Siemens Invests in Jentro Technologies for Mobile Navigation

Siemens Mobile Acceleration has made an equity investment in Jentro Technologies, a German start-up developing a software navigation system that runs on general Java-based mobile phones with a GPS receiver. Using the system, a subscriber inputs his or her intended destination via the phone’s keypad or using a Web-browser. The data is transmitted to the Jentro service-center, where the route is calculated. The user is then guided by spoken output and information on the phone-display (turn-by-turn symbols) – just as in conventional on-board systems. To calculate the route, the server not only uses the latest maps, but also takes up-to-the minute traffic information into account. Siemens said the usage of Jentro’s new Off-Board navigation-solution is not limited to high-end smartphones; it also works with general mobile phones and will be available in the first half of 2004 through mobile network operators. Financial terms were not disclosed. http://www.siemensmobileacceleration.comhttp://www.jentro.com