Teletype Corporation

TeleType Co., Inc. is a privately held American technology company focused on navigation software, GPS hardware, vehicle tracking, digital mapping tools, and related consulting and development services. The company was established in 1981 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as TeleTypesetting Company Inc. by Edward Friedman and Marleen Winer. Its early business connected personal computers with professional phototypesetting equipment, helping publishing users prepare, check, and transmit documents before committing them to expensive photographic typesetting media. The company’s early products included the MicroSetter package, which combined hardware interfaces, cables, conversion software, and connectivity software for computers such as the Apple II and IBM-compatible systems. MicroSetter supported desktop-publishing applications including PageMaker, Microsoft Word, MacWrite, MacDraw, and Ready, Set, Go!. TeleType later developed T-Script, a PostScript interpreter and raster-image-processing product that enabled economical non-PostScript printers to reproduce output from desktop-publishing applications. TeleType subsequently expanded into interactive digital publications and personal-computing applications. Its Books that Remember initiative included software for Apple Newton personal digital assistants, including Digital Gourmet, a cooking application that used HyperCard and calculated nutritional information from recipe ingredients. The company later released Digital Gourmet as freeware, illustrating its transition from publishing-oriented software toward mobile and embedded applications. Navigation became TeleType’s principal area of activity. Drawing on its work with handheld computers, the company developed aviation-navigation software for Apple Newton devices, allowing pilots to plan flights and avoid restricted areas. It later added street maps so that users could switch between aviation and road-navigation modes. In 1998, TeleType began marketing GPS navigation software for Windows CE handhelds, Pocket PCs, and personal computers running Windows 95 or Windows NT. A pilot-oriented product introduced in 1999 added aviation information such as runway details and radio frequencies. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, TeleType incorporated digital map data obtained through relationships with Geographic Data Technologies and, later, mapping suppliers associated with Tele Atlas. The company also developed solutions spanning land, air, and water navigation. Its PocketTracker system, introduced in 2001, combined navigation and vehicle tracking on Windows CE-based handheld devices and used CDPD wireless data technology for near-real-time location monitoring. From 2000 through 2007, TeleType introduced a series of portable navigation devices for road users. In 2008, it entered a more specialized commercial-vehicle segment with WorldNav Truck GPS. These systems used vehicle dimensions and commercial restrictions, including bridge clearances, weight limits, one-way roads, and hazardous-material restrictions, to calculate routes. The product line expanded across several screen sizes and was aimed at truck and bus operators rather than general consumers. TeleType’s current and later offerings have included WorldNav software for Windows and Windows CE, commercial and consumer GPS devices, aviation and marine navigation versions, GPS receivers, vehicle trackers, map-conversion tools, a software development kit, and an application programming interface. In 2012, the company introduced SmartTruckRoute for Android and iOS, extending its commercial-driver navigation proposition to smartphones. TeleType also provides customization, map-format conversion, source-code adaptation, and consulting services for organizations building specialized navigation or dispatch systems.

