Google Leads Microsoft, Nokia in Location Based Services Development, New Evans Data Survey Shows

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Refer to a friend © Business Wire 2005
2007-10-30 17:44:55 -
www.evansdata.com - Google is the first choice among wireless developers for developing location-enhanced applications, according to a newly released survey of professional developers working on applications for mobile devices. The survey, which was conducted worldwide in September, showed that 38.4 percent of developers preferred using Google technologies for location based development. The closest competitors were Microsoft followed
by Nokia. "Google, the premier online internet company, has intensified its focus on the mobile market over the last year, introducing and enhancing a number of new services and applications specifically designed for the small screen to include LBS," said John Andrews, President and CEO of Evans Data Corporation. "Given that there will be approximately three billion mobile phone subscribers by end of 2007, Google sees tremendous potential in further extending their presence with content aimed squarely at this market." Use of location-based services is strongest in the Asia Pacific region, where over half of wireless developers are currently incorporating location-based services in their development. North American developers were the second most likely to be developing location aware applications where 47 percent were doing so. The most common use of location-based services in development involves individual tracking, followed by vehicle tracking. Other findings from the in-depth survey of almost 400 wireless developers worldwide include: -- Almost two-thirds (60.5%) of wireless developers plan to be using open source or Linux-specific tools to build applications for mobile devices in the next year. -- Application runtime environment is the first consideration when choosing a wireless target platform for 44% of wireless developers - almost three times as many as first consider any other factor - including device, operating system, computer language, etc. -- Java ME is the leading wireless runtime environment. About Evans Data Corporation Evans Data Corporation (www.evansdata.com) provides regularly updated IT industry market intelligence based on in-depth surveys of the global developer population. Evans' syndicated research includes surveys focused on developers in a wide variety of subjects. Copyright 2007 Evans Data Corporation. All other company names, products and services mentioned in this document are the trademarks and property of their respective owners. Evans Data CorporationElsamarie Corradetti, 831-316-0072

TruePosition Finds Favourite Location Based Services for Mobile Subscribers

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Berwyn, PA, October 29, 2007 - TruePosition, Inc., a leading provider of wireless location technologies and solutions and a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, today announced the findings of a significant research study undertaken with IDC. One key outcome revealed that, on average, a staggering 70% of consumers are receptive to advertisement-sponsored local search services, which could prove to be a significant new source of revenue for mobile operators."Location based services have been met with extreme cynicism in Europe over the last few years. They have promised much and delivered little. But these research findings clearly demonstrate that we are now experiencing something of an LBS renaissance," said Robert Morrison, Senior Vice President of Market and Business Development. "The technology, handsets and high bandwidth networks now exist to deliver the accuracy to ensure the best possible user experience. This will pave the way for LBS to deliver the revenues they have always promised and drive demand for the innovative services highlighted in our study."Some of the highlights include:Mobile Local SearchMobile local search looks set to be the LBS low hanging fruit for the mobile operator community, but only if they can agree a free advertising based business model. 80% of Spanish, 60% of UK and 70% of US respondents would be likely to consider subscribing to mobile local search services, but only if they are free. Only 40% Spanish, 25% UK and 25% US would consider paying for them.Social NetworkingSecurity looks to be a key factor in determining whether location-enabled mobile social networking will take off. Consumers are unlikely to subscribe to these types of services unless service accessibility can be limited to authorized users and a process is in place to keep out strangers.Family MonitoringAnxious parents seeking peace of mind look to be an important market for LBS as 45% of respondents admitted to being likely to subscribe to child locator services in the next 12 months.Overall, consumers revealed that they were extremely receptive to location based services, providing they perform at the optimum levels - essentially working wherever and whenever their mobile phone worked. The majority of the respondents wanted the services to work in several different types of environments (outdoors, indoors and in vehicles), desired sub-50 meter accuracy, and required a sub-15 second response time.Enterprise ServicesFrom an enterprise perspective, LBS user preferences between the three geographies were remarkably similar. Workforce management and fleet tracking services were highlighted as the most prevalent uses of LBS by businesses. Respondents to the survey viewed productivity improvements (74%) and cost savings (68%) as the key benefits. Also, businesses ranked the safety and security of its workers as the most important feature, with ease of implementation coming in at a close second.Overall, the performance levels for enterprise services echoed the consumer findings with end-users consistently requesting premium performance in terms of accuracy, reliability and response times."The data TruePosition and IDC uncovered together is truly compelling," stated Scott Ellison, Vice President of Wireless and Mobile Communications at IDC. "As location based services continue to gain momentum, service providers will need to better understand their customers' requirements for these services. This research study certainly is at the forefront of that effort." "New regulatory pressure and increasing subscriber demand will continue to lay down the accuracy gauntlet for LBS. This study clearly indicates that our potential consumer and business customers will accept nothing short of a perfectly performing, accurate service," added Morrison. "This is a positive time to move forward with location services and ensure that hybrid location technology is deployed to guarantee the best possible results."The study asked consumers and enterprises in the United Kingdom, Spain and the United States exactly what they want and expect from the following location based services: Child Monitoring, Medical and Senior Citizen Monitoring, Pet Tracking, Navigation, Traffic, Stolen Vehicle Recovery, Social Networking, Local Search, Fleet Tracking, and Workforce Management.Additional findings and research methodology can be found in the IDC White Paper sponsored by TruePosition, "Opportunities for Location Based Services in Consumer and Enterprise Markets," Doc #209059, October 2007.About TruePositionTruePosition is dedicated to the development and implementation of advanced wireless location products, services and devices, providing complete solutions to support the wireless location needs of the global marketplace. In addition to providing industry leading core location technologies, TruePosition supports all levels of the wireless location value chain to offer turnkey solutions.TruePosition's foundation was built on the development of advanced location systems, which include handset, network and hybrid location solutions. Today, TruePosition can offer hybrid location systems that incorporate Cell ID, Enhanced Cell ID, Uplink Time Difference of Arrival, Angle of Arrival, and Assisted GPS to power the next generation of location-based services. TruePosition is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is attributed to its Liberty Capital Group (NASDAQ: LINTA, LINTB, LCAPA, LCAPB). For more information, visit www.trueposition.com

Nokia's Navteq acquisition bid shows value of map IP in GPS supply chain, says iSuppli
iSuppli - October 18, 2007
Holders of map Intellectual Property (IP) now occupy the most important position in the global GPS navigation supply chain, according to iSuppli. Navteq Corp. and Tele Atlas N.V., the two remaining major independent map IP suppliers with broad geographic coverage, are in the process of being acquired. With Nokia recently announcing a bid for Navteq, the combined TomTom/Tele Atlas may be an acquisition target for Microsoft or Google, reasons iSuppli.

