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GPS World Author

Mike Sheldrick


Briefly, my background in the industry includes sales and business development stints at Etak, Mapquest, and Telcontar. On Etak’s behalf, I was a founding member of IVHS America, now the ITS America. I co-authored the original Strategic Plan for ITS America.


Article
The iPhone's Second Coming    June 11, 2008
By: Mike Sheldrick

LBS service providers are cheering the new iPhone: it has GPS, a lower price, and Apple's commitment to pave the way for enterprise apps.

Article
Not Just Traffic: Inrix Makes a Bold Move   May 28, 2008
By: Mike Sheldrick

Traffic data and the ability to update that data in real time are quickly becoming product and service differentiators in a crowded market. But what happens when the traffic data supplier becomes a competitor?

Article
Each Year, the Business Case for LBS Looks Stronger   May 14, 2007
By: Mike Sheldrick

This is my last issue of LBS Insider. I´ve enjoyed the wild ride, launching what has become the highest-value and highest-circulation LBS newsletter - not to mention driving traffic numbers for the LBS website that tops that category ? and I hope you´ve enjoyed the ride with me. At any...more >>

Article
From Desktop to Dashboard   April 27, 2007
By: Mike Sheldrick

General Motors Corp. continues to upgrade its OnStar system to compete with the growing plethora of third-party satellite navigation options available for consumers. Following the introduction of a navigation service early last year, the U.S. automaker recently announced that it was collaborating...more >>

Article
Widgets to the Wescue   April 16, 2007
By: Mike Sheldrick

If William Blake were alive today, and were he a copywriter for a cellular carrier, he might write about seeing a World in a Widget. Widgets are iconographically powerful metaphors for underlying information (or an applet), and therefore are especially useful for the limitations of display and...more >>

Article
Rising to the LBS Challenge   March 27, 2007
By: Mike Sheldrick

Call it the American Idol of LBS, or Mobile Wireless March Madness, Navteq's LBS Global Challenge each year attracts a clutch of innovative applications seeking fame and fortune. Well okay, maybe just a fortune. In fact, six Global Challenge participants have gone on to receive venture funding and...more >>

Article
Evaluating Map and Traffic Data   March 14, 2007
By: Mike Sheldrick

J. D. Power and Associates is best known for its consumer satisfaction surveys, but it also does studies on product quality and performance. No doubt it was coincidental that the company was recently commissioned to do two studies, one on traffic, and one on map data. Unfortunately, detailed...more >>

Article
Prices Falling   February 15, 2007
By: Mike Sheldrick

Prices FallingSomewhere between 70 and 150 nav systems, many of them from new entrants, were displayed at the mammoth Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January.

Article
Both Infotainment and Telematics Appear Reinvigorated   January 11, 2007
By: Mike Sheldrick

Last month's column posed the question Whither portable navigation? I found no pat answers then. Now, after many showy splashes at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES), I still find none - only a deluge of interesting developments.

Article
Navigation Drives LBS   December 18, 2006
By: Mike Sheldrick

Navigation is hands-down the top dog in location-based services. Sales of portable nav systems in the United States are predicted to finish 2006 somewhere north of 2.5 million, more than double last year's sales. Betting that the past is prelude to future, many analysts project a similarly rosy...more >>