Frost & Sullivan has named Appello the 2006 Automotive Telematics and Infotainment Entrepreneurial Company of the Year, citing Appello’s Wisepilot product for off-board navigation on mobile phones as representing a new market segment.

Frost & Sullivan research analyst Shyamsundar Anandhan said that since its launch in early 2005, Wisepilot has positioned Appello to make significant gains in the European mobile phone-based navigation market. The product is compatible with more than 40 high-end and low-end mobile phone models.

Anandhan said Appello’s use of Java technology “has allowed for a superior server-based navigation experience.” He added that Wisepilot “is the only all-inclusive off-board navigation solution that offers 3-D head-up display, which is a vector-based map with rotation capability.

"Appello has added the facility to use popular features such as yellow and white pages search and speed camera alerts along with traffic information, which have effectively been the foundation for navigation," Anandhan noted.