Magellan to Unveil Sporting App Categories and New Colors for the Echo Smart Sports Watch

Company Extends Use of Its Echo Smart Sports Watch, a CES Innovations Award Honoree, to Include Golf, Skiing, Hiking and Other Outdoor Activities

(14 January, 2014,) MiTAC (TWSE:3706) brand- Magellan, a leader of innovative GPS devices and content services for vehicles, fitness, outdoor and mobile navigation, has announced that it will bring on additional sporting applications to the current Echo smartwatch at the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas. After an overwhelming response from consumers to its Echo smartwatch, the company is adding golf, skiing, hiking, and other outdoor activities to its capabilities. With a larger spectrum of sports, Magellan is pleased to announce two additional colors, Dark Blue and Gray, to complete the line-up of 5 colors that look good in a variety of sporting environments. The Echo Smart Sports Watch will be showcased at CES in the Magellan meeting room, MP25740, located in South Hall 2.

"After Echo initially launched, we quickly saw its potential for sports beyond running," commented Clark Weber, senior director of fitness and wearable products at Magellan. "As an open platform, Echo is designed to work with any app that can leverage a ruggedized, sporty smartwatch. We are proud to announce that leading apps such as Golf Pad, FreeCaddie and AllTrails will be supporting Echo in the near future. Retailers, also, have recognized the advantages of a product focused on sport, rather than general-use smart watches, that don't meet the needs of athletes," added Weber.

The Echo Smart Sports Watch leverages the power of both a smartphone and sports-related apps. It uses Bluetooth Smart to connect a smartphone and watch, putting the power of a smartphone right on the user's wrist. Echo is compatible today with the iPhone 4S, 5, 5C and 5S. Android support is coming in early 2014.

Echo is brought to life by its apps. Whether the user is a runner, skier, golfer, or virtually any type of outdoor athlete, there is an app that keeps them informed and in control. Pairing with their favorite sports app, users receive information that streams from their smartphone directly to their Echo Smart Sports Watch in real-time. They easily can keep track of their running pace, the distance to the green, or maximum speed on their last ski run.

"Echo is the perfect complement to our product," said Maksim Ivanov of Golf Pad. "We recognize that golfers want to see information at a glance. With Echo, our customers can see their distance to the green and keep score from their wrist. We're excited about the opportunities Echo brings today, and that it will grow with our future development."

Russell Cook, founder & CEO of leading outdoors app publisher AllTrails commented, "We're extremely excited Magellan chose to build one of the first smartwatches with the outdoors in mind. Whether it's on the trail or on the slopes, our customers use our apps in adverse conditions and now they can still view and interact with our app while their smartphone is safely tucked away."

Several million athletes use mobile apps daily. While running, golfing, and skiing, athletes tuck their phones away and can't readily see the valuable information provided by the app. Additionally, they can't control or interact with their apps. Echo solves this problem by streaming real-time sports data to the wrist and allows the user to control the app and music. Simple functions like start/stop, lap, and stroke count are huge, plus the ability to change songs means the user can match their music to their mood. With an open platform, Magellan has invited all apps to join the party and get active with Echo.

Echo can also be used as an everyday watch. Its sleek design and watch functions with multiple watch faces make it the perfect watch for a tech-savvy athlete. Using ultra-low power components, it runs off a replaceable coin-cell battery that will last up to 8-10 months with typical usage. No charging is needed.

The Magellan Echo Smart Sports Watch has an MSRP of $149, or $199 with a Bluetooth Smart Heart Rate Monitor. It is available in a wide range of colors -- Black, Gray, Dark Blue, Blue and Orange. All will be on display at 2014 International CES. It will be available through retailers worldwide in early Spring 2014.

To learn more, go to magellangps.com/echo

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