In Stockholm, wireless technology helps blind people navigate independently.

May 14, 2007 (Computerworld) — Although Sweden’s reputation for extremely generous social welfare services is somewhat exaggerated, the country is at the forefront of using IT and telecommunications to help the elderly and disabled remain as autonomous as possible. This allows those in need to maintain their dignity and reduces expenditures for publicly financed social workers and personal assistants.

One of the most challenging projects has been an effort to develop a system for guiding the sight-impaired and blind with voice advisories from their mobile phones. The navigation system is the first high-tech, software-related project to be undertaken as part of the city of Stockholm’s Project of Easy Access for the visually impaired, which has hitherto been a program of rebuilding sidewalk curbs, building wheelchair ramps and making other adjustments to Stockholm’s physical infrastructure.

Swedish firm Mobile Sorcery AB is developing the software for the prototype system, which uses a Nokia 6300 Symbian phone with earphones and a separate GPS unit linked to the phone through Bluetooth SIG technology. The application linking a geographic information system (GIS) to the guidance system is provided by Astando AB, another Swedish company.

“We designed all the client software which resides on the phone, plus there is a standard voice synthesis solution from Acapela Group,” says Tomas Upp­gård, CEO of Mobile Sorcery. The complete system was tested by about a dozen sight-impaired and blind people in Sweden’s capital in late 2006. The navigation application from Astando locates the user and plots a path to the destination using a highly detailed GIS created and maintained by the city mainly for street maintenance and traffic management purposes.

read more here.

Bones-In-Motion Get a training edge with personal feedback during your activity.

Effortlessly save your activities and share them with friends.

Very simple to use, BiM Active software turns a GPS phone into your personal fitness monitor.

This business model of LBS GPS services has a lot of potential!

Finding friends and meeting new ones could become even more important uses for global-positioning chips than getting from A to B as the technology spreads to cell phones in coming years.

Combined with mobile Internet access, the Global Positioning System is seen in the industry as adding a new dimension to social networking that could also have implications for the media business.

“GPS tells me that today, I’m sitting somewhere at 48 degrees north, 2 degrees east. Is that really that much value, if I know I’m sitting in Paris?” said Miles Flint, president of cell phone maker Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications.

But he sees that notion changing.

“One of the more compelling things that we might use every day is the integration of that information into knowing where my friends are,” he told the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit in Paris this week.

GPS chips use satellites orbiting Earth to determine the exact position of the user. They are found in car navigation systems, which have surged in popularity in recent years, and the technology is now making the jump to mobile phones.

Once people can physically find friends and family members–as long as they want to be found–it can enhance the establishment of growing Internet social networks such as News Corp.’s MySpace.com.

“‘Your community’s in your pocket.’ I think that explains where we’re headed quite well,” Nokia Chief Executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said earlier this month at a shareholders meeting.

Industry executives still disagree over how quickly satellite navigation will find its way into phones.

The chief executive of chipmaker CSR, John Scarisbrick, said at the summit that his company is expecting to see a quick uptake of GPS chips in phones as prices fall.

But Alain De Taeye, chief executive of digital-map supplier Tele Atlas, voiced doubts.

“I’m incredibly enthusiastic about the opportunities. However, the last time I was incredibly enthusiastic about the opportunities, it took 20 years to realize them,” De Taeye said.

“Market research predicts that 25 percent of phones in 2010 will have GPS. I would be a bit more cautious.”

Nokia is already betting on GPS-enabled phones, and most top handset suppliers are expected to come out with models soon, though Flint gave no date for when Sony Ericsson would start building GPS into its phones.

The first selling point for GPS phones is as a tool for users to find their way around, but many believe that social networking similar to that helped by sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Flickr is what will deliver mass appeal.

An Amsterdam, Netherlands, company recently acquired by small Finnish mobile-phone maker Benefon is currently building a social-networking application for GPS-enabled phones.

The service, branded “GyPSii,” will allow users to upload pictures, videos and sound clips recorded with their phones that are automatically encoded with the location where the picture was taken or the recording was made.

Users can see where their friends are, and see and search each other’s saved places.

The company’s founders, Dan Harple and Sam Critchley, believe that eventually, these place marks will grow into a database that will deliver more relevant search results because the company also records data on who submits what and when.

A 40-year-old man searching on a Wednesday evening for a place to meet friends for drinks, for example, might get different results than would a 16-year-old girl doing the same search on a Saturday night.

Sitting on board a canal boat in Amsterdam, Harple said the venture is not exactly of a scale likely to bring down Google.

“But we will deliver a different type of search results. We’re not just crawling the Web; content is being pushed from the ground up,” he said.

I’m presenting on this at WebDirections South in September. Should be an interesting few months.

uLocate Receives $11 Million for Their Mobile Location Services
May 20, 2007

uLocate Communications Inc. receives $11 million as a business to business provider of mobile location services. Investors included Venrock Associates, GrandBanks Capital, and Kodiak Venture Partners.

