MIAMI-Nextel Communications Inc. and Research in Motion Ltd. will offer tools to encourage developers to create location-based services offerings on the BlackBerry platform, the companies announced Thursday.
RIM and Nextel will provide global positioning system-enabled devices, networks, services, infrastructure and other resources for software vendors and developers looking to create new LBS applications for BlackBerry users. The partners also announced a contest for Java developers looking to create LBS offerings on the new GPS-enabled BlackBerry 7520.
“The need to better manage company assets, combined with what is an increasingly mobile workforce, makes location-based services an important business requirement,” said Danny Bowman, Nextel’s vice president of wireless data services.
