Archive for the 'Mobile' Category

Nokia Completes Its Acquisition of NAVTEQ


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Nokia announced today that it has completed its acquisition of NAVTEQ, a leading provider of digital map information.Powered by NAVTEQ’s maps data, Nokia will add context - time, place, people - to web services optimized for mobility.

Statements of Nokia and Navteq:

“Nokia and NAVTEQ together make a powerful combination, and customers will benefit as the transaction enables NAVTEQ to accelerate its expansion into new regions and introduce innovative new content. This is an industry poised for further growth and NAVTEQ will play a major role in the field,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, President and CEO, Nokia. “The addition of NAVTEQ comes at the right time for Nokia’s business, allowing us to create the leading location platform just as context-aware and location-based Internet services expand rapidly into mobile communications devices.”
Judson Green, President and CEO of NAVTEQ, said: “Nokia has a deep understanding of the requirements for the industry. As part of Nokia, NAVTEQ will further invest in its map and content capabilities and make our products and services easier for all our customers to use and access.”
“NAVTEQ’s map data already play an important role in Nokia Maps service, which brings downloadable maps, voice-guided navigation and other context-aware web services to people’s pockets. Now that the acquisition has been completed, this role will become even more important as context-aware Internet services grow,” added Niklas Savander, Executive Vice President for Services & Software, Nokia.

The transaction is valued at approximately $8.1 billion.

About NAVTEQ

NAVTEQ is a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions. NAVTEQ creates the digital maps and map content that power navigation and location-based services solutions around the world. The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has more than 3,600 employees located in 187 offices and in 39 countries. NAVTEQ maps are available in 73 countries today and are distinguished by their detailed inclusion of over 260 road network attributes essential to dynamic, turn-by-turn route guidance and navigation.

With the deal Nokia Maps will be strenghtend. Nokia Maps covers over 200 countries, with over 70 of them navigable. Nokia Maps 2.0 has improved its optional Car Navigation, enhanced its pedestrian navigation, added multimedia city guides, offers satellite images, and is sporting a redesigned user interface.

Nokia Press Release

Navteq Press Release

Written and submitted from Home, using my 802.11g WiFi network.

iPhone is shipping tomorrow (also in Austria)


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Tomorrow the new Apple’s iPhone 3G will be available. In Austria t-mobile and one will offer contracts for the new iPhone. David Pogue from NYTimes has created a new video about the new iPhone.

Last year David Pogue has created a legendary video about the introduction of the first iPhone.

Written and submitted from Home, using my 802.11g WiFi network.

Google Maps with voice search


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Typing on a mobile device my be very cumbersome. Google also recognized this disadvantage and provide a voice search for Google Maps for mobile devices. They give a short tutorial how to do voice search. unfortunately it is only available for some blackbarry phones, but I assume it the service is accepted by the user, more phones will be supported.

But how it is written on the site?

“Using your voice is optional. You can always type your searches as usual.”

[via: http://www.google.com/mobile/blackberry/maps/voicesearch.html]

Written and submitted from Home, using my 802.11g WiFi network.

Nokia Maps for Desktop?


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Nokia is planning opening up Nokia Maps for the Desktop and synchronizing information between desktop and mobile phone. Therefore they are working on a browser frontend for their maps and navigation service Nokia Maps, which is optimized for the PC. The user should be able to plan a route on the PC and is shown the information on the mobile after synchronizing. I can be assumed that Nokia Maps will be embedded into the Ovi-platform. Currently the product is under development and will not be available before fall 2008.

In general it can be said that Nokia make a lot of effort providing geospatial solution for the mobile world. Nokia has announced to deliver 35 to 40 million mobiles, which have built-in GPS chips.

[via: golem.de]

Written and submitted from Home, using my 802.11g WiFi network.

Best Phones for Location Based Services


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What are the best mobiles for LBS? To answer this questions I have taken four phones from different manufactures and compared them. In my opinion following issues are important if you want to use a mobile for LBS applications:

  • buid-in GPS
  • large screen size and resolution
  • fast internet connection
  • good usability and operating system which allows to design own applciation easily
  • battery life
  • prize

Maybe there are some more criteria to rate phones for their LBS suitability.

Phones

HTC P3700

Nokia N96

Iphone 3G

SE Xpedia

buid-in GPS A-GPS

A-GPS

A-GPS

A-GPS

Screen Size 2.8″, 640×480

2.8″, 240×320

3.5″, 480×320

3.0″, 800×480

Internet. Conn. GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA/HSUDA

GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA

EDGE/HSDPA

GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA/HSUDA

Prize (EUR) 485

TBA TBA TBA
Size 102×51x11.5

103×55x20

115×62x12.3

110×53x17

Batery (sp/by) 270min/385h

150min/200h

300min/300h

TBA

OS / HCI
Windows Mobile 6.1

Symbian S60

MacOS X

Windows Mobile 6.1

Ranking

2

4

1

2

I know this is a very limited evaluation. But for this four phones my winner is the iPhone 3G because of the great suitability and the mobile MacOS X SDK.

Written and submitted from Home, using my 802.11g WiFi network.