Battle heats up in personal-navigation-device market

Don't place a long-term bet on the enduring popularity of personal navigation devices, or PNDs, from the likes of Garmin and TomTom, suggests a senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management.

The lecturer, Michael A.M. Davies, has studied such devices and while they may have several more years of solid sales, Davies concludes that the PND space could eventually become lucrative territory for rival products and services from cellphone makers and automobile manufacturers.

A three-way battle among brands such as Garmin and TomTom, cellphone makers, and car vendors is "already underway," he said in a press release issued by MIT's news department. "And don't count out the car makers."

Davies also said in the release: "Navigation is about much more than just getting from Point A to Point B. 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."

Davies added, "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."
(Chris Reidy, Globe staff)