14 DAY TRIAL // u-blox, the Swiss provider of GPS receiver technology, has announced that it is offering AssistNow A-GPS services for free.
AssistNow is an A-GPS (Assisted GPS) service that boosts a GPS receiver's performance, allowing it to compute a position almost instantly, even in difficult signal environments. Without A-GPS, a GPS receiver needs at least 30 seconds to receive the satellite position data and other satellite information it requires in order to compute a position. In weak signal areas such as urban canyons and building interiors, where the receiver has limited or no direct access to the sky, determining a positioning can take much longer, or may be impossible. AssistNow provides the GPS receiver with the data immediately, enabling it to quickly calculate a position. All GPS-enabled applications benefit from this, especially those that require uninterrupted operability such as fleet management applications, or GPS-enabled handhelds whose owners wish to access location-based services instantly, regardless of signal conditions.
u-blox offers two A-GPS services: AssistNow Offline and AssistNow Online. AssistNow Offline does not require an application to have mobile connectivity at start-up. Under AssistNow Offline, u-blox' assistance server provides the GPS receiver with data that is valid for up to 14 days. The data can be updated via a simple Internet download at the user's convenience any time within the time period that the data is valid for. In contrast, AssistNow Online downloads new assistance data packets at every device start-up. These much smaller data packets of 3 KB or less are downloaded straight to the GPS receiver, making AssistNow Online ideal for applications with limited memory.
"We are delighted to offer our customers AssistNow Offline and AssistNow Online services free of charge," said Karsten Tietz, VP Sales EMEA. "AssistNow, in combination with our unrivalled GPS receivers, brings users instant GPS acquisition and unmatched GPS performance in even the harshest signal environments. u-blox' latest location solutions set new performance standards for the GPS industry at large."