|
|
January 2001
|
Airbiquity and Televigation announce availability of first GPS-Enabled Voice- Activated Location Application for Wireless Users
Bainbridge Island, Wash., and Sunnyvile, Calif., Jan. 18 -
Airbiquity, an integrator of wireless voice and data solutions for mobile
devices, and Televigation, a provider of mobile phone navigation
technology, announced today the first Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled, voice-activated, location-driven application in a complete, end-to-end solution, representing a new revenue opportunity for wireless carriers,
application service providers, Internet portals, telematics providers,
roadside assistance providers and personal security companies.
The GPS-enabled voice-activated application will be unveiled at the Upside
Showcase in Palm Springs, CA on January 22-24, at Televigation's booth #12.
This application enables location services, such as traffic reports, turn-
by-turn driving directions and nearby business searches, based on the actual
position of the user. The GPS-based application resolves the most common issue
for wireless callers with location-sensitive services: knowing their exact
position, which is not obvious when driving on a highway or in an unknown
city. Location capability is provided by Airbiquity's GPS Accessory, a
retrofittable device consisting of GPS technology embedded in the battery of
Nokia wireless phones, the most widely used mobile phones on the market today.
Voice activated navigation services are provided by Televigation.
Users can find the nearest ATM, restaurant, or gas station, get driving
directions to an address, or receive personalized traffic reports, based on
his/her current position, without the need to input an address, zip code,
caller ID, or other inconvenient or less accurate means of determining the
origin.
"Voice is the most immediate of interfaces, and in location services,
hands-free immediacy is going to be very important," Mark Plakias, vice
president of voice and wireless at The Kelsey Group, a technology research
firm that focuses on the wireless voice and data space. "We see location
services generating an $11 billion industry by 2005 in the US alone, and
GPS/speech scenarios will drive much of that revenue."
Airbiquity's GPS Accessory pinpoints a subscriber's actual position and
sends it to Airbiquity aqServer that transforms the encoded information into a
clear latitude/longitude data. This is then sent to Televigation's voice-
activated navigation server, which determines the exact address. The wireless
user can then interact with Televigation's server via voice to access
information such as driving directions, yellow page search and traffic
reports. Connecting Airbiquity's GPS Accessory to Televigation's voice-
activated navigation server gives wireless phone users the ability to receive
spoken location information with the push of a button.
"Televigation's voice-activated navigation products and Airbiquity's GPS
Accessory bring location-based services to the next level of convenience and
ease of use for wireless users," said Sammy Nassar, vice president of business
development for Televigation. "Service providers, like roadside assistance or
travel agencies, will be able to enhance their offerings with value-added
services that can ultimately generate more revenue."
"Airbiquity's retrofittable GPS Accessory allows millions of Nokia
wireless phones to send highly accurate location information to Televigation's
navigation platform during a wireless call," said Andy Rimkus, vice president
of marketing for Airbiquity. "The service does not use a visual menu, which
reduces driver distraction. In addition, Airbiquity's "Push-to-Pinpoint"
implementation protects consumer privacy, which allows users to enable and
disable the sending of location information."
About Airbiquity
Airbiquity, formerly Integrated Data Communications (IDC), develops
intelligent wireless communications solutions that integrate voice and data to
support location-based and other high-value data applications and services on
any wireless network or air interface. The company's patented, end-to-end
digital voice channel software solution -- aqLink(TM) -- enables automobile
manufacturers, wireless carriers, commercial call centers and Internet portals
to offer to their subscribers unique location-based and other "micro-data"
services that enhance productivity, manage assets, and deliver personalized
content. The company's premier product enabled with aqLink(TM) is a
breakthrough Global Positioning System (GPS) Accessory, which leverages the
company's software solution with commercial GPS to instantly create a
complete, nationwide Location Commerce(SM) solution for any wireless
application service provider. Airbiquity's major investors include Acorn
Ventures, InfoSpace Ventures, The Madrona Group, the Carlson Group, Broe
Growth Capital, and Kirnaf Ltd. http://www.airbiquity.com.
About Televigation
Televigation is a leading provider of mobile phone navigation technology.
Televigation's technology powers fast-growing location-based services from
wireless operators, wireless and voice portals, and wireless application
service providers (WASPs) that are seeking successful value-added services.
The company established its technological leadership in June 2000 by
demonstrating its Snap-to-Map real-time address locating system, making it
possible to provide real-time, dynamic navigation to millions of current
subscribers with regular mobile phones. http://www.televigation.com.
|
|
|
|
|
