US-based Spime, with its R&D centre in Chennai, has joined hands with Navteq and Loquendo to power a hybrid alternative to web-based mapping services with HP Navigator, the latest from the global original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

Powered by Spime’s Hybrid LBS (location based solutions) platform and Navteq content, HP has become the first multi-device OEM to launch a competitive location-based solution under its own brand — “HP Navigator” — for netbook, notebook and tablet PCs. HP Navigator optimises the interaction between the device and cloud (server-based) to power location, map, POI (point of interest), routing and navigation services competing with leading web-based mapping service providers.

The benefits to HP customers are that they get location, mapping, POIs, textual routing and voice-guided route simulation for free, even when the device is not connected to the internet. HP Navigator is available in north America, Latin America and in western and eastern Europe in 19 languages.

“This is the first of its kind launch, wherein a mobillity device OEM is bundling Map+Navigation pre-bundled from the factory. Until now consumers had only connected map solutions ( Google, Bing, Yahoo and Mapquest) in netbook, slate and tablet PCs, where as now HP is offering location intelligence with pre-loaded pap, Point of Interest (POI), geo-coding, reverse geo-coding, textual and voice routing, re-routing and turn-by-turn navigation as an out-of-box solution even if the consumer is not connected to the internet,” Shankar Narayanan, CEO, Spime told Financial Chronicle.

Spime is a Silicon Valley California-based company with R&D offices in Chennai, India. The company is a provider of white labeled LBS solutions to mobile operators, OEM / ODMs, developers and semiconductor providers. Navteq is the leading global provider of maps, traffic and location data (digital location content) enabling navigation, location-based services and mobile advertising around the world. On the other, Loquendo provides a complete range of speech technologies for server, embedded and desktop solutions and is a Telecom Italia company.

Since, HP Navigator is a “hybrid” location solution, when connected to the internet, HP customers can discover, trial and purchase premium LBS services such as voice-guided turn by turn navigation, application upgrades, additional maps, POIs and emerging services from within HP Navigator.

“Since the LBS Platform is tightly coupled with Spime’s Map Viewer application, users get “Google maps like” functionality when not connected. Today the popular map solutions require a user to be connected to the internet and thereby limit when and where location mapping services are available” said Gary Mendel, Spime’s vice-president, world wide marketing and sales in a statement.

Source : Financial Chronicle