| TomTom NV | |
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| Type | Public Euronext: TOM2 |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, the Netherlands |
| Key people | Harold Goddijn, Chairman and CEO |
| Industry | ICT / Electronics |
| Products | Navigation software Navigation hardware |
| Revenue |  € 1364 million (2006) |
| Net income | € 222 million (2006) |
| Employees | 818 (2005) |
| Slogan | The smart choice in personal navigation. Go confidently. |
| Website | www.tomtom.com |
TomTom NV (Euronext: TOM2) is a Dutch manufacturer of automotive navigation systems, including both stand-alone units and software for personal digital assistants, and mobile telephones. It is the leading manufacturer of navigation systems in Europe.[1] The global slogan for TomTom is "the smart choice in personal navigation". In the United States and Canada, they currently use "Go confidently". The UK slogan is "Find your way the easy way"
Contents |
Products and services
TomTom offers four types of products[2]:
- TomTom GO and ONE – various portable models for automobile navigation.
- TomTom RIDER – portable model for motorcycle and motorscooter users.
- TomTom NAVIGATOR – software for users of PDAs and Pocket PCs.
- TomTom Mobile – software for mobile phones.
TomTom units provide a flying interface with an oblique bird's-eye view of the road, as well as a direct-overhead map view. They use a GPS receiver to show the precise location and provide visual and spoken directions on how to drive to the chosen destination. Certain TomTom systems also integrate with mobile phones using Bluetooth, to show traffic congestion maps or to actually take calls and read aloud SMS messages. The company offers a line of fee-based services under the name TomTom PLUS, which include services to warn drivers about speed cameras, provide weather updates, change voices and provide traffic alerts. Traffic data is also available in many parts of Europe via an add-on aerial, which picks up RDS data (broadcast on FM radio frequencies) offering traffic information without the requirement for a data connection. The PLUS section of the Tomtom website suffered an outage on August 24th 2007, drawing some criticism[3]. TomTom's customer service is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Tele Atlas Purchase
On 23 July, 2007, TomTom made a €2 billion offer for Tele Atlas, a digital map maker, which was accepted by the Tele Atlas board.[4] This was then trumped by a €2.3 billion offer from Cayman Islands-based rival Garmin on 31 October, 2007, effectively initiating a bidding war for Tele Atlas.[5] TomTom responded by upping their bid to €2.9 billion, an offer which was again approved by the board of Tele Atlas.[6] Garmin had been expected to counterbid once again: with Tele Atlas' main global rival Navteq subject to a takeover bid from Nokia, the company had stated that it did not wish both companies to fall into the hands of rivals.[6] However, after striking a content agreement with Navteq through the year 2015, Garmin withdrew its takeover offer, clearing the way for TomTom.[7]. On December 4, 2007, TomTom shareholders approved the takeover[8].
See also
References
- ^ Navigation Device Co. TomTom Raises Bid. Associated Press (2007-11-07). Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
- ^ TOMTOM Company Profile. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
- ^ Oates, John (2007-08-24). Bank holiday transport farrago publisher=The Register. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
- ^ Kanner, Joram; van de Hoef, Marcel. "TomTom Agrees to Acquire Tele Atlas for EU2 Billion", Bloomberg, 2007-07-23. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
- ^ "Garmin Trumps TomTom Bid for Tele Atlas", Reuters, 2007-10-31. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
- ^ a b "Digital mapmaker Tele Atlas endorses €2.9 billion TomTom bid", Associated Press, 2007-11-08. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
- ^ "Garmin Withdraws $3.3B Tele Atlas Bid", Associated Press, 2007-11-16. Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
External links
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