Skyhook Wireless SDK Upgrade Includes Android Support

Skyhook Wireless has just announced an upgrade to their publicly available Skyhook SDK… and it includes Android support! Android developers will now be able to offer iPhone-quality positioning within apps that make plot a users current positioning. The upgrade to the SDK also offers hybrid positioning that combines WPS cell tower triangulation and GPS… This should provide more stable and reliable location results. Many more features and benefits have been built into this latest release of the Skyhook SDK… Keep reading after the jump for more information.

Skyhook Wireless Announces SDK Upgrade

Upgraded SDK now includes Android support, hybrid positioning, and streamlined deployment

BOSTON, MA - January 14, 2008 — Skyhook Wireless, provider of the Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS) and the hybrid location system XPS, today upgraded the publicly available Skyhook SDK to include Android support, hybrid positioning that combines WPS, cell tower triangulation, and GPS, and simpler deployment models. To download the SDK now and view the complete supported platforms list, including Windows, Windows Mobile, Mac, Android, Symbian, Linux and Maemo, visit: Skyhook SDK

Developers can now offer iPhone-quality positioning in location-aware Android applications. The standard Android location platform struggles to determine location in many environments. For example, when Android phones are operated indoors and in urban areas users often wait 2 - 3 minutes for a location fix. The reliability of Android’s location accuracy and time to fix is also a common complaint from application developers.

“I have investigated the new Skyhook SDK and look forward to integrating it into the Android version of our application,” said Brady Becker, co-founder of the popular social networking application, BrightKite. “I am thrilled that we can offer our Android users the same reliable, fast and accurate location performance that they have come to expect on the iPhone.”

By adding hybrid positioning methodology to the SDK, Skyhook now offers reliable location results to consumers in all environments. “Consumers today expect location-aware applications to work everywhere they travel,” said Ted Morgan, CEO of Skyhook Wireless. “By enhancing our Wi-Fi Positioning functionality with cell tower triangulation and GPS support, Skyhook gives developers the opportunity to provide fast and accurate location results that meet consumer standards.”

Developers will now find streamlined features in the Skyhook SDK, making it simpler than ever to deploy across all platforms. The upgraded SDK is 75% smaller than previous versions, designed for deployment in mobile applications and devices with size constraints. Symbian enhancements now include support for the PSY interface on S60. This makes it simple for Symbian developers to deploy Skyhook location by requiring no additional changes to existing Symbian location applications. On Windows Mobile, Skyhook now supports the GPS Intermediate Driver simplifying application integration. Skyhook has also added a feature that automatically enables Wi-Fi, dramatically improving the user experience by saving battery and reducing user interaction with the location functionality. Developers can also now tune user locations helping to improve overall location accuracy.

Justin Davies, technical director of Ninetyten, said: “This upgrade will dramatically improve the performance of our location-aware Symbian applications on Nokia (NYSE: NOK) phones. Skyhook has been very responsive to our requests and has made deployment easier than ever for Symbian developers.” Developers can license the Skyhook SDK on a per unit/user basis. Ad revenue share models are also available in conjunction with Skyhook’s advertising partners. The Skyhook SDK supports the following platforms: Android, Windows Vista (32 bit), Windows XP (32 bit), Windows Mobile 5 & 6.x Smartphone (arm), Windows Mobile 5 & 6.x PocketPC (arm) for cell phones, Windows Mobile 5 & 6.x PocketPC (arm) for PDAs, Windows CE 5.0 (arm), Symbian S60 FP2, Symbian / UIQ (Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) P990), Mac OS X 10.4 (universal) & 10.5, Linux 2.6 (x86, gcc 4.1, glibc 2.6), Maemo 4.0 (arm). Download the SDK today: Skyhook SDK

Thanks Maggie!