said Robbi Lycett, CES vice president. &uot;They are outstanding examples of the best and most innovative products that keep technologically savvy professionals productive anytime, anywhere.&uot;

Winning products were judged on-site at the four-day CES event. Judging criteria included engineering quality, intended use, unique features, portability, ease of use, design and improvement to the user's overall workstyle. Featured judges included representatives from USA Today, Wired, and Home Magazine.

&uot;We're pleased to add Rand McNally's solid travel information expertise to the portability and convenience of the Palm(TM) organizer, thereby offering a comprehensive mapping and navigation solution for today's travelers,&uot; comments David Marsh, Rand McNally director of advanced technology. &uot;The Rand McNally GPS receiver for the Palm III(TM) and Palm V(TM) organizers fits easily in your pocket, so you can take it with you - on foot, in the car, anywhere you travel - and you always know where you are.&uot;

The main component of StreetFinder(R) GPS is a cordless, handheld GPS receiver weighing less than six ounces. Rand McNally's award-winning StreetFinder(R) Deluxe 2000 mapping software adds interactive mapping and trip-planning capabilities. Users can attach the GPS receiver to the back of their Palm(TM) organizer to determine real-time position and trip progress, as well as to follow any route to a specified end point on downloaded, vector-based maps.

Travelers using StreetFinder(R) Deluxe 2000 software will have the ability not only to download maps, directions, points of interest and business services onto their Palm(TM) organizers, but also to manipulate, search and even customize maps with place markers. Additional mapping features include a helpful tool bar for accessing frequently used functions: Zoom Tool for enhanced, street-level detail; Quick Zoom to bring all marked locations into one screen view; and Find to search by business name, address or Palm(TM) Address Book name. Travelers may toggle between the map and step-by-step instructions using their thumb.

Rand McNally's all-inclusive package also features a handy carrying case, cigarette lighter power adapter and car mount, with a high-capacity, rechargeable lithium ion battery and an AC battery charger for the Palm III(TM) version, or AAA batteries for the Palm V(TM). The Palm(TM) organizer from Palm Computing, Incorporated and a PC for use with the StreetFinder(R) software must be purchased separately. The boxed set will have a suggested retail price of $179 for the Palm III(TM) model, and $199 for the Palm V(TM) model, and will be available at leading consumer software retailers, Rand McNally Map &Travel Stores, and online at www.randmcnally.com in April 2000. Customers may now register at the company's Web site to be notified when units become available.

System Requirements

The StreetFinder(R) GPS receivers meet NMEA version 2.0 standards. StreetFinder(R) Deluxe 2000 software is designed to run on Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 95, Windows(R) 98 or Windows NT(R) 4.0 or higher. Users will need a VGA card and 256-color monitor, 16 MB RAM, 80486 PC or higher, double-speed CD-ROM drive and 125MB of available hard disk space. Palm OS(TM) 3.0 or higher is needed to run StreetFinder(R) mapping application on a handheld device.

About Rand McNally

Rand McNally, founded in 1856 in Chicago, is the world's premier global provider of geographic information in both print and electronic media for travel, reference and education. For more information about the company, call toll-free at 800/333-0136, X6473 or visit the company's Web site at www.randmcnally.com.

StreetFinder is a registered trademark of Rand McNally and Company. Palm III and Palm V are trademarks of Palm Computing, Incorporated, 3Com Corporation, or its subsidiaries.