Europe : Siemens Mobile Acceleration announces its investment in Jentro Technologies. The German software-company is the first to develop a navigation system that runs on general Java-based mobile phones.

Jentro’s solution is powerful, yet easy to handle and much more economical than built-in products, making it suitable for the mass-market.

Funding in the first round is being provided by lead-investor Siemens Mobile Acceleration as well as other private investors.

In the near future, you will only need a Java-enabled phone and a GPS receiver to find your way in traffic or in cities – whether as driver or pedestrian.

Jentro Technologies has developed a new solution for mobile navigation that is easy to handle and at the same time inexpensive. The subscriber simply inputs the destination with help of the mobile phone keyboard or via his web-browser before starting the journey. The data is transmitted to the Jentro service-center, where the route is calculated. The user is then guided by spoken output and information on the phone-display (turn-by-turn symbols) – just as in conventional on-board systems. To calculate the route, the server not only uses the latest maps, but also takes up-to-the minute traffic information into account. The usage of Jentro’s new Off-Board navigation-solution is not limited to high-end smartphones; it also works with general mobile phones and will be available in the first half of 2004 through mobile network operators.

Dr. Dietrich Ulmer, CEO of Siemens Mobile Acceleration, said: “Our interest in Jentro stems from the unique combination of technological sophistication with innovation. I am certain that we will see a steep growth in user acceptance very soon”. Erno Hempel, CEO and founder of Jentro added: “The investment by SMAC and the other partners is of strategic importance to us. We will be using the proceeds of the funding towards further developing the technology and functionality of our solutions and services in order to remain at the forefront in Off-Board mobile navigation.”