Jul. 03, 2007
LBS software targets Windows Mobile 6.0


Spime Inc. has announced two location-based services (LBS) applications targeting Windows Mobile 6.0-based devices. NorthStar and Discovery will be released in the third quarter of this year, the company says.

NorthStar, intended for consumers, can provide functions such as turn-by-turn voice instruction, city-specifc maps, point-of-interest (POI) search, and a tracking module for buddy-finder applications, according to Spime. The program supports both Navteq and Teleatlas maps.

Discovery, aimed at enterprise customers, is intended for identification, tracking, and asset management. It also provides a framework for off-board navigation and location-based social networking, the company says.

Spime says its software supports a wide range of identification and positioning technologies, including GPS, WiFi, RFID, and cellular. It can even be employed in homes, to track assets or locate children.

Spime further announced it has joined Microsoft's Windows Embedded Partner Program. "[This] gave us the opportunity to incorporate Windows Embedded in our products and to reach new customers," said Kris Kolodziej, chief technology officer.

The company also offers PositionOne, middleware that is available for a variety of platforms. This software is said to support local as well as remote LBS applications, plus A-GPS, E-OTD, or other position determination technologies.

NorthStar and Discovery are available now. Pricing was not stated.

Taiwan's major GPS suppliers to strike gold in 2nd half of this year

location based services

Jul 05, 2007

With long European vacations creating a boom in selling global positioning system (GPS) devices, Taiwan's GPS industry is expected to post the third-highest sales growth in the second half of this year among other industries on the island,

according to Topology Research Institute (TRI).

Traditionally, suppliers of GPS devices generally embrace a sales boom in the second quarters, seeing sales and shipments peak starting July when European vacations begin. Such trend gives a boost to sales of Taiwanese makers in this segment, including Globalsat Technology Corporation, HOLUX Technology Inc. and RoyalTek Company Ltd.

Furthermore, the Taiwan-based MiTAC International Corporation, one of the world's leading brands of GPS devices, will most likely hold its No. 2 position in the second half of this year, and to challenge the largest, TomTom, next year, after acquiring an European brand, Navman, according to TRI.

In other words, with increasing orders from MiTAC and other large-sized international brands, such Taiwan-based contract makers of GPS devices as Invetec Appliance Corp. and Quanta Computer Inc. will benefit as well. Thus, the GPS industry on the island is expected to score the third-highest sales growth in the second half of this year, higher than 82.5% posted in the first half, and only trailing those of electric bicycle and LED industries.

Another Taiwan market survey institute, Market Intelligence Center (MIC), noted that global market demand for hand-held navigation devices (NDs), portable navigation devices (PNDs), GPS devices, and PDAs is estimated at 16 million units in 2007, for a growth of 10%, with over 50% supplied by Taiwan, and projected production value of Taiwan's overall PND industry to total US$950 million in the fourth quarter of this year.

In particular, MiTAC, who boasts dual brands Mio and Navman and competitive product line of hand-held NDs, is expected to effectively expand its share of the global market due to increasing shipments, and challenge the No. 1 position next year.

MiTAC is focusing its promotion on all kinds of GPS devices adopting touch panels, and projects its own brand to generate a gross profit rate of 30-40% this year, with annual shipment of 8 million units, including models under Navman and on ODM basis, according to institutional investors.

On another front, thanks to increasing shipment of its new products driving momentum in business operations and sales, HOLUX is expected to score sales revenue of nearly NT$100 million in June, up 30% from a month earlier.

After one year of reorganization, RoyalTek rallied back this year, and plans to launch new products in the third quarter. Leung C.C., chairman of the company said that RoyalTek has completed operation deployment in new markets and landed additional orders. He added that RoyalTek is very optimistic about growth potential of the market for GPS devices in the second half of this year, and is aggressive to vie for more orders in the market.

source & copyright: CENS

Appello is establishing a partnership with Mappy for online mobile navigation on Java technology