iSuppli believes that Google has a greater motivation to buy TomTom/Tele Atlas than Microsoft due to its desire to offer mobile location-based services.
“Speculation has arisen that Microsoft is considering a purchase of Garmin,” said Richard Robinson, principal analyst, automotive electronics, for iSuppli. “iSuppli considers this to be less likely than Microsoft buying TomTom/Tele Atlas. This is because the key item in the supply chain is the map IP, rather than the navigation devices themselves.”
Nokia’s $8 billion bid to buy Navteq Corp. illustrates the critical position that the two independent holders of map IP with broad geographic coverage now occupy in the global navigation market -- and may presage even larger acquisitions in this area, iSuppli Corp. believes.
With Nokia’s purchase of Navteq, the world’s last remaining independent provider of detailed, comprehensive global map IP for GPS systems, the competitive structure of the navigation market has been altered fundamentally. Furthermore, with the deal also exposing the enormous supply-chain value wielded by map IP suppliers like Navteq, technology behemoths like Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc. soon may engage in similar acquisitions to maintain their position in this fast-growing market.
Navigation opportunity
The stakes in the navigation market are huge, with dozens of companies offering products including Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs), built-in automotive systems, and navigation-enabled smart phones. iSuppli estimates 40 companies now are offering GPS navigation capabilities in a range of products, from PNDs and embedded systems, to smart phones.
Worldwide PND shipments will rise to 50.4 million units in Calendar Year (CY) 2010, up from 12.7 million in CY 2006, iSuppli predicts.
Meanwhile, global shipments of GPS-enabled mobile handsets are expected to reach 250 million units by CY 2010, up from more than 70 million units in CY 2006.
Of the 40 companies offering products in this area, the market is dominated by the major PND makers, Garmin, TomTom and Mitac, which collectively account for 85 percent of worldwide shipments. But while there are many sellers of navigation products, there are only two independent providers of the map IP that is the sine qua non of such products: Navteq and Tele Atlas NV. Without map data from Navteq and Tele Atlas, there can be no navigation. Because of this, the two companies have carved out an indispensable niche in the global navigation market. The major PND OEMs are heavily dependent on these companies, with Garmin exclusively using Navteq map data, and TomTom and Mitac using only Tele Atlas.
Playing duopoly
The map IP companies didn’t always occupy the navigation market’s cat-bird’s seat.
Gathering map data is a painful, laborious process that is very expensive and time consuming. Because of this, map making was long considered to be the least sexy link in the navigation supply chain.
For many years, Navteq and Tele Atlas struggled in relative obscurity. Both companies labored to keep their levels of “cash burn” down, in the knowledge that the end device manufacturers would simply go to their competitor if the deal was not right. This squeezed margins at both companies to the very limit of profitability.
The duopoly of map suppliers ensured map IP costs remained low. However, as map formatting became standardized, the end device manufacturers -- particularly the PND makers -- began to realize that product differentiation was impossible if all their competitors essentially were displaying the same data. Device makers could create attractive map graphics and nice interfaces, but taken to the logical conclusion, standardization of maps means that pricing is the only bargaining chip left on the table for these companies over the long term.
This realization changed the status of the map IP companies from wallflowers to the belles of the ball.
Navigating to riches
The map IP companies gained further stature when it became clear how much they were valued by the market. The first sign of the map companies’ true valuation came earlier this year from PND manufacturer TomTom, which launched a bid to acquire Tele Atlas for around 2 billion euros. Why would TomTom make such a move when it previously had struck very favorable deals with both map companies -- and maps were never a huge cost item for the company anyway?
The reason is that the acquisition was a strategic move by TomTom to create differentiated products. By bringing the map creation and updating process in-house, TomTom will be able to more effectively manage its future products. Such products will be less about hardware and software and more about building a community of users for services that provide ongoing revenues.
Viewed in this light, TomTom’s acquisition of Tele Atlas was a shrewd move, iSuppli believes.
Re-charting the supply chain
The TomTom/Tele Atlas deal made Navteq the main map supplier for the rest of the navigation device makers. However, Nokia’s deal to buy Navteq for $8 billion eliminates the last independent map IP supplier.
Every participant in the navigation supply chain is affected by these events, from first-tier automotive electronics companies, to navigation systems makers, to vehicle OEMs, to PND companies, to search engine and software suppliers. Any company that owns the map data IP, which is effectively impossible to recreate, is not only able to control mapping data quality and freshness, but most critically -- price. Nokia and TomTom now are in control of this critical element that determines product differentiation and pricing for every player in the navigation market.
With their acquisitions, the major map suppliers may begin offering two tiers of service. While the two map providers will not be able to drastically increase map prices for other customers due to antitrust legislation, there is nothing to stop them from degrading the top-level data. It’s clear that the control of map IP could be very damaging to the supply chain over the long term, particularly to the expanding range of device manufacturers that will be forced to buy maps from their competitors, and then sell their products into the same vertical markets.
Market response
How will other companies in the navigation supply chain respond to the map IP power grab?
One possibility is a counter bid for Tele Atlas by TomTom competitor Garmin, which potentially stands to lose a great deal if both acquisitions go through.
Although Nokia’s Navteq acquisition has been approved by the board of directors of each company, it still must pass regulatory approvals and must be ratified by Navteq’s shareholders. The TomTom/Tele Atlas deal has been referred to the European Commission for approval.
A more intriguing possibility is an acquisition bid for the combined TomTom/Tele Atlas from the two heaviest hitters in high tech today: Microsoft and Google. By acquiring TomTom and Tele Atlas, Microsoft would be buying a top-selling consumer-electronics brand -- along with the key map IP.
Google needs maps to become a key provider of location-based services, particularly for mobile devices, making a TomTom/Tele Atlas acquisition highly desirable. iSuppli believes that Google has a greater motivation to buy TomTom/Tele Atlas than Microsoft. This is because of the obvious importance of moving from static to mobile location services.
With location-based systems, wireless service providers can use the position of a user’s phone to triangulate his position and send information related to his location -- such as location-based ads. This cannot be done without the capability to access maps and obtain refreshed data.
While Microsoft would also gain from the acquisition of map IP and the valuable TomTom consumer-electronics brand name, it has less of a stake than Google.
Speculation has arisen that Microsoft is considering a purchase of Garmin. iSuppli considers this to be less likely than Microsoft buying TomTom/Tele Atlas. This is because the key item in the supply chain is the map IP, rather than the navigation devices themselves.
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Where Are You Now? Design for the Location Revolution

By Jonathan Follett

Published: October 22, 2007

“Mobile devices offer the greatest opportunity for satisfying people’s wants and needs by providing context-specific, time-sensitive interactive experiences.”

Of all the digital information delivery systems people use, mobile devices offer the greatest opportunity for satisfying people’s wants and needs by providing context-specific, time-sensitive interactive experiences. But, in order to truly take advantage of this potential, experience designers need to transition from designing for a single, static space—the desktop—to imagining the broad possibilities of the geospatial Web. For digital products and services, the next dimension of user experience we should consider during design is location.

Changing Our Perspective on Mobile Design

“The mobile Web is poised to become the delivery mechanism for a new generation of location-aware applications.”

There’s no doubt that the mobile experience has the potential to be far more than just the desktop Web reformatted for a tiny screen and accessible on the go. But looking at many of the products that major wireless carriers in the United States are touting, you wouldn’t think so.

Much of the mobile industry is focusing on porting already existing digital content and services to the mobile environment, with a heavy emphasis on entertainment—for example, accessing Fantasy Football stats or viewing abbreviated video clips of network television’s latest and greatest shows. While it might be fun and convenient to check your favorite player’s stats while waiting in line or during a particularly boring business meeting, the experience is, at best, a pleasant distraction. There’s nothing wrong with these products—people will always enjoy entertaining content—but they do not take advantage of the power of the mobile Web as a medium.

The true power of the mobile Web lies not merely in providing remote access to data, but in letting users view contextual information relating to location and interact with that information. The mobile Web is poised to become the delivery mechanism for a new generation of location-aware applications.

