Wayfinder and Sony Ericsson Extend Cooperation on GPS-Enabled Handsets

On October 9, Wayfinder announced that it had extended the previous agreement it had with Sony Ericsson. According to the agreement, on current and future Sony Ericsson phones, Wayfinder will preload richer, longer term navigation offerings.

For those unfamiliar with the Wayfinder, what they should know is that the application offers users mobile phone-based navigation, allowing them to download Tele Atlas, which provides maps of more than 70 countries, while also delivering the dynamic content that powers many of the world's most essential navigation and location-based services (LBS). This means that users can avoid roaming costs when they travel abroad.

Until now, Wayfinder provided a three-month trial of its Navigator application for some Sony Ericsson handsets. The GPS-handsets that use the application are W760 Walkman and C702 Cyber-shot, and the upcoming C905 Cyber-shot phone. Now, the company will provide for Sony Ericsson mobile phones full navigation capabilities, lane and sign post information included, as a 12-month regional, continental European or lifetime navigation offer.

“With the increased importance of GPS-phones in our portfolio, I am delighted to further expand our relationship with Wayfinder,” said Corporate Vice President and Head of Creation & Development, Sony Ericsson, Rikko Sakaguchi. “We work closely together in order to deliver a user experience second to none in the fast growing location based services field soon to become a mass market service.” he added.

“Ease of use and simplicity are key components of our product strategy, and the expansion of this agreement is a testimonial to the success of that approach.” said Magnus Nilsson, CEO of Wayfinder Systems. “Wayfinder will enable Sony Ericsson and its operator customers to offer our navigation and location services at mass market prices to end-users around the world.” he concluded by saying.