Google has announced that it is offering mobile phone users to view highway maps with live traffic data. Available initially in 30 U.S. cities, Google Maps for mobile will show traffic, with road conditions highlighted in three colors: red means congested, yellow & orange means slowdowns and green for open traffic. The service combines satellite imagery, directions, and traffic data - - completely free. One can check out the service by going to http://google. com/gmm on mobile phone. Currently,
it's only available in the U.S. market.

Navicore Ltd, a mobile navigation providers in Europe, has announced that it has further extended the compatibility of its Navicore Personal mobile navigation software, to include the range of latest Nokia smart phones from E-series and N-series, based on Symbian S60 3rd edition platform. Navicore now offers compatibility across a wide range of platforms like Symbian S60, S80, S60 3rd edition and UIQ and there are over 30 devices compatible with Navicore Personal.
www.navicoretech.com

The new C.J. Driscoll & Associates 2006-07 LBS, Telematics and Navigation Systems Study is based on a nationwide survey of nearly 5,000 U.S. consumers and a series of focus groups in key U.S. metropolitan areas. Key findings of the study were

• The majority of consumers favor portable navigation systems over factory-installed systems.

• Owner satisfaction with both portable and vehicle-installed navigation systems is very high (over 4.0 on a 5-point scale).

• Over one-fourth of the motorists surveyed (26%) expressed strong interest in a service that would provide traffic information for their route or vicinity.

• Early adopters of cell phone based navigation services are generally pleased with these services, though satisfaction ratings for these services are not as high as for portable or installed navigation systems.

• The study rates interest of cellular phone users in 22 cellular applications, including text messaging, downloading video clips, watching live TV on cell phones, email and several locationbased services. Seven of the 10 top rated applications are locationbased services. www.cjdriscoll.com

Singapore will soon be able to trace almost everything, from loved ones to company property, once a new tracking system is launched later this year with the launch of CISCO’s Track and Trace service. The tracking device is imbedded into a mobile phone. People who want to find where the user is, has just to call in the company's operation centre. The users will need to enter their pin in their mobile phone menu. Once registered, the mobile phone signal will appear on screen at the operation centre. Another home monitoring device aimed at worried parents allows subscribers to see real time pictures inside their homes using certain 3G phones. After logging on,
pictures are beamed over broadband internet to a standard mobile phone account from one or more cameras in the home. www.channelnewsasia.com

Sprint Nextel, USA, and Motorola, USA, released i580, a walkie-talkie cell phone with a rubberized exterior that meets military spec 810F for rain, dust, shock, vibration resistance, and more. Features include a 1.3- megapixel digital camera, and supports GPS-based services such as TeleNav, MapQuest FindMe, and Trimble Outdoors. This clamshell-style phone comes with a removable 64MB SD Card, Bluetooth support, and a
color display.
www.pcworld.com