Nokia Names Augmentra As S60 3rd Edition Challenge Winner

Nokia Names Augmentra As S60 3rd Edition Challenge Winner

ViewRanger Off-road SatNav Wins Top Prize for Best Category Application in S60 3rd Edition Developer Competition

Cambridge, UK – 20 October 2006 – Nokia has announced that ViewRanger has been selected by a panel of judges as Best Category Application in the Forum Nokia S60 3rd Edition Challenge global developer competition for the best new applications based on the S60 3rd Edition Platform.

Announced in London on the eve of the annual Symbian Smartphone Show, the S60 3rd Edition Challenge awards, which are co-sponsored by Nokia’s global developer support program, Forum Nokia, Adobe and Symbian, culminate a 10-month selection process in the categories of enterprise, music, Macromedia Flash Lite and location-aware applications.

ViewRanger was selected by a jury comprised of representatives of Macromedia and Nokia Business units from among 5 finalists in the Location Aware Services & Applications category announced in September. The Best Category Application award carries a €25,000 (euro) top prize and a one-year free membership in Nokia’s exclusive Forum Nokia PRO developer support program.

In presenting the award, Nokia said “This innovative application takes location-based services from roads to the outdoor trails, making mobile location-based services applicable to a wide variety of outdoor sport hobbyists: walkers, mountain bikers, geocachers, and outdoor enthusiasts. ViewRanger provides 3D graphics-based outdoor navigation enabling panoramic views of the surroundings and combines that innovatively with location-based content creation and sharing. The user-generated content can be further utilized, for example by travel service providers, opening up new business opportunities for location-based services.”

Craig Wareham, co-founder and Director of Augmentra Ltd, said, “We are delighted to receive this recognition from Nokia for our ViewRanger application. The combined phone, imaging and location capabilities of the S60 platform has allowed us to build a powerful and valued tool for outdoor activity participants – used by both sport hobbyists and members of coastguard and mountain search and rescue teams.”

The Forum Nokia S60 3rd Edition Challenge is designed to drive development of innovative new applications for the S60 3rd Edition, based on the Symbian OS, which expands creative opportunities for developers of advanced mobile applications and services.
Introduced in 2005, S60 3rd Edition Platform enables developers to create “smarter” applications both in terms of better user experience and more efficient development, and offers an enhanced security model that provides better protection for valuable applications and content. S60 3rd Edition Platform opens a wide range of possibilities for location-based applications, as well as applications that include scalable 2-D vector graphics, wireless messaging, robust security and authentication and other advanced application features.

In addition to Forum Nokia, Adobe and Symbian, co-sponsors of the S60 3rd Edition Challenge include: Handango, providing a Handango marketing package; Nokia Enterprise Solutions, co-sponsor of the Enterprise Application category; Nokia Multimedia, co-sponsor of the Mobile Music category; and Nokia Mobile Phones, co-sponsor of the Location Aware Services & Applications category.

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About ViewRanger
ViewRanger not only takes you places but shows you what’s there when you arrive! With a Bluetooth GPS receiver connected, ViewRanger transforms a Nokia smartphone into a fully featured trail and off-road navigation system. ViewRanger provides mapping, navigation and information on location for walkers, mountain bikers, geocachers, off-road drivers, tourists and other outdoor activity enthusiasts. ViewRanger maps provide detailed topographic map information including hill contours, tourist information, camping and caravan sites, picnic areas and viewpoints, and Rights of Way information for England and Wales.

ViewRanger is available in various regional map editions. Pricing starts at £20 for ViewRanger YourMap edition with up to 10,000 sq km of mapping.

A free trial version of ViewRanger for Nokia S60 phone handsets is available to download from the www.viewranger.com website.

About Augmentra Ltd
Augmentra is a specialist in developing location-based mapping, navigation and information solutions for the non-urban environment and delivers innovative solutions that maximise the opportunities offered by the convergence of mobile phone, imaging, and GPS technologies. Existing location-based applications have focused on urban and street navigation. Augmentra’s solutions are specifically created to match the needs of the active outdoor enthusiast – whether tourist, walker, cyclist, or sailor – and to overcome the issues created by using mobile technology in a rural environment.

Augmentra is based in Cambridge, UK. More information can be found at www.viewranger.com

About Forum Nokia
Nokia’s global developer program, Forum Nokia connects developers to tools, technical information, support, and distribution channels they can use to build and market applications around the globe. From offices in the U.S., Europe, Japan, China, and Singapore, Forum Nokia provides technical and business development support to developers and operators to assist them in achieving their goal of successfully launching applications and services to consumers and enterprises. More information is available at www.forum.nokia.com.

About Nokia
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations.
www.nokia.com