Garmin acquired MotionBased Technologies, a privately held developer of web based applications for GPS devices. MotionBased Technologies will continue operations as a division of Garmin International, Inc., a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“We are very pleased with this acquisition because it complements our
strategy to penetrate the fitness market,” said Dr. Min Kao, Garmin's chairman
and CEO. “The MotionBased web application is popular with Garmin customers.
Since MotionBased.com was launched in 2004, over 11,000 GPS users have
registered for access, and they have logged approximately 140,000 individual
outdoor activities to the site.”
MotionBased Technologies, headquartered in Sausalito, California, is
recognized for processing GPS and other data (e.g., heart rate) for
performance analysis and online mapping for athletes and outdoor enthusiasts.
This web based subscription service complements Garmin's fitness and outdoor
devices, such as the Forerunner 201 and 301, Edge 205 and 305, Foretrex, and
eTrex. Following an outdoor activity using a Garmin GPS unit, customers
connect their device to a computer and upload the data to MotionBased where
they personalize and categorize each activity.
MotionBased analyzes the data
to calculate time, distance, speed, elevation, and heart rate. MotionBased
displays this information through charts, illustrations, reports, and a
variety of map representations including street, photo, topographic, and
elevation maps as well as the popular Google Earth service to visualize their
activity. Users can replay their workout using media controls as they watch
themselves move along the mapped route coupled with an elevation profile.
Each activity stored in a personal online digest is also added to the
TrailNetwork — a growing database of routes created by the MotionBased
community. Members use the TrailNetwork to seek out new activities in their
region, to find popular routes while traveling, or to engage in “virtual
races” with other MotionBased users.
“We are elated to join forces with Garmin and integrate the MotionBased
web application into Garmin's core fitness and outdoor product lines,” said
Aaron Roller, MotionBased's co-founder and CTO. “By working together as a team
and sharing technologies, MotionBased and Garmin will further expand the way
athletes prepare, participate, analyze and share their outdoor activities
using GPS and the Internet.”