TeleType Co. was founded in 1981 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as TeleTypesetting Company Inc. by Edward Friedman and Marleen Winer. The founders initially worked in phototypesetting, an industry in which documents were prepared photographically for high-quality printing. Their early business addressed the gap between emerging personal computers and specialized phototypesetting machines. TeleType developed interfaces connecting computers such as the Apple II and IBM-compatible systems with equipment from manufacturers including Compugraphic and Varityper. The MicroSetter product family combined a computer interface, cables, conversion software, and connectivity software. It allowed users to prepare documents in desktop-publishing applications and check them on a computer or ordinary printer before sending the final work to costly phototypesetting equipment. Supported applications included PageMaker, Microsoft Word, MacWrite, MacDraw, and Ready, Set, Go!. This workflow reduced correction costs and made personal computers useful in professional typesetting environments. TeleType’s publishing technology evolved into T-Script, a PostScript interpreter and raster-image-processing product. T-Script translated output from PostScript-oriented software into a form usable by less expensive non-PostScript printers. The product reflected the company’s broader emphasis on software interfaces that allowed different hardware and application environments to work together. The company later moved into digital books and interactive personal-computer applications. Under the Books that Remember initiative, TeleType created software for personal digital assistants, including Apple’s Newton platform. Digital Gourmet was an interactive cooking application developed with HyperCard. It could calculate nutritional values from recipe ingredients and was aimed in part at professional chefs. Since 2003, Digital Gourmet has been available to the community as freeware. TeleType then applied its handheld-computing experience to navigation. Its first GPS-oriented work focused on aviation, using Apple Newton devices to help pilots create flight plans and avoid restricted areas. The company subsequently added street maps, enabling a device to be used for both flying and driving. In 1998, it began marketing navigation software for Windows CE handheld computers, Pocket PCs, and desktop computers running Windows 95 or Windows NT. A 1999 aviation release added operational information such as runway details and radio frequencies. Map-data relationships were central to the expansion of the navigation business. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, TeleType worked with Geographic Data Technologies, whose mapping business was later acquired by Tele Atlas. This enabled TeleType to incorporate street-level coverage for the United States, Canada, and a number of European countries into solutions for Apple Newton, Windows, and Windows CE systems. The company later identified Navteq as a mapping partner for the United States, Canada, and Mexico. TeleType expanded beyond single-purpose navigation by developing products that combined land, air, and water modes. It also entered vehicle tracking with PocketTracker, introduced in 2001. Running on Windows CE handheld devices and using CDPD wireless data, PocketTracker combined navigation with location monitoring and allowed the positions of equipped devices to be tracked over a communications network. Between 2000 and 2007, the company introduced multiple portable navigation devices for road users. In 2008, it concentrated more directly on professional transportation with WorldNav Truck GPS. The line was designed for truck and bus operators and used commercial restrictions, including bridge clearances, load limits, one-way roads, and hazardous-material rules, when calculating routes. It began with a 3.5-inch touchscreen device and later expanded to larger 5-inch and 7-inch formats. A visual treatment for restricted roads and support for vehicle dimensions were important differentiators of the offering. TeleType’s navigation portfolio has included consumer and commercial devices, aviation and marine software, GPS receivers, tracking units, and software for Windows and Windows CE. The WorldNav platform has also been offered through an SDK, API, and map-development tools. These tools allow organizations to create, inspect, and distribute routes, integrate navigation functions into specialized applications, and convert third-party mapping data into TeleType’s proprietary TTM format. The company has described its software as suitable for applications such as automated taxi dispatch. In 2012, TeleType introduced SmartTruckRoute for Android and iOS, extending its commercial-driver products beyond dedicated Windows CE hardware. The company’s business has therefore evolved from phototypesetting interfaces to digital publications, embedded computing, GPS navigation, tracking, and customizable mapping services. It remains a privately held United States company based in Boston, Massachusetts.

• 2012

  SmartTruckRoute launches on Android and iOS

  [1]TeleType Co.en.wikipedia.org

  TeleType brought truck-specific navigation to smartphone users through the SmartTruckRoute application.

• 2008

  WorldNav Truck GPS is launched

  [1]TeleType Co.en.wikipedia.org

  TeleType introduced a commercial-vehicle navigation line that accounted for truck dimensions and transportation restrictions.

• 2003

  Digital Gourmet becomes freeware

  [1]TeleType Co.en.wikipedia.org

  TeleType released its interactive Digital Gourmet application for community use as freeware.

• 2001

  PocketTracker is introduced

  [1]TeleType Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The company launched a Windows CE-based navigation and vehicle-tracking solution using CDPD wireless communications.

• 1999

  Pilot-focused navigation product is launched

  [1]TeleType Co.en.wikipedia.org

  TeleType introduced aviation-navigation software with runway information and radio-frequency data.

