Nextar(TM) , a designer and marketer of bold and new consumer electronic products with mass appeal, is making arriving at holiday destinations a whole lot easier this year. Its Q4 series of GPS navigation systems provide an ample, easy-to-see 4.3″ touch-screen display and voice-guided, turn-by-turn prompts through a stereo speaker. The units are available now for the busy upcoming holiday shopping and party seasons.

“The user-friendly Nextar Q4 GPS navigation system series gets shoppers and holiday party goers to wherever it is they want to go by the quickest, easiest way possible,” said Eddy Zheng, Nextar founder. “Each model in the series makes an excellent holiday gift for anyone that travels a lot, does delivery work, or who is directionally challenged.”

The backbone of the Q4 series is model Q4-01. It features a generous 4.3″ TFT touch-screen display that provides large, clear, colorful images of maps from all 50 states. A special automatic night mode offers additional screen lighting for even easier-on-the-eye viewing. Voice-guided directions with turn-by-turn voice prompts are clearly audible through a built-in stereo speaker.

The Nextar Q4-01 navigation system provides 1.6-million points of interest, including hotels, shopping centers, gas stations, and restaurants. Instant route recalculation is provided in case a driver misses a turn. Digital map data is supplied by NAVTEQ(R), the preeminent provider of comprehensive digital map information for automotive navigation systems.

Other features include storage capability for up to 300 addresses of favorite destinations, 2D and 3D map-viewing modes with built-in compass, a SD card slot for additional memory, and a built-in high-sensitive antenna. It also has the capability to play MP3 files and display JPEG images. A lightweight, built-in rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery supplies power.

Model Q4-02 is a step up from the Q4-01. Similar in many ways to the Q4-01, it includes several key upgrades. In addition to having maps for the 50 US states, it includes maps for Canada and Puerto Rico, all pre-loaded on one 4GB SD card. The Q4-02 also includes an extended six-million points of interest.

Each model measures 4.6″ x 3.2″ x 0.8″ and weights approximately 2.3 pounds.

Provided accessories with both models are: AC adapter, car adapter, USB cable, protection pouch, mounting cradle, dashboard mount disk, mounting bracket, an SD card, and a stylus/touch pen.

Pricing and Availability
The Nextar Q4-01 navigation system is available at leading retailers across the U.S. such as Kmart, Kohl’s, Mills, Shopko, Joe’s, Checker Auto Parts, Schuck’s Auto Supply, Kragen Auto Parts, Murray’s Discount Auto Stores, and Belk as well as on the QVC network. It has a SRP of $299. Model Q4-02 navigation system is available at retailers such as Bon-Ton. It has a SRP of $399. Both units are also available online at http://www.nextar.com. They come with a one-year limited warranty.


Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Now Shipping

Nokia announced that the highly anticipated Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is now, or soon will be, available in select markets globally, including Russia, Spain, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Finland, among others. The latest in Nokia’s XpressMusic range, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic delivers an affordable music device with a touch screen interface to the mass market.

Aiming to put music into the hands of millions, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic offers all the music essentials including a graphic equalizer, 8GB memory for up to 6000 tracks, support for all main digital music formats, and a 3.5mm jack. Built-in surround sound stereo speakers offer the industry’s most powerful sound.

“When it comes to music phones, people all over the world want a device that is a great music experience and still works really well as a mobile phone, without sacrificing features,” said Jo Harlow, Vice President, Nokia. “The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic delivers on this and allows consumers to quickly and easily access and share the content that is most important to them with the people that are most important to them.”

Making the most of touch screen technology, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic delivers easy and fast access to all music, video and photos through a one-touch ‘Mediabar’ drop down menu. The Media Bar also offers a direct link to the Web and to online sharing. Because the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic supports Flash content, individuals can surf the entire web.

The innovative ‘Contacts Bar’ lets people highlight four favorite contacts on their home-screen and, through a single touch, track a digital history of recent text messages, emails, phone logs, photos and blog updates.

For the best screen resolution available on a mobile phone, the 3.2″ widescreen display brings photos, video clips and web content to life in vibrant color and true clarity. With a 16 by 9 aspect ratio and 30 frames-per-second playback and recording, the device is ideal for VGA quality video recording and playback. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic also features a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and, with a single touch, images or videos can be shared via a favorite online community, such as Share on Ovi, Flickr, or Facebook.

Ensuring a seamless music experience, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic also provides easy access to browse and purchase tracks from the Nokia Music Store, where applicable, while the newly updated Nokia Music PC software allows for easy drag-and-drop transfer of songs and management of any music collection.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic supports 60 languages worldwide and offers a variety of input methods including a virtual alphanumeric keypad, a virtual computer-style QWERTY keyboard, a pen stylus — and for true music enthusiasts, a plectrum — are all available.


Remote Key Load Simplifies Secure Key Management

RKL technology takes human intervention out of the equation for a more cost-effective solution

Sagem Denmark, an Ingenico Group company, the world’s leading provider of payment solutions today announces the launch of Remote Key Load (RKL), a fully automatic exchange of Triple DES master keys for use in maintaining the high level of security of ATMs, thereby mitigating the need for human intervention.

ATM security is growing increasingly expensive and regulated. Ensuring that ATMs are locked down and protected has become more complicated since the advent of Triple DES and the requirement that ATMs use encrypting PIN pads.

Those additional requirements add to the cost and complexity of key management by necessitating longer keys and more hands-on interaction. Manual, more traditional key loading requires two different employees or technicians to visit each individual ATM to enter only parts of the master key. In addition to increased personnel costs, this method doubles the potential for error.

RKL eliminates human-error concerns and improves key-loading efficiency. According to Lars Clausen, Vice President of Sagem Denmark, “As long as a system meets some basic requirements, installing the first 3DES master key is a matter of connecting the ATM to the host via regular channels and running the Remote Key Load protocol. The installation takes place in about 10 seconds — without the need for human involvement.”

According to Sagem Denmark, these basic requirements include: the ATM, host-ATM protocol, ATM’s EPP and the host’s HSM must all support RKL; the host must have a host key pair and a suitable certificate on the public key; and the EPP must have two key pairs with corresponding certificates. Sagem Denmark will assist and support the customer with a correct and efficient implementation of the RKL solution.

Beyond cutting costs and simplifying key management, RKL incorporates several security features, such as mutual authentication, meaning the host and the EPP can verify each other in a single operation. Other advantages include protection from inadvertently reinstalling old key values, an encrypted transport of the master key and a cryptographically signed message after a successful key transfer.

Sagem Denmark – an Ingenico subsidiary

Ingenico is the world’s leading provider of payment solutions, with more than 15 million terminals deployed across the globe. Delivering the very latest secure electronic payment technologies, transaction management and the widest range of value-added services, Ingenico is shaping the future direction of the payment solutions market.

Leveraging on its global presence and local expertise, Ingenico is reinforcing its leadership by taking banks and businesses beyond payment through offering comprehensive solutions, a true source of differentiation and new revenues streams. www.ingenico.com

Denmark-based Sagem Denmark specializes in high-security payment solutions, including encrypting PIN pads for ATMs and kiosks, unattended payment solutions for self-service gas stations, parking and ticket vending and EMV-compliant POS terminals.