Envisioning a User-Centered Virtual Geography

In a May 2005 article, “The Geospatial Web: A Call to Action,” Mike Liebhold, author and researcher at Institute for the Future, explains:

“...we can see the beginning shapes of a true geospatial Web, inhabited by spatially tagged hypermedia as well as digital map geodata. Google Maps is just one more layer among all the invisible cartographic attributes and user annotations on every centimeter of a place and attached to every physical thing, visible and useful, in context, on low-cost, easy-to-use mobile devices.”

When it comes to mobile user experience, location data is becoming the unique connector between the digital world and the physical one. Unchained from the desktop user experience, users can freely interact with their own and others’ virtual data in real spaces.

Where Are You Now?

“For users, the most important location is where they are now—making the dimension of location perhaps the most important design element to consider when creating new mobile user experiences.”

For users, the most important location is where they are now—making the dimension of location perhaps the most important design element to consider when creating new mobile user experiences. Location-based services have been percolating for years, but as Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, and other geospatial technologies become cheaper and more readily available, such services are working their way toward mainstream adoption. Location data has two intrinsic dimensions: absolute location and relative location.

Absolute Location

Identifying a user’s or an object’s absolute location—the physical presence of a person or object—is a key capability of location-based mobile services. It follows, then, that the most popular and advanced consumer-oriented, location-based services are mapping systems. Personal navigation systems for drivers—for example, TomTom—provide interactive maps and turn-by-turn audio directions for users to follow. Verizon Wireless offers a similar service, the VZ Navigator, which is available to drivers via their mobile phones. Similarly, many tracking services use absolute location data to monitor packages in transit or find stolen or missing possessions—like cars, laptops, and even pets.

However, products can use this type of location data for more than just navigation and tracking. Mobile product innovator Apple showed in its Calamari iPhone ad how a person hungry for calamari can easily find a nearby seafood restaurant, demonstrating that contextual data delivery based on absolute location provides a compellingly simple and desirable user experience. For the iPhone user, the difference between this experience and, say, looking up the restaurant via a wired connection in a hotel room is immediacy, spontaneity, and specificity—all of which increase the value of the interaction.

Relative Location

“Another useful dimension of location data is relative location—the relationship in physical space between two or more people, places, or objects.”

Another useful dimension of location data is relative location—the relationship in physical space between two or more people, places, or objects. Relative location data makes possible the first wave of mobile social networking applications—dodgeball, Loopt, and even the location plug-in for AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)—which inform users when friends or colleagues are in their vicinity. The value of this kind of communication is immediately apparent. I enjoy keeping up with friends and colleagues using LinkedIn or Facebook, but often wish I could have more personal interactions with people in my network rather than just relating in digital space.

Of course, such social networking services can very quickly come up against the question of privacy. Clearly, social networking applications must let users control their online presence information and thus prevent other users from locating them, if they want to remain out of contact. But the problem remains that no controls or settings can guarantee users’ anonymity once they start using such applications. Will location-based services make real privacy even more elusive? The answer is probably yes. But these examples represent only the beginnings of location-based services.

Location Data As a Design Element

Soon, UX designers must grapple with the problem of integrating location information into applications and bridge the physical and digital worlds.

Filtering

“Location can serve as a powerful filter for data—either delivering specific information or removing unnecessary options depending on location.”

Location can serve as a powerful filter for data—either delivering specific information or removing unnecessary options depending on location. Some enterprise-level business applications already take advantage of location-based contextual data. For instance, UPS drivers can access data relating to a specific delivery address, so if a condominium association requires a pass code for a security gate, that code can appear alongside other information when a driver views the next address for a package delivery. Similarly, SAP has developed a context-aware sales order-entry system that streamlines a customer’s selection of products based on location. I can imagine a construction company using site location as a filter for their collaboration software. When a project manager arrived at a job, the correct blueprints would already be queued up on his PDA.

Tagging

Even more powerfully, we can tag content using location data. In the article “A Design Approach for the Geospatial Web,” Julian Bleecker, head of the Mobile Media Lab at the University of Southern California, shares this vision:

“By tagging content and data with geographic metadata—effectively giving content a location in the real world—it is possible to imagine new metaphors to describe experiences in geographic space. We’ll stumble across lost pet notices on our way to work; freeway exit ramps will have indicators for a quicker route to the beach on city streets during a busy weekend; standing in front of a local theater will enable you to find movie reviews left by previous patrons. It’s incredibly exciting to think of the possibilities. Perhaps our metaphors for managing content will change as the geospatial Web grows in consequence. It may be that someday in the near future, we’ll be talking about leaving our files, rather than saving them.”

Conclusion

“The mobile experience has the potential to enable customers to bridge the online and offline worlds—allowing them to access pricing, reviews, and other valuable data while in a physical store examining a product.”

Consumers are already anticipating such user experiences. A recent television advertisement for Lowe’s, a chain of stores that markets home improvement products, features a man who, while shopping for an appliance, converses on his mobile phone with family members who are strategically located at competing retailers, while a Lowe’s salesperson patiently waits. The man’s question to his family: “How much does it cost there?” He is comparing pricing data in real time. While the point of the ad is that Lowe’s has the best price, the challenge, from a user experience perspective, is to figure out a way to provide the same data, without requiring family members to drive to different locations. Of course, Lowe’s might not like actually having their washing machines geotagged with competitors’ pricing information.

The power of online shopping, arguably, is customers’ ability to do product research and compare pricing at a variety of retailers. Conversely, with the bricks-and-mortar experience, customers benefit from actually being able to touch products, look them over closely, and assess their quality and craftsmanship. The mobile experience has the potential to enable customers to bridge the online and offline worlds—allowing them to access pricing, reviews, and other valuable data while in a physical store examining a product.

The mobile space is still the Wild West of interactive applications. A host of competing platforms, nascent standards, and carrier restrictions make the medium a challenging one for designers to work in. Balancing technical requirements with imaginative design possibilities is no easy task. But the potential and the need for location-aware services is seemingly boundless

Juniper Research Predicts Portable Navigation Revenues to Top 8bn Euros in Western Europe by 2012

Download this press release as an Adobe PDF document.

