MOBILE COMMERCE’S “NEARME” ON SONY ERICSSON PHONES

Sony Ericsson’s 8.1 megapixel Cyber-shot C905 phone will come preloaded with Mobile Commerce’s “NearMe” application. The tool will also be available for download on the GPS-enabled C702 Cyber-shot and W760 Walkman handsets. UK-based Mobile Commerce describes “NearMe” as a local search service that provides users with detailed address and phone number information on local businesses, amenities, venues, and events, all based on current location using the GPS capabilities of the user’s handset. The application, being offered for free by Sony Ericsson, includes UK wide content such as cinema, club, and gig listings; over 11,000 recommended venues for eating and drinking in; as well as over 1.9 million business search listings, and optimized Multimap maps. Users can also select locations from pre-stored favorites and find, where relevant, additional information such as film reviews, costs, and show times. David Hilton, Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson UK & Ireland, said, “Creating a Java application with best of breed content was a key objective to showcase our GPS handsets to our prime target market. Following an extensive market search we selected Mobile Commerce as our application partner and we are delighted with the “NearMe” application and have already defined a roadmap of enhancements to bring even more functionality and choice to our customers.” -Smarajit Dasgupta