• 1998

  Windows CE GPS navigation software enters the market

  [1]TeleType Co.en.wikipedia.org

  TeleType began marketing GPS navigation software for Windows CE handhelds, Pocket PCs, and compatible desktop Windows systems.

• 1981

  TeleTypesetting Company is founded

  [1]TeleType Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Edward Friedman and Marleen Winer founded TeleTypesetting Company Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan, initially focusing on interfaces between personal computers and phototypesetting equipment.

A specialized navigation-technology provider serving commercial drivers, general vehicle users, pilots, mariners, and organizations requiring customizable GPS software, mapping, tracking, or embedded-navigation capabilities.

• Phototypesetting interface

  MicroSetter

  A hardware-and-software package that connected personal computers to professional phototypesetting machines. It included interface equipment, cables, conversion software, and connectivity tools, allowing users to prepare and proof documents with desktop-publishing applications before transferring them to photographic typesetting systems.

• PostScript interpreter and raster image processor

  T-Script

  Software that converted output from PostScript-based desktop-publishing applications into a form suitable for less expensive non-PostScript printers. It extended TeleType’s early role as an interoperability provider between computer software and printing hardware.

• Digital book and personal digital assistant application

  Digital Gourmet

  An interactive cooking application created for Apple Newton devices using HyperCard. It was designed for recipe use and could calculate nutritional values based on ingredients. The application was later made available as freeware.

• GPS navigation software

  WorldNav

  TeleType’s navigation software platform for personal computers, Windows CE devices, and related hardware. Depending on the edition, it supports road, aviation, or marine navigation, map and point-of-interest searches, route planning, and integration with specialized GPS devices.

• Commercial-vehicle navigation system · 2008

  WorldNav Truck GPS

  A line of truck and bus navigation devices using WorldNav software. The systems are designed to consider vehicle dimensions and commercial restrictions such as bridge heights, load limits, one-way roads, and hazardous-material rules. The line included multiple screen sizes and a large professional-driver-oriented point-of-interest database.

• GPS tracking and navigation system · 2001

  PocketTracker

  A Windows CE-based solution that combined navigation with vehicle-location tracking. It used CDPD wireless data technology to transmit device positions, supporting near-real-time monitoring of equipped vehicles or handheld units.

• Mobile navigation application · 2012

  SmartTruckRoute

  A commercial-driver navigation application for Android and iOS. It extends TeleType’s truck-routing proposition to smartphones, providing routing intended to reflect commercial-vehicle constraints and driver needs.

• Developer tools

  WorldNav SDK and API

  Development tools that allow organizations to embed or customize WorldNav functions. Available capabilities include creating and analyzing routes, sending routes to supported devices, and integrating navigation into specialized software such as dispatch systems.

• Mapping software

  TeleType map-conversion tools

  Tools for converting third-party digital mapping information into TeleType’s proprietary TTM format for use in its navigation software and devices.

• 2012

  Extend truck navigation to mobile operating systemsProduct launch

  Background

  Smartphones and mobile application platforms provided an alternative to dedicated Windows CE navigation hardware.

  Action taken

  TeleType introduced SmartTruckRoute for Android and iOS commercial-driver navigation.

  Aftermath

  The launch broadened access to TeleType’s truck-routing services beyond dedicated GPS units.

  Source

• 2008

  Focus on commercial-driver navigationStrategy

  Background

  TeleType expanded its navigation business beyond general-purpose portable GPS devices into professional trucking and bus transportation.

  Action taken

  The company launched WorldNav Truck GPS, incorporating vehicle dimensions and commercial restrictions into route calculation.

  Aftermath

  The product line became a central expression of TeleType’s specialized navigation positioning and later provided the basis for smartphone-oriented SmartTruckRoute.

  Source

1. 1TeleType Co.en.wikipedia.org
2. 2TeleType official websiteteletype.com