Java Navigation Systems

Software solutions are available to turn your cell phone into a mobile navigation system.

Appello, for instance, has developed a Java ME navigation application that runs on any Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. Their product is called WISEPILOT, and it works by communicating with a small GPS unit via the cell phone’s built-in Bluetooth radio. It offers trip planning and other trip-related information by sending SMS messages to Appello’s back-end servers. Additional features include real-time traffic reports, and the ability to enter a person or company name instead of an address to activate the navigation system. Because of its integrated directory services, WISEPILOT will locate your destination’s address for you, and then give you turn-by-turn directions starting from your current location, taking into account traffic data it has obtained. Nice.

To read more about how Java helps make useful applications like this possible, read this article from Sun.

windRose has recently released their own navigation system for Java-enabled cell phones. Their trip-planning software is open-source, and targets devices with Bluetooth also. Although Java enables the software to run on any Java-enabled Bluetooth device, they have currently tested it with the Palm Treo 650.

Vendors are choosing Java ME for their mobile application development because it allows them to write their code once, and then target any Java-enabled cell phone on the market (which is just about all of them).

-EJB

Posted by Eric Bruno at 09:40 AM  Permalink