July 05, 2007
Company: AppelloIndustry: Location-based Services (LBS)Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg, Sweden -- Appello, the leading online navigation provider, and Mappy, European leader of location based services (LBS) and geotargeting information, have agreed to partner for online mobile navigation on the Java platform as an extended service for Mappy navigation services on mobile phones. Hereby the first truly complete offering is made available by merging a strong consumer brand, a leading internet mapping web portal and the best of online mobile navigation.
After several successful launches of mobile navigation services with leading telecom operators, distributors, mobile phone manufacturers and system providers, Appello has now established a partnership with yet another innovative and ambitious company in the mapping and GPS navigation area, Mappy SA – the European leader in geotargeting solutions on the internet and handheld devices through mappy.com and B2B location based services.
“We are very proud to have established a partnership with Mappy, clearly one of the leading companies in geotargeting information services on the web and B2B location based services”, says Martin Svensson, CEO at Appello. “For Appello this is yet another confirmation that we are on the right track, both in terms of technology and business strategy. This partnership will further reinforce our position as Europe’s leading online navigation provider”.
Online navigation offers combine navigation on mobile phones and web portal connectivity. Utilizing the strength of each of these components, online mobile navigation and a comprehensive mapping web portal, an extremely attractive end-user experience can be offered.
About Appello and Wisepilot Appello is a leading provider of mobile GPS navigation services and offers turn-key solutions to mobile network operators and business customers. Appello has developed WISEPILOT™, a unique and award-winning navigation platform for mobile devices providing applications to the automotive and telecom industries. Appello's customers include some of Europe's largest mobile network operators, telecom distributors, mobile phone manufacturers and telecom system integrators. Appello has its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden.
For more information, visit www.appello.se www.wisepilot.com.
About Mappy Mappy, 100% subsidiary of PagesJaunes Group, a Euronext listed company, designs, develops and markets LBS and navigation solutions for consumer and corporate markets. Mappy.com, with 11 million unique visitors in Europe1, is a global service available in 13 languages and accessible via the Internet, mobile phones and PND. Through these different media, Mappy allows their visitors to use GPS navigation, plan trips, print maps, search local services and see photos. Corporations who advertise on Mappy’s media or integrate our LBS-solutions onto their web portals, make their network and brand benefit from a sound visibility.
For more information, visit www.mappy.com
Martin Svensson (martin.svensson@appello.se)Phone: +46 730 255 299

Quova Can Now Identify the Geographic Location of Web Visitors Using Wi-Fi Enabled Cell Phones and Laptops

location based services




MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Quova, Inc., the leading provider of Internet geolocation services, today announced the Navizon(TM) Wireless Locator, a permission-based application that can identify the location, down to a city street level, of Web visitors accessing the Internet from Wi-Fi enabled cell phones and laptops. The second extension to Quova's Internet Location Intelligence platform, the Navizon Wireless Locator provides online businesses with accurate geographic data to locate and authenticate their Web visitors. Quova provides this alternative location tool for situations in which their Internet Protocol (IP) Intelligence data, which can identify a Web visitor's location down to a 50-mile radius, may not provide sufficient granularity in pinpointing a location.Online businesses including broadcasters, advertisers and online banks often need to make real-time business decisions about their Web visitors based on geographic considerations. These businesses need to understand where a Web visitor is located and what geographically-based regulations apply in that location in order to grant permission to view digital content or to serve a localized advertisement or search result. As mobile based Internet access increases these businesses have a need to extend their location techniques.Offered through an alliance with Mexens Technology, Quova will resell the Navizon Wireless Locator as an extension to its GeoDirectory Server 6.0. The Navizon software is a wireless positioning system that doesn't require a GPS to provide its' location based services. Instead it triangulates signals broadcasted from Wi-Fi access points and Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) cellular towers. The application uses the continuous wireless pings emitted by Wi-Fi transmitters to accurately calculate the position of a mobile device by measuring signal strength and applying proprietary algorithms.The Navizon software works on any wireless network and is based on a collaborative database that is being enhanced daily by a growing membership of more than 60,000 users in 60 countries. Members use a GPS device to map the Wi-Fi and cellular landscape in their neighborhoods. Once a user synchronizes their data it is made available to all the other users of the network so that a GPS device is not required for location purposes of that area in the future. In rural areas, most users are located through phone positioning from GSM cellular towers, and in densely populated urban areas users are primarily located using Wi-Fi signals. The current Navizon network is growing rapidly and today contains more than 10 million mapped Wi-Fi access points. Most urban cities in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe have already been completely mapped.The Navizon software does not attempt to gain access to the Wi-Fi networks it maps, and neither Mexens Technology nor Quova collect or store any personally identifiable information about the Web visitor being located or about the owner of the Wi-Fi network. The data collected includes only information about the Internet connection including the IP and MAC addresses, the service set identifier (SSID) code, and the signal strength of the Wi-Fi access point. To respect individual privacy a user must grant permission and download the Navizon application in order to allow their phone or laptop to be located. A Web visitor might allow this access in order to access their online bank account, watch a baseball game on MLB.TV or to place a bet from their cell phone or laptop."A number of trends are converging today that make it critical for online businesses to know where their Web visitors are coming from," said Marie Alexander, Quova's CEO. "The need for better automated systems becomes even more important as the proliferation of mobile and wireless devices offers multiple channels for customers to access the Internet. Understanding customer location -- what we call 'Internet Location Intelligence' -- is one of the most powerful and economical tools companies have to build and protect their online business Navizon shares a strong commitment to personal privacy, making their approach an easy addition to our platform."Quova's GeoDirectory Server 6.0 -- Internet Location Intelligence platform announced earlier this month can instantly identify the type of Internet connection a Web visitor is using and deploy the most effective technique to locate that device, whether it is IP geolocation or another real-time locating technique. The recently announced Proxy Locator and the Navizon Wireless Locator are the first two extensions to this platform and provide alternative location tools for situations in which the IP address may not be as accurate in pinpointing the Web visitor's location."The geolocation synergies between Quova and the Navizon application were designed at the core," said Cyril Houri, CEO and Founder of Mexens Technology. "Given Quova's leadership in the Internet geolocation market, they were a natural partner for us to provide information to supplement their IP Intelligence data when greater granularity is required for locating a Web visitor."AvailabilityGeoDirectory Server 6.0 is available now and the Proxy Locator and Navizon Wireless Locators will be available in Q3 of 2007 directly through Quova and indirectly through authorized resellers and partners. Quova's solution is comprised of data, software and targeted professional services and is priced on a subscription model with customers paying a fee based on the number of queries and type of use.About Mexens TechnologyFounded in early 2005 by Cyril Houri, Mexens Technology is a privately held software development company with headquarters in New York City. Houri's first company, Infosplit which provided geolocating technologies, was acquired by Quova in 2004. Navizon is a software-only wireless positioning system that triangulates signals broadcasted from Wi-Fi access points and cellular towers to help the users find their way in most major metropolitan areas worldwide.About QuovaQuova gives online businesses the ability to determine the geographic location of their Web visitors. The company offers the most comprehensive, deeply researched and reliable Internet geolocation data available today -- without compromising individual privacy. Thousands of online businesses depend on Quova's data and services to detect and prevent fraud, ensure regulatory compliance, manage digital content distribution, and localize ads and web content. The company's customer base includes the top three search engine sites, Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the BBC, Ladbroke's and Cisco Systems, and investors include Mobius Venture Partners and IDG. Quova was founded in 2000 and is based in Mountain View, California.

