AMSTERDAM – Peter-Frans Pauwels, Dutch born in 1965, co-founder of TomTom and current chief technical officer, is a brilliant master of ceremonies. But not only for this event that TomTom April 29 in Amsterdam is up to him to introduce the great novelty, the action camera Bandit. Soon you will understand how to cultivate the human factor accounts yet, even in a top-level managers.
Bandit is a product of great commercial potential. The action can become the main business of TomTom?
“I believe that with this product we have resolved some fundamental, we have real opportunity to grow. At the same time, the traditional navigators TomTom represent for us still a business reaching. If so many people think that is enough to navigate the smartphone, in the same way hundreds of millions of people use our products. It will continue to be so for at least another couple of years. Then we focused our efforts in the business of sports watch. I like this expansion, compete in several categories rather than in one. And we certainly have an opportunity to grow with TomTom Bandit and action camera will continue to invest. “
TomTom synonym for navigator. Bandit believes will lead to a change in brand identity?
“I assure you, ‘TomTom navigator equal’ is not just an Italian dictionary entry. Surely TomTom Bandit has that capability. We believe that the public remains impressed and excited about the product. Especially those who already use the action camera, because they recognize what the problem is (the assembly, ed) and they can see how we have resolved. They recognize that it is a superior product. It ‘s true, even if you already did more , sports watch, people do not think to TomTom as ‘navigators and watches’, but only the black boxes for cars. We are with great effort trying to change this perception, with marketing and advertising campaigns. But this product has in it a real chance to help change that perception. “
What’s behind TomTom Bandit in terms of investment and research?
” Right now I can not give financial data, but I can tell you that, from the moment we said ‘let’s do it, is the result of two years of research and development. But much earlier is the identification of ‘problem and the reasoning on how to solve it. In terms of engineering, the study of the interaction with the user, structure, there is the work of 70 people, including software and hardware engineers, designers “.
So much for the development . But you can give to a person the insight that the key was already in the room to allow the installation of a video to be shared immediately?
“I think I can attribute that fatherhood. Use the action camera for 10 years, I can say that one of the first in love with Go-Pro. But one day I realize that I should be necessarily a good video editor. I did not want to spend my time editing movies on the computer, but at the same time I liked to share those scenes. And my friends would say, oh, we’re going on holiday with Peter and he will make a film! True, I was still me. Intuition is born so from personal experience, but to TomTom many people have put their experience and their technological knowledge to realize Bandit, was a great collective work for the resolution of problems as they presented themselves. “
MyDrive TomTom has also introduced the concept of cloud applied to the browser. From threat, smart phones and internet have become an opportunity.
“MyDrive not born to beat Google Maps. A lot of people today is fine navigate with the smartphone and do not want to spend an extra euro for the navigator. But there is a whole market of people who want the browser and do not compromise. MyDrive for me is to take your personal digital world in your car, to make a car more intelligent. It ‘just the first step towards free internet in the car. The transfer destination to consult satellite images in real time, as we have shown today is only the basis of what can be done by having the technology behind the synchronization in a cloud. But this will take a lot more and that concept of smart car manufacturers are also working. For me this is not to defend a space in the PND market, but is a much more long-term, to take your digital life in your car. Of course, the side effect can help the sales of our little black boxes, but MyDrive will also work with our navigation app for Android and iPhone. “
TomTom also develops solutions fleet management for transport professionals. Certainly you stay in analyzing key business novelty Uber.
“I see clearly the scenario and I think those guys are in need of our technology. I can not get into specifics, but we met the staff and they will find a way to get to them. Because when you start to think of routes, good maps and reliable information about traffic, the end is already written, talk to us, because not many people you can talk to. “
Earthquake in Nepal. What happens in TomTom after a catastrophe like that? And how long does it take to make or remake the map of a country?
“Even after such an earthquake, road maps do not change necessarily. In any case, there are two aspects of the matter. The first is humanitarian. In case of disasters, we always provide material for surfers and surfing. At the time of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, we supplied TomTom to anyone. The streets were completely flooded, but the helicopters that flew over the area thanks to TomTom knew that there was a road. The second aspect is purely technological. In the case of sudden changes, the time to redo the mapping depends on how many people in this country are driving a car, how many have a smatphone from which to take the data from those boaters in the area, the availability of data from the government . In general, the time to map a country depends on how much money you want to spend, with little money it takes months. Specifically, investment in road mapping of a country depends on how many can be its potential users. Because in the end is always the driving force behind the business “.
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