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Mio Technology, the world’s third largest vendor of PNDs (portable navigation devices) under its brand Mio, will enhance its software to offer value-added location-based service (LBS) as well as adding functions such as 3.5G mobile communications and mobile TV, according to the company.

Mio PNDs are produced by its parent company Mitac International, Mio Technology noted.

Average selling prices (ASP) of PNDs dropped from US$299 to US$199 in 2007 and have now declined further to US$149 in 2008, Mio Technology indicated. Thus, product differentiation is a way to avoid such price wars, Mio Technology emphasized.

Mio Technology will upgrade built-in software to enrich map content as well as provide POI (point of interest) information and TMC (traffic message channel) service, the company noted. In the European market, the addition of TMC function can increase the price by 50 euro (US$68.5), Mio Technology pointed out.

In addition to software upgrade, Mio Technology will offer 3.5G GPS handsets and GPS MIDs (mobile Internet devices), the company indicated. For PNDs, the screen size may increase from the current mainstream of 4.3 inches to 4.5, 5.7 or even 7.0 inches, it said.

Europe and the US are currently the two largest PND markets around the world, according to the company. The price competition in the US is more intensive than that in the European market because of various maps and languages for the latter, said Mio Technology.