4Prox

SiRF Location2.0 Summit Awards 2008 Finalist: Prompt by Proxpro Inc.

I was delighted and honored to hear this morning that Prompt by Proxpro Inc, has been nominated as one of three enterprise category finalists for SirF's Location 2.0 Summit on September 10, 2008 at the St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco, CA.

The judges are looking for the most cutting-edge location technologies and novel LBS products that positively enhance the consumers’ daily lives. Entries will be judged and evaluated on how well they achieve this goal and the following criteria:

• Level of innovation- Is the product/technology new and innovative?
• Features & benefits to the end-user – How will the product enhance the user’s experience or daily lives?
• Impact on the market — How will the product help drive the uptake of location services by consumers?
  

The judges will be

Kanwar Chadha, founder of SiRF Technology, responsible for the vision of the company and   Andrew Seybold, one of the most respected and influential champions of mobile wireless innovation.

About Proxpro.

Proxpro has spearheaded a new wave of pragmatic GPS software that helps people predict the future. The company won the coveted NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge in 2006 with its mobile social networking technology US # 7,310,676 and patent allowed 11/198,126. In May 2008 Proxpro launched a revolutionary location-based mobile application, called Prompt, that fuses GPS to the calendar, compares people’s current location with the time and location of their next appointment, displays real-time traffic on route and tells them the best time to leave so users are never late. Proxpro is based in Weston, MA, just off the Route 128 corridor.

For further information contact julianbourne "at sign" proxpro.com

Mobile will Dominate Just-in-time Traffic Information

Analysts are often criticized for exaggerating the potential for a new industry and entrepreneurs often jump on such reports to stoke their enthusiasm.  So when news broke yesterday that ABI Research released a report , Predictive Traffic Information: Historical, Real-time, and Predictive Speed Profile Information predicted 300 million users for traffic prediction data, as Founder and CEO of Proxpro Inc., the leading provider of personalized mobile traffic information solutions, I tried to curb my enthusiasm (for want of a better expression).

As one can see from the graph, the traffic data market is broken down into 4 segments auto, internet, mobile and vertical applications.  ABI Research see auto as by far the most exciting market with 150 million users by 2013.  Mobile, by comparison, is predicted to win over 40 million users.  No mean achievement considering all powerful mobile social networking, according to another ABI Research report, will achieve 80 million users by 2013.  [Putting to one side that both reports are relevant to Proxpro's intellectual property (Mobile social networking US Patents  7,310,676 and 7,424,541 (to be issues on 9/9/08)) and Proxpro's new product, Prompt, navigation fused to the mobile calendar (patent  pending)].

It is impressive that ABI Research see the future so clearly.  However the mobile predictions, are a dramatic under estimate.   It is the ever popular, but under monetized mobile calendar, that will drive demand for traffic solutions in the future.  The mobile calendar, with reference to the time and location of future appointments, is able to generate personalized traffic reports, prior to departure.  (see previous post, Is mobile the key to unlocking $5bn dollar for consumer traffic information).  No other mechanism exists, be it portal, auto, PND or public media, to provide the vital just-in-time, high quality, easy to use, personalized accuracy of traffic information that is essential.  That's why Proxpro's technology is patent pending.  

So the accessible mobile market size is not limited to the 500 million mobile devices  with GPS that will be provisioned by 2013, in countries where traffic data is available.  It is the calendar along with pre-set frequent locations, that will drive demand for traffic data in mobile.  If you peruse the AT&T store you are hard pressed to find a phone without a calendar.  Anyone traveling to S. Koria, Malaysia  or even in the UK with tell you how that the west does not have a monopoly on bad traffic.  I would estimate that ABI Research is an order of magnitude shy of the real accessible market size for mobile advanced traffic information solutions.

About Proxpro Inc

Proxpro is the leading provider of mobile advanced traveler information solutions.  It's product "Prompt" makes sure people are never late by comparing their current location with the time and location of their next calendar appointment, and tells them exactly when to leave (patent pending).  Proxpro is based near Boston, MA, USA.  For further information contact julianbourne "at sign" proxpro.com

FAQs Proxpro Prompt v0.2

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Proxpro Prompt v0.2

 

What is the “when to leave” screen?

 

The “when to leave” screen is automatically activates 30 minutes before the latest departure time for an event in your Blackberry calendar.  Proxpro compares your current location with the time and location of your next appointment, works out the fastest route (allowing for real-time and predicted traffic), and displays the “when to leave” screen.  The “when to leave” screen is “pushed” to your mobile home page.  The “when to leave” screen includes a map of your current location, which changes to a route map, displaying the journey ahead five minutes before departure.  The route map shows the fastest route.  A countdown alarm, a green and red bar, illustrates the journey time to your destination in red, and the time between now and your latest departure time, in green (the cushion).  As time elapses the green portion of the bar will shrink, and the red portion of the bar will fluctuate according to real-time and predicted traffic conditions on your route.  The address of your meeting and your current location can be checked, along with the current time and the arrival time at the future engagement.

