Skyhook Wireless today announced the availability of XPS 2.0, a next-generation hybrid positioning system that combines signals from Wi-Fi access points, GPS satellites and cell towers to deliver the quickest, most precise and most consistent overall location for mass market handsets. Device makers can now deliver consumer grade location that works in all environments quickly and consistently.
As location technologies are added to mass-market consumer devices, the performance requirements for positioning systems have increased dramatically. For wide adoption of location-based services (LBS) to become a reality, consumers will expect their devices to produce an accurate location wherever they live, work and play. Whether they are indoors or outdoors, downtown Manhattan, or hiking in Montana, consumers expect the same level of location quality. They don't care about technical challenges like line-of-site, signal availability or multi-path and they don't want to wait 30 seconds or several minutes to plot their current location. Immediate, accurate and consistent location has proven difficult to achieve. The answer is a hybrid positioning system that takes advantage of a range of signal capabilities within the device.
XPS 2.0 – The World’s Most Advanced Hybrid Positioning System
Skyhook Wireless is delivering the most advanced positioning system in the world by combining ground breaking positioning algorithms along with comprehensive environment survey data. XPS builds on top of the revolutionary Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS) that is already deployed on tens of millions of mobile devices worldwide. The original version of XPS delivered “multi-mode” location switching between WPS and GPS readings based on availability and error estimates. XPS 2.0 combines raw Wi-Fi, GPS and cell tower readings to produce a single hybrid calculation. In the most difficult indoor and urban environments, XPS can, for example, leverage signals from just two GPS satellites to improve Wi-Fi location accuracy by 35%+. In a typical deep urban setting Assisted-GPS (A-GPS) can only produce a location 70% of the time outdoors due to blocked signals. In these difficult urban environments, XPS utilizes weak GPS signals along with Wi-Fi to produce the most accurate location possible 100% of the time. Responsiveness is critical in consumer applications and XPS delivers a full GPS/Wi-Fi/cellular hybrid location in just 4 second from a complete cold start compared to 30-60 seconds with just A-GPS. The addition of cell tower positioning increases availability so that users always get a location calculation regardless of environment. Additionally, XPS delivers 5 to 10 times better power conservation than A-GPS alone due to the unequaled acquisition time and accuracy in XPS. XPS also introduces vertical location to the Skyhook system even in areas where GPS is not available. The new stationary detection techniques in XPS reduce jitter and improve the pedestrian user experience. Lastly, XPS can provide A-GPS techniques to offline equipment like Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) dramatically shortening startup times.
As part of the XPS 2.0 launch, Skyhook Wireless is also introducing its first cellular positioning system leveraging Skyhook's fleet of field signal surveyors. Today the system covers major US and European cities expanding to full Skyhook global coverage by the end of 2008.
“XPS 2.0 introduces a major advancement in location technology,” said Ted Morgan, founder & CEO of Skyhook Wireless. “By combining the underlying measurements from various systems, including our revolutionary WPS, into a seamless location output, Skyhook delivers the best overall location performance for device makers, operators and application developers.”
About Skyhook Wireless
Founded in 2003, Skyhook Wireless has pioneered the development of the first hybrid positioning system to fully leverage Wi-Fi, GPS and cell towers delivering precise location data supporting the growing market for location-based services. Skyhook’s hybrid positioning system XPS requires no new hardware, works indoors and outdoors, provides an instant location and is more accurate than current technologies in congested downtown areas. Skyhook Wireless is headquartered in Boston, MA, and is privately held. Investors include RRE Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, Intel Capital and CommonAngels. For more information visit www.skyhookwireless.com, send email to info@skyhookwireless.com or call 617-314-9802.
Contacts:
Beth Winkowski, 978-649-7189
beth@skyhookwireless.com