A new report from Juniper Research estimates that revenues from portable navigation solutions, including PNDs (Personal Navigation Devices) and software solutions for multiuser devices, will exceed 8.3 billion Euros in Western Europe by 2012. Hampshire, UK (PRWEB) October 23, 2007 -- A new report from Juniper Research estimates that revenues from portable navigation solutions, including PNDs (Personal Navigation Devices) and software solutions for multiuser devices, will exceed 8.3 billion Euros in Western Europe by 2012. PND sales in Europe are booming at the moment, but it can't last for ever. There are already signs of growing maturity in the earliest developed European markets, prices are continuing to fall and there is strong competition from original equipment in-vehicle navigation solutions and from software solutions for multipurpose devices, particularly mobile phones. PNDs have been one of the great consumer electronics success stories of the past two years, with product ranges from suppliers such as TomTom reporting revenue growth of 89% for financial year 2006. Revenues from PNDs are currently estimated to account for over 90% of the portable navigation market in Western Europe, with other navigation solutions losing market share in the face of the PND onslaught in recent years. Juniper Research believes this to be due to a number of reasons: Necessity - whilst few products are absolutely necessary, increasing congestion on European roads has brought products aimed at congestion avoidance to the fore. Affordability - GPS device prices have plummeted in recent years, as sales volumes have increased. TomTom, the market leader in europe, reports average selling price for PNDs as dropping from 464 Euros in 2004 to 270 Euros in 2006. Product capability - fuelled by increasing demand, product capability has improved over the last three years making hitherto top end features commonplace and shifting Sat Nav devices from "nice to have" to "must have" for many regular drivers. In Western Europe, Juniper Research expects the percentage of vehicles using PNDs to grow to 22% by 2012. Peer group pressure - the domino knock-on effect and the realisation that someone else has something which is really useful. This is a powerful purchase incentive. Convergence in consumer electronics product - progress towards the ubiquitous personal entertainment and communications device continues, as manufacturers produce devices capable of running a wide range of applications with increasingly acceptable performance in all areas. However, there are a number of threats to the future rate of PND market growth on the horizon and Juniper Research feels that the tide could turn again in the next two to three years. Report author, Bruce Gibson commented "PND sales in Europe are booming at the moment, but it can't last for ever. There are already signs of growing maturity in the earliest developed European markets, prices are continuing to fall and there is strong competition from original equipment in-vehicle navigation solutions and from software solutions for multipurpose devices, particularly mobile phones." For free whitepapers and further details of the new study 'Portable Navigation and Wireless Tracking: Western European Markets & Forecasts, 2007 - 2012" visit http://www.juniperresearch.com Alternatively contact John Levett at 44 (0)1256 830002. Juniper Research provides analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing analyst reports, consultancy and industry surveys. ###

On Google's Mobile Strategy

On Google's Mobile Strategy

A guest post by Chad Bam

Chad Bam is the founder and chief writer for Ga Ga Gooogle.com, a blog that discusses Google's strategy, stock trends and the latest Google news. Here is a summary of a three-part series titled: Google's Mobile Strategy (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).


Today Google is a pure money machine. The company has done a phenomenal job maximizing ad revenues. They also know they need to think, plan and executive for the long term. To remain a viable long-term powerhouse, Google will need more than just landline PC Internet search advertising. Which brings us to their long-term focus: Mobile.

Unplugging the PC / landline Internet. Mobility is where Google will create a greater fortune, and put a big hurting squeeze on it's competitors. As Eric Schmidt puts it:

"Mobile, mobile, mobile - it's probably the most wide open space out there right now."

We are on the cusp of a new revolution: the untethered Internet; the mobile Internet. I'm talking about going beyond a "cell phone." This revolution is just starting (the iPhone is a prime example), and Google's covering all their bases to be the key player and money maker.

Let's look at the wireless infrastructure and how Google will "own" it. All wireless companies (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint) own spectrum. It's the air waves that all cell phone calls run over. Spectrum is also a finite asset, which means it's limited. This is why the wireless carriers spend billions at these spectrum "auctions". If they don't own spectrum, they can't run their business.

There has been a lot of buzz about the 700Mhz spectrum auction taking place in January 2008 because Google stepped into the fray. This spectrum was used by TV companies for analog television. The government is requiring the TV companies give the spectrum back as they convert to a digital signal (which needs to be completed by the 2009 deadline).

The spectrum is valuable real estate because it covers 196 million people in the U.S. and will be true mobile broadband (much faster than today's current 2.5 G or 3G networks). Enter Google.

We believe Google has no intention of bidding on the spectrum, owning the spectrum, or running a wireless network. It's not their core business. Google is sitting at the spectrum card table, holding their cards tight, and bluffing--- with a straight face. They are trying to loosen the hold wireless carriers have on us, the end users.

Today, wireless carriers control the phone and applications that run on their networks, and how long we are committed to them. Google wants an open wireless Internet (network), just like the landline Internet. In an open market, Google can thrive. Specifically, Google wants the following, as stated on the Google Public Policy Blog:

• Open applications: consumers should be able to download and utilize any software applications, content, or services they desire;


• Open devices: consumers should be able to utilize a handheld communications device with whatever wireless network they prefer;
  


• Open services: third parties (resellers) should be able to acquire wireless services from a 700 MHz licensee on a wholesale basis, based on reasonably nondiscriminatory commercial terms; and
  


• Open networks: third parties (like Internet service providers) should be able to interconnect at a technically feasible point in a 700 MHz licensee's wireless network.

Of course the major wireless carriers don't want this, as it will just increase competition and lower their profit margins. They don't want to lose control. So Google has been hard at work lobbying the FCC [PDF].

But even Google doesn't always get what it wants, in this case, half. Google's words:

"In essence, the FCC embraced two of the four openness conditions that we suggested several weeks ago: (1) open applications, the right of consumers to download and utilize any software applications or content they desire; and (2) open devices, the right of consumers to utilize their handheld communications device with whatever wireless network they prefer. Today the FCC took some concrete steps on the road to bringing greater choice and competition to all Americans."

But Verizon is now pushing back. As Verizon won't get pushed around without a fight. And neither will AT&T, as they just bought a boat load of 700Mhz spectrum right under the nose of Google and Verizon. Holly crap!!! That was a slick move. Google, how did you miss that? Now AT&T is not beholden to the spectrum auction, but they will still bid on it, just to bid the price UP UP UP.

So where is Sprint in all this? Enter Xohm.

Sprint already owns 4G wireless spectrum in the 2.5Ghz band, so it doesn't not need the 700Mhz spectrum. Sprint will launch Xohm (a WiMAX 4G mobile broadband technology) on it's 2.5Ghz band and has already partnered with Google, Intel, Motorola, Samsung and others..

Sprint plans to launch it's WiMAX in April 2008, a full year or two before any vendor will be able to use the 700Mhz spectrum. So Sprint has an advantage (if they can get out of their own way). Xohm is like WiFi, but runs long distances. It will have mobile broadband speeds averaging 2-5 megabits, with bursting speeds of up to 10 megabits. It will be the mobile Internet.

From Xohm.com:

"Xohm customers will be able to experience a new form of interactive communications, high-speed Internet browsing, social networking tools, local and location-centric services, and multimedia services including music, video, TV and on-demand products through a new mobile portal."

So Google gets the open devices and open applications on the 700Mhz spectrum and partners with Xohm. What does this mean?

It means the Gphone will debut on April 1, 2008 (on the 4th anniversary of Gmail). But it may not be what you think.

It will debut on the Xohm mobile Internet (see Google's Mobile Strategy, Part 2). It will be a data-only device, but don't fret, you'll still be able to make voice calls. You'll pay a flat fee and won't sign a contract. That's right, no contract! Pay to use it just for the day, or pay monthly; or yearly. You decide.

The voice calls will be VoIP (voice over IP) leveraging an integrated version of Google Talk and GrandCentral. The device will be Google's "unified communications" platform. This Linux-based platform (OS or framework) will also include search, maps, gmail, reader, calendar, docs, texting, location-based services, presence, social networking and, of course, ads. And the monthly fee will be much lower than your standard cell phone plan, partially offset by unobtrusive click ads. Talk away, text away, surf away... it doesn't matter, it's unlimited! The device will be manufactured by HTC with a full qwerty keyboard and run all Google's mobile services. But unlike today's scattered apps, they will be tightly integrated, all having the Google UI feel, like Gmail and Maps.

Why run it on Xohm? Simple. Xohm has no restrictions on applications, devices or services. Use it at will. Plus Xohm is IP-based with less latency (better performance) with a more efficient use of the spectrum (it can scale very well). Plus Xohm (WiMAX) is being rolled-out internationally by other carriers, so it will eventually be a global standard for the mobile Internet. In April, Xohm will be as close as you can get to the Mobile Internet today and will distinctly outperform today's 3G networks.

