Nokia returns as a sponsor for NAVTEQ

CHICAGO, USA: NAVTEQ, a provider in digital map data for location-based solutions and vehicle navigation, today announced that Nokia would return for the fourth-consecutive year as a global sponsor of the 2009 edition of the NAVTEQ global LBS challenge.

Nokia would serve as a judging panel that would evaluate the semifinalist applications on the basis of commercial appeal, indispensability, innovativeness, aesthetics, and effective use of NAVTEQ maps, said a press release.

It would be involved in the judging process for all three regions of the competition that includes Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA), the Americas, and Asia-Pacific (APAC), it said. It stated that Nokia would also provide qualifying contestants with their choice of the Nokia E71 or Nokia N85 handset to develop their location-enabled applications for the competition.

The Nokia E71 is the world’s thinnest QWERTY handset and supports the latest Ovi services, including maps, music and media sharing.

The Nokia E71 is considered to be an official device in the EMEA and Americas regions, it said. The dual-slider Nokia N85 enables users to discover new places with turn-by-turn voice navigation, pedestrian navigation, city guides and 15 million points of interest.

“From the beginning, Nokia has been a staunch supporter of the development of mobile location-based services through our Forum Nokia program as well as through sponsorship of the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge,” said Tom Libretto, vice president, Forum Nokia.

“We are proud of our ongoing global sponsorship and look forward to seeing many cutting-edge LBS applications developed specifically for our Nokia E71 and Nokia N85 handsets,” he added.

The statement reported that the prize pool for this year’s competition is valued at over $5.25 million dollars in cash, tool and data licenses, and handsets, making the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge one of the industry’s most rewarding developer competitions.

“Nokia’s unwavering support has been a key factor in helping our program grow which in turn, has helped developers and the overall maturation of the LBS industry,” said Marc Naddell, vice president, partner and developer programs, NAVTEQ.

“As wireless technology and mapping data grow in sophistication, the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge would continue to be an important program for surfacing the most innovative pre-commercial LBS applications and the creative minds behind them,” he added.