 

What if the start location is wrong?

 

Proxpro uses the last valid location as the assumed start location.  If the start location is in correct, select menu | LocateMe and you can choose an alternative start location or enter a new start location.

 

While on route can I use Proxpro Prompt to check I am going to arrive on-time?

 

Yes, this is a really useful feature.  Even thinking you might be late is an uncomfortable feeling. When you embark on your journey, Proxpro realizes you have started moving and checks the road ahead for traffic every minute.  It updates your position and the green portion of the bar, the cushion, fluctuates according to the number of minutes you will arrive early for your meeting.  Users keep this screen running right up until their arrival.

 

I see the “when to leave” screen, how do I snooze it?

 

The “when to leave” screen appears 30 minutes before your latest departure time.  You may like to keep an eye on it, or snooze it or switch it off.  To snooze the screen press menu | snooze.  The screen will reappear once 5 minutes before your latest departure time.  To switch it off for this engagement select the “escape key” to the right of the “trackball”.  To use other applications, but be able to return to the “When to leave” screen, press the red “end” key, then press the Prompt icon when you need Prompt again.

 

My meeting time has changed, how do I update Proxpro?

 

Simple.  Go into your BlackBerry native calendar and update the time of your meeting, save it and Proxpro will immediately update you when to leave screen.

 

How does Proxpro pick the route?

 

Proxpro analyses 3 routes and chooses the optimum before presenting it on the screen to you.  As you get closer to your destination the magnification automatically increases, until you arrive.

 

I’ve heard GPS drains the battery on BlackBerry’s, how will Proxpro reduce battery performance?

 

You are correct, with most GPS applications you need to watch out for battery drain. However while designing the application we realized this was an important issue.

Proxpro uses about 5% of battery resource of turn-by-turn navigation.  From my experience you will not notice incremental battery drain.

 

Why do some items in my BlackBerry native calendar not appear in my Proxpro Prompt calendar?

 

The Proxpro Prompt calendar displays only one calendar week’s events, from the current day forward for 7 days.  If there is no location, or an invalid location, in the BlackBerry native calendar event’s location field, then Proxpro will not present an event in the Prompt calendar.

 

What is a valid location?

 

A valid location includes street address, city and state.  Proxpro does some nifty language recognition, so you do not need to enter zip code or house number.   

 

What is MyCommute and how does it work?

 

MyCommute is an easy way to check traffic on your daily commute, personalized to your location and the time when you like to arrive at work, or at home, in the evenings.  By default MyCommute is switched off.  You can activate MyCommute either when you first download Proxpro, during set up, or my selecting menu | preferences.  By entering your home and work addresses, and the preferred time of arrival, Proxpro will automatically check the road ahead for unusual traffic conditions and 30 minutes before your latest departure time present the fastest route and travel time needed.  This also works for your commute back home in the evenings.

 

How can I tell the travel time for a future trip?

 

For events in the future you can tell the travel time and route simply by clicking the event in the Proxpro Prompt calendar.  This gives a time-based travel duration and distance.

 

I shall be travelling abroad, will Proxpro work for me?

 

No.  Proxpro is switched off if your time zone is outside US time zones.

 

How do I switch Proxpro off and on?

 

If you wish to switch Proxpro Prompt off, simply press menu | preferences | menu | switch off.  Proxpro Prompt will not work again until you press the Prompt icon on your home screen.

 

How do I switch Proxpro on again?

 

Select the Prompt icon on your home screen

 

How do I unsubscribe from Proxpro?

 

If you don’t want to switch off Proxpro but would prefer to unsubscribe, go to Settings | Options | advanced options | applications | highlight PimSync – menu | delete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Predicting the Future of Mobile (location-based) Social Networking

 ABI research has released a provocative report on the future of mobile (location-based) social networking.  The press release and published graphs have stimulated a skeptical response from the blogosphere. Clint Boulton, eweek, and Frederic Lardinois, ReadWriteWeb, have articulated their doubts particularly with respect to $3.3 billion forecast 2013 market size, the business models and today’s poor performance .  Granted the mobile eco-system's dysfunctional structure, software and hardware have limitations, business models are yet to be proven and the offerings to date have not been compelling.  Perhaps an analysis of the numbers will help us determine truth or hype?

 

Let’s dissect the numbers (and make some assumptions).

