 | |
Type of site | Social network service |
|---|---|
| Created by | Shannon Atkinson, Founder and CEO |
| URL | www |
| Launched | July 2007 |
Njection is a free, web-based resource for car and driving enthusiasts. According to the NY Times, the site and company was the first to use Bing Maps Platform to pinpoint speed traps and traffic accidents in the United States [1] and parts of Europe. [2] A privately held company founded in 2007, Njection.com LLC is headquartered in Portland, OR.
The original intent of the company and website was to provide a news and communication forum for car enthusiasts. That functionality continues to exist in the News and Forum areas of the website. When it became apparent that speed traps were a big focus in the forum, the Speedtrap feature was added. [3] The Speedtrap Mashup was the first online site to use the Bing Maps Platform to allow users to contribute in real time the location of speed traps around the world. [1]
In 2009, the Speedtrap mapping system was upgraded to allow users to add traffic accidents and fatalities [4] and traffic flow and speed to the maps. The Speedtrap functionality relies on drivers to update the map; therefore, the functionality is dependent on the information provided by registered users. [5]
In 2008, the company developed the Njection Mobile (NMobile) application for the iPhone. [6] This application was the first non-Microsoft application to use the Bing Maps Platform and the Active Intelligence Selection System to provide access to speed trap information while driving. [7] Although it was initially offered as a paid application, the NMobile application has been available as a free download since 2009. In 2008, the Microsoft-enabled application also became available as a downloadable file on Garmin GPS units. [8] That functionality is no longer available through Garmin.
MSN is a web portal and related collection of Internet services and apps for Windows and mobile devices, provided by Microsoft and launched on August 24, 1995, alongside the release of Windows 95.
Traffic Message Channel (TMC) is a technology for delivering traffic and travel information to motor vehicle drivers. It is digitally coded using the ALERT C or TPEG protocol into Radio Data System (RDS) carried via conventional FM radio broadcasts. It can also be transmitted on Digital Audio Broadcasting or satellite radio. TMC allows silent delivery of dynamic information suitable for reproduction or display in the user's language without interrupting audio broadcast services. Both public and commercial services are operational in many countries. When data is integrated directly into a navigation system, traffic information can be used in the system's route calculation.
Bing Maps is a web mapping service provided as a part of Microsoft's Bing suite of search engines and powered by the Bing Maps Platform framework. Since 2020, the map data is provided by TomTom.
Navteq was an American Chicago-based provider of geographic information system (GIS) data and a major provider of base electronic navigable maps. The company was acquired by Nokia in 2007–2008, and fully merged into Nokia in 2011 to form part of the Here business unit. The unit was subsequently sold to a consortium of German auto makers in 2016.
TomTom N.V. is a Dutch multinational developer and creator of location technology and consumer electronics. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom released its first generation of satellite navigation devices to market in 2004. As of 2019 the company has over 4,500 employees worldwide and operations in 29 countries throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas.
Traffic reporting is the near real-time distribution of information about road conditions such as traffic congestion, detours, and traffic collisions. The reports help drivers anticipate and avoid traffic problems. Traffic reports, especially in cities, may also report on major delays to mass transit that does not necessarily involve roads. In addition to periodic broadcast reports, traffic information can be transmitted to GPS units, smartphones, and personal computers.
Bing for mobile is a search tool for handheld mobile devices from Microsoft as part of their Bing search engine. It is designed for mobile device displays. Bing Mobile is built into Windows Mobile and Windows Phone as proprietary software, accessed via the Search key on Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8 devices. It is also available on Windows Phone 8.1, and can be downloaded for other platforms, including and Android.
MSN Direct was an FM radio-based digital service which allowed 'SPOT' portable devices to receive information from MSN services. Devices that supported MSN Direct included wristwatches, desktop clocks, in-car GPS satellite navigation units, and even small appliances such as coffee makers. Information available through paid "channels" included weather, horoscopes, stocks, news, sports results and calendar notifications. The service also allowed users to receive short messages from Windows Live Messenger.
The HTC TyTN II is an Internet-enabled Windows Mobile Pocket PC smartphone designed and marketed by HTC Corporation of Taiwan. It has a tilting touchscreen with a right-side slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The TyTN II's functions include those of a camera phone and a portable media player in addition to text messaging and multimedia messaging. It also offers Internet services including e-mail, instant messaging, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity. It is a quad-band GSM phone with GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, and HSUPA.
Ford Sync is a factory-installed, integrated in-vehicle communications and entertainment system that allows users to make hands-free telephone calls, control music and perform other functions with the use of voice commands. The system consists of applications and user interfaces developed by Ford and other third-party developers. The first two generations run on the Windows Embedded Automotive operating system designed by Microsoft, while the third and fourth generations runs on the QNX operating system from BlackBerry Limited. Future versions will run on the Android operating system from Google.
