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Communiport Infotainment System Will Help Direct 2001 Cadillacs
TROY, Mich. -- April 6 -- Delphi Automotive Systems will help 2001 Cadillac owners "think outside the box" with a new Infotainment PC radio system offering, company officials announced today.
Delphi's Communiport(R) brand communication system, to be offered as an option on the Cadillac 2001 Seville and DeVille models, will allow the vehicle's occupants to travel outside the ordinary by bringing a wide range of new information, connectivity and navigation services into the vehicle.

"We are delighted to provide the Communiport system for the new Cadillac Seville and DeVille," said Jeffrey J. Owens, general director of engineering for Delphi Delco Electronics Systems. "The Infotainment system brings a new flow of information age technologies into vehicles to form a confluence of added features and benefits for consumers."

Continuing to set industry standards in utilizing innovation to distinguish its vehicles from other luxury cars, Cadillac selected the Communiport Infotainment PC radio that offers a full map turn-by-turn navigation system, e-mail, Internet access, voice memo and integrated hands-free telephone and address book. Infotainment PC is powered by the Microsoft Windows CE(R) operating system.

"The influence of new information and services in vehicles is driving a new wave of revolutionary technologies that is reinventing consumer's experience in commuting in motor vehicles," Owens said. "The interest in these products by manufacturers is very high."

The Communiport system is commanded by voice recognition and features text-to-speech technologies to read messages or e-mails. In addition, the system includes an Infrared Data Adapter (IrDA) port to exchange information with hand-held devices like personal digital assistants. The system includes a compact flash slot to expand memory and hot keys to instantly access frequently used features.

Delphi can be found on the Internet at http://www.delphiauto.com .

=========================================================LUXURY COMPUTING? CADILLAC TO OFFER CAR PC


Cadillac put convergence on wheels last week, with the announcement that it will offer a PC option on its 2001 model year Seville and DeVille cars. Cadillac dubs the Bose manufactured device an "infotainment radio." The computer's functionality will be integrated with beefed-up OnStar services.

The infotainment radio will provide consumers with several potentially useful features, including email, cell phone docking and system integration, an infrared port for data exchange with wireless devices, voice memo recorder and navigational assistance. Most notably, the system will be voice controlled. According to a company statement, the radio even "allows cell phone control via voice recognition or [the] front panel key-pad."

The OnStar service, which was made standard in every 2000 Cadillac, will be spruced up with a new feature called Virtual Adviser. It'll integrate with the Bose radio and offer users Internet data including stock quotes, news headlines, sports scores and email, all hands-free.

Pricing details haven't been released yet, and according to a Cadillac spokesperson, aren't likely to be until this summer. The company will be demoing the system in New Yorknextweek, so we'll keep you posted as technical details become clearer.

-- Nathaniel Wilkins
http://www.etown.com/news/article.jhtml?articleID=2390#caddypc