Navtones Delivers Directions To Knight Rider GPS By Mio

    BURBANK, CA September 29, 2008 /24-7PressRelease/ -- With designs on the future of human-machine relationships, and for more than twenty-five years after its premiere on American airwaves, Knight Rider has been a worldwide entertainment sensation and an inspiring fantasy of technological 'what ifs'. Until now.

Navtones, the global provider of celebrity and branded turn-by-turn voices to the GPS navigation industry, has managed and delivered to Mio Technology, a comprehensive entertainment licensing package for the navigation supplier's forthcoming Knight Rider GPS. In partnership with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group, the Knight Rider GPS is a groundbreaking device that seamlessly blends themes from the franchise's globally-idolized TV icon with the Navtones K.I.T.T. voice (recorded by the original series' actor, William Daniels) for a 'dream come true' entertainment experience right off the shelf.

Having supplied TomTom GPS users with celebrity voice downloads since 2006, the Knight Rider project marks an evolutionary milestone for Navtones with the North American debut of the first GPS device purpose-built around the highly-entertaining voice content that is the company's hallmark and namesake.

In addition to the original voice of K.I.T.T. for turn-by-turn driving directions, the Knight Rider GPS also features a Navtones-designed custom voice architecture which allows users to select their name for personalized, random greetings with each power-up. Further, in their quest to faithfully replicate the authentic Knight Rider experience, Mio's bold team of design experts integrated dual 'anamorphic equalizer' LED displays, which provide the requisite visual accompaniment to K.I.T.T.'s commands.

"You can't be in the navigation content game without bringing Knight Rider into the mix, and we are delighted to be working with the visionary teams at Universal and Mio Technology in bringing a new level of excitement to the streets" says Will Andre, CEO of Navtones.

The Navtones website (www.navtones.com) provides additional road-proven celebrities for download and licensing including the newly-released Kim Cattrall, Mr. T, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, and Gary Busey, and is the future home of K.I.T.T. voice updates. The Knight Rider GPS by Mio will be available in September through leading North American electronics retailers, and online at http://www.navtones.com/store.

About Navtones

Los Angeles-based Navtones is a global provider of celebrity, specialty, and branded voice content for GPS navigation systems. Thousands of drivers in more than 30 countries know what it means to "Nav It Your Way" from installing Navtones on their portable navigation devices. Founded in 2004 with a mission to add entertainment to the daily commute, Navtones content is available to both consumers and navigation enterprise via download and embedded license, respectively. To sample our exclusive catalog or for more information, please check us out at http://www.navtones.com.

About Mio Technology
Mio Technology develops and markets products that enable users to take advantage of the latest developments in mobile services. The company was established in May 2002 and now has operations in Taiwan, mainland China, Europe, North America, Australia, Japan and South Korea. Mio Technology has more than 1,200 employees worldwide and sells and markets its products in over 47 countries and territories. The company offers a wide array of mobile navigation products, which today includes car navigation systems, handheld navigation systems, GPS PDA phones and GPS PDAs, all designed to enable people to explore and discover the world around them. Mio Technology is among the world's top three vendors of mobile devices with integrated GPS. The company is online at www.mio.com.

About Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group
Universal Pictures Digital Platforms (UPDPG) is responsible for global digital product development, production, licensing, distribution, and growth strategy for the extensive catalogue of Universal's properties across new and emerging digital platforms, including mobile, video game consoles, personal computers, and other portable devices. With a worldwide mandate to help shape the digital future of Universal Pictures, the Group has offices in Universal City, California; London, England; and Tokyo, Japan.
Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group is a unit of Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures. Universal Pictures is a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric and 20% owned by Vivendi.

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