Google will then follow-up with more devices on the 700Mhz spectrum (whichever carrier wins it). Today's carrier's have Google boxed-out with end user restrictions (see Google's Mobile Strategy Part 2). Sprint, on the other hand, needs to use the 2.5Ghz spectrum (or they'll lose it) and desperately needs differentiators against Verizon and AT&T. Google needs the free open mobile Internet (Xohm). End users need lower cost plans and no commitments or contracts with better Internet capabilities.

Microsoft Releases New Search Services for Internet and Mobile Customers

Written by Microsoft

Friday, 19 October 2007

Latest releases complete fall updates for Live Search service, including voice search and location-aware technology. REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 15, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the final updates to the fall release of its Live Search service, introducing a broad array of new services and features to its local and mobile search offerings. The new features and enhancements are designed to make it easier for people to find what they need at home or on the go through significant innovations in mapping, imagery and driving directions as well as new services to make the mobile search experience easy and powerful. Microsoft also announced the availability of the Live Search 411 service. Customers can gain toll-free* access by dialing (800) CALL-411 (800-225-5411) from any phone to find and connect to local businesses and other local information, such as weather updates, movie show times and airline information. People using a cell phone with Internet access can also receive links to traffic maps from Live Search 411. “Microsoft is building on several years of innovation in imagery and 3-D visualization, adding some of the most significant innovations to driving directions technology in the last several years and expanding how our current 185 million customers can experience the improvements to the core of Live Search to include access from a wider variety of clients, platforms and devices,” said Satya Nadella, corporate vice president of the Search & Advertising Platform Group at Microsoft. “Collectively, these improvements build on the work we did in core relevance and differentiated vertical experiences, and are an important milestone in our efforts in delivering a comprehensive, innovative search offering that includes mobile, mapping, Web and local services for customers to find what they need, when they need it, on any device.” Today’s announcement comes on the heels of the release on Sept. 26 of several new capabilities for Live Search, which included significant improvements in relevance and coverage in the core Web search service and expanded the range and depth of information available in areas where most customers were doing most of their queries — entertainment, shopping, health and local searches. Today’s release offers these key features: Maps and Directions • Innovative driving directions. The new Live Search offers more accurate and easy-to-use driving directions, including dynamic rerouting of directions based on real-time traffic information, one-click directions that allow drivers to get only essential directions to their destination with no starting point needed, and inline hints that tell drivers if they have gone too far based on local landmarks. Combined with new, one-page printing, these new enhancements have taken driving directions to the next level. • Innovative visualization and 3-D. Coverage of bird’s-eye and 3-D imagery has been increased to cover 80 percent of the U.S. population. In addition, nearly 200 complete cities are available in 3-D, and customers can now combine views of 3-D imagery with Live Search’s unique 45-degree bird’s-eye images, giving a complete and detailed geolocation experience. In addition, people who use Live Search Maps can create and share their own 3-D models of buildings through an alliance with Dassault Systemes. • Innovative local content index including user-generated content.The new local search capabilities in Live Search include not only a broad set of expert sources but also broad access to user-generated content from Live Search and from across the entire Web, through searchable user-created collections and Keyhole Markup Language (KML) support. • Virtual Earth platform updates. The Virtual Earth™ platform is the underlying technology behind well over 1,000 partner mapping solutions as well as Live Search Maps. Updates in version 6.0 of Virtual Earth include multipoint trip routing; enhanced geocoding that combines results for multiple geocoders; rooftop geocoding, which provides more precise geocoding results; map control support for Safari 2.0; and the release of MapCruncher beta, making it easier to publish maps overlaid in an application using the Virtual Earth map control. More details on the Virtual Earth platform can be found at http://dev.live.com/virtualearth. Mobile Enhancements • Live Search for Windows Mobile with voice input. The updated Live Search for Windows Mobile® 5.0 and 6.0 will be available for download for free on Tuesday, Oct. 16, and now includes voice input (beta version), gas prices, and hours of operation for businesses. The service can also use Global Positioning System (GPS) data on GPS-enabled phones to provide location-aware local search for customers. • Live Search 411. Jointly developed with Tellme Networks Inc., acquired by Microsoft earlier this year, a new toll-free number will be available for anyone using any kind of phone to access the power of Live Search. Users can simply dial (800) CALL-411 (800-225-5411) and say the city and state, then ask for the business or business category to hear a list of options. Users say, “Connect me,” to instantly connect to the business. Cell phone users can ask for a text message with a link to a map of the business.* • Live Search for use with BlackBerry® Devices. Live Search designed for use with BlackBerry devices is in beta and will be available for download for free on Tuesday, Oct. 16. It is a new offering designed for use on BlackBerry OS 4.0.2 or later phones, and customers with GPS-enabled phones can use location awareness to enhance their searches. More information on the mobile offerings will be available at http://www.LiveSearchMobile.com and http://www.LiveSearch411.com. Market availability for specific features varies. More information on these updated features and services can be found on the following Microsoft team blogs: http://blogs.msdn.com/livesearch and http://virtualearth.spaces.live.com. About Windows Live and MSN Windows Live™, a comprehensive set of personal Internet services and software, is designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web. MSN® attracts more than 465 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 42 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering compelling programmed content experiences to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. MSN and Windows Live will be offered alongside each other as complementary services. Some Windows Live services entered an early beta phase on Nov. 1, 2005; these and future beta updates can be found at http://ideas.live.com. Windows Live and Live Search are available at http://www.live.com. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com. “Virtual Earth -3DVIA users will be able to build a world that mixes their future projects and ideas with real-life places, buildings and structures,” said Lynne Wilson, senior vice president and general manager of 3DVIA at Dassault Systèmes. “Through Microsoft’s online geographic location mapping technology and our 3-D modeling and realistic visualization know-how, we have created a new level of realism within Virtual Earth that provides an unrestricted freedom for creativity and innovation.” Users can download Virtual Earth -3DVIA for free and immediately begin using the fun, easy-to-use and intuitive application. Virtual Earth -3DVIA allows anyone to do the following with their ideas: • Create. With just a few clicks, users can easily design a 3-D model of their house, favorite building or any structure, then select from different visualization options, textures and colors to give their 3-D model a style of its own. • Publish. Users can upload their 3-D models to Virtual Earth, specifying an address or neighborhood so they can experience the model within a real-life context. • Share. Users can add their 3-D model to collections, and share it with friends and colleagues through Web communities. “Our alliance with Dassault Systèmes, a company that has 26 years of technology experience in 3-D modeling, will help us bring a new level of realism to Virtual Earth,” said Stephen Lawler, general manager of Virtual Earth at Microsoft. “Microsoft is committed to delivering the highest-quality product for our Virtual Earth customers, and this enhancement is another step toward fulfilling that commitment.” Virtual Earth -3DVIA is being released as a technology preview to allow community feedback before the next release of the product. More information about Virtual Earth -3DVIA is available online at http://maps.live.com/Help/en-us/VE3DVIADownload.htm. About Virtual Earth The Virtual Earth platform is Microsoft’s next-generation integrated set of powerful online mapping and search services that offer a variety of capabilities, including unique bird’s- eye view, three-dimensional imagery, and aerial and satellite imagery. The Virtual Earth platform also powers a variety of consumer, enterprise and government applications that enable people to discover and explore a specific location. Virtual Earth powers Live Search Maps, Microsoft’s online local search and mapping Web site. More information about the Virtual Earth platform is available at http://www.microsoft.com/virtualearth/default.mspx.