2007 is Shaping Up to be the Year in Which Mapping and Navigation Applications Truly Arrive on Mobile Handsets

location based services

DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c61328) has announced the addition of “Personal Navigation Devices: Worldwide Shipment Growth to Slow as Handset Navigation Arrives” to their offering.
Global positioning system (GPS) technology continues to transform the way in which we travel, track our locations, and find various points of interest; and the technology is now low cost enough to incorporate into portable consumer electronic (CE) devices considered affordable by most consumers.
The handheld navigation product that made the biggest splash in 2006 was the personal navigation device (PND). In-Stat expects the market for PNDs to reach 56 million units worldwide by 2011, up from 14 million in 2006. Market drivers include falling price points, enhanced features, stronger consumer awareness of PNDs, and increased marketing and promotion by leading PND manufacturers.
However, 2007 is shaping up to be the year in which mapping and navigation applications truly arrive on mobile handsets. For approximately US$ 10 per month, handset navigation offers similar, if not superior, functionality as PNDs, at a lower price. In-Stat believes that with strong, targeted promotion, wireless service providers can capture potential, price-sensitive PND buyers, adversely impacting future PND growth.
Our latest In-Depth research report covers the worldwide market for PNDs in terms of unit shipments, average sales prices, and revenue over the 2005 to 2011 time period. In addition, it includes results from a large-scale survey of consumer attitudes toward PNDs and mobile handset navigation applications.
Areas covered:
- Manufacturers
- Garmin
- Magellan
- TomTom
- LG
- Types of Personal Navigation Devices
- Portable PNDs
- Dedicated PNDs for Recreational Purposes
- Personal Digital Assistants
- Component Suppliers
- Global Locate
- SiRF Technology
- Consumer Attitudes
- Familiarity with Personal Navigation Devices
- Personal Navigation Device Purchase Intentions
- Future PND Purchasers
- PND Owners
- Interest in GPS Technology in Mobile Phones
- Market Forecasts
- Market Size
- Unit Shipments
- Revenue and Average Sales Prices
- US Market Share
- Primary Challenge to Shipment Growth in the PND Market: Handset Navigation Applications
- Mainstream CE Consumers are Price-Sensitive
- Handset Navigation Functionality Can Be Superior to PND Functionality
- Conclusion
- Methodology
- Technology Adoption Panel
- Related In-Stat Reports
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c61328.

