TeleNav is Top Handset Navigation Software Supplier Tweet

TeleNav has been ranked at the top of the latest Vendor Matrix released by ABI Research.

Google and Telmap claimed the second and third spots in the company’s most recent evaluation of worldwide off-board handset-based navigation software vendors.

The Vendor Matrix is an analytical tool developed by ABI Research to provide a clear understanding of vendors’ positions in specific markets. Vendors are assessed on the important parameters of “innovation” and “implementation.”

Practice director Dominique Bonte comments: “TeleNav remains the leading off-board navigation handset vendor, combining wide platform and geographical coverage with an advanced feature set and many strategic carrier partnerships. It plans to remain independent following its decision to start an IPO.

“Google is quickly increasing its ranking following the 2009 launch of free turn-by-turn navigation on Android phones in the US, based on its own maps. Superior local search, crowd-sourced real-time traffic, speech technology, and overall market positioning have propelled Google to the second rank.

“Third placed Telmap has a strong position in Europe bolstered by a large number of carrier partnerships including a global agreement with Telefonica. It has also been an innovator in open APIs.”

For this particular matrix, under "innovation," ABI Research examined these products’ navigation features; their speech recognition and text-to-speech functionality; their local search functionality; real-time traffic information at no additional cost; pricing options; and finally, the existence of open APIs, allowing an interface with other applications.

Under "implementation," ABI Research scrutinized the vendors' market shares, their carrier and handset manufacturer agreements, their market positioning, and their mobile platform coverage. Also examined: bandwidth and memory saving features, availability of hybrid mode, and the consistency of the navigation experience. The vendors' overall financial and organizational strength was also assessed, along with their levels of global market presence, and the customization options they offer.

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