Location-based applications are all the rage these days and understandably Verizon wants to make the most out of this opportunity. At the second Verizon Developer Community conference, the carrier yesterday unveiled NAVBuilder Inside (NBI), an exclusive software development kit (SDK) which lets developers build interactive location, mapping, and other location-based services (LBS) for their applications across multiple operating systems including Android, Blackberry, Brew and Windows Mobile.
The SDK is aimed at simplifying cross-platform application development for mobile developers by providing easy to use APIs. The SDK has two major components – MapKit, which provides an interface for embedding maps & geo searches into apps and LocationKit, which enables fast location positioning for applications using standalone GPS, Cell ID or Wi-Fi.
Though their have been speculations about Verizon building an app store to rival Google’s Android Market, the carrier has categorically denied such allegations. Instead, it maintains that it is committed to easing the mobile app development process and the launch of NAVBuilder Inside SDK is another step in that direction.
NAVBuilder Inside has been developed in cooperation with Telecommunication Systems Inc and is available through the Verizon Developer Community portal.
By, Gaurav
Source: Verizon Wireless Introduces NAVBuilder Inside To Help Developers Incorporate Location, Maps And Navigation Into Apps