HALF MOON BAY, California, October 14 /PRNewswire/ --

- First customer deployment of deCarta-enabled devices slated for late October 2008

Canalys Navigation Forum -- deCarta, the leading supplier of software and services for the Location-Based Services (LBS) industry, today announced the commercial availability and shipments of its real-time, two-way connected navigation (CNAV) service for next-generation personal navigation devices (PNDs) and smartphones. Unveiled in March, the service is offered to existing and new-entrant PND suppliers, carriers, handset manufacturers, consumer brands, automotive OEMs and in-vehicle service providers. The Company's first major customer will be deploying personal navigation devices utilizing deCarta's CNAV technology in late October in time to meet the 2008 holiday season.

Real-time, two-way CNAV devices unite the user experience of a PND with the vast spectrum of dynamic content that can be provided from a network server. The result is a truly "smart" navigation device that brings more usable and relevant information to the user; two measures required to make the PND an "everyday" utility device for drivers.

deCarta's CNAV service provides the core technology to allow customers to quickly bring new products to market. The complete service includes customizable navigation software for the PND, hosted servers which manage delivery of traffic solutions and other relevant content and the wireless connectivity to connect these two. Customers can choose to use the complete solution or separate components to suit their needs. The service enables customers to build new revenue opportunities by quickly bringing to market a premium connected navigation device with superior, consumer-relevant location-aware capabilities including;

-- Real-time and predictive traffic-aware routing / More efficient routes -- Corridor search / More relevant and practical results for searching along a route Cheapest gas nearby and fast Internet search / Increased utility and performance satisfaction -- Destination downloads / Information sent to device from user's home PC -- Weather

deCarta's CNAV service provides all the necessary components to deliver a full-featured, customizable connected navigation application. The deCarta services include: application development, design assistance for a custom UI, content provider management and delivery technology, carrier-grade hosting facilities, MVNO wireless services, device-side modem interface software, hardware reference platform, wireless gateway technology, automatic wireless provisioning and activation and new, patented navigation service technologies. Internet search is enabled through deCarta's proxy server.

According to market intelligence firm, iSuppli, in the USA the portion of connected PNDs will increase from sales of over 1,000 units in 2007 to nearly 5 million units in the US, and over 11 million units worldwide in 2013.

"deCarta's innovative connected navigation service will help enable and accelerate the arena of PNDs and navigation-enabled phones available to the market," said Egil Juliussen, Principal Analyst and Fellow, iSuppli Corporation.

"Connected navigation not only enhances the driving experience for the user but is also a significant point of market differentiation for navigation device manufacturers and associated service providers," said J. Kim Fennell, President and CEO of deCarta. "We're excited about our deployment plans within the high-volume PND channel and look forward to the first wave of deCarta-enabled CNAV devices as they're introduced into the market for the holiday buying season."

deCarta's connected navigation platform and reference architecture will be demonstrated at the Canalys Navigation Forum (October 14-15). Subsequently, demonstrations can be arranged by calling 408-625-3508.

About deCarta

deCarta is the leading geospatial software platform that has enabled some of the industry's most successful Location-Based Services (LBS) applications such as those deployed by Verizon, Sprint Nextel, AT&T, T-Mobile, Multimap and Hotels.com. The company's technology is ideal for high-volume LBS applications in the mobile, personal navigation, connected navigation, enterprise and Internet markets where scalability, speed and reliability are vital. deCarta's solutions are preferred by application developers and service providers who seek to leverage deCarta's unique core strengths of server-side and wireless LBS expertise, and also want the flexibility to customize map styles and self-brand. Some of deCarta's customers and technology partners include Appello, ATX, AutoTrader.com, Gearworks, Hotels.com, INRIX, Local Matters, loopt, Maps.com, Motorola, Multimap, NAVTEQ, Networks In Motion, Tele Atlas, TeleNav and WHERE. deCarta is privately held and headquartered in San Jose, California with international offices in the UK, Germany and China. http://www.decarta.com.

deCarta, the deCarta logo and Drill Down Server are trademarks or registered trademarks of deCarta, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other product or company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Web site: http://www.decarta.com

Robert Young, Director, Marketing Communications of deCarta, +1-408-625-3567, ryoung@decarta.com; or Carey Brock of Porter Novelli, +1-415-975-2200 Ext. 275, carey.brock@porternovelli.com