What does uLocate do?

uLocate provides mobile location services to carriers and other mobile providers.

VCU says:

While uLocate provides mobile location services, it appears that just recently they announced “Where”. “Where” is a mobile GPS widget platform. Consumers can find widgets for their mobile phones but more importantly developers have access to GPS functionality.

We will continue to follow similar fundings. Take a look at uLocate.com.

From Interfax China (rest in Chinese)

Microsoft’s Frank Arrigo’s map. Seems to be powered by a company from Westen Australia, plugged into the Telstra services.

BlackBox is a company that specialises in location based technology, communication to and from field workers and telemetry applications. BlackBox was formed in 2002 by the four founders that collectively have significant experience in the areas of:

• GPS (Global Positioning Satellites) technologies

• Satellite communications

• Mobile Phone communications

• Mining industry - open pit mine design, communications

• Fishing industry - compliance systems, communications

• Transport industry - compliance systems, communications

• Government - compliance systems, communications

• Trades and Services - communications.

The company negotiated an exclusive agreement with TerraVision ( www.sat.com.au ) to access its globally recognised vessel and vehicle tracking software. TerraVision is a Perth , Western Australian based company that services a large share of the world’s fishing fleets for their vessel tracking requirements. In fact around 24 countries of the world have chosen to use the TerraVision system. Typically this is based around a GPS receiver collecting the location information and sending this over a satellite communications link to the monitoring point. TerraVision software monitors vessel location, activity and compliance with licenses. TerraVision systems are also utilised in trains, buses, buoys and trucks. TerraVision’s wealth of knowledge and experience in this industry, it has been involved with GPS since the technology became available to the public in the region, has been a significant contributor to BlackBox’s early success.

BBlackBox has developed its own vehicle tracking software for use in the mobile unit. This code is loaded into a state of the art hardware unit (sourced under a highly competitive OEM arrangement) to allow the vehicle to provide location information, usage data and also integrate with the vehicle (such as engine management systems) to allow customers to observe vehicle activity.

To date, BlackBox has tracking units operating in trucks, sedans, buoys, tugs and telemetry applications.

BlackBox can provide solutions based on any of these communication systems:

• GSM/GPRS mobile phone services

• CDMA/1XRTT mobile phone services

• Satellite

• Radio

• Landlines

It is also possible for BlackBox to mix and match these options. The goal is to find the most cost-effective method to ensure that the customer has the most beneficial solution balanced between functional requirement and operating cost.

BlackBox Control has grown significantly and with the addition of a number of strategic shareholders now also offers highly advanced reporting tools, integration capability with office systems, messaging (including email to and from drivers) and can adapt its solutions to suit the specific needs of its customers.

With the growth has come a team of dealers that also contribute to the collective solution available from BlackBox. Contact us to find out more and how the company is providing solutions that are more than just a dot on map.

More than a dot on the map, indeed.

GPS receiver fits into mobile phone sim card

by Melanie Reynolds

Thursday 10 May 2007

A UK-based start-up has announced a sim card for mobile devices which incorporates a GPS receiver and antenna, allowing location capability to be added to the device by just changing the sim card.

BlueSky Positioning said it has developed “patent-pending technology and processes to embed assisted global positioning system (A-GPS) capability in the sim card, with minimal impact on signal strength and battery life”.

The A-GPS SIM is claimed to comply with GSM and 3G standards without modifications or additional software in handsets.

Risto Savolainen, CEO of BlueSky, said the sim would help operators comply with the E112 European Directive for emergency location.

This Directive does not currently specify any particular degree of accuracy on location, but that aspect is expected to be tightened up this year with callers to be located to within a few metres.

“This strengthened EU legislation to enhance public safety services will also catalyse the LBS [location based services] market by putting the means of access into the hands of every user,” said Savolainen.

“A new handset costs anywhere between E100 and E500 plus. A replacement sim is a tiny fraction of the cost,” he added.

Dextra Airtime Solutions has signed an exclusive distribution deal to supply mobiles2go’s i-Kids device. The product, which has been well received following its launch a couple of months ago, is a phone that enables the child to make and receive voice calls to and from a parent-restricted range of numbers;

it also includes GPS and parents can use a web-based interface to see where their child is (accurate to 20m, says the developer). The end user SRP is around £99.99 plus a monthly contract from just over £15, and Dextra says it offers dealers “the opportunity to access a completely new market producing incremental revenues for their businesses”.

