Gives GPS Users Easy Voice-Entry of Destinations; Expands Navigation Partners’ Connected Platforms

SAN FRANCISCO-- Dial Directions, a leading provider of voice-entry for location-based services and mobile devices, is the first to deliver another industry milestone. Dial Directions’ new service turns any phone into a ‘remote control’ for connected GPS devices and navigation services. Whether their GPS is near or away, owners can simply call 1-DIRECTIONS (or 1-347-328-4667) on any cell phone and speak their destination. The destination appears instantly on their navigation device.

Dial Directions’ phone service is an effective service for hands-free voice entry for navigation solutions, without requiring hardware changes or additional costs. Manually entering a destination address is a distracting and cumbersome task that often requires pulling over and stopping the vehicle. Dial Directions solves this problem. Speaking saves time and frustration when trying to enter a long business name or spell an unfamiliar street via keypad. Moreover, with remote access, drivers can call ahead to tell their GPS where to go even before reaching their cars.

Dash Navigation is the first navigation partner to feature Dial Directions’ destination voice-entry. Available immediately nationwide, Dash users can call 1-DIRECTIONS (or 1-347-328-4667), speak an address or intersection, and see the destination appear on their Dash ExpressTM GPS device.

“Dial Directions’ innovative approach to address voice-entry using a phone call makes navigation even easier than before, and offers a new and exciting way to interact with the Dash Express,” said Robert Currie, president and chief operating officer of Dash Navigation. “This announcement marks an important milestone for the extension of the Dash connected navigation platform into voice services. Dash is committed to bringing creative and compelling features to the Dash community by working with companies, like Dial Directions, that are pioneering new types of GPS services while remaining committed to high standards of performance, quality and accuracy.”

To use the new service, Dash Express owners simply register their phone number with Dash Navigation at http://my.dash.net.

A video demonstration of Dial Directions voice-entry for Dash is available at http://www.dialdirections.com/dash/demo.

Dial Directions is pleased to also announce a partnership with deCarta to offer destination voice-entry as a new capability for the company’s geospatial software platform for location-based services. deCarta plans to integrate Dial Directions’ voice recognition technology in the next generation of Connected Navigation Services.

“With a wide variety of location-enabled services potentially available to the consumer through connected navigation, streamlining the user-interface for ease-of-use is exceptionally important,” said Louis Bouchard, director of marketing of deCarta. “Having Dial Directions join deCarta’s value-chain consortium of connected navigation service and technology providers is a key component to increase service usage and user-satisfaction.”

Offering consumers convenience, ease-of-use and safety are important considerations as navigation devices become mainstream. U.S. cumulative navigation device sales will reach 300M in 2013, according to Telematic Research Group.

“Our ‘remote control’ phone service bridges the gap between voice, mobile and location-based technologies,” said Adeeb Shanaa, chief executive officer of Dial Directions. “This new service is another extension of the Dial Directions platform, which illustrates how our proprietary technology to provide a location simply by speaking, enhances the performance of GPS devices. We’re pleased to support our partners in offering the next generation of navigation services.”

About Dial Directions

Dial Directions provides the leading platform for voice-activated location entry, directions, and other LBS, powered by innovation in speech recognition and voice user interface. The Dial Directions platform enables industry partners to expand their mobile services with a voice-activated interface, including 411/directory assistance providers, carriers, mobile applications and devices, and navigation solutions. Dial Directions partners include leaders in innovation such as Ask.com Mobile, Evite, Jingle Network’s 1-800-Free411, Virgin Mobile USA and Volt Delta Resources. Dial Directions also provides the first free nationwide phone service for driving directions, 1-DIRECTIONS (1-347-328-4667). In any U.S. city, mobile phone callers can say their start & destination address; and receive turn by turn directions by text message. For more information, visit: www.dialdirections.com.

About Dash Navigation, Inc.

Dash Navigation connects people to the information that empowers them in their cars. The company’s first product, the Dash Express™, is the first personal navigation system with two-way, Internet connectivity. It’s the smartest way to get from A to B -- and get information about everything in between. Dash is located in Sunnyvale, Calif. and is funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sequoia Capital, Skymoon Ventures, Crescendo Ventures, Artis Capital and ZenShin Capital Partners. For more information, visit Dash Navigation at www.dash.net.

About deCarta

deCarta is the leading geospatial software platform that has enabled some of the industry’s most successful Location-Based Services (LBS) applications such as those deployed by Verizon, Sprint Nextel, AT&T, T-Mobile, Multimap and Hotels.com. The company's technology is ideal for high-volume LBS applications in the mobile, personal navigation, connected navigation, enterprise and Internet markets where scalability, speed and reliability are vital. deCarta’s solutions are preferred by application developers and service providers who seek to leverage deCarta’s unique core strengths of server-side and wireless LBS expertise, and also want the flexibility to customize map styles and self-brand. Some of deCarta’s customers and technology partners include Appello, ATX, AutoTrader.com, Gearworks, Hotels.com, INRIX, Local Matters, loopt, Maps.com, Motorola, Multimap, NAVTEQ, Networks In Motion, Tele Atlas, TeleNav and WHERE. deCarta is privately held and headquartered in San Jose, California with international offices in the UK, Germany and China. www.decarta.com.