NAVTEQ announced semi finalists for EMEA LBS Challenge

This week NAVTEQ revealed the names of the thirteen companies that have been selected during the semi-finals of its LBS Challenge and will be showcased in a couple of weeks at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This year 180 companies participated into this EMEA competition. Three trends are clearly visible this selection: the concern for environment and fuel efficiency (3 applications), the trend towards location-based mobile advertising (4 applications) and the presence of more contestants from Central and Eastern Europe (4 companies).

Semi finalists:

• Birkett Enterprises Ltd., UK - PhoneLocator - A phone tracking application that uses GPS to recover lost phones.

• Carbon Hero Ltd., UK - Carbon Diem - An application that uses GPS technology to track a person’s carbon footprint based on his/her transportation choices.

• CCC, Hungary/United Kingdom - Quest4POI - Helps you find interesting Points of Interest (POIs) for specific locations.

• Connect Things, France – ezStroll - An advertising application that allows you to receive promotional messages from surrounding businesses and visitor sites (shops, museums, etc).

• Crambo Labs, Spain – Econav - A driving application that assists you to save fuel through efficient routing.

• Kishonti Informatics Bt, Hungary – NaviGenie - An easy-to-use application for casual users of mass market, entry-level phones, providing 3D mapping, bird’s eye, satellite and street views.

• MobGeo Ltd., UK – MobGeo - A location-based advertising application that delivers mobile coupons / vouchers to your phone.

• MSG-While on the Move, Finland - SkiInLapland - A ski-guide application that lists the top ski resorts and allows ski enthusiasts to share text, images and videos about the places they visit.

• NaviExpert Sp, z o. o. , Poland – MONAPI (Mobile Online Navigation API) - A security application that helps report emergencies via a map and to monitor family members’ locations alerting user of various types of safety concerns, e.g. children wandering off the school grounds.

• PH Informatica SA, Portugal - City Guide - An enhanced POI application with photos, images and video imagery as well as a simplified process to set up appointments with friends.

• Skobbler GmbH, Germany – Skobbler – An Ad-funded mobile navigation application which allows young, urban consumers to share information, personal comments and recommendations on the coolest “in” spots around the city. (read more here about Skobbler)

• T + 1 Solutions, Estonia - EcoRide - A location-assisted car pooling application that allows you to develop your own car pooling community to save fuel costs and be more environmentally friendly.

• Yoose GmbH, Germany - Mobile Coupons - A “mobile wallet” application that lets you store loyalty cards and coupons to your phone using a bar code scanning function.