UK Roadwatch on combo wireless phone, PDA

LONDON -- mmO2, using the browserless Mobile Web Services Platform from US-based Action Engine, has launched the AA Roadwatch and Route Planner services in the UK as part of its myO2 services on the XDA Pocket PC Phone. With this combo handheld, users can key in details of their journey and quickly receive up-to-the-minute traffic updates and route and mapping information downloaded that is easy to read and interact with.

The XDA is currently available only in the countries in which O2 operates: the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Action Engine’s browserless platform, which is embedded inside the XDA, is comprised of thick client-server software that enables users to build and save information request offline without the need of a network connection. When ready, the user can then hit the “send” button to connect to the network and retrieve the desired information, in a kind of modern day batch processing. The information is then downloaded and formatted for easy reading on the XDA screen.

Users can search for city-to-city driving directions, interactive maps, or real time traffic delays on a major highway. The user then has options to view the directions in a step-by-step view, request a map, email the directions to anyone in their contacts database on the XDA, and save the information for offline viewing at anytime. By keying in details of their journey into AA Roadwatch, users will be able to see where the jams are and take evasive action.

"We are always searching for new applications to allow the AA's traffic and travel information database to be seen in as many different formats as our customers need when they are on the move," said Charles Stuart, business manager for geographic information at the AA. "Through myO2 (and Action Engine) we are able to provide the unique content of AA Route Planner optimized for the XDA, giving users the flexibility to plan their route and check for traffic while remaining mobile."

Industry first

“AA’s service on myO2 is an industry first for wireless PDAs and is only available on the O2 XDA," said Amer Hasan, Data Products Manager at O2. "Using myO2 and Action Engine technology, the AA Roadwatch service is easy to use, personalized and interactive. It is a great example of a leading content provider, wireless device and mobile operator collectively enabling users to interact with content in a way they never could before.”

The XDA also includes Action Engine utilities that enable users to wirelessly backup data, destroy data if a device is lost or stolen, and download new applications, upgrades, hot fixes and services.

AA Roadwatch is a leading provider of traffic and travel news in the UK and collates traffic information from the widest range of sources including police control rooms, local authorities, CCTV cameras, dedicated motorcyclists, the AA's patrol force and jambuster callers. AA strategic routes data includes turning directions, signs to follow, road numbers, individual and cumulative distances, service areas, low bridges (Britain only), roads unsuitable for caravans, bridge and tunnel tolls, etc. The AA was acquired by Centrica plc in 1999.

mmO2 has 100% ownership of mobile network operators in four countries (the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland) as well as a leading mobile internet portal business. All of these businesses have now been re-branded as O2. mmO2 has approximately 18.3 million customers and some 13,500 employees, with annual revenues of £4.276 billion last fiscal year. Data represented 15.6% of total service revenues in the quarter ending 30 September 20O2.

Smart mobile

Action Engine’s browserless Mobile Web Services Platform is marketed as delivering "a superior user experience and access to web services, also called connected applications, and personal data from smart mobile devices." With Action Engine’s evolutionary “smart software for smart mobile devices,” carriers and wireless network operators, smart device manufacturers, and enterprises can rapidly deploy mobile web services that are easy to use and manage, are network efficient, and do not require a constant network connection.

The XDA is a new integrated phone and PDA (personal digital assistant), and was the first combined Pocket PC and GPRS (general packet radio service) device on the consumer market with a color screen. As a PDA, the XDA offers all the benefits of Microsoft Pocket PC 20O2, including suitably adapted versions of Outlook, Excel, Word, Internet Explorer, and other familiar Windows applications including Microsoft's latest media player.

The XDA's processor is an Intel StrongARM 32-bit with a speed of 206MHZ.