In position Thales Navigation and Rand McNally Inc. have partnered with Palm Inc. to launch a Global Positioning System offering for Palm m500 handheld devices.
On the map The Magellan GPS Companion, which features Rand McNallys Streetfinder Deluxe software, creates and exports a directional route to a Palm m500 and provides audio-prompted, turn-by-turn directions on a moving map.
Navigating The Companion is a receiver that attaches to the back of a Palm via the devices serial port, leaving the Secure Digital add-on slot available for other functions, such as map downloads. The navigation software features street maps of the United States—except Alaska— address look-up and route calculation. Users can create customized maps on a PC and export them to the Palm via HotSync. The product is slated to ship in the spring.