LAS VEGAS, April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- NAVTEQ, a leading global provider of digital map data for location-based solutions (LBS) and vehicle navigation, announced at an award ceremony that T+1 Solutions is the Grand Prize winner of The Americas edition of the 2009 NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge. T+1 Solutions won in the category of Enterprise which is one of five categories: Content, Enterprise, Entertainment & Leisure, Navigation and Social Networking.

The winning application, Taxi4me, is a mobile taxi ordering service that helps consumers anywhere in the world connect with trusted taxi companies. The desired time and destination is sent from a user's mobile phone to a taxi brokering server. Local taxi companies then submit competitive bids and proposed routes back to the consumer.

The three runners-up also selected by the judging panel include:

    --  DialPlus Inc. (Social Networking): DialPlus enhances the standard phone
        call experience by automatically and simultaneously providing dynamic,
        contextually relevant visual information about the called or calling
        party before, during and after the call is over.
    --  Creativity Software (Entertainment & Leisure): Rough Guides Mobile
        Travel Guide is a location aware city guide with user-generated content
        and social networking features.


    --  Colombia Games (Social Networking): ToGetThere allows people to share
        car rides and create a trustful community that helps to save the earth
        by traveling together.

The winner is receiving in total over $557,500 in cash, tools and data licenses, and handsets from NAVTEQ and sponsors, and each runner-up is receiving over $417,500 in total prizes.

Now in its sixth year, the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge is the premier event in the location-based services (LBS) industry, inviting application developers to build innovative applications for mobile devices using dynamic positioning technology and NAVTEQ(R) maps. It is a world-wide competition conducted by NAVTEQ Network for Developers(TM) (NN4D), NAVTEQ's global community and support program for LBS developers and business partners.

Fourteen companies advanced to the final judging in The Americas region and the finalists represented a broad spectrum of wireless applications. These were selected based on commercial feasibility, functionality, ease of use and design.

"With a record number of registrations in The Americas region, this year marked our most competitive contest yet, making the achievement of this group of award winners all the more remarkable," commented Jeff Mize, executive vice president, Global Sales, NAVTEQ. "We congratulate the Grand Prize Winner and three runners-up on their outstanding solutions and thank our judges and sponsors for their commitment in driving excellence and innovation in the LBS space."

The distinguished panel of judges included executives from AT&T, Best Buy Mobile, Chrysler, deCarta, Intel, IPG Emerging Media Lab, MetroPCS, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Telefonica, Verizon and Yahoo!.

"deCarta is proud to sponsor the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge again this year. Over the years this event has grown to become an industry bellwether for discovering not only new applications, but the trends of the mobile services and the emerging technologies that make these applications possible. The LBS Challenge has a track record of producing very successful winners - you could say it has become the 'Oscars' of LBS applications," says Thomas Owen, Vice President, Wireless Business Development, deCarta. "I strongly recommend to the developers I work with to get involved in the LBS Challenge as this event creates a fantastic opportunity to meet other developers and see the other applications coming to market, some of whom may be potential collaboration opportunities."

"Once again NAVTEQ has managed to surface some of the best LBS talent in North America through its Global LBS Challenge. We always look forward to these annual events, because they help Nokia stay on the pulse of the latest LBS trends while at the same time giving us the chance to evaluate new, innovative applications and determine which ones we could successfully take to market through Nokia's distribution channels," said Marc Kleinmaier, Business Development Manager, LBS, Nokia. "The LBS Challenge is an excellent breeding ground for sourcing new applications and has served Nokia well for a number of years."

"As part of the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge, the Sony Ericsson Developer World team has been privileged to be involved in the judging of exciting, new and innovative location based applications. The breadth of applications has been impressive in all events so far," says Vildan Hasanbegovic, Global Tools Product Manager, Sony Ericsson. ""We truly look forward to seeing more creative and ground breaking applications in the future from innovative developers of The Americas region."

About the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge

First launched in 2003, the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge is focused on driving the development and visibility of innovative navigation solutions for wireless devices. From wireless business applications to sports, travel and security, integrating the accuracy and richness of NAVTEQ digital map data facilitates the timely evolution of the next wave of LBS. Over 30% of past semi finalists have gone on to receive venture capital funding or launch commercially-distributed applications. For more information on this year's competition, go to www.LBSChallenge.com.

About NAVTEQ Network for Developers

NAVTEQ Network for Developers (NN4D) is a dynamic online web portal and global community that provides developers and business partners with the technical and business support needed to build, showcase and launch the most innovative location-enabled solutions. Connect with the people, tools and resources you need to grow your business by visiting www.NN4D.com.

About NAVTEQ

NAVTEQ is a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions. NAVTEQ creates the digital maps and map content that power navigation and location-based services solutions around the world. The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has approximately 4,000 employees located in 196 offices and in 36 countries.

NAVTEQ, NAVTEQ Network for Developers and Global LBS Challenge are trademarks of NAVTEQ in the U.S. and other countries. All rights reserved.

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