Autodesk Ships Location Products
By allNetDevices Staff
December 06, 2001
Autodesk, once known only for its CAD software, said Wednesday that it is expanding its efforts to enter the wireless location-based services.
Specifically, the company said it would team with Ericsson to add location detection capabilities to wireless systems that can be transmitted via Short Message Service (SMS) messages. In a separate announcement, the company's Location Services unit said Wednesday that it has started shipping its Autodesk MobileConnect product that enables wireless operators to offer in-car location-based telematics services to their subscribers.
"[It enables carriers] to add location sensitivity to existing applications, using SMS as the transport," said Joe Astroth, VP of AutoDesk Location Services. The company said that a "major Italian wireless operator" will soon announce that it has adopted the system, which integrates Autodesk's location software with Ericsson's SMS Gateway.
In a separate but related announcement, Autodesk said that it developed a location-based telematics product with TargaSys, which is a division of Italy's Fiat Auto S.p.A. The services supported by the system include navigation, real-time traffic information and information on nearby attractions.
The system uses GSM or GPRS wireless systems and phones. Subscribers touch a button on their phone that sends a SMS message to the carrier that provides their location and requests specific information. That personalized information is delivered by individuals working in a call center.
A version of the service already is available to owners of Alfa Romeo cars, the company says. |
