u-blox GPS receiver for SPOT satellite GPS product

24 August 2009, 5:45pm

Thalwil, Switzerland and Milpitas, California - August 24, 2009 - u-blox, a leading semiconductor provider of embedded positioning and wireless communication solutions for the consumer, industrial and automotive markets, is pleased to announce that small-outline AMY-5M GPS receiver module has been chosen as the GPS receiver for the new Globalstar (Nasdaq:GSAT) next-generation SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger.

u-blox' GPS receiver enables the new SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger to quickly and accurately determine a user's position with fast time to first fix (TTFF). When activated, SPOT sends the user's GPS location coordinates and select messages using Globalstar's constellation of low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites, to friends, family or co-workers via an SMS message or email. The SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger can be used to notify a response center of a user's location. The SPOT unit can also be tracked visually on the web using Google Maps or Google Earth. Because SPOT uses satellite technology, users can send their location information and messages regardless of cellular availability.

"We are very proud to have been selected for a GPS product demanding high-performance satellite acquisition and tracking capabilities in remote locations. We are pleased that our AMY-5M GPS module was able to fulfill Globalstar's requirements for high sensitivity, wide temperature range and extremely small package size," said Nikolaos Papadopoulos, President, u-blox America, Inc.

"When specifying the functionality requirements for the new SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger, we gave Axonn the difficult task of designing and delivering an improved product that would be smaller, lighter and even easier to use than the original award-winning device," said Bob Miller, Senior Vice President of Ground Operations, Globalstar, Inc. Mr Miller added, "Thanks to the new u-blox GPS receiver, Axonn has designed a next-generation product that will acquire a user's location coordinates even faster than the original SPOT. We are pleased that u-blox's AMY-5M receiver technology is helping us meet our goal of providing even greater SPOT product utility and GPS receiver performance for our customers."

Consumer retail acceptance of the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger continues to grow since becoming widely available for sale in 2007. The product is now available at over 8,000 points of SPOT distribution world-wide. As of March 31, 2009 Globalstar had received orders to ship more than 120,000 units to customers in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Western Europe, and Australia.

Availability: The new SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger is scheduled to be available at select retailers later this fall. To find a SPOT retailer in the United States please visit the SPOT dealer locator at the link below.

For further information about the AMY-5M GPS module, see the link below.

Further information about the AMY-5M GPS module

SPOT retailers in the United States

Geo: International