Value-Added Offerings to Spur Growth of Location-Based Services

location based services

SINGAPORE, July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Location-based services (LBS) which
have largely remained untapped in Asia-Pacific expects to show promising
growth in tandem with the introduction of mash-up services and increase in
mobile advertising.
New analysis from global growth consulting company, Frost & Sullivan
(http://www.mobileandwireless.frost.com), Asia Pacific Location-based
Services Market, reveals that the market -- covering 13 major Asia-Pacific
economies -- had a previous worth of US$291.7 million in 2006, and expects
this to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 15.3 percent
(2006-2009) to reach an estimated US$447 million by the end of 2009.
If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides service
providers, vendors/manufacturers, end users, and other industry
participants with an overview of the Asia Pacific Location-based Services
Market, then send an e-mail to Sarah Lourdes, Corporate Communications, at
sarah.lourdes@frost.com with your full name, company name, title, telephone
number, fax number and e-mail address. Upon receipt of the above
information, an overview will be sent to you by e-mail.
"LBS will emerge as the benchmark for service differentiation among
mobile operators. Despite remaining a fairly small segment, this niche
market gradually shifts from a mere complementary service into a
significant source of revenues," says Frost & Sullivan industry manager
Janice Chong.
LBS, which encompass a complex eco-system of application developers,
content providers, merchants and advertisers, demonstrate the progressive
demand of mobile users for more control over content and services that
operators provide.
"The implementation of a full-spectrum LBS which includes mash-up
services can significantly expedite the creation of a robust mobile content
eco-system in the various Asia-Pacific countries," Chong adds.
Japan and South Korea became by far the most developed LBS markets
accounting for nearly 92 percent of the total revenues in Asia-Pacific.
Much of this became attributed to the advanced data market in both these
countries, the existence of a complete mobile eco-system which proves
conducive for both application developers and content providers, and the
availability of reasonable LBS plans with flat rates.
"These markets also exhibit a much higher consumer-to-enterprise LBS
ratio. The consumer segment provides a more durable payoff since a tight
nexus to mobile advertising exists, allowing more potential for growth,"
notes Chong.
The demand for LBS in the rest of Asia-Pacific however has become
primarily inhibited by various issues including privacy infringement
concerns, inter-operability issues, lack of advanced GPS (global
positioning system)-enabled handsets, and to a large extent, a general lack
of a conducive eco-system and user interest.
In most of these markets, mobile operators' foremost priority has
become limited to expanding subscriber base and driving greater data
traffic amongst mobile users -- offering basic mobile data services which
provide simplicity, quicker return-on-investment (ROI), and appeal to a
larger target audience.
"However, with wider availability of GPS-enabled handsets, value-added
mash-up services and intense advertising, the adoption of LBS throughout
the rest of Asia-Pacific expects to increase," says Chong.
The Asia Pacific Location-based Services Market study is part of the
Mobile and Wireless subscription, which includes research services in the
following markets: mobile communications, mobile enterprise, premium
content and applications, and mobile video services. All research services
included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and
industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market
participants. Analyst interviews are available to the press.
Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been
partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies
for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth
consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training
to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive
clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the
investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that
reflects a unique global perspective, and combines ongoing analysis of
markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. For more
information, visit http://www.frost.com
Contact:

1-800-GOOG-411: now with maps

location based services

6/29/2007 06:56:00 PM Posted by Arnaud Sahuguet, Product Manager, and Mike LeBeau, Software EngineerIn case you hadn't heard, a few months back we launched 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) in the U.S. It's a free telephone service that lets you search for businesses by voice and get connected to those businesses for free.Today, your GOOG-411 experience just got better: during your call to GOOG-411, just say "map it", and you'll get a text message with the details of your search plus a link to a map of your results right on your mobile phone.Try it out, and add us to your phone book while you're at it. Let us know what you think either by emailing us or by joining our discussion group.
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GOOG 411 Adds Maps

location based services

Posted by Nick Gonzalez
Google’s recently launched Free 411 competitor, GOOG 411, has added maps to their directory assistance. Customers will now have the option of getting a hyperlink to a map SMSed to them by saying “map it” for any listing in the directory.
It’s not as clean as TellMe’s solution, which lets you interact with listings through a map or the voice interface, but is a first step toward full Google Maps integration with their directory assistance.
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EMTAC Navigator 4.0 for Palm

