GPS chipset to ship in Microsoft package

A novel GPS Locator USB stick will provide users with reliable positioning and a USB 2.0 port for fast and easy data transfer all in one tiny package that easily plugs into any computer.

Microsoft Corporation has selected the latest u-blox positioning engine for a new GPS Locator USB stick, which will be bundled with the next release of MapPoint, Microsoft's business travel and map software package.

The new u-blox 5 GPS chipset is a highly integrated cost-efficient GPS engine that offers users accurate positioning in a small package without compromising on performance.

GPS devices are often bulky and too big to connect to a notebook without a USB cable.

With u-blox' innovative u-blox 5 GPS chipset, Microsoft was finally able to overcome this problem, offering users a compact, easy to use GPS-enabled USB stick that has the familiar feel of a commodity memory device.

The GPS Locator USB stick provides users with reliable positioning and a USB 2.0 port for fast and easy data transfer all in one tiny package that easily plugs into any computer.

Microsoft expects that this bundled solution, leveraging on Microsoft's leading location software with u-blox' GPS excellence, will further expand the market reach of MapPoint.

"We are very proud that Microsoft uses u-blox 5 for its new MapPoint package", said Nikolaos Papadopoulos, President of u-blox America.

"The ultrafast startup time of the u-blox 5 positioning engine, added to the engine's high sensitivity, as well as cost and space efficiency makes it ideal for mass-market applications like Microsoft's innovative MapPoint location product".

The 2009 edition of MapPoint with u-blox 5-based GPS Locator USB stick is expected to be on the shelves in August 2008.

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