Location-Based Services: Hype or Hope?

Posted by Tom Fuller in Blindside project, Faster/smaller/better..., Hyperconnectedness at October 18th, 2007

To date, location-based services are widely used in emergency services, help alerts, fleet tracking and offering the location of a mobile phone. Or, as Wikipedia lists them,

Some examples of location-based services are:
Requesting the nearest business or service, such as an ATM or restaurant
Receiving alerts, such as notification of a sale on gas or warning of a traffic jam
Finding a buddy
For the carrier, location-based services provide value add by enabling services such as:
Resource tracking with dynamic distribution Taxis, service people, rental equipment, doctors, fleet scheduling
Resource tracking Objects without privacy controls, using passive sensors or RF tags, such as packages and train boxcars
Finding someone or something Person by skill (doctor), business directory, navigation, weather, traffic, room schedules, stolen phone, emergency 911
Proximity-based notification (push or pull) Targeted advertising, buddy list, common profile matching (dating), automatic airport check-in
Proximity-based actuation (push or pull) Payment based upon proximity (EZ pass, toll watch)

All very useful services, but in a sector where much more was expected, it looks kind of vanilla these days.

In September of 2006, Silicon.com wrote of location-based services, “Another good question. Mobile operators, pundits and other assorted industry watchers have been talking about LBS since the tail end of the last decade but have never really found a way to capitalise on them. It’s thought that the inclusion of GPS in mobile handsets could jump-start LBS. ABI Research predicts that by 2011, there will be 315 million GPS subscribers for location based services, up from a measly 12 million this year.”

A year later, has anything changed?

In May of this year, the BBC was showing interest: “Speaking at the FT Mobile Media conference, the BBC’s director of future media, Ashley Highfield, said the broadcaster - now the UK’s favourite mobile web destination - believes mobile content is shortly to enter a boom time. He said: “Mobile is the future of media and technology… I think a number of factors are coming into alignment for explosive growth.” Among those factors, Highfield believes, are better pricing, operators’ decision to ditch their ‘walled garden’ approach to content and improvements in phones themselves including the addition of GPS. Highfield added: “It looks like the shift we saw when broadband took off.”

One major use of location-based services will be in telecare for the disabled and elderly. In March of 2007, the International Journal of Health Geographics published an editorial about CAALYX, a “Complete Ambient Assisted Living Experiment, an EU-funded project that aims at increasing older people’s autonomy and self-confidence by developing a wearable light device capable of measuring specific vital signs of the elderly, detecting falls and location, and communicating automatically in real-time with his/her care provider in case of an emergency, wherever the older person happens to be, at home or outside.”

“CAALYX aims at increasing older people’s autonomy and self-confidence by developing a wearable light device capable of measuring specific vital signs of the elderly, detecting falls, and communicating automatically in real time with his/her care provider in case of an emergency, wherever the elderly person happens to be, at home or outside. Specifically, CAALYX’s objectives are:

• To identify which vital signs and patterns are most important in determining probable critical states of an elder’s health;

• To develop an electronic device able to measure vital signs and to detect falls of the older person in the domestic environment and outside. This gadget will have a geo-location system so that the monitoring system may be able to know the elder’s position in case of emergency (especially outdoors);

• To allow for the secure monitoring of individuals organised into groups managed by a caretaker who will decide whether to communicate events identified by the system to the emergency service (112); and

• To create social tele-assistance services that can be easily operated by the users.”

Crucially for Blindside readers, CAALYX addresses privacy issues in the editorial: “Location capability poses service providers with the challenge of responsibly handling consumers’ personal privacy [1]. This is particularly important with ‘tracking services’ that continuously monitor and log user’s location, like Wherifone, an American location-tracking service for the elderly and children [21], and other live tracking services using technologies like the GpsGate Server [22]. Such services raise many privacy concerns and questions; for example, “If a consumer service allows one party access to the location of a second party, should that second party be notified when this location information has been provided?”[23]

However, CAALYX’s approach to location information privacy is different. CAALYX is an extensible user health monitoring platform that uses GPS as to support that function (health monitoring) and for emergency handling. Thus CAALYX is not continuously tracking older people, or continuously communicating their location in real-time with the central monitoring station. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, allowing the data logger (a mobile smartphone that users carry on them) to collect the data rather than continuously stream it to a remote server means that expensive bandwidth is saved. It is also far more power-efficient than a system that has to continuously transmit data and pick up real-time geographic information via GPS, a paramount feature in any handheld device. But most importantly, it means people will not feel as if their every move is being watched. Location information is only sent when required during an emergency or when an alarm is raised. As such CAALYX has the potential of setting the standards and providing a ‘modus operandi’ or ‘best-practice’ model for wireless location privacy in mobile, location-intelligent/enabled e-health services.”

Commercial activity reported in the media indicates substantial interest in location-based services. Nokia’s recent purchase of Navteq, a supplier of digital maps, follows their recent introduction of a GPS-enabled mobile phone, the 6110 Navigator. “Using the handset’s embedded software, consumers can view their current location on a map, search for destinations, find specific routes, or locate nearby services, such as restaurants, hotels or shops. Location-based services are “one of the cornerstones of Nokia’s internet services strategy,” Nokia chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said in a statement. “By joining forces with Navteq, we will be able to bring context and geographical information to a number of our internet services with accelerated time to market.”

And from the same article, “Navteq has been viewed as a takeover target since this summer, when navigation device maker TomTom said it would pay €1.8bn for Navteq’s top rival in the mapping market, Tele Atlas. Tele Atlas provides maps for MapQuest, Google Maps and several other navigation devices. TomTom accounts for about 40 percent of Tele Atlas’ business. When the acquisition was announced in July, many speculated that Google would buy rival Navteq.”

It’s all very much jam tomorrow, but tomorrow looks closer than it did a year ago. Well, I suppose it would.

To see what’s actually happening today, one needs to look at Asia. A white paper found on ZDNet (registration required), titled ‘Home Network Services in Korea,’ and published by Research On Asia (ROA) Group, Inc. talks about some interesting location-based services:

Logicplant’s Telekeeper (Mobile phone-based PC remote service) Service in brief: a solution to problems related to children’s PC use. The parents can monitor their children’s computer use.

Phone CCTV Service by SKT: Service in brief: this service, based on camera and high speed Internet, enables the user to monitor the situation at home via mobile phone and warns the user by sending a text message in a case of an intruder. By just installing a camera at home or in office, the service is enabled in real time via mobile phone.

Nespot Lu Service by KT: Service in brief: KT’s wireless Nespot service, connects mobile phone with a home robot. The robot is equipped with a small camera that monitors the situation inside the house and enables the user to check each room while staying outside the house by using a mobile phone.

From America (specifically, the University of Colorado), comes “A Methodological Assessment of Location Privacy Risks
in Wireless Hotspot Networks,” another white paper found on ZDNet. The abstract states, “Mobile computing enables users to compute and communicate almost regardless of their current location. However, as a side effect this technology considerably increased surveillance potential for user movements. Current research addresses location privacy rather patchwork-like than comprehensively. Thus, this paper presents a methodology for identifying, assessing, and comparing location privacy risks in mobile computing technologies. In a case study, we apply the approach to IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN networks and location-based
services, where it reveals significant location privacy concerns through link- and application-layer information. From a technological perspective, we argue that these are best addressed through novel anonymity-based mechanisms.

