Avis to Roll Out Motorola GPS System

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., July 28 -- Avis Rent A Car System Inc. and Motorola Inc. have announced a commercial contract that will make the Avis Assist phone-based navigation system available in up to fifty cities across the US and Canada. Avis Assist, developed by Motorola, allows Avis customers to rent a Motorola phone with a location-based navigation service that literally "talks" them through directions to a destination, broadcasting street names and maneuvers along the way.
With the use of a speaker phone, Avis Assist, developed by Motorola based on its VIAMOTO software, enables Avis renters to receive spoken turn-by-turn driving directions on a Motorola i88s phone with onboard assisted global positioning system (GPS) capabilities over the Nextel National Network. The customer connects with the call center via speed dialing and provides a representative with a destination address or requests a directory search for a location in the area. A voice-enabled file with turn-by-turn directions for the route is then downloaded over the Nextel nationwide packet data network to the Motorola handset. The service is continuously updated with map data and is integrated with databases to provide users with the most accurate and up-to-date navigation services possible, Motorola said.
Motorola will provide its VIAMOTO location-based services software and will help deploy Avis Assist. Avis markets the service to its customers and charges a $9.95 daily rental fee.

For more information, visit: www.motorola.com