Alltel Wireless customers going over the river and through the woods can now find their way using their handset.

Outdoor enthusiasts can now take full advantage of advanced GPS features directly on their GPS-capable phones with the Trimble Outdoors application from Alltel Wireless. The Trimble Outdoors application turns a wide range of Alltel GPS-enabled handsets into an off-road navigation and journaling tool for hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, hunting and other outdoor activities.

"Alltel's LBS strategy is to utilize LBS functionality to provide a multitude of solutions -- navigation, fleet tracking, family locator as well as personal recreation," said Alan Turner, senior analyst of data and voice solutions for Alltel, Little Rock, AR.

"Trimble Outdoors offers a unique offering that appeals to the avid outdoor enthusiast, a growing market," he said. "With the Trimble Outdoors app, outdoor enthusiasts can use their mobile device when hiking, camping or enjoying any 'off-the-beaten-path' activity removing the reliance on bulky and expensive GPS equipment."

The Trimble Outdoors application is available to Alltel customers for $39.99 per year, $5.99 per month or $1.99 per day.

The application lets customers review and plan trips online. It also enhances user safety and navigation by sending trekking routes, maps and waypoints wirelessly to the phone for use as a guide during trips.

Customers can track their current and previous routes with a GPS "bread crumb trail," mark and edit waypoints during their journey and use a built-in digital compass to display coordinates, speed and heading.

Maps generated by Trimble Outdoors can be accessed in topographic, street and aerial views.

Trimble Outdoors also captures photos, audio and video, which allows for GPS-tagged online journaling at http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com or for sharing recreational pursuits with other outdoors enthusiasts.

Additionally, users can browse an online library of professional and user-generated trekking tips and customize trips done by others.

The application is compatible with the Motorola V3A, V3C, V3M, V9M and K1M, the Samsung Muse, LG AX656 and AX8600, the BlackBerry Curve 8330 and the BlackBerry Pearl 8110.

The application can be downloaded from the Navigation folder of the phone's Alltel/Axcess Shop or by visiting http://www.alltel.com.

Alltel has nearly 14 million customers, making it the No. 5 carrier in the U.S. It is being absorbed within Verizon Wireless.

Trimble claims it applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government more productive.

The company focuses on applications requiring position or location, including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping.

In addition to using positioning technologies such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the consumer.

Trimble uses wireless technologies to reach consumers and ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office.

Trimble has other partnerships in the mobile space, including deals with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Research In Motion and Nokia.

"Alltel is supporting the Trimble Outdoors launch with an aggressive public relations campaign that is targeting camping, outdoor, hiking and hunting media, in addition to media that cover innovations in GPS services and the wireless industry," Mr. Turner said.