Jam today, but not jam here.

Nokia 6110 - Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

Nokia 6110 - Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

Not all those who wander are lost. Thanks to Nokia 6610 its users will never get lost. They will find their own way of subsistence with this wonder- phone. Laden with functionalities, GPS (Global Positioning System) and AGPS (Assisted Global Positioning System), users can easily access instant and easy-to-use maps, routing and voice guided navigation available with the click one-touch Navigator key.

The Nokia 6110 is a feature-rich, compact device operating on WCDMA 2100 and GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks. With the help of it, users can easily determine their current location on the map embedded, search for destinations, find incisive routes, or locate essential services as restaurants, hotels or shops that are nearby.

The phone is embedded with such features which enables to suggests the best probable route to follow to reach a location by car or on foot. Besides a local map pre-installed on the phone's memory card, there are options in it that enables users to purchase online additional maps and content that ranges from traffic information, to weather, and to travel guide.

While describing its utility, Peter Ropke, Senior Vice President, Broad Appeal Business Unit, Nokia, said "With the Nokia 6110 Navigator, mobile phone owners will be able to enjoy the benefits of navigation in their daily life and enjoy a wide range of location-based services - whether they want to explore a city, search for restaurants, get weather forecasts, or look for travel guides for a weekend trip."

The key high definition features that are included into the Nokia 6110 includes: HSDPA for fast web browsing and downloading, WCDMA 2100 HSDPA, GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 support, 2 megapixel camera with integrated flash, 4x digital zoom and panorama mode, Real-time video sharing and video calling, 40 MB free internal memory and support of microSD memory card up to 2 GB.

Moreover, the Nokia 6110 Navigator enables fast and seamless access to online information with HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) up to 3.6 Mbps. Emails can be handled in real time by push email, which also supports attachments as well as features a Message reader function to read aloud your emails.

The smart Nokia 6110 Navigator is an ideal tool for 3G multimedia, enabling real time video sharing and video calls, as well as a 2 megapixel camera with a dedicated capture key, panorama mode, and integrated flash. Video clips can be enjoyed with full screen view, and maps and images are clear and crisp to see on the large and bright 2.2" QVGA screen, offering up to 16 million colors. For extra protection, the camera lens is covered by a protection slide, keeping the images crystal clear.

The Nokia 6110 Navigator is Nokia's first dedicated smartphone aimed specifically towards the navigation market. This device is another example of the commitment Nokia has to location based experiences such as mapping, navigation and local search and joins the already announced Nokia N95 and Nokia E90 in Nokia's integrated GPS device portfolio.

Bryan Gian is a Internet marketing consultant. He has written many articles on Mobile Phone,
Nokia Mobile Phones

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Samsung offers GPS phone i550 with Symbian software Posted: 2007/10/17 From: Mathaba

Mobile phone maker Samsung unveiled several smartphones that run on Symbian's mobile platform and come with the latest features, including location based services and mapping, media reported Wednesday. Samsung's phone lineup includes the i550, i560, and i450, which was introduced last week. "The introduction of Samsung's new Symbian OS-based smartphones is testament to our strategic focus on the open OS phone market," said Geesung Choi, president of Samsung's telecommunications network business. The i550 is the first Samsung phone to include GPS. The candy bar-like smartphone uses HSDPA third-generation (3G) cellular technology for data access, offering speeds of 3.6 Mbps, according to Samsung. Using built-in GPS, users get voice-activated turn-by-turn driving directions, walking directions when the phone is in pedestrian mode, and mobile maps. Symbian is the largest mobile operating system maker, with a 72 percent worldwide market share.

Nokia Business Plan Explained

There’s a topical article in the Boston Globe this morning about Nokia that stitches together a lot of their recent actions into a strategy that is emerging for the mobile handset giant that has them taking a big picture point of view to turn handset insight into a broad-based ad driven media company. The article keys in on a recent acquisition by Nokia of Enpocket, a Boston based firm specializing in mobile phone advertising.

The article quotes Rodger Entner of IAG Research who says, “They want to be more than just a phone purveyor, or an infrastructure purveyor. They want to be involved in the whole value chain. That’s why they bought Enpocket. They want to make this a substantial part of their business, ideally worth billions of dollars.”

This gives insight into why they are seeking to buy NAVTEQ too; with maps and navigation come more dependence on your mobile device, which facilitates Location Based Services (LBS). With the knowledge of who you are, and where you are, and maybe what you are looking for, comes ad opportunity, and that’s where the revenue is.

Detailed in the article are several more acquisitions that Nokia made which when listed together starts to form a solid picture of the broad offering to sell services. There are issues in the US market model that the article goes on to point out. Worth the quick read if you like this stuff.

ReadMore at Boston Globe.

LOCATION BASED SERVICES; Telephia have made the obvious link between GPS availability and LBS uptake in their second quarter report on mobile applications published this week which states that 51 percent of all spending on mobile applications is spent on LBS. This is just one of a raft of stats on the location market and is mainly down to the high price users are willing to pay for mobile navigation services. The average monthly spend on LBS in the U.S. market is $9.23, more than $4 higher than then nearest mobile application challenger, mobile music which weighed in at $4.99. This premium for location can also be attributed to a premium for context.
However, application download rates are only tipping 5 percent as opposed to the 7 - 13 percent achieved by other downloadable content like mobile games. “Many consumers may not realize the utility of a navigation application on their mobile phone until they use it,” said David Gill, Director of Mobile Media, Telephia. “However, Nokia’s bid to buy NAVTEQ for $8.1 billion is a very positive sign for the market and validates the strength and potential of LBS.”
The challenge for the LBS industry is one that in part can be solved by GPS enabled handsets - there are now 130 million of these in the U.S. market alone. As this number increases, application providers must weave location, context, and content personalisation into the very fabric of their most popular mobile services.

Google Extends Their Social Agenda To Maps
Posted in Ajax News by Nick Gonzalez on the October 18th, 2007
It’s no longer a secret that Google is working hard on developing social features across the board. Now they’re putting a face on all the content generated by users on Google Maps by integrating their Google “Shared Stuff” profiles.
The new profiles serve as a hub for all the content you generate on the site. They let you post a photo, links, business reviews, personal maps, and say a little something about yourself to the Google Maps crowd. It’s yet another step toward honing the Google Maps platform to take on the younger crop of location-based services like Yelp and various travel sites. Profiles will certainly give the mapping product a better idea of what kinds of aspects of the service your interested in, as well as an integration point for their recent acquisition, Jaiku.