location based services


Transplant GPS, Inc., the worldwide distributor of the EMTAC branded products, has announced the release of the EMTAC Navigator 4.0 GPS Navigation software for the Palm OS. With the latest 2007 NAVTEQ map data, EMTAC Navigator 4.0 is a full featured navigation solution for your Bluetooth enabled Palm OS PDA or Palm OS Treo Smartphone. Improvements in routing, map rendering, and increased functionality give EMTAC Navigator 4.0 the ability to provide customers with a reliable, low cost GPS solution.
EMTAC Navigator 4.0 will be provided on a pre-loaded 2 GB mini-SD card (SD adapter included), with nearly 900 MB of free space available for customer use. By providing the map data, voice files, and application on a 2 GB mini-SD card, EMTAC Navigator 4.0 has eliminated the need for computer based installation. Insert the card into your Palm, follow the onscreen setup instructions, and start routing in under five minutes. EMTAC Navigator 4.0 still includes all of the old favorites- voice navigation, turn-by turn directions, automatic re-routing and routing to points of interest like restaurants, hotels, etc. – plus it offers the Smart Search Technology, the latest NAVTEQ map data, and 3D Navigation.
The EMTAC Navigator 4.0 Palm OS Bundle features the EMTAC Navigator 4.0 software on a pre-loaded 2 GB card with our ever popular EMTAC mini-S3 Bluetooth GPS. Known for its small size, fast acquisition rates, and SiRFstarIII chipset, the EMTAC mini-S3 is a perfect compliment to the EMTAC Navigator 4.0 software. Suggested MSRP for the EMTAC Navigator 4.0 software is $149.99 and $229.99 for the EMTAC Navigator 4.0 Palm OS Bundle, which includes the EMTAC Navigator 4.0 software, EMTAC mini-S3 Bluetooth GPS, and chargers. For more information, screenshots and a list of compatible devices as well as distributors and resellers, please visit www.emtac.com.
Read More in: PDA/PIM GPS

iPhone and Maps - Apple Misses the Mark by a Mile

location based services

Jobs says that what Apple has done with maps on the iPhone will "blow away any Google Maps client." I'm sorry, the launch of the iPhone tomorrow rings hollow on its location technology to me. So, the iPhone is an "always-on" Wi-Fi enabled Web browser that can view Google Maps. You can search for POIs and display them on the iPhone. There is nothing impressive about that feature that another cell phone with Wi-Fi access doesn't already have.The only thing I can see that is somewhat innovative is the integration the iPhone has with its other features. That is, when you select a particular POI, let's say a restaurant, and you touch the pin location on the map display, the user is able to see and then dial the phone number for that establishment. That's cool, I'll admit. The ability to view traffic maps is just a yawner. It's just a feature of another website. Routing? Please don't insult me. Where is the "live" link to my location? Show me my friends, my pets, my car and everyone and everything else in my network. Show them to me on the map as my "in-network" favs. The map features are basically static. It lacks the "wow" factor so common to Apple products and for a company that prides itself on catering to the gen X'ers, Y's or whoever, the opportunity to establish the iPhone as the primo location-based social networking device was a huge miss. Even local search, the hottest thing going, is simply web-based look up on the iPhone. Without GPS, (or Wi-Fi triangulation) it's simply just a web browser.So, tomorrow the iPhone will be available in stores at 6:00 p.m. and people will be thronging to Apple's retail outlets to pay the $500+. In my opinion, wait until Apple adds a GPS chip. Wait for the social networking feature to show the proximity of friends and family. I think they blew it this time around by leaving these features out. It could have launched as the "killer" PDA-cell phone-MP3 player as well as the most useful PND and social networking device on the market. To me, it misses by a "country mile." It will allow competitors to jump into the breach.
And for that price, I want my apple pie and eat it too.


Posted

E-wallet and GPS Phones on the Rise in Japan


Do you receive our FREE 3G Newsletter ? If not click here
28th June , 2007
US : E-wallet phones, GPS phones and related services are gaining traction today in the Japanese mobile phone market, reports In-Stat. Mobile TV phones are expected to gain favor as well, once there is a good revenue-generating business case, the high-tech market research firm says. A trend-setting market, Japan provides a model for how other markets may adopt new mobile phone features.
“In the advanced Japanese mobile phone market, the shipment of 3G phones exceeded 92% of 47.8 million phones sold in 2006,” says Allyn Hall, a Director with In-Stat. “The market is full of excitement as phones with brilliant displays, rich multimedia capabilities and various novel functions were introduced last year to gain customer acceptance and market share.”
Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
In 2006, 43.5 million 3G phones were sold in Japan.
Camera, music player function, and above 2.4-inch screens with at least 240*320 resolution have become standard.
98 new 3G models were launched in the last 12 months in Japan.
The research, “3G Mobile Handset Trends in Japan” (#IN0703679AW), covers the market for mobile phones in Japan. Getting to know the latest features of Japanese phones and how the business works is instructive in reaching for the same success in other markets. This research explores the key enablers of every novel function/service, why customers like them, and how likely other markets are to adopt them.
For more information on this research or to purchase it online