 

A $3.3 billion market with 80 million users, that’s an average of 58 million users generating $4.8 / user month or $0.20/ day in 2013.  At $5-20 CPM net (avg. $12.50), means that each user has to generate 16 page views per day – that’s high if you are just searching for your closest friends.  Currently to open a page enter information (16 characters), click return, and receive a page of results takes about 28 seconds, including network delay – 8-10 minutes per day, that’s achievable.  The point is that getting the page views is easier than the achieving the daily habitual usage.

Other income will come from licensing deals, like Gypsii and Garmin that will support the short term mobile social networking coffers; rev. share partnerships, between FaceBook and Loopt, that will increase frequency of use and customer acquisition; there will be a combination of native and third party apps populating added to the mobile social networking experience that may bring further revenue.  However I think these items will have a marginal impact in the short run.

The real problem with proximity social networking today is woefully poor user experience, that' s why they lack critical mass, even the leaders.  They are light years away from 16 daily page views per user.  Social networking is only partially about “where you at?”, Loopt’s tag line.    Mobile social networking is about allowing people to expand their contact base, disseminate peer-to-peer information and advance themselves socially and professionally. 

 

 How do you make mobile social networking compelling?

 

People’s lives have got to revolve around their mobile social network service.  They have got to reach for the app as often as they look at their email inbox (more than use voice features).  There has got to be excitement and new possibility “pushed” from the phone constantly.  The mobile's intimacy and convenience is a huge asset.
 

 

The obvious extension is the opportunity to meet new people  with whom they share interests. The CTIA US Privacy Guidelines (I led the early team drafting the early privacy provisions) are complete and new introductions are now possible.  Privacy can be modulated to create a safe experience (click here to read more about privacy).  When social networking becomes about advancing one’s self socially and professionally, expanding one’s contact base, that’s when it grabs you, that’s a big part of the answer.

 

About Julian Bourne

Julian Bourne is an inventor of mobile social networking and other award-winning GPS mobile applications. He was granted a mobile social networking patent US #7,310,676 and a further patent allowed; He launched the world's first location-based (AGPS) mobile social networking application in the UK provisioned to events attended by 500,000 people (Oct 2004); won the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge, best social networking application, April 2006 (4 winners / 140 entrants); He has built the first GPS navigation application personalized to the digital calendar. This patent pending product is called Prompt. It makes sure people are never late, and has been described as "a service more intelligent and resourceful than anything we've seen before" (Mobile Messenger 2.0, July 2008). Proxpro is based near Boston MA.

Proxpro Prompt V0.2 Available Today

I am very pleased to announce Proxpro Prompt V0.2 is available today!  Visit www.proxpro.com or go to http://wap.proxpro.com in your BlackBerry browser.

Proxpro V0.1 will continue to work for 30 days, but I strongly recommend upgrading to Prompt V0.2.

Click here to see new look, new features and improvements.

Please Note:

Before you press the "download buttton" for V0.2 check the JAD (Java Application Descriptor is the screen describing application you are about to download) shows V0.2.  If it shows V0.1, in your browser app, press menu | options | cache operations | clear history to clear content cache, pushed content and cookie cache.

How would you compare on-line business networking to in-person business networking?

Martin Brossman, a success coach, asked the following interesting question on LinkedIn Answers

How would you compare on-line business networking to in-person business networking?

I believe the key concept is intellectual proximity. Intellectual proximity is a quantitative measure of the incremental social capital to be gained from two people meeting (online or in person). It is a function of networking intent, as well as the relative hierarchical level of the networkers. If there is a zero sum game (I win you lose) there is no incremental social capital. Online it is easy to calculate, for networker and networkee, if there is intellectual proximity. However at a party, in a crowded room, it is difficult to find people you share interests with. Socially we use introductions to help identify intellectual proximity, "you must meet so and so, you are in the same business." for instance.

If there was a way to identify intellectual proximity with people in your physical proximity then you have the perfect scenario. What is needed is an enabling technology to help find the people that matter to you, and meet face-to-face to build relationship. If you are interested read this patent US # 7,310,676.

About Julian Bourne

Julian Bourne is CEO and Founder of Proxpro Inc, a company spearheading a new wave of pragmatic GPS software solutions that help people predict the future. A location-based services thought leader, Julian is an inventor of mobile social networking (Patent No.: US 7,310,676 and continuation 11/198,126) and other awarding winning GPS software applications. A seasoned veteran of high tech industries, Julian’s prior role was as Global President of Morgan Crucible’s Specialty Division, where he led a range of growth businesses serving semi-conductor, solar, aerospace, super-abrasives and fuel cell industries. While traveling frequently for business, he recognized the need for services to help executives to “connect the dots” when traveling on business in unfamiliar places.

In April 2006, Julian won the social networking category in NAVTEQ’s 2006 Global Location Based Services Challenge, best Social Networking application. In August 2006, Julian received the 40-under-40 award in Boston Business Journal’s list honoring 40 rising stars under the age of forty.