Personal navigation devices (PNDs) became popular due to their ability to provide turn-by-turn directions to destinations. Key factors for their success include accurate GPS capabilities, interactive maps, periodic updates, and additional features. Leading PND companies include Garmin, TomTom, Magellan, and Mio. The future of PNDs is uncertain as smartphones increasingly provide built-in navigation functionality, but PNDs may continue competing through higher-contrast screens, smaller sizes, and integration with driver assistance technologies.

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Ting Yin
Netw-583
April 5, 2015
Professor Jude Lamour
Why have Personal Navigation Devices become popular? What are the likely factors
that will contribute to winning in this marketplace? What technologies are required
to facilitate the success of PNDs?
Personal Navigation Devices (PNA) or Portable Navigation Device (PND)
becomes popular by meeting the people’s needs for reaching their location destinations
on timely manner. PNA and PND are known as Personal Navigation Assistants in the
consumer market. PNA and PND offer detail guidance on turn-by-turn level of details for
traveling from one point to another on the road. PNDs are available in forms of portable
pocket size, PNAs are available in form as an application with GPS stored in the Smart
Phone, and PNDs are also available in form of as a device embedded in an automobile.
With this positioning capabilities and other useful features available in PNA, PNA with
Global navigation (GPS) has become must have gadgets of all drivers or travelers
(Garmin LTD; Magellan; Mio Technology LTD; TomTom International BV) .
Traditional portable standalone PNA (non-smart phone version) had become more
popular than the GPS embedded Smart Phone PNA. The standalone screen offer better
clarity, and the PNS/GPS provide data with better accuracy. Internet connectivity to the
PND/PNA can help the traditional version of standalone to compete with the smart phone
version. With the online connection, the driver can more readily get more accurate results
from location search, update with information on traffic and periodically map updates.
(Garmin LTD; Magellan; Mio Technology LTD; TomTom International BV) .
GPS navigation devices feature interactive street maps that show step-by-step
driving direction and roadside related information. The Internet updates PNDs
periodically with new traveling and roadmap data. GPS satellite technology identifies the
location of the device and formulate the roadmap from its device’ locations to the user
destination. The more recent version of PND models incorporates 3D map capabilities.
The three dimension capabilities allow the PND’s map to display more clearly with more
accurate and up-to-date roadside information (Garmin LTD; Magellan; Mio Technology
LTD; TomTom International BV)
The GPS PNA/PND provide better services to meet the needs of the users and
help the travelers and the drivers to get where they want to go at a faster pace. The
PNA/PND manufactures have been continuously and continually improve the user
interface for creating more user- friendly services and function through the user. Voice
and speech recognition functionalities have also become available at GNP. These add-on
features have helped to improve the popularity of PNDs/PNAs. (Garmin LTD;
Magellan; Mio Technology LTD; TomTom International BV)
GPS navigation provides the locations of the affordable gasolines; the locations
of nearby accommodation and other more advanced version of GPS PNA include more
MP3 player. These and other features or application embedded in GPS PNA create
rooms for innovation and improvement in year ahead. (Garmin LTD; Magellan; Mio
Technology LTD; TomTom International BV)

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PND uses global positioning system (GPS) use the orbiting satellites maintained
by Defense Department for public traveling usage, which have helped the users of PND-
GPS to triangulate their precise position and reach their destination more smoothly. The
GPS is consisted of twenty-four satellites circling the Earth. The satellites have atomic
clocks included within them to make sure the timing is accurate. The PNA has a receiver
that decodes the signals. The technological processor can calculate the locations and it
has internally stored maps that can identify the location as
(Garmin LTD; Magellan; Mio Technology LTD; TomTom International BV)
Who are some of the leaders in PNDs?
1) Garmin LTD; 2) Mio Technology LTD; 3) TomTom International BV; 4)
Magellan.
What will be a likely future for PNDs?
As more people rely on their GPS enabled smart phones for navigation, PND may need to
reduce its price or even devote to smaller size or a type of the PND market. PND would
face ever-increasing competition from GPS enabled smart phone. The GPS stored in the
smart phone offer similar services that are comparable to those GPS navigation devices
for better price value. The competition in PND technology market will shift from the
navigation hardware to the applications the GPS themselves stored. (Garmin LTD;
Magellan; Mio Technology LTD; TomTom International BV)
The future customers may become more interested in having integrated mobile devices,
where every application can be connected to each other and the data can flow well from
one application to another. For driving on the road, a high contrast screen in PND and
other roadside assistant can help GPS-PND standout among the competitors. Driver
distraction legislations will emphasize on the need for generating more accurate
information available to the users and for placing the screens that can deliver better
clarity of information to the users traveling on the road. (Garmin LTD; Magellan; Mio
Technology LTD; TomTom International BV)
Apply as many TCOs to Personal Navigation Devices as possible.
A
Given a company situation be able to describe the industry dynamics of
technological innovation.
B
Given a company situation be able to determine whether and how to protect its
technological innovations.
C
Given an organizational and industry context, identify the core technological
competencies of the organization.

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D
Given an organizational context, develop a plan to increase the innovative
capabilities of the organization both through collaboration strategies and internal
innovation.
E
Given information about a company's industry and organization, formulate a
technological innovation strategy through its new product development strategy.
F
Given an organizational and industry context, identify and suggest a deployment
strategy that will facilitate the success of a technologically driven organization.
TCO A- Given a company situation be able to describe the industry dynamics of
technological innovation
GNP companies, Garmin, TomTom and Mio, have been able to provide extremely
accurate location direction information at affordable price. PND have been considered as
must have technological devices and their companies manage to sell almost every type of
personalities without relatively little marketing effort on the part of the companies
(Garmin LTD; Magellan; Mio Technology LTD; TomTom International BV)
TCO B – Given a company situation be able to determine whether and how to protect its
technological innovation.
Gamin or other GNP companies protect their invention and technological process through
patents. Most of its software and applications are license. (Garmin LTD; Magellan; Mio
Technology LTD; TomTom International BV)
TCO C- Given an organizational and industry context, identify the core technological
competencies of the organization
Gamin generate gadgets and products in the various field like Street Pilot devices, GPS
eTrex series, sonar fish finders with GPS capabilities, iQue line of integrated PDA-GPS
receivers. (Garmin LTD; Magellan; Mio Technology LTD; TomTom International BV)
TCO D - Given an organizational context, develop a plan to increase the innovative
capabilities of the organization both through collaboration strategies and internal
innovation.
TCO E - Given information about a company's industry and organization, formulate a
technological innovation strategy through its new product development strategy.
TCO F –Given an organizational and industry context, identify and suggest a deployment
strategy that will facilitate the success of a technological driven organization
The company should continue to work with the different comple-mentors and vendors to
add new features, functions, services, or whatever the customers need with the prices the

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users can afford. The GDP makers should devote to better targets their products at
various sectors the users in the market and manage different units at cost effective
manner. The GDP firms have been developing navigation systems and devices for
aviation and mass transits. (Garmin LTD; Magellan; Mio Technology LTD; TomTom
International BV)
Reference
Rita Lee (Media Relations Specialist), Interviewed by Ting Yin, June, 2014, interview
transcript emiall.
Scott Hade (Regional Manager at Garmin), interviewed by Ting Yin, March, 2014,
interview transcript email
Wes Owen (Media Relationship Specialist at Garmin), interviewed by Ting Yin, June,
2014