How many Points of Interest (POIs) do you need?

location based services

Points of interest (POIs) are, just as the name implies, a geographic point that may be of interest to you. They are typically divided into categories like dining, shopping, lodging, recreation, etc. If you are navigating to a business, you are likely to use a POI; if you are navigating to a residence, you'll probably enter an address instead.
These days, most auto GPS receivers come with anywhere from 750,000 to 6 million or more POIs. I find units with 2 million or less POIs to be extremely frustrating to use, since often, the business I am searching for is not in the database.
I really like Garmin's approach to this. All of their newer auto units come pre-loaded with City Navigator, which has nearly 6 million POIs. TomTom fudges this a little bit, citing "miliions of POIs" for their products, though my take is that they are closer to the high end of the range than the low end.
Magellan and Mio put more POIs on their higher end devices. The Mio C220 has 3.5 million+ POIs, while the Mio C520 has over 6 million. Magellan's Maestro 3100 has an anemic 750,000 POIs, while the Maestro 4000 has 1.5 million. All other members of the Maestro family have 4.5 million POIs.
My advice? Avoid GPS receivers with low numbers of POIs.
Related post

TomTom researches use of real-time video for navigation

location based services

GPS Business News is reporting this morning that TomTom has filed a European patent for the use of real-time video for navigation (registration required).
There's been a lot of buzz for the past year or so about next generation navigation systems using 3-D imagery to create artificial cityscapes, and map data providers are on the verge of offering such imagery for major cities. And while it wouldn't have surprised me to see map data providers begin to use captured video imagery, ala Google Maps Street View, this goes way beyond that, integrating real-time video on the GPS receiver's screen.
Technical and financial challenges
The difficulty in making this technology work lies in calibration. How do you make what the camera records match up with the navigation database? The article cites sensors to determine camera angle, multiple cameras, and anticipatory pattern recognition, described in this quote from the patent -- "Using map data may simplify the pattern recognition techniques, as it is easier to recognize for instance a road, when it is approximately known from the map data where the road is."
GPS Business News thinks this technology is limited by cost factors as well:
As it looks now this invention remains quite futuristic and might not be found in a consumer device very soon. Even if the technological challenges have been overcome by TomTom using the methods described, the whole price of such a device would remain prohibitive today due to the hardware necessary to run the solution: sensors, powerful processor and one or more cameras, including infrared camera for night navigation.
Personally, I don't believe the barriers are insurmountable, though the cost would likely go up even more if external cameras are required, as opposed to an integrated solution where everything is contained in the navigation device. But that makes the technical challenges that much more difficult.
Nevertheless, the future of personal navigation devices is quite bright. I certainly don't see cell phone navigation tackling this sorts of innovation!

Maporama Incorporating Virtual Earth with LBS Offerings

location based services

Jun 28, 2007
GPS World
Microsoft Corp. and Europe's Maporama International said today that they have completed a major technological and commercial partnership in the mapping market, based on the software giant's Virtual Earth.
The Virtual Earth mapping platform, which combines roadmaps, satellite and aerial imagery, plus bird's-eye and 3D views, will be transparently incorporated into Maporama's platform, making it available to its corporate customers. Maporama, based in Paris, provides a number of location-based services, including store locators and fleet management GPS navigation, as well as a collection of related integration and development application programming interfaces (APIs). The company has some 500 corporate customers worldwide.
"Maporama covers all corporate mapping needs and offers: for marketing departments, turnkey solutions or solutions for integrating maps, itineraries, and searches and for functional departments, the solutions connect to business applications—ERP, CRM, SFA, etc.," stated Daniele Drahy, Maporama director of operations. "For mobile users, Maporama also ensures full access to information with GPS navigation solutions, trip planning assistance for sales teams, and fleet management.
"Thanks to Virtual Earth, the Maporama service offer now includes fundamental mapping data enabling our customers to design new types of applications," Drahy continued. "Several industries (real estate, tourism, assistance, retail, call centers, banking and insurance) have expressed an interest in multi-dimensional visualization (bird's eye and 3D views) in additional to traditional mapping."

Smartphoners Tap Google

location based services

Posted by Dave Gerardi

Google tops the list of Web destinations by smartphone users in M:Metric’s April 2007 report. Google held a nine point advantage over the second place Orange in the United Kingdom and a whopping 29 percentage point lead over Yahoo in the United States.

