Viper Smart Start GPS Available NOW!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011 -- Vista, California – Directed Electronics, maker of the award-winning Viper SmartStart, is pleased to announce the immediate availability of Viper SmartStart GPS , announced at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show.

According to Kevin Duffy, President of Directed Electronics, “Viper SmartStart enables you to start your car from virtually anywhere with your smartphone. With Viper SmartStart GPS, we've added a host of great new features previously unavailable in any single app. For families with younger drivers, Viper SmartStart GPS now offers the ability to monitor their safety and security with unprecedented ease and affordability, while enjoying fun and interactive features such as one-touch Facebook integration.”

Available starting today at thousands of authorized Viper retailers in the U.S. and Canada, Viper SmartStart GPS (model number VSM250) has a suggested retail price of $299.99 and is compatible with virtually all vehicle security and remote start systems from Directed Electronics, including Viper, Clifford, Python and Avital.

Viper SmartStart GPS can be installed as a stand-alone system, allowing users to enjoy the following location based features on their smartphone using the Viper SmartStart app:



VEHICLE LOCATOR : Press a button on your smartphone and receive vehicle's current location, speed and direction



SOCIAL CHECK-IN : Text or e-mail your car's location with one-touch, or check-in to update your social network



SPEED ALERT : Request a notification when a family vehicle exceeds your specified setting



LOCKDOWN ALERT : Receive a notification if your vehicle is moved without your OK



All four of the above features are included in the SmartStart GPS Secure Service Plan starting at just $5 a month. Other features can be accessed with the Premium Secure Service Plan, starting at under $6 a month, including:



SMART FENCE: Creates a secure zone around your vehicle so you'll be alerted if your vehicle leaves the zone



HOTSPOT : Adds a virtual Do Not Enter zone around a location so you'll be alerted if your vehicle goes there



SCHEDULING : Schedule time frames and curfews for notifications



In the attached video, a HotSpot alert allows the mom to be notified automatically when her daughter arrives home from school. I ntegrating Viper SmartStart GPS with a compatible Viper security or remote start system enables the complete Viper SmartStart feature set depending on system features and installation, allowing users to:

Start their engine to control their cabin temperature

Lock and unlock their doors from anywhere

Pop the trunk

Control the horn or siren as a panic alert or car finder

Receive security alerts pushed to their smartphone

Users will also be able to take advantage of the useful SmartPark feature, which remembers where the car is parked each time the user locks the car using their smartphone, as well as Viper Motor Club roadside assistance, which is available at no additional charge with all Secure Service Plans.

In addition to Viper SmartStart GPS, a major update to the free Viper SmartStart app now allows users to arm and disarm their home security system using their smartphone. A quick flip of the wrist toggles between the car control and home control screens in the Viper SmartStart app. To enable smartphone control of an Alarm.com-enabled home security system, please visit www.alarm.com to find an authorized dealer.

Viper SmartStart is currently available on the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android platforms. Viper SmartStart GPS is available initially for iOS devices as an update (v2.2) to the Viper SmartStart app at the iTunes App Store ( http://itunes.apple.com/app/viper-smartstart/id333400981?mt=8 ) and at www.viper.com/smartstart . Viper SmartStart GPS will be available soon for Android smartphones. Store locator to find a local retailer is online at www.viper.com



Super Bowl Commercial Parody Stars Viper Smart Start

Directed Reveals 100% Pure Viper, Shopatron

Directed Electronics is launching a new program called “100% Pure Viper” on February 1 to crack down on Internet discounting of its Viper remote starters.

The company also aligned with Shopatron to help its authorized retailers get a bigger share of Internet sales.

In a memo to retailers last week, Viper introduced both programs.

Under 100% Pure Viper, the company launched a “whistle blower hotline,”—which is really an email address (viperhotline@directed.com) dealers may contact to report an illegal online auction or a transshipper.

Directed is also now tracking serial numbers of Viper products. It will not warranty any products sold uninstalled or stocked by an unauthorized dealer.

In the past few months, the company took legal action against multiple retailers in violation of transshipping policies, and it is shutting down thousands of illegal online product auctions a month, it said.

But since the Internet is where much of the business now takes place, the company also instituted a new program with Shopatron that starts mid-February.

“The Internet is not going away, and over 80 % of consumers first shop at the manufacturer’s site before searching for the product online. We want to capture these consumers…” it told retailers. So using Shopatron software it will let consumers buy from its Web site but the product must be shipped to a local Viper dealer where it may be picked up by the consumer. (Product will NOT be shipped directly to the consumer. And Directed won’t warranty it unless the dealer installs it).

