Skyhook Wireless Announces Upgrade to Public SDK and Expanded Platform Support
Written by Skyhook Wireless
Monday, 10 September 2007
SDK Now Supports Most Wi-Fi Platforms with GPS NMEA Compatibility and Improved Positioning
BOSTON, MA – September 10, 2007 – Skyhook Wireless, provider of the Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS), today announced a major upgrade to the company's Software Development Kit (SDK). By broadening platform support to the majority of Wi-Fi enabled devices, adding GPS NMEA compatibility, and improving positioning accuracy, Skyhook has greatly enhanced the SDK for performance and easy integration into any developer's mobile application. The new version of the SDK is available today for free download at http://www.skyhookwireless.com/developers/sdk.php
Skyhook Wireless was founded in 2003 to capitalize on the growth of Wi-Fi and the emerging market for location based services. Most mobile devices lack native positioning systems or rely on technologies that struggle in densely populated and indoor environments. As a software-only system, WPS addresses these issues by offering the highest indoor availability and the best overall urban reliability of any existing location platform.
Broadened platform support and continued expansion of WPS coverage gives developers access to users on almost all Wi-Fi devices in cities and towns across the world. The SDK now supports the Windows VistaTM, Mac OS XTM, SymbianTM and LinuxTM platforms. These platforms are supported in addition to the original Windows XPTM, Windows MobileTM and Windows CETM platforms. WPS coverage now includes 19 million access points and 70% of the US, Canadian, and Australian populations. European coverage already includes London, Amsterdam, and Barcelona, and Skyhook plans to cover the majority of the European population by the end of 2007.
Along with more platforms and more users, the upgraded SDK also provides developers with access to a whole new class of devices. WPS can now be deployed in autonomous mode with little or no network connectivity. This device-centric mode is ideal for devices like portable media players and portable navigation devices which only access the network periodically. In addition, velocity estimation, key for accuracy in navigation, has been improved by almost 50%.
Skyhook has added two new features to the SDK, GPS compatibility and confidence estimation, to make deployment easier than ever for developers. Skyhook's Virtual GPS feature now makes the SDK compatible with any GPS NMEA application. As a result, applications that already support GPS, like navigation or tracking, require no additional development for SDK deployment. The SDK also now produces a highly accurate confidence estimation which developers can use to define the way that location information is displayed in their applications. By making known the specific degree of positioning information accuracy, developers maintain confidence in the system and provide a better user experience.
"The performance enhancements and broadened platform support included in today's SDK release allow application developers to integrate location awareness into their applications on nearly all Wi-Fi enabled devices,” said Ryan Sarver, director of product development at Skyhook Wireless.
Some of the most exciting location-aware applications are in gaming. The notorious "Big Games” developers, area/code games, have already successfully deployed the SDK in the location-aware game Plundr. In the first ever location-based game for the PC, Plundr users are pirates, and physical locations become islands for pillaging. There are already several thousand active players and over 1500 of Plundr's "islands” have been discovered in real-world physical space. "Interest in Plundr has exploded over the last few months, not only from the players, but from game publishers,” said Kevin Slavin, managing director and co-founder of area/code. "Skyhook's technology delivers precise user location directly into Plundr's gameplay. We've even been able to prototype the game on the Nintendo DS, using Skyhook's WPS. Based on Plundr's success, it's clear that location-based gaming is heading towards the mainstream, and Skyhook will be a key enabler in this new landscape.” Plundr is available to play online now at http://plundr.areacodeinc.com/.
uLocate, provider of WHERE(TM), the world's first GPS widget platform, will also collaborate with Skyhook to take advantage of its location technology in mobile devices. "WHERE eliminates the technical barriers that developers face when creating mobile LBS applications,” said Matt Gross, director of product management, uLocate Communications. "By including Skyhook's location technology, we can extend the reach of our developers' content and applications to a broader range of mobile phones.” Developers interested in the WHERE developer program can get more information at www.where.com/create.
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 and Australian populations and is currently 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, email or call 617-314-9802.
About area/code
area/code makes Big Games. Big Games are large-scale, real-world games. A Big Game might involve transforming an entire city into the world's largest board game, or hundreds of players scouring the streets looking for invisible treasure, or a TV show reaching out to interact with real-time audiences nationwide.
These games have been commissioned and sponsored by advertising agencies, media firms, universities, and large consumer brands. ConQwest, area/code's first project, won a silver Clio and a One Show silver pencil. The company was founded in early 2005 by Frank Lantz and Kevin Slavin. Recent area/code projects include Plundr, Sharkrunners, The Sopranos A&E Connection, ConQwest, and Crossroads. For more information, please visit www.playareacode.com.
About uLocate
uLocate Communications is the leading publisher of mobile location based service (LBS) applications. In 2007, uLocate launched WHERE, the world's first mobile GPS application platform. For more information, visit www.ulocate.com.
WHERE is the world's first wireless GPS application widget platform. WHERE enables consumers to easily discover location based content and customize their mobile lifestyle based on the people, places and things that matter to them most. For more information visit www.where.com.
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