Skyhook Wireless Powers the Location-Aware Internet
Leading content, search, games and social discovery choose Loki for auto-location on the web
BOSTON, MA - May 13, 2008 - Skyhook Wireless today announced that a series of new partners representing a broad range of content and services, are leveraging Skyhook's Loki Javascript API, in order to deliver hyper-local content and services. Loki's innovative geo-targeting capabilities are enabling companies such as Whrrl, Geocaching.com, Krillion, Yahoo! Fire Eagle, UpNext and CitySquares to serve, search for, and facilitate the creation of location relevant content. Now laptop and desktop Internet users, not just users with location-enabled mobile phones, can take advantage of location-based services.
Loki is a creation of Skyhook Wireless and leverages the company's ground-breaking Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS) to deliver highly accurate location information through a web browser. With just a few lines of Javascript, Loki enables websites to easily incorporate precise location information into the user experience. Whether trying to find a new flatscreen, hunting for location stamped "caches", or trying to find and connect with your friends, Loki powers new experiences on the location-aware web. Ground-breaking companies have deployed the Loki Javascript API, some of these leading companies include:
Social Discovery - Whrrl
Whrrl, a new social discovery service from Pelago, Inc. uses elements of social networking, local discovery and user-generated content to create a unique medium for finding and sharing local information with friend networks. Whrrl delivers real-time updates, reviews and locations of people, places and events in the physical world through both Web and mobile platform. "It is crucial for us to deliver seamless location experiences - whether via mobile device or a laptop - and Loki allows us to do that through some very impressive geotargeting capabilities," said Darren Vengroff, CTO and co-founder of Pelago.
Location Based Gaming - Geocaching.com
Geocaching.com is the world's largest geocache listing site with over 3 million participants worldwide. "Loki allows us to deliver location-specific geocaching search results without a user needing to submit their location. This is just another way in which we can support our community, allowing geocachers access to information in a way that best serves them," said Jeremy Irish, Groundspeak's president and CEO.
Local Search - Krillion
Krillion Inc. is a premier provider of local shopping search information, serving today's ready-to-buy consumers who research products online for purchase from retailers in their neighborhood. Krillion’s success comes from its ability to provide online shoppers with real-time, location-specific product availability information from major retailers in the U.S. "Loki's technology provides us with the ability to instantly locate the user who is researching products online, show them the closest retail outlets with the item in stock and, most importantly, provide instant directions from their exact location to the store," said Joel Toledano, CEO and founder of Krillion.
Location Sharing - Yahoo! Fire Eagle
Fire Eagle is the secure and stylish way to share your location with sites and services online. We want to make the whole web respond to where you are, and to help you discover more about the world around you.
Local Content - CitySquares & UpNext
CitySquares is a local company that brings together local businesses and their consumers to provide rich, hyper-local content for urban and suburban communities. With its recent expansion, CitySquares' footprint extends from Boston to the Route 128 belt and offers information on over 65,000 local businesses. UpNext is the new and exciting way to explore and discover your city in 3D. Rather than sifting through pages and links of data, UpNext enables you to glide around your city, virtually. Exploring has never been easier.
"Accurate location information provides important context for web experiences; and Loki delivers location-awareness in a new and innovative way," said Ryan Sarver, director of consumer products at Skyhook Wireless. "It's exciting to see the location-aware web arriving across such a wide range of services."
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 serves over 70% of the US & Canadian populations and is expanding internationally. Skyhook Wireless is headquartered in Boston, MA, and is privately held. Investors include RRE Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, Intel Capital and CommonAngels. For more information visit www.skyhookwireless.com, send email to info@skyhookwireless.com or call 617-314-9802.
Skyhook Media Contact
Beth Winkowski
Skyhook Wireless
(978) 649-7189
beth@skyhookwireless.com
Groundspeak Media Contact
Shauna Maggs
Groundspeak
(206) 302-7721
shauna@groundspeak.com
Pelago Media Contact
Matt Otepka
104 West Partners
(206) 855-7826
Matt.Otepka@104West.com
Krillion Media Contact
Tim Cox
ZingPR
650-369-7784
tim@zingpr.com
UpNext Media Contact
Vik Advani
UpNext
vadvani@upnext.com
CitySquares Media Contact
Ben Saren
Citysquares.com
617.459.4922
bsaren@citysquares.com