United States

Company	Total
Google Inc.	62.48%
Yahoo! Inc.	33.54%
Microsoft Corporation	33.36%
AT&T Inc.	21.22%
Time Warner Inc.	19.06%
The Walt Disney Company	17.00%
News Corporation	15.54%
Sprint Nextel	15.29%
The Weather Channel	15.28%
eBay Inc.	14.19%

United Kingdom

Company	Total
Google Inc.	30.94%
Orange Personal Communications	21.68%
British Broadcasting Corporation	20.90%
Microsoft Corporation	17.75%
Vodafone Group PLC	16.79%
eBay Inc.	13.08%
O2 (UK) Ltd, Service Operations	12.77%
Hutchison Whampoa Limited	12.67%
Yahoo! Inc.	10.97%
Deutsche Telekom AG	10.71%

M:Metrics

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Smaato featured on Forbes.com

location based services

Erika Brown, from the Silicon Valley Bureau of Forbes Magazine published a great story on the recent Innovate Europe event and the Venture Capital and entrepreneur scene in Europe.

Smaato was mentioned in her report “Everything ventured“:

” … In addition to a handful of location-based services, Smaato was one of the interesting mobile businesses. The company, dual-based in Hamburg and San Mateo, Calif., offers a way for small companies that make cellphone software to make money from selling ads that appear as banners at the top of a screen. Co-founder Harald Neidhardt says he thinks mobile-phone advertising has the potential to reach $1.5 billion. “There are more smartphones sold than PCs or laptops, and there are more than 50,000 application developers for those devices,” he says. …”

Bell Selects TeleNav to Power Mobile GPS Navigation Service

location based services

June 30, 2007 at 10:21 am · Filed under Software

GPS Nav from Bell Now Available on BlackBerry® 8830

SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–TeleNav Inc., the first company to launch a GPS navigation service for mobile devices in North America, today announced Bell has chosen the company’s turn-by-turn GPS navigation service, named GPS Nav from Bell, for the new BlackBerry® 8830 smartphone from Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq:RIMM) (TSX:RIM).

GPS Nav from Bell provides users with turn-by-turn, GPS-enabled directions, just like an in-car navigation service, but on a mobile device. It includes full-color, 3D moving maps, voice and on-screen navigation, and information and directions to millions of business listings in North America, including local Wi-Fi hotspots. GPS Nav from Bell automatically updates itself with current information so customers never have to worry about downloading the latest maps or business listings.

“With a smartphone as feature-rich as the new BlackBerry 8830, we believe many business customers will consider this their all-in-one mobile device,” said Adel Bazerghi, Bell Mobility’s vice president of products. “TeleNav’s GPS service is high-quality, easy-to-use and incorporates relevant features that our customers will enjoy using everyday for both work or play.”

Features of GPS Nav from Bell include:

* * Voice and on-screen turn-by-turn driving directions – Customers can type in or use voice recognition to call-in destinations, and GPS Nav from Bell computes the routes. While driving, users get up-to-the minute guidance, including street names, and will automatically be re-routed if a turn is missed.
* * Full-color 3D moving maps – Just like an in-car navigation system, the 3D maps turn, move and stop along with the driver, while also displaying a realistic image of the streets the driver is approaching and passing. Users can also pan and zoom around the map to view surrounding streets.
* * Biz Finder (local search) – Customers can look up more than 10 million businesses and services in North America, including ATMs, restaurants, hotels, Wi-Fi hotspots and gas stations, and easily navigate to them with the click of a button.
* * Spot Marker – Users can mark waypoints to help find their way back to a location or to record points of interest.
* * Pedestrian Mode – GPS Nav from Bell can be used while walking to help guide customers through crowded downtown streets or back to a parked car.
* * My Favorites – Customers can save as many addresses as needed for easy access and directions later.

“There is no reason that anyone needs to invest in an expensive, in-car navigation system or a separate navigation device,” said Dr. HP Jin, president, CEO and co-founder of TeleNav. “GPS Nav from Bell offers customers the same peace of mind and even more features – but on a device they already carry with them.”

Bell customers can download GPS Nav directly from their BlackBerry 8830 smartphone. Ongoing subscription to the service costs $9.99 per month, plus a data plan for unlimited usage.

For more information on GPS Nav from Bell and additional devices that support GPS Nav, please visit www.bell.ca/wireless or www.telenav.com.

About TeleNav Inc.

TeleNav, Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, was the first company to launch a GPS navigation system on mobile phones in the United States. TeleNav is a global leader in wireless location-based services (LBS), including GPS navigation, Mobile Resource Management (MRM), asset GPS tracking (AVL) and local search. The company’s flagship product, TeleNav GPS Navigator™, is comparable to in-car systems found in luxury vehicles, but offers a superior experience with functionality such as automatically updated maps and business locations, full color 3D moving maps, traffic alerts and one-click rerouting, speech recognition, Wi-Fi hotspot finder, lowest price fuel finder and more.

