THALWIL, Switzerland, Jan. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- u-blox AG, the leading Swiss provider of innovative GPS receiver technology, today announced that it has extended its AssistNow A-GPS service. The new AssistNow Offline service provides A-GPS assistance data that enables instant positioning over extended time periods without the need for mobile connectivity.
u-blox’ AssistNow technology cuts a GPS receiver’s Time To First Fix to seconds by providing assistance data that enables the receiver to compute a position instantly. While AssistNow Online, introduced in June 2006, uses mobile networks to provide the assistance data at each start-up, the new AssistNow Offline service works independently of networks and does not require server access for data downloads at start-up. The service provides assistance data valid for up to 14 days so users can update their assistance data files at their own convenience. AssistNow Offline uses AlmanacPlus(R) assistance data, u-blox’ unique differential Almanac correction method that achieves unrivalled positioning accuracy for long time periods.
"This new service brings instant GPS popsitioning anytime, anywhere," said Daniel Ammann, u-blox Executive Vice-President for GNSS Software. "Users can now benefit from always-on, accurate location services without having to worry about network coverage or waiting times."
AssistNow is scalable and supports a wide range of services, from single user GPS-enabled applications to complex multi-user, multi-terminal vehicle, goods or staff management systems.
This off the shelf service requires minimal installation and maintenance efforts and works on all Flash-based ANTARIS(R) 4 GPS receivers. Users can choose between the basic "Free Service" and the "Premium Service" with defined performance and guaranteed service levels.
AssistNow Offline is available immediately in Beta; the production version is scheduled for the second quarter of 2007. To find out more about AssistNow, visit http://www.u-blox.com/technology/assistnow/ .
A high-resolution picture is accessible from http://www.u-blox.com/news/assistnow_offline.jpg .
About u-blox
u-blox is an international company headquartered in Switzerland, with sales organizations in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1997, u-blox develops leading positioning technology, products and services based on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), including GPS and Galileo, for the automotive and mobile communications markets. For more information, please visit http://www.u-blox.com .
