Garmin and uLocate Communications Team to Create Location Based Social Networking Functionality
Written by uLocate Communications
19 August 2008
Boston, Mass.— August 19, 2008—uLocate Communications, the world’s leading developer of location enabled applications, announces an agreement with Garmin to add friend-finding capabilities to select current and future Garmin GPS devices.
The partnership leverages APIs on uLocate’s WHERE™ platform to enable Garmin users to easily find and connect with friends nearby through the leading friend finding network, Buddy Beacon.
“The team over at uLocate continues to drive innovation with their open WHERE platform, enabling the broadest set of location based applications across the largest distribution network in wireless,” said Jeff Rath, vice president, global head of technology research of Canaccord Adams. “This represents a powerful combination – the largest PND manufacturer and the dominant platform in the market bringing together the universe of location enabled connected devices.”
With access to WHERE’s Buddy Beacon network, Garmin customers will be able to connect with their friends, share their location and update their status across a variety of online social networking sites including Facebook. Unlike other friend-finding applications, WHERE’s Buddy Beacon operates seamlessly across multiple networks, making it possible to connect with friends regardless of phone or carrier.
“We are delighted to team up with Garmin and through our WHERE platform, provide their users with access to Buddy Beacon,” said Walt Doyle, CEO of uLocate Communications. “The partnership connects two leaders in their industries that are committed to offering customers new and exciting interfaces."
About WHERE
WHERE, a service of uLocate Communications, connects consumers with people, places and things through the power of location. Whether finding friends in a crowded city, locating the lowest gas prices, satisfying a craving for a latte or scoring tickets to a local show, it’s all about navigating your world. WHERE lets consumers personalize their mobile experience while exploring and sharing interests with friends. Whatever your pursuits, WHERE delivers the best in local information from Eventful, Yelp, GasBuddy, Zipcar, ShopLocal, Starbucks, Buddy Beacon® and more.
Available on most major carriers including Alltel, AT&T, Boost, Helio, metroPCS and Sprint, the WHERE platform channels the power of location to the latest mobile devices including Nokia, BlackBerry and the iPhone. For more information, please visit www.where.com.
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