|
MIT Sloan: Will the PND Follow the PDA into History?
(Wireless News Via Acquire Media NewsEdge)
Remember the PDA, the "personal digital assistant" that was literally
held out as the ultimate in portable technology? Even as PDA's fade
from the technology horizon, another currently hot "P" device - the
PND, or "personal navigation device" - may soon follow, says an MIT
Sloan School of Management expert on business strategy, technology, and
innovation.
PND products, such as Tom Tom and Garmin, may remain popular for a few
years, "but life is getting tough very quickly" for PND makers,
according to MIT Sloan Senior Lecturer Michael A. M. Davies. PND's face
a growing challenge not only from cell phones, which are increasingly
equipped with high-end navigation programs, but from a less obvious
competitor: automobile makers. As software expands the capabilities of
PND's, car manufacturers are in a position to make their use both
practical and safe, he says.
"Navigation is about much more than just getting from Point A to Point
B," says Davies. "It now involves finding the cheapest gas, the nearest
coffee, and even social networking. As we confront drivers with all
this new information, how it is presented becomes really critical. In a
car, the blue screen of death really can be a screen of death. Although
innovation in electronics has always been much faster in consumer
electronics than in cars, Davies expects automobile vendors will soon
recognize the opportunity and quickly catch up and possibly even win
the navigation device war."
Some European car makers are already marrying navigation options with
safety requirements. "With some high-end cars, if you are braking hard
while an incoming call comes to your mobile phone, the car will not put
the call through until you have the vehicle under control," says
Davies. "You don't want to have the world's worst back seat driver
spouting directions in the middle of a scary maneuver, so the car's
sensors will tell the navigation device, Oops, slippery road here -
don't say anything."
Davies notes that the PND battle, like many fierce fights in
communications and consumer electronics, now centers on software, not
hardware. "The hardware is available off the shelf, but the issue is
how to make sense of it. That's largely a software and, increasingly, a
connectivity problem." In response, Microsoft, for example, recently
unveiled a dedicated version of Windows to support PNDs, such as
Garmin. Google has launched Android, which supports sophisticated,
location-based services. "Android can be set to let you know when
you're near a friend," notes Davies. "And I have a bet that within five
years, at least one American-made car will ship with a dedicated
navigation button to find the closest Starbucks."
Davies wonders whether PND makers "will be able to spot a market
turning point before it arrives. Right now, things look great for them,
but that trend will reverse dramatically," he explains. "The three-way
battle between them, cell phone makers and car vendors is already
underway. And don't count out the car makers."
((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))
((Distributed on behalf of 10Meters via M2 Communications Ltd -
http://www.m2.com))
((10Meters - http://www.10meters.com))
Copyright ? 2008 Wireless News
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
TMCnet LOGIN
Webinars
