Skyhook Wireless Launches Developer's Network to Help Innovators Build and Deploy Location Based Services
Announces joint 'Wi-Fi Cage Match' competition with Tele Atlas® and Segway® Human Transporter grand prize for most innovative LBS application.
SAN JOSE, CA – June 13, 2006 -- Skyhook Wireless, provider of the industry's first Wi-Fi based positioning system, today announced at the O'Reilly Media Where 2.0 conference the launch of the Skyhook Developer's Network. Providing location-based service and application developers with free access to the Skyhook Wi-Fi Positioning System™ (WPS), APIs, documentation and a support infrastructure, the Developer's Network will allow solution providers to build accurate and reliable location-based products running on commonly available platforms and without the need of additional hardware such as a GPS. As part of the launch, Skyhook also announced 'Wi-Fi Cage Match,' a product development contest that will reward the developer of the most innovative and dynamic Wi-Fi based location application with a Segway® Human Transporter.
Download, Integrate & Participate
The cornerstone for the Skyhook Developer's Network is the Developer's Dashboard, a web-based support infrastructure that will give LBS developer's access to the Skyhook software-only positioning APIs and software code, documentation, release notes, community forums and technical support. Skyhook's unique capabilities as a software-only positioning technology make the Developer's Dashboard the ideal forum for delivering and supporting WPS-based development efforts. Developers can download and integrate the APIs under a no-charge evaluation and development license and then elect to make the integrated application commercially available by upgrading to a distribution license. The Developer's Dashboard can be accessed directly at http://developer.skyhookwireless.com.
The Skyhook WPS SDK allows for rapid integration with LBS applications running on a number of platforms. It give developers the ability to add auto-location query functionality and incorporate a complete location profile -- latitude, longitude, full street address -- through a simple API that can generally be mastered in a single day. Additionally Skyhook's WPS can act as a virtual GPS and provide latitude and longitude in the standard NMEA format allowing them to leverage location interfaces that they have already developed.
Partners
The Skyhook Developer's Dashboard will also feature an Application Showcase that will describe and promote the most innovative partner-developed WPS-based location based services and applications.
“We developed the Eye-Film integrated Wi-Fi and photo storage card to deliver on the vision of enabling any digital camera to be wireless, real-time and location aware” said Yuval Koren, president and CEO, Eye-Fi. “Skyhook's WPS platform and supporting APIs were the clear choice to enable users to location-stamp every photo taken with an Eye-Film enabled camera. The Developer's Network and Dashboard will be important tools to help us complete our development efforts and roll-out this feature later this year.”
“Skyhook's technology is what we've been waiting for. Building location-based multi-player games for urban environments has been a difficult problem to solve, and now we have a solution,” said Kevin Slavin, Managing Director of area/code, developer of 'Big Games' such as ConQwest. “At the Come Out & Play street games festival this fall, we'll be premiering a new game, with the WPS location-engine at its core. By opening up the APIs and providing support for developers like us, Skyhook is helping us take new game ideas from concept to reality.”
“Working with location-based service and application developers, we've seen how the requirement for specialized equipment, such as a GPS, and the limited user interface on mobile devices, have kept the LBS market from reaching its full potential,” said Jed Rice, vice president of market development for Skyhook Wireless. “In launching the Developer's Network and opening up availability to our positioning technology, we are creating addressable markets for our development partners that will now include the over 100 million Wi-Fi enabled laptops, PDAs and other devices that don't and won't have a GPS. Combined with our ever-increasing coverage area, this creates tremendous new technical and business opportunities for LBS practitioners.”
Wi-Fi Cage Match
Skyhook has also launched, and is co-sponsoring with Tele Atlas, the 'Wi-Fi Cage Match' product competition. Part competition, part community of like-minded developers and part forum for showing off innovative ideas and approaches, the objective of the Cage Match is to encourage the development of location-based applications on more open, reliable and accurate systems. Starting June 15 th and running through September 15 th, developer's can enroll via the Skyhook Developer's Dashboard. Contestants will also be able to leverage the Tele Atlas® DeveloperLink( SM) to gain access to Tele Atlas map data, development tools, documentation and forum to further enhance their Skyhook-enabled LBS application.
Applications submitted for review will be judged by a panel of industry experts who will evaluate applications based on innovation, consumer appeal, ease of use and breadth of functionality. The developer of the winning application will receive a Segway ® Human Transporter and, more importantly, bragging rights.
About Skyhook Wireless
Founded in 2003, Skyhook Wireless has pioneered the development of the first-ever metro-area positioning system that leverages Wi-Fi rather than satellites or cell towers to deliver precise location data supporting the growing market for location-based services. The Skyhook Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS) requires no new hardware, works indoors and outdoors, provides an instant location and is more accurate than current technologies in congested downtown areas. WPS is currently available in the top 100 US metro areas and is on target to serve 70% of the US population by the end of 2006. Skyhook Wireless is headquartered in Boston, MA and is privately held. Investors include Bain Capital, Intel Capital and Nokia Ventures Organization. For more information visit www.skyhookwireless.com, send email to info@skyhookwireless.com or call 617-314-9802.
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Beth Winkowski
Winkowski Public Relations
(978) 649-7189
bwinkowski@att.net