Toyota announced today that it has completely renovated its G-BOOK telematics service, which was initiated in October 2002, to create G-BOOK ALPHA. The system has a data communications module recently developed for G-BOOK ALPHA, adopts innovative technology to substantially improve various communications functions, drastically improving data communication speeds and enabling voice communications on par with car phone quality.

G-BOOK ALPHA is a next-generation telematics service that takes safety, security and comfort to the next level. In addition to offering, as standard, the emergency call service known as HELPNET, which can alert the police or fire department to summon emergency vehicles in the event of a traffic accident or medical emergency.

The new G-BOOK ALPHA DCM uses the third-generation CDMA2000 1x EV-DO communications format to achieve data communications speeds of 2.4 Mbps, 16 times faster than the CDMA2000 1x format of the earlier DCM, for stress-free and convenient data communication.

Furthermore, in the event of an emergency, the new DCM enables voice communications using an onboard microphone and speaker.

The G-BOOK ALPHA service is also equipped with a new "G-Route Search" function that combines traffic information from the Vehicle Information and Communication System (VICS) with past statistical data to forecast road traffic conditions and suggest optimal routes that avoid traffic congestion. A "G-Security" on certain new models to be launched this summer, enhanced with new functions such as a cell phone e-mail service to notify owners if they forget to lock the car doors.

In addition, G-BOOK ALPHA, like its predecessor, offers a cell phone-use service that enables users with a Bluetooth-compatible phone or a Bluetooth adaptor to connect to the navigation system and access all G-BOOK ALPHA services (with the exception of the airbag-linked HELPNET and the theft detection and tracking service).

View the demonstration video here

http://g-book.com/pc/whats_G-BOOK_ALPHA/service/img/driving_intelligence_500k.asx