TeleNav partners include Research In Motion (RIM), Motorola, Samsung, Sanyo, LG, Palm, HTC, Hewlett Packard, Nokia, NAVTEQ, Tele Atlas, deCarta, Qualcomm and SiRF Technology Holdings.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limit

Nokia launches advanced E series smartphone location based services PTI[ THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2007 07:10:19 PM]

NEW DELHI: World's largest mobile handsets maker Nokia on Thursday launched its most advanced smartphone in the latest 'Communicator' series aimed at business people. Priced at Rs 40,500, E90 Communicator gives businessmen the facility of two cameras, video conferencing, high-speed internet and email access and maps application for location- based services. The smartphone also has a new feature called Active Notes, which allows taking notes and tag it to an individual name helping as a reminder when talking to that person. It also offers fast connections on third generation mobile services on voice, video and data as well as on enhanced 3G services like HSDPA. Nokia Enterprise Solutions General Manager Chakrapani GK said E90 also allows users to view, open and edit email attachments with 'Quick Office' besides offering Adobe Acrobat Reader and Zip Manager. The addition of E90 is expected to push up the already 1.5 lakh Communicator user-base in India, he said. Chakrapani said smartphone segment is growing at 50 per cent in the mobile device category and Nokia has globally sold 200 million such phones with a leading marketshare of 50 per cent. Based on S60 platform where a host of additional mobile applications are also available, the E90 has an integrated GPS (Global Positioning System), the only fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Nokia maps applications that helps in finding routes and locating services.

Plazes in Google Earthlocation based services neogeography, Google Earth, Thoughts Add comments

Plazes in Google Earth

location based services

neogeography, Google Earth, Thoughts Add comments

Despite a few hiccups with the latest Plazer client, I’m sticking with my experiment of using Plazes to track my presence and location. I’m glad I have because, the very interested data behind plazes has now been exposed in the form of a plazes KML file. This is really neat, by logging in you can view your own locations, without logging in, you can view the global plazes database and see a real time feed of the latest plazes registered by users. Credit to Tim at Plazes for a really nice use of KML !!

Like the recent twittermap, in can be almost hypnotic watching the geeks of the world posting their locations, and the experience is all the more interesting in Google Earth.

The plazes KML is available for download at www.plazes.com/kml

Written and Submitted from the Google Office, Zurich.

Telematics Veteran to Push ATX Beyond Embedded Car Systems location based services Posted : Thu, 28 Jun 2007 12:12:02 GMT Author : ATX Group Category : PressRelease News Alerts by Email click here ) Create your own RSS PressRelease News | Create your own RSS | Home

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, Texas, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- A 15-year veteran of the vehicle telematics and location-based telecommunications industries, Shiva Kalisetty, has been tapped by ATX Group to expand telematics services beyond embedded automotive systems to various types of portable and desktop communications and navigation devices. ATX Group is the world's largest independent telematics provider to the automotive industry, serving both North America and Europe. Kalisetty joins ATX as its Vice President of Business Development, leveraging his expertise in mobile and embedded telematics and wireless devices, software, Internet services and e-commerce. He has extensive experience in conceiving and executing new business initiatives with public and startup companies. Kalisetty was most recently responsible for business development and marketing of the location-based services product portfolio at Clarity Communication Systems. He built successful strategic partnerships with mobile carriers, content providers, telecommunication infrastructure vendors, GIS software providers, and handset manufacturers. Earlier in his career, Kalisetty spent over 13 years at NAVTEQ. The addition of Kalisetty coincides with the introduction of ATX's T3, or third generation of telematics services, which are designed in part to enhance the interface between vehicle systems and portable consumer electronics devices brought into the vehicle as well the content transmitted through such connections. Kalisetty earned a B.S. in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from Osmania University in India, an MS in Electrical & Systems Engineering from the University of Connecticut and an MBA with highest honors from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. Based in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area and Dusseldorf, Germany, ATX Group is the world's largest independent provider of personalized telematics services for the automobile industry, serving both North America and Europe. ATX telematics services are designed to provide enhanced safety, security and driving convenience to vehicle owners. ATX, also customizes telematics services to help automobile manufacturers and their affiliated dealerships to use telematics data to reduce costs, enhance vehicle servicing, and more closely manage customer relationships. ATX services are provided to vehicle owners through the brand names of its customers -- Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Peugeot, Maybach, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. For more information, visit http://www.atxg.com/. ATX Group CONTACT: Gary Wallace, Vice President, Corporate Relations, ATX Group, +1-800-511-5891, or +1-972-753-6230, or gwallace@atxg.com Web site: http://www.atxg.com/

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