Technorati Tags Location Based Services, LBS, UK, Mobiles2Go, iKids, i-Kids,

Innovative child safety device allows parents to give their kids more independence for the summer holidays

(OPENPRESS) May 2, 2007 — With the summer holidays drawing nearer and evenings getting lighter, the i-Kids safety device offers parents the ideal solution to allow their children to make the most of the extra daylight hours. Featuring a one-touch emergency button and the very latest GPS functionality, the i-Kids is designed to be used by younger children when they are out and about, playing with friends or in the park, while reassuring their parents of their safety.

Summer is typically the time when children crave more independence, and with the i-Kids device, six to ten year olds also have the security and confidence of knowing they can reach a parent or guardian immediately in the event of distress or danger by pressing the one-touch emergency button. The device then automatically speed-dials four pre-programmed numbers in sequence until the child’s alert is answered. In the unlikely event that no-one answers the call is diverted to the i-Kids 24/7 help desk where a trained operator can offer assistance.

i-Kids also offers a solution for parents who have concerns about their children wandering beyond agreed boundaries while they are out and about in the holidays. The i-Kids GPS features, which work even when the device is switched off, will alert parents by text message when their child moves out of pre-set safety zones, such as the local playground or the walk to a friend’s house. The unique GPS functionality of the i-Kids also allows parents to pin-point the location of their child to within 10-20 metres in seconds, by carrying out a real time trace using their own mobile phone or PC.

Explaining the benefits of the i-Kids device, Nicki Rule-Barnard, mother of eight-year old Joe, says: “i-Kids gives me reassurance that if Joe gets lost or deviates away from our agreed boundaries, I can easily find out where he is. As he is a member of the local scout troop I’m sure there will be scouting events over the summer that he’ll want to go to as well as all the activities he’ll want to get up to with his friends. I can’t be with him all the time so the i-Kids is great for both of us as we know we can be in contact at the touch of a button if we need to be.”

Mario Zuccaro, MD of mobiles2go said: “It’s natural that our kids want to get out and about when the evenings are lighter and the days are warmer. Many parents are keen to encourage this and give their children more independence, but worry about the safety of their child when they’re not with them. Using the i-Kids, parents can give their children the freedom they crave when they’re off school for the summer break, with the reassurance they can communicate with them safely at all times.”

The i-Kids safety device has the following features:

emergency button - when a child pushes the red button the device calls the four programmed speed dial numbers in sequence to alert them of the emergency. If a number is unanswered or on voicemail, i-Kids is sophisticated enough to move onto the next number. If none of the four numbers are available then the call gets answered by the 24/7 i-Kids Help Desk call centre
­
controlled communication - calls using the device are limited to four speed dial numbers authorised and set up by the parent. i-Kids can receive incoming calls but the device can only receive texts, not compose them
­
real time trace – the GPS functionality of i-Kids gives parents the location of their child in 60 – 90 seconds to within 10 – 20 metres *
­
adjustable safety zones - the i-Kids service allows parents to set up three adjustable safety zones. Once the child moves outside the parameters set, the parent (or guardian) will receive a text message on their mobile informing them of the child’s movements

durability and ease of use - as the device is designed with children in mind, i-Kids is hard wearing and easy to use. Set up pages are user friendly and secured by passwords to ensure that children cannot re-programme the settings

The i-Kids is available from retailers across the UK or directly from mobiles2go, priced at £99.99, with a monthly tariff of £15.75 on an 18 month contract. Visit www.mobiles2go-shop.co.uk or call the mobiles2go customer service line on 0844 800 9133.

*when in satellite and network operator coverage. If the i-Kids is not in satellite coverage, e.g. indoors, the last known position will be shown

** depending on battery life

About mobiles2go www.mobiles2go.com
mobiles2go is at the forefront of the rapidly expanding global mobile location based services (MLBS) market for both personal and business applications.

Because the management team at mobiles2go has an in-depth understanding of the emerging global trends and demands for MLBS services, the company has developed a compelling product portfolio that integrates mobile telephony with GPS satellite tracking technology to meet the safety, security and management demands of businesses and consumers worldwide.

mobiles2go is not constrained by outdated billing systems and infrastructure and its flexible approach means it can provide simple and refreshing plans and products, while giving customers and partners choice in the way they would like to be serviced.

About i-Kids www.i-kids.net/gb
i-Kids is a safety device that:
• Has an emergency button which calls the 4 pre-programmed parental numbers and emergency call centre
• Has restricted dialling. Can only call 4 numbers which are programmed by the parent and which can only be adjusted through the secure i-Kids website
• Sends a simple text message to parent’s existing mobile phone with child’s street address details
• Alerts parents when their child’s battery or credit is low
• Means a parent can maintain contact with their child

For further information and photography, please contact:
Louise Andrews or Kathryn Cotsworth, Wildfire PR
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8339 4420; Email: mobiles2go@wildfirepr.co.uk
Or visit www.mobiles2go.com/uk and www.i-kids.net/uk

Technorati Tags Location Based Services, LBS, UK, Mobiles2Go, iKids,