Java Mobile Phones Find the Way – New Mobile Navigation

December 6, 2005

Java-enabled mobile phones are becoming mobile pathfinders. VDO Dayton has become the first supplier to launch a navigation system for cell phones that feature the widely used programming language Java. Navigation solutions for mobile phones that use the Symbian operating system have been available since early 2005.

Now, the MN 2200 navigation system is based on a conventional mobile telephone standard and can be operated via any network operator. With the navigation software and a satellite-controlled GPS receiver, a user’s cell phone doesn’t only offer simple pictograms as navigation aids; it also provides color maps, arrows and voice directions. The user enters the route data with the phone’s keypad, and the rest is handled by the software, mobile phone, GPS receiver and the central server at VDO Dayton, a subsidiary of Siemens VDO Automotive.

The route data is transmitted to the central server via a one-time, fee-based connection. Once the server has calculated the desired route, the information is then transmitted back to the mobile phone, and the trip directions begin. This represents a significant advantage over permanently installed navigation systems: Instead of determining the desired route using road maps on CDs, the mobile navigation solution relies on the continually updated server.

And regardless of whether users are traveling in their own vehicles, rental cars or riding motorcycles — the mobile phone also provides them with the latest reports of traffic jams and detours. In addition to providing the directions requested, the system also immediately sends alternative routes when needed. Data for longer trips is even sent to users at intervals as a trip progresses, to ensure the user always has the latest traffic reports. The MN2200 offers a selection of seven languages and is available from mobile communication providers and from VDO Dayton’s online shop.