XM's Real-time Weather Tracking for GPS Navigation Complements XM's
Real-time Traffic Service XM NavTraffic
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XM, the nation's leading
satellite radio company, will display a concept vehicle with XM's latest
technology at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
January 8 through 11 in Las Vegas, Nev.
The XM vehicle will feature the first personal weather tracking system
for GPS navigation. The system tracks specific, real-time weather
conditions between your current location and your final destination. Plus,
it provides the near-term weather forecast for your personal path. Rather
than simply give general weather conditions for a region, the system
focuses on the weather on your individual route. The weather information is
continuously updated and delivered to the navigation system via satellite.
The weather technology, which is expected to be introduced in summer
2007, is developed by XM and its weather solutions partner Baron Services.
XM and Baron, through its division WxWorx (pronounced "weather works"),
currently offer professional weather services for airplanes, boats, and
emergency responders, which have set the standard for mobile weather
solutions in these markets.
"XM is offering the first system that alerts consumers to real-time
weather threats on the road ahead," said Rod Mackenzie, vice president,
advanced applications, XM Satellite Radio. "You're not just getting the
temperature and the forecast for a city. You get the weather that will
impact your specific journey, and this information is constantly being
updated. It's a major breakthrough in providing consumers with
comprehensive, personalized weather information."
This new, real-time weather service builds on the success of XM
NavTraffic, the real-time traffic service introduced by XM in fall 2004. XM
NavTraffic informs drivers of current traffic conditions, such as travel
speeds on major roads, accident locations, and road closures, on a GPS
navigation screen. XM NavTraffic is available in vehicles from Honda, GM,
Toyota, and Nissan, as well as various retail aftermarket GPS navigation
products.
Beyond the new weather technology, the XM "infotainment" vehicle on
display at CES will feature a broad variety of information and
entertainment that XM can deliver to the automobile, including concepts
such as in-car video.
The XM vehicle will have in-car video systems developed by XM and On2
Technologies that can receive video and audio from XM. XM will demonstrate
how video content can be sent to the vehicle by the same satellites and
ground repeaters that XM uses to deliver satellite radio.
Other innovations inside the concept vehicle are voice recognition and
parking locator technology. XM will show the latest software for voice-
enabled XM radios developed by VoiceBox Technologies, which offers voice
controls for the radio, as well as commands for weather, traffic, stock
quotes, and sports scores. ParkingLink, a project of XM, Quixote
Transportation Technologies, and Standard Parking Corporation, locates
parking facilities on the vehicle's navigation screen and tells the driver
how many parking spaces are currently available.
The XM "infotainment" vehicle will be on display at the XM booth (CES
Booth #4606) in the Las Vegas Convention Center's North Hall.
About XM Satellite Radio
XM (Nasdaq: XMSR) is America's number one satellite radio company with
more than 7 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in
Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, the Country Music Hall of Fame in
Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM's 2007 lineup includes more than 170
digital channels of choice from coast to coast: commercial-free music,
premier sports, news, talk radio, comedy, children's and entertainment
programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information.
XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services
for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda,
Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota is available in 140
different vehicle models for 2007. XM's industry-leading products are
available at consumer electronics retailers nationwide. For more
information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit
http://www.xmradio.com.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
in the forward-looking statements in this press release include demand for
XM Satellite Radio's service, the Company's dependence on technology and
third party vendors, its potential need for additional financing, as well
as other risks described in XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.'s Form 10-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 3-9-06. Copies of the
filing are available upon request from XM Radio's Investor Relations
Department.
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