3 September 2008

By: Alex Vochin, Technology Editor
IFA 2008: Becker Intros Crocodile, a Rugged GPS Navigator for Motorcycles
A tough exterior and advanced navigation features
The Becker "Crocodile" Becker
For most people, the idea of riding a motorcycle can hardly be associated with the image of a GPS-enabled personal navigation device. However, bikers often need GPS devices for guidance as well, and that's the reason why the German company Becker has just announced at the IFA 2008 show from Berlin the "Crocodile," a special PND that features a very tough and rugged external casing, while at the same time being equipped with a user-interface everyone (including people riding motorcycles) will probably consider to be quite interesting and easy to use.   First of all, let's see where this device (officially known as Traffic Assist 100) gets its rather unusual name from. As you can see from the photos, this thing sports a stylized reptile-skin finish, the outer casing being manufactured from a water-resistant material and displaying an organic, tapered design.   Although this rubber-coated, water resistant PND can also be easily used in a car, it is ideally suited for motorbikes. And that's because the 4.3-inch widescreen color display with day and night view features a special graphic guidance system that makes it easier for bikers to read the display in low visibility conditions with a closed visor. Furthermore, this GPS navigator is also quite easy to operate, since a light tap on the display switches from map to full-screen, high-contrast arrow navigation.   And speaking of navigation, it's quite important to mention the fact that the PND offers users a huge array of choices from this point of view as well. First of all, drivers are offered no less than four different functioning modes (car, lorry, pedestrian or motorbike), each with its particular route options. Then, the navigation software includes loads of attractive features, as for example the Terrain View display, which opens up to the horizon and is especially helpful when driving over hilly terrain or on winding roads, or the possibility to view buildings in 3-D mode (plus more than 1,000 photorealistic 3-D images of European landmarks).   The navigation software also offers users an integrated route planner, which comes in handy for longer journeys, allowing users to schedule complete routes by entering intermediate destinations from the extensive selection of POIs (points of interest), by adding destinations already visited, or by entering addresses directly. All of the aforementioned features are possible due to the built-in Navteq navigation maps.   The Becker Crocodile comes standard with a universal suction cup mounting system, a power cable for the cigarette lighter, a TMC dipole antenna and a USB cable to connect to a PC, while a mounting system specially designed for it is available for bikes. And all of these just for the affordable price point of 300 Euros, official from the moment this device will arrive in stores, at some point in October.

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> Info Line +49 (0) 72 48/77 > info@mybecker.com > www.mybecker.com
www.finestmagma.com D-23530
> 4,3 Touch-Screen > Splash-proof > Europe Navigation > 3D City Maps > 3D Terrain view > 4 Alternative routes > extras, games etc. > Content Manager

A Series of Innovations.

A legend doesnt develop overnight. It takes 60 years of experience. > Becker History
> 1949 Becker develops Autophone the first car radio. > 1953 Becker Mexico the first car radio with fully automatic station search. > 1963 Becker Monte Carlo the first solid-state car radio. > 1969 Becker Europa Stereo introduction of two-channel reception. Becker Mexico Olympia with integrated Compact Cassette. > 1975 Becker Mexico the first car cassette radio with auto-reverse. > 1979Becker Mexico Electronic the first microprocessor-controlled car radio. > 1985 Becker Mexico Compact Disc the first car radio with integrated CD player. > 1987 Becker Mexico Diversity the first car radio with dual tuners. > 1990 Becker develops 2-RDS Diversity Tuner. > 1995 Becker Avus and Becker Grand Prix CD receivers the first car radios with digital audio signal processing. > 1996 D2B Optical the worlds first optical waveguide-based in-car data transmission system. Becker Traffic Star the first combination car radio/CD player/navigation system. > 2001 Becker Online Pro combines e-mail, WAP, SMS, navigation, telephone, MP3, CD and 2-RDS Tuner in a single system. > 2003 Becker Vision Pro the in-car rear seat entertainment system. Becker Monza the first MP3/CD player with 2-RDS Tuner. > 2004 Becker Traffic Pro 7949 the first unit with speech dialogue system for navigation, Becker Traffic Pro 7945 with Bluetooth wireless technology. > 2005 Becker Cascade 7944 with CF card navigation. Becker Traffic Assist the first mobile navigation system. > 2006 Becker Traffic Assist Highspeed II and Becker Traffic Assist Pro steer clear of any traffic jam: the enhanced Traffic Assist series sets new standards. Becker Cascade Pro with SIM Access Profile for making phone calls through the car radio. Becker Mexico 7948 retro design on the outside, high-tech on the inside. > 2007 The next generation of portable navigation is on the spot: including Slim-Line design, video player and Bluetooth wireless technology. > 2008 The new dimension of mobile navigation systems convinces everybody. The Becker Z-series focuses the navigation: with detailed route list, 3D views and turn-by-turn navigation.
> 1999 Becker Traffic Pro with unlimited navigation in Europe. > 2000 Traffic Message Channel (TMC) hits the road: Becker Traffic Pro equipped with TMC via software update.
Technical Data Becker Traffic Assist Z100

