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Struggling under a mountain of debt European navigation company TomTom has turned to the Simpsons in an effort to add celebrity status to their devices.
TomTom has teamed up with Locutio Voice Technologies and Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising to bring the original voice of Homer Simpson to all TomTom devices via a $15 download.
The move comes as shares in the Dutch navigation device maker crashed on the Amsterdam stock after they were forced to raise $768 million in an effort to stay afloat.
The company has said that the capital raising will be enough to get them through the downturn. Another big issue looming for the Company is a move by transport regulators to ban portable devices in vehicles.
Currently in Australia, several State Governments and the Federal Government are investigating the use of portable devices such as mobile phones, navigation devices, iPod attach devices and new digital radio devices inside motor vehicles.
Several safety experts including three roadside assistance organisations have said the use of such devices in vehicles distracts consumers.
Despite the capital raising, TomTom will be left with debt close to $2Billion analysts claim “We have evaluated a number of options over the last months. This was the right structure and also the right timing to do a rights issue,” Chief Executive Harold Goddijn told reporters this week.
TomTom’s problems emerged when they took on a lot of debt to buy Dutch digital map maker Tele Atlas for 2.9 billion euros last year after a bidding war with U.S. rival Garmin Ltd.
Starting today, TomTom users can go to www.tomtom.com/simpsons and download the voice for $17.95″ TomTom said in a press release.
