Pharos: Early GPS Pioneers and Their Traveler Navigation Devices

Pharos was an early maker of handheld GPS devices and navigation software, known for the Traveler series, Ostia navigation app, and Smart Traffic add-on for Windows Mobile. These products offered street maps, point-of-interest databases, spoken directions and traffic overlays. Since the Windows Mobile era, navigation has largely migrated to modern smartphone platforms; legacy devices may no longer receive map or traffic updates and should be checked for current vendor support.

A lighthouse name and an early GPS focus

Pharos takes its name from the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria and was inspired by decades of direction-finding technology. In the 2000s the company produced handheld navigators and location software that brought GPS navigation into neighbourhood electronics stores and onto early smart devices.

> Note: some company details and product availability now require verification; see Verification To-Dos at the end.

What Pharos built

Pharos developed hardware and software aimed at mobile navigation. Their product lineup from that era included:

Traveler GPS 505 and 525

The Traveler series were compact, pocketable GPS navigators intended for in-car and on-foot routing. Devices like the 505 and the 525 combined a GPS receiver with street maps, point-of-interest databases (hotels, restaurants, banks), and both visual and voice-prompted directions. The 525 was often highlighted as a travel companion with bundled mapping software and preloaded city maps .

Ostia turn-by-turn software

Ostia was the navigation application Pharos offered for PocketPC and Windows Mobile devices. It provided street-level maps of the United States, point-to-point routing and spoken directions - features now standard in modern mobile map apps ¹.

Smart Traffic for Windows Mobile

Smart Traffic was an add-on aimed at drivers: it could display color-coded traffic conditions and accept real-time speed or incident feeds, reportedly using regional highway sensor and Department of Transportation (DoT) data where available ². It was designed for Windows Mobile smartphones, a platform that has since been discontinued in favor of iOS and Android.

The landscape has changed

Handheld GPS units and Windows Mobile-era navigation software were important steps in mobile mapping, but the market shifted. Today, most people use iOS and Android apps (Google Maps, Apple Maps, third-party navigation apps) or integrated car infotainment systems. Many older devices and platforms have reached end of life, and some vendor services or map servers have been retired ³.

If you still have a Pharos device

Legacy units can still work for basic GPS reception, but map and traffic services may no longer update unless the vendor maintains servers. If you rely on up-to-date routing or traffic, consider a modern smartphone app or check whether Pharos (or a successor) still provides updated maps and support ⁴.

Verification To-Dos

• Confirm founding year and corporate status of Pharos Science and Applications Incorporated (1998 claim).

• Verify product model details and feature lists for Traveler 505 and 525.

• Confirm existence and capabilities of Ostia software and Smart Traffic offerings, and which platforms they supported.

• Check whether Pharos Smart Maps server or map/traffic services remain active today.

1. Confirm founding year and current corporate status of Pharos Science and Applications Incorporated (1998 claim).
2. Verify product model details, specifications and packaging for Traveler GPS 505 and 525.
3. Confirm features, platform support and distribution details for Ostia navigation software.
4. Confirm the existence, data sources and capabilities of Smart Traffic, including DoT data usage.
5. Check current status of Pharos Smart Maps server and whether map/traffic services remain available.