> Top Features

SX-Z100-02-020-0908 All information is provided without warranty. Technical specifications subject to change without notice. 3D city maps: Several European cities are presented in a spatial display. Three-dimensional images of buildings offer a better overview of the selected route. 3D terrain view: Three-dimensional display of the local area, mountains, valleys and landscapes. Text-to-Speech (TTS): Announcement of street names 4 alternative routes: A choice of fastest, shortest, optimum or easiest route options can be simultaneously displayed and selected. Traffic sign display: Images of traffic signs with city names and directions on European motorways are extremely helpful, e.g. for frequent motorway changes. Extras: World clock, calculator, travel assistant, games and much more. Content Manager: Enables automatic configuration of navigation system with DVD (included). Active holder: with connections for power supply and TMC antenna.

> SOFTWARE

Destination entry: alphabet/selection list, entry/selection via touch-screen, entry of postal code, 8 digital postal code, house number, junctions, stopovers Points of Interest along the way: e.g. petrol stations and rest areas on the calculated route Destination memory: memory for over 200 fixed and previous destinations Route list: listing of individual road changes Route info: arrival time, destination address, intermediate destination address, travel time remaining Route options (with/avoid/without): motorways, toll roads, ferries, dirt roads, U-turns Route selection: fast route, short route, best route, simple route Route calculation: can be selected according to profiles (normal car, fast car, slow car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian) Route navigation: country-specific announcements, choice of languages (BG, CT, CZ, D, DK, E, EE, F, FIN, GB, GR, HR, HU, I, LT, LV, N, P, PL, RO, RU, S, SK, SLO, SRB, TR, UA, Vlaams) Turn-by-turn navigation: navigation instructions displayed with arrows. Improved readability for two-wheel vehicles. Included on NAVTEQ Database: 42 European countries Austria, Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, UK, Vatican City Special destinations: airports, hospitals, service stations, railway stations, hotels, restaurants, sports stadiums and many more Speed Limit: graphic display of legal speed limits; acoustic warning when limit is exceeded (adjustable) View: Day/Night display for optimal legibility, automatic dimming of backlight in tunnels with route guidance activated, 2D/3D/Zoom, icon display of Points of Interest, 3D landmarks (3D sights) TMC: dynamic route guidance with TMC Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Access to TMC information without active route guidance. Lane info: lane assistance (guidance for recommended lane)

> HARDWARE

Performance: 400 MHz Processor Memory: Internal 2 GB Flash memory with 42 European countries pre-installed GPS: SIRF III GPS receiver Automatic On/Off: unit turns on and off with ignition switch (vehicles with switched cigarette lighter only) Display: 4.3-inch TFT touch-screen 16:9 with 24 bit colour depth, 16.7 million colours. Case: splash-proof Dimensions: 137 mm x 90 mm x 20 mm (W x H x D) Weight: 241 g

> Media Player

Picture viewer: Picture viewer, slide show Picture formats: JPG, BMP MP3 /Video player: display of elapsed track time, directories, ID-3 tags (title and artist) Compression formats: MP3, WAV, OGG, MPEG-4 Part2 Games: Sudoku, Gamebox Classics, Gamebox Gems Special feature: Simultaneous navigation announcements and music reproduction.

> connections/other

Connections: external GPS connection, headphone jack, connection cable for cigarette lighter socket (12 V/24 V), connection for docking station USB: Mini USB, chargeable by Mini USB interface or cigarette lighter Micro-SD card slot

> package contents

Universal mounting system, active holder, TMC antenna, USB cable for PC connection, power cable for cigarette lighter, quick start instructions, DVD with instruction manual and data for European navigation (42 countries)

> OPTIONAL

V battery charger, bag