April 3, 2006
MapQuest unveils navigation help on mobile phones
AOL unit MapQuest has unveiled a mobile map service for mobile phones, complete with voice directions, text and maps in a bid to expand on the popularity of its Internet maps, reports C news.
The MapQuest Navigator will be marketed as a cheaper alternative to navigation systems built into cars.
MapQuest, which has about 40 million monthly users of its Internet driving directions and mapping services, hopes its online popularity and features such as turn-by-turn voice prompts give it an edge over offers from rivals such as Google Inc. and InfoSpace.
The MapQuest Navigator aims to commercialize location-pinpointing technology that is being put into most U.S. mobile phones, along with MapQuest's online map technology.
According to mobile research firm m:metrics, about 4.3 percent of U.S. mobile users used map services on their phone in the month of January.
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