ONEILL LAUNCHES THE NAVJACKET

11 Dec 2007

O’Neill Europe is excited to announce the launch of the NavJacket - a dedicated navigation tool integrated into a high performance Gore-Tex® jacket for the mountains.

The NavJacket is the product of an inspired partnership between O’Neill’s Wearable Electronics Department - the H Division, and MyGuide - a market leader in delivering navigation solutions based on GPS technology.

The NavJacket instead allows you to easily navigate through the mountains with the help of the integrated display on the sleeve and the audio instructions in the hood.

Simply enter your desired location and let the NavJacket guide you effortlessly down the slopes.

And it doesn’t just stop with navigation. Your current speed, up-to-date local weather forecasts, and in-depth details about your route, such as distance and time have all been incorporated into the flexible display sleeve on the jacket using the latest technology.

Using your mobile phone connected to the GPS unit, 3D views of the resorts as well as points of interest throughout the resort will also be available.

An additional innovative feature of the NavJacket is a friend finder function, which will allow you to either track down friends, or choose to follow their path through the slopes.

The NavJacket will be available as part of the O’Neill Fall/Winter 2008/09 collection.

Eppo Van Berckelaer, O’Neill Global Marketing Director is excited about the strong innovation that continues to lead O’Neill. “The NavJacket strongly represents what the brand stands for,” he said. “It is about enhancing the experience in the mountains for the consumer. We have achieved our goal by teaming up with MyGuide, a strong player in the navigation market. Together we have managed to put cutting edge technology into our high quality products. We are very much looking forward to the launch of the NavJacket and seeing the way in which it betters the mountain experience for the riders.”

Aleks Ristic, VP Marketing of MyGuide is convinced that GPS will play an important role in future wearable technology. “The partnership with O’Neill allows us to leverage our GPS know-how into new market segments. We with co-development of the NavJacket, we are expanding our product range from car navigation into outdoor usage, where navigation is just one application of our technology. The market can expect further new innovations from ROAD group companies in the future”

The NavJacket will be tested the coming winter season on selected areas in the Alps.

For more information check out www.oneilleurope.com