Mobile Phone Navigation Boost Ahead


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15th October , 2007
Europe UK : The acquisition of Navteq by Nokia will, in the opinion of industry experts, greatly accelerate the development of mobile phone navigation systems and other ‘connected navigation devices’, i.e. devices that interlink navigation with content from the Internet. "This acquisition will drive a paradigm shift in navigation. Navigation of the future is connected," says Hans-Hendrik Puvogel ( inset ), CEO of Munich-based Jentro Technologies.
Jentro is the latest winner of the Navteq LBS award and, according to market researcher Canalys, is Europe’s number two in mobile phone navigation after Nokia. ‘The valuable assets Nokia gains with the acquisition of Navteq are not only the maps, but also the latter’s location-based services (LBS), including traffic information from Traffic.com and travel information from Discover Cities,’ says Puvogel.
The market analyst Strategy Analytics sees the market for LBS growing from around 200 million dollars in 2006 to 1.2 billion in 2011. Puvogel believes that in future content will generally play a key role within the billion-dollar navigation market. Under the name ‘location-based experience,’ a new discipline is currently evolving, which combines local searches, maps, route navigation and dynamic information from the Internet. This development impacts on the entire industry, on both terminal equipment manufacturers and network operators alike, as well as on content providers, for whom this interconnection presents new business opportunities. The advertising industry also stands to benefit, since, due to the integration of dynamic content, navigation will become the ideal environment for mobile marketing.
Network operators under pressureAccording to Puvogel, it is particularly mobile phone network operators and service providers who will have to rethink their strategies. In acquiring Navteq, Nokia has given a further boost to the trend towards network-independent solutions in the mobile phone industry. As a result, mobile phone providers run the risk of losing their exclusive access to customers and, as such, control and sales. Customers expect strong brands and excellent content – areas in which many network operators have struggled to deliver thus far. Puvogel believes that navigation offerings are a must for network operators and service providers, whether under their own brands or in cooperation with strong third-party brands. Strategic partnerships with content providers need to be fostered in order to support their own core business in the data sector.
Internet-enabled terminal equipment has the edgeEquipment manufacturers also need to rethink things: ‘Stand-alone navigation devices, i.e. devices without Internet access, have no future,’ predicts Puvogel and this is all to the advantage of Internet-enabled mobile phone navigation. Strategy Analytics believes that these systems will be capable very shortly of closing the ranks with PNDs (personal navigation devices) that currently dominate the market. In Western Europe alone, this market analyst predicts more than 100 million GPS-enabled mobile phones by 2011. Peter Friedland, Equity Research Analyst GPS Industry with the Soleil Group, assumes that, following this acquisition by Nokia, the other mobile phone manufacturers will redouble their efforts to develop GPS-enabled mobile phones. ‘This acquisition kindles a fire in the entire mobile phone industry. All the manufacturers will now increase their efforts to launch GPS and LBS solutions onto the market in a bid to remain competitive with Nokia,’ says Friedland.

NemeriX Delivers Industry’s First Scalable Hosted & Stand-Alone A-GPS Platform


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October 15, 2007, Manno Switzerland – NemeriX, a leading provider of A-GPS semiconductor solutions, announced today the release of its 4th generation A-GPS navigation platform: the NemeriX NX4. This modular, scalable, hosted & stand-alone A-GPS navigation solution directly targets the strategic roadmaps of mobile handset vendors. Like the three NemeriX GPS generations which precede it, the NX4 is designed to be an industry leader on low power and high sensitivity, provide top tier performance (e.g., tracking, TTFF time-to-first-fix), and have the lowest bill-of-materials (BOM).Commensurate with record investments in the GPS space, large mobile handset vendors (and suppliers) are demanding single-package, GPS-enabled multi-wireless solutions by the third quarter of 2008, followed by total wireless integration shortly thereafter. The NX4 platform provides users with the ability to choose hosted or stand-alone A-GPS architectures within a single chip, as well as migration to 65nm RFCMOS and integrated baseband for multi-wireless applications (e.g., BlueTooth, WiFi, and FM). The NX4 has already been selected by a major handset provider as its next GPS solution – proving the NX4’s outstanding performance and flexibility. “Our customers are clear that they want a high-performance, low-power single-package, GPS-enabled multi-wireless solution no later than the second half of 2008 and a single-die multi-wireless 65nm RFCMOS solution by 2010,” states Luc Seraphin, Managing Director of NemeriX. “Already having a Tier 1 kick-off customer for the NX4 is a tribute to NemeriX’s four generations of GPS know-how since 2002 and a clear validation that the NX4 can enable our partners’ roadmaps.”“GPS capability is turning out to be the “keystone” of the mobile phone industry. Compared to the -75dBm sensitivity typical of other wireless devices, GPS’s -162dBm sensitivity makes it the bottleneck to wireless integration. Coupled with the GSM base-band integration aspect of hosted-GPS architectures, this means that once the new multi-wireless solutions are designed-in, starting at the end of 2008, they will be very hard to displace. The barriers to entry will be enormous. GPS is quietly but fundamentally changing the rules of the mobile handset game. Suppliers with GPS capabilities will find this a lucrative development. However, those without GPS may find themselves out of the mobile handset business before they know it,” commented Eric Achtmann, Vice Chairman of NemeriX. About NemeriXFounded in April 2002, NemeriX S.A. (Manno, Switzerland) is a venture-backed fabless semiconductor company specializing in ultra low power GPS and LBS integrated circuits, software and firmware for GPS and wireless applications. With the release of NX4, NemeriX has four generations of low-power, high performance, stand-alone, hosted, A-GPS experience. NemeriX’s devices enable battery­ powered location determination anywhere, anytime, facilitating the design and manufacture of truly differentiated products and an enhanced consumer experience. NemeriX’s investors include Atila Ventures, Auriga Partners, Cadence, Oak Investment Partners, PolyTechnos Venture-Partners, and Vi Venture Incubator.For more information about NemeriX, please visit www.nemerix.com

White House Statement Regarding Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites



Written by White House
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Today (Sept 17, 2007), the President accepted the recommendation of the Department of Defense to end procurement of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites that have the capability to intentionally degrade the accuracy of civil signals. This decision reflects the United States strong commitment to users of GPS that this free global utility can be counted on to support peaceful civil activities around the world.

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Recently (Sept 17, 2007), the President accepted the recommendation of the Department of Defense to end procurement of Global Positioning System ( GPS ) satellites that have the capability to intentionally degrade the accuracy of civil signals. This decision reflects the United States strong commitment to users of GPS that this free global utility can be counted on to support peaceful civil activities around the world.This degradation capability, known as Selective Availability ( SA ), will no longer be present in GPS III satellites. Although the United States stopped the intentional degradation of GPS satellite signals in May 2000, this new action will result in the removal of SA capabilities, thereby eliminating a source of uncertainty in GPS performance that has been of concern to civil GPS users worldwide.GPS benefits users around the world in many different ways, including aviation, road, marine and rail navigation, telecommunications, emergency response, resource exploration, mining and construction, financial transactions, and many more. All users, and their governments, have a stake in the future of GPS. The United States promotes international cooperation in the operation of civil global navigation satellite systems and continues to work to build international support for the protection of these signals from intentional interference and disruption.

SDK helps developers build GPS-enabled apps

Oct. 10, 2007TeleType has introduced an SDK (software development kit) aimed at helping developers create GPS-enabled applications for Windows CE-based mobile devices. The GPS SDK provides an API (application programming interface) that interfaces directly with the company's navigation program, WorldNav.According to the company, the APIs provided with the SDK implement functions such as:
Zooming in and out
Shifting a map in any direction
Passing search criteria directly from an application
Routing from any two specified points
TeleType's WorldNav software (left) and menu from the SDK (right)In addition, TeleType says it offers map conversion tools and utilities for developers who want to implement their own maps on Windows CE-based portable navigation devices. The tools are said to allow the popular ESRI shape file formatted maps to be converted into the company's TTM (TeleType Map) format.The TeleType GPS SDK (with API) is at $495. The company notes that use of the SDK requires the presence of its WorldNav GPS software, priced at $5,000 for an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) version. Both are said to be available now.