The HTC Titan is a Windows Mobile 6.1 Pocket PC PDA and phone manufactured by High Tech Computer Corporation of Taiwan. It is the successor to the HTC Apache upon which it improves by adding more ROM, GPS, EVDO Rev. A, additional hard keys, a scroll-wheel, spring-loaded keyboard, and a higher resolution camera. The Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system includes Office Mobile along with HTML email through Microsoft Outlook Mobile. Windows Media Player is included, allowing the Titan to act as a digital audio and digital movie player.
The Garmin Nüvifone is a line of Internet-enabled mobile phone and personal navigation devices manufactured by a partnership between Garmin and Asus. It makes use of a touchscreen with virtual keyboards and buttons.
Navigon GmbH was a Würzburg, Germany-based manufacturer of GPS devices and GPS navigation software. The company was privately owned, until in June 2011, it was announced that Navigon was to be acquired by Garmin and become a subsidiary of the company. With effect from October 31, 2011, Navigon has changed its legal entity from corporation (Aktiengesellschaft) to GmbH.
Here Technologies is an American–Dutch multinational group dealing with mapping, location data and related automotive services to individuals and companies. It is majority-owned by a consortium of German automotive companies and American semiconductor company Intel whilst other companies also own minority stakes. Its roots date back to U.S.-based Navteq in 1985, which was acquired by Finland-based Nokia in 2007. Here is currently based in The Netherlands.
Trapster was a navigation social networking mobile application and website, provided for free, that maps out and alerts users in real time to the presence of live police speed traps, DUI checkpoints, traffic, red light cameras, speed cameras, and areas where police often hide. Further, it allows users to record trip data and share it via the web, including interfaces with Facebook and Twitter. Trapster was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 10 Best iPhone Apps for Dads in June 2009. In addition, Wired listed Trapster as the number 1 application in their 10 Mobile Applications that Make the Most of Location and CNET named Trapster as their number 1 free iPhone automotive app.
Waze, formerly FreeMap Israel, is a subsidiary company of Google that provides satellite navigation software on smartphones and other computers that support the Global Positioning System (GPS). In addition to turn-by-turn navigation, it incorporates user-submitted travel times and route details while downloading location-dependent information over a cellular network. Waze describes its application as a community-driven initiative that is free to download and use.
Turn-by-turn Navigation is a feature of some satellite navigation devices where directions for a selected route are continually presented to the user in the form of spoken or visual instructions. The system keeps the user up-to-date about the best route to the destination, and is often updated according to changing factors such as traffic and road conditions. Turn-by-turn systems typically use an electronic voice to inform the user whether to turn left or right, the street name, and the distance to the next turn.
Internavi is a vehicle telematics service offered by the Honda Motor Company to drivers in Japan. In the United States, the service is known as HondaLink, or sometimes MyLink. It provides mobile connectivity for on-demand traffic information services and internet provided maps displayed inside selected Honda vehicles. The service began August 1997 and was first offered in the 1998 Honda Accord and the Honda Torneo sold only in Japan starting July 1998. The service received a revision to services offered October 2002, adding traffic information delivery capabilities for subscribers to the Internavi Premium Club, and was optional on most Honda vehicles sold in Japan. VICS was integrated into the service starting September 2003. Membership in the service has steadily grown to exceed 5 million subscribers as of March 2007.
Microsoft mobile services are a set of proprietary mobile services created specifically for mobile devices, they are typically offered through mobile applications and mobile browser for Windows Phone, | platforms, BREW, and Java. Microsoft's mobile services are typically connected with a Microsoft account and often come preinstalled on Microsoft's own mobile operating systems while they are offered via various means for other platforms. Microsoft started to develop for mobile computing platforms with the launch of Windows CE in 1996 and later added Microsoft's Pocket Office suite to their Handheld PC line of PDAs in April 2000. From December 2014 to June 2015, Microsoft made a number of corporate acquisitions, buying several of the top applications listed in Google Play and the App Store including Acompli, Sunrise Calendar, Datazen, Wunderlist, Echo Notification Lockscreen, and MileIQ.
Here WeGo is a web mapping and navigation service, operated by HERE Technologies and originally developed by Nokia. In 2013, HERE Technologies released this web mapping application for Windows Phone and the World Wide Web as a revamped version of Nokia Maps. HERE Technologies released the HERE Maps application to the Android platform on December 10, 2014 and later for iOS on March 11, 2015. The company changed the product name to HERE WeGo in July 2016. It is the default maps service provider for the Amazon Fire tablets and smartphones.