TaxiPal is a spin-off project from T+1 Solutions and is an award-winning taxi ordering and brokering solution for mobile phones.

The website is currently in English, other languages will be added soon.

T+1 Solutions from Estonia wins a $10,000 (US) cash prize, awarded in addition to the previously received Grand Prize Winner's prize from the Americas region for its TaxiPal application. In total, the Global LBS Challenge has brought T+1 Solutions over $560,000 (US) in cash, licenses for global map data, tools and porting services, as well as invaluable industry exposure to key decision-makers.

Conducted by NAVTEQ Network for DevelopersTM (NN4D), the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge is a world-wide competition organized annually since 2003. It challenges application developers around the world to build innovative location-based services (LBS) using dynamic positioning technology and NAVTEQ® maps. The 2009 competition was held in three regions: EMEA, Americas and APAC and is now concluded.

The CHAMPION judging and selection was held in conjunction with the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) International Evaluation Meeting yesterday. The activity formed part of the collaboration between NN4D and Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen, the organizer of ESNC, aimed at advancing innovations in the field of satellite navigation and LBS, and supporting developers with joint incubation activities. 18 ESNC judges listened to the pitches of the three Global LBS Challenge regional winners and scored their three applications on level of commercial appeal, indispensability, innovativeness and aesthetic appeal of the demonstrated application as well as how effectively it uses NAVTEQ maps and content.

"We have a very deserving global winner. I also am thrilled about the positive response from the expert panel of judges of the European Satellite Navigation Competition to judging our 2009 Global LBS Challenge regional winners at the ESNC International Evaluation Meeting. Since the LBS Challenge is all about innovation, I believe that the insight and ideas exchange between the contestants and the ESNC industry insiders will contribute to cross-fertilization in new and interesting ways," says Marc Naddell, vice president, Partner & Developer Programs, NAVTEQ.

"T+1 Solutions is extremely happy to win the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge CHAMPION title and our victory proves the huge potential there is in the field of location-based services. It has helped T+1 Solutions to develop from a true one-man startup last year to a bigger team and a market-ready product this year. Our TaxiPal service, soon to launch in all EU countries, will be the first multi-language