Corporate
February 22, 2007
Garmin’s Digital Cyclone and Mayo Clinic Turn Mobile Phones into a First Aid Kit
MINNETONKA, Minn./February 22, 2007/PR Newswire — Digital Cyclone, Inc., a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd., and Mayo Clinic have launched a software application that delivers an array of health information and tools directly to cellular phones. The Mayo Clinic InTouch™ wireless health program will be available in February on Alltel Wireless, Sprint, and other major carriers’ wireless phones.
“The Mayo Clinic InTouch program lets cell phone users tap into the expertise of Mayo Clinic at nearly all times – at home, in the office, at a park or in the car,” said Craig Burfeind, president of Garmin’s subsidiary Digital Cyclone. “This service provides tremendous peace-of-mind and possibly life saving assistance when health concerns arise.”
“Mayo Clinic’s mission has three elements: quality patient care, research to help cure diseases and education,” says Roger Harms, M.D., a Mayo Clinic obstetrician/gynecologist and the medical editor-in-chief for MayoClinic.com. “Our education function is not limited to training the next generation of physicians and other medical providers, though. We also see providing health information to consumers as essential. Through this new project we’re able to make it available to them wherever they are.”
Using Mayo Clinic InTouch, wireless phone subscribers have a rich health resource directly on their phone. A few keystrokes give consumers immediate access to
- Step-by-step first aid tips
- A Symptom Checker that provides self-care guidelines or advises emergency care for more than 45 common symptoms in adults and children
- More than 100 short health news videos
- Timely health alerts and drug watches.
In addition, subscribers may enter their city or zip code to search for nearby emergency and urgent care facilities from a list of over 3,800 accredited providers. If the cell phone has global positioning system (GPS) capability, it automatically finds the nearest accredited facility without typing the city or zip code. The care center’s information is displayed in list format and shows the facility’s name, address and estimated distance.
“When you’re away from home and need medical attention, having a list of accredited nearby emergency rooms and urgent care facilities will help in those not-quite-911 situations,” said Burfeind. “The Emergency Room Finder even lets you call the hospital with a single keystroke.”
Content for the Mayo Clinic InTouch program primarily comes from MayoClinic.com and Mayo Clinic’s Medical Edge syndicated news products. Customers can subscribe to the Mayo Clinic InTouch program for $2.99 per month. A list of wireless carriers and phones supported is available at www.digitalcyclone.com/mayo.
The relationship between Garmin’s Digital Cyclone, producers of the world’s first real-time mobile wireless weather information, and Mayo Clinic is based on a shared commitment to providing critical information for preventive health and safety measures.
Founded in 1998, Digital Cyclone is an innovator of wireless applications for mobile devices. Products include My-Cast® for consumer, Pilot My-CastTM for aviation, and ESPN Fishin’ Forecast for anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. In January 2007, Digital Cyclone was acquired by Garmin Ltd.
Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group medical practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy of “the needs of the patient come first.” More than 2,500 physicians and scientists and 42,000 allied health staff work at Mayo Clinic, which has sites in Rochester, Minn., Jacksonville, Fla., and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz. Collectively, the three locations treat more than half a million people each year.
Mayo Clinic provides health and medical information to the general public through its Medical Edge syndicated news offerings for television, radio and newspapers. MayoClinic.com is an award-winning health information site that attracts over seven million visitors per month. Produced by a team of Web professionals and medical experts working side by side, MayoClinic.com gives users access to the experience and knowledge of Mayo Clinic’s physicians and scientists. All revenue from content licensing supports medical education and research programs at Mayo Clinic.
About Garmin International Inc.
Through its operating subsidiaries, Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq:GRMN) designs, manufacturers, markets, and sells navigation, communication and information devices and applications - most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin is a leader in the consumer and general aviation GPS markets and its products serve aviation, marine, outdoor recreation, automotive, wireless and OEM applications. In addition to the mobile location based weather information and wireless health information offered by Digital Cyclone, Garmin International offers leading solutions in the location based services market such as Garmin MobileTM providing turn-by-turn utility to mobile phone users and the Garmin LBS ToolkitTM for third party wireless application developers. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin, Digital Cyclone and My-Cast are registered trademarks, and Garmin Mobile, Garmin LBS Toolkit and Pilot My-Cast are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
Notice on forward-looking statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. All statements regarding the company’s and its subsidiaries’ future product introductions and expected product availability dates are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and
unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of Garmin’s Form 10-K can be downloaded at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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