Hoping to speed the adoption of wireless location-based technologies by operators nationwide, Phone.com Inc. introduced several new products at its Unwired Universe conference held last week aimed at tying location services to its wireless Internet platform.
Most significantly, the company introduced a mobile location addition to its UP.Link Server Suite made possible though an agreement with SignalSoft Corp. The new Phone.com Mobile Location Server is a joint architecture the two created that acts as the Internet interface to location information provided by SignalSoft’s Location Manager software.
“We saw the need to provide Web sites and application providers with a single unified way to determine a subscriber’s location that is not dependent on the network carrier, really hide it completely from the developer,” said Ben Linder, vice president of marketing at Phone.com.
The MLS is a portion of the UP.Link system that communicates with the location determination technology implemented in a given carrier’s system. Phone.com is providing developers with an application programming interface for the MLS so they may include location-sensitive features with their applications by writing only to the MLS server. It then translates the system’s location information for the given applications running on the phone, regardless of the type of location system the carrier uses.
So an application can request the user location from the MLS server, which asks the network for the location information. The network then gives this information to the server, and the server translates it to the application.
The server also provides benefit to end users, allowing them to control their privacy options so they may block their location information from being divulged. Finally, it provides a way for carriers to bill for the service.
“For location services to take off, you have to make it easier for developers. You have to shield them from the complexities by providing a single interface to the location technology,” Linder said.
Acknowledging the reluctance among carriers to adopt location technology, Linder said the server could alleviate some of their concerns.
“I’m hoping this speeds it up, because we’re providing them a way they can make money off it. It gives them the ability to charge the Web sites or the customer for the service.”
Adding to the value of the MLS server, Phone.com formed relationships with several Internet content providers for location-specific content services, though the MLS API. They include Amazon.com for location-based mobile commerce, DoubleClick for location-based advertising, In-Fusio for location-based games and Go2Systems for location-based retail brand searches.
These content providers are the pilot users of the server, building Web applications that can take advantage of the location technology now with the expectation that carriers will implement both the MLS server and location technologies soon.
Adding to its location-services initiative, Phone.com said it partnered with Webraska Inc. to integrate Webraska’s Personal Navigation application programming interface into the Phone.com UP.SDK software development kit, which will allow developers to include location-based mapping functions in their applications.
This allows developers to include Webraska’s mapping functions, so users can see an actual map on their phone screens when requesting directions. Application developers must still reach a business agreement with Webraska for use of the technology, however.