Directed said in the memo, “We have set up extensive criteria for Viper dealers to become part of this program, and we are only allowing retailers to join that meet these criteria…”

President of Directed Electronics Kevin Duffy confirmed the memo and said that visits to Viper’s Web site have increased 158% over the last 2 years. “We have been trying to find ways to convert the increased consumer traffic to our Web site into increased floor traffic for our specialist retailers. Shopatron will help make that handoff seamless.”

Duffy said to expect additional retail programs this year.

Earlier this month Shopatron announced that consumer electronics stores using its service saw same store online sales grow 83 percent year over year in Q4, including a 109% increase in December.

More than 15 CE brands including JL Audio use Shopatron.

One more note: Viper offers up to a $2,500 refund on your insurance deductible if your car is stolen in the first year after you buy a security system. Directed told retailers it will increase that guarantee to $5,000 if the consumer buys both a Viper security system and Viper Window Film in a combo package.

CES UPDATE - VIPER SMARTSTART APP THAT CONTROLS CAR & HOME

Directed Electronics today announced a major new enhancement to the free Viper SmartStart app: integration with the Alarm.com security platform, allowing users to arm and disarm their home security system directly from the Viper SmartStart app.

Available early in Q1 2011 for the iPhone, the free Viper SmartStart app will include feature integration with the industry leading Alarm.com GSM-based residential security platform – allowing users to quickly arm and disarm their Alarm.com-powered home security system right from the Viper SmartStart app on their smartphone. Now securing and accessing your car and your home just got easier. A quick flip of the wrist toggles between the Car and Home control screens in the Viper SmartStart app, giving users quick access to their most important security controls in a single app.

Integration with the Alarm.com service will be the latest free upgrade to the Viper SmartStart app. Directed Electronics recently released Viper Motor Club roadside assistance, as well as SmartPark (a free upgrade that allows users to find their parked car with the push of a button on their smartphone). Directed is making another major announcement at CES about Viper SmartStart – a new product called Viper SmartStart GPS, also available in the first quarter of 2011.

"Viper SmartStart is rewriting the rulebook for what an app can do," said Mike Simmons, Executive Vice President of Directed Electronics. "In the months ahead we will be expanding Viper SmartStart control into the home. We see a near future where smartphones replace the heavy bundles of keys and keyfobs in a pocket or purse, and Viper SmartStart will enable that new paradigm. But to get there, the user experience has to be really great – as quick and easy as using a key. We've designed Viper SmartStart to enable quick, one-touch access to the really important things people use their keys for everyday."

To enable smartphone control of an Alarm.com-enabled home security system, please visit www.alarm.com to find an authorized dealer. Current Viper SmartStart users will be able to simply update their app to get the new feature. New users can download the free Viper SmartStart app at the iTunes App Store, BlackBerry App World, the Android Market, and at www.viper.com/smartstart.

DIRECTED ELECTRONICS ANNOUNCES VIPER SMARTSTART GPS FOR Q1 RELEASE AT CES

Viper SmartStart GPS is the latest generation of Viper SmartStart 2.0 Module with GPS, and can be added to virtually any Viper security or remote start system. Viper SmartStart GPS has all the features of the current Viper SmartStart platform including the Viper Motor Club, SmartPark and compatibility with iPhone, BlackBerry and Android smartphones – but adds GPS capabilities that allow users to know where there vehicle is at all times.

"The benefits of Viper SmartStart GPS for the connected lifestyle are compelling. We've developed a completely new value proposition for location-aware products for the connected car. Never have customers been offered such great feature integration in such a great user interface at such an affordable price," said Kevin Duffy, President of Directed Electronics. "Not only can users connect with friends on social media, they are able to monitor the safety and security of young drivers in the family. Combined with other features like Viper Motor Club roadside assistance, Viper SmartStart GPS provides a whole new paradigm in family safety."

The new product offers the following state-of-the-art, location based features, all accessed and programmed through the Viper SmartStart smartphone app:

Users know where their vehicle is at all times. They can check the location and status of their vehicle right from a Viper SmartStart app at any time. They see real-time location on a map, as well as how fast the vehicle is moving and where it's going.

Social Media Check-in feature supports the connected lifestyle, allowing users to let Facebook friends know where they're parked with one-touch check-in and customizable messaging

Protecting family members with security and safety alerts:

•Speed Alert provides notification when a family vehicle exceeds the specified setting
•Lockdown Alert sets the vehicle location and provides notification if the vehicle leaves that spot
•Curfew feature restricts above settings to a specified time frame


All five of the above features are included in the SmartStart GPS Basic Service Plan. The SmartStart GPS Premium Service Plan includes all the features above, plus:

•SmartFence creates a secure zone around the vehicle, alerting users if the vehicle leaves that zone
•HotSpot creates an alert zone around a prohibited location, notifying the user if the vehicle goes there


The company projects availability of Viper SmartStart GPS (model number VSM250) in Q1 2011 at authorized Viper retailers throughout the U.S.
Suggested Retail Price is $299.

Directed Releases New SmartPark Feature in Free Viper SmartStart App

Wednesday, December 22, 2010 -- Directed Electronics has announced the availability of a new feature on its Viper SmartStart that allows users to pinpoint where they parked a vehicle. The feature, SmartPark, notes a vehicle’s location every time the user presses the door lock button in the Viper SmartStart app.

To return to the stored location, a user can press the “Find My Car” button in the app to retrieve the location, accessing any additional accompanying photo or note reminder that the user may have stored. SmartPark shows a map with walking directions back to the car’s location.

“Using Viper SmartStart to control your vehicle with your smartphone has been a game changer,” said Kevin Duffy, president of Directed Electronics, “And the feature set continues to expand. When we launched Viper Motor Club roadside assistance recently, we promised exciting new features to follow – and SmartPark is the first of many. It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s also useful. If you forget where you parked, SmartPark has the smarts to find your car.”

“Users can also find their car using a great augmented reality feature we call SnakeEyes,” said Duffy. “You just hold up your phone and a virtual view of your car keeps you pointed in the right direction.” Viper SmartStart users can update the app to get the new SmartPark feature. New users can download the free Viper SmartStart app with SmartPark at the iTunes App Store, BlackBerry App World, the Android Market, and at www.viper.com/smartstart.

Directed Electronics is also inviting users to enter the free “10 Day Viper SmartStart iPad Sweepstakes” for the chance to win a free iPad. New users can download the free app, click on “How To Buy” in the app and enter an e-mail addresss to register. Current users can enter the sweepstakes via the “Find a Dealer” button. Official rules are in the app and no purchase is necessary, according to Directed.

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DIRECTED ELECTRONICS SOFT LAUNCHES VIPER TINT AT SEMA

2010 SEMA Show Las Vegas, Nevada

Directed Electronics unveiled Viper Window Film to a select few, by invitation only,
VIP customers at an off site location at this year's SEMA show in Las Vegas. The clandestine and relaxed atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of the convention center was the perfect setting to sit with key dealers and present Viper Window Film and get one on one feedback. This strategic collaborating with key partners is what keeps Directed dialed in to the street.

It’s a category we’ve been looking at for a long time…a large percentage of our existing distribution does window tinting,” said Directed Electronics president Kevin Duffy.

The aim is to bring the clout of the Viper brand to window tinting, especially now that Viper has received over 600 million impressions from the release of the Viper SmartStart that can remote start your car from a smartphone.

“What we’re trying to bring to the market is the branding to drive demand, and the training and merchandising that we think will increase the size of the market,” added Duffy. Directed is also seeking to become more important to car electronics specialists, many of whom offer window tinting as a side business


Directed's vision is to offer brand consistency with Viper Security Film, protecting you and your vehicle from the sun's harsh rays and detering window breakage. The high quality American made window tint is in line with the award winning Viper brand that Directed has become recognized for. At this year's SEMA show Directed Electronics was recognized by mobile electronics retailers across the country as the Manufacturer of the Year at Mobile Electronics magazine’s 2010 Dealers’ Choice Awards. Directed also earned awards for Best Technical Support, Best Customer Service, and Best Warranty Programs.

Directed will use its brand recognition, ability to drive deman and reputation for excellence to a niche with few recognized brands and virtually none recognized outside of industry personnel.

Directed Electronic's world class tech support team put us in the unique position. The Snake Pit team trains 5000 technicians across the country annually, Directed will leverage that resource to train and support their partners in the window film business.



Viper Ultra Film
Offers comfort and elegance in a variety of shades. Significantly reduce the temperatures in the vehicle by blocking over 44% of the sun's heat. Viper Ultra films are the richest black and the truest grey to match the look of your vehicle.

Viper Security Film
While car theft has been on the decline, content theft from vehicles is on the rise. Gain peace of mind while enhancing the look of your vehicle and keeping it cool. Viper Security films deter thieves from breaking your window and taking valuable personal contents

Viper Ceramic Film
Is the ultimate in heat rejection, blocking more thatn 99% of the UV rays and over 80% of the infrared heat protecting you, your passengers, and prolonging the life of the interior of your car.

The Viper Tint line is non-metallic so it won’t interfere with an RF remote, or remote start or Bluetooth system
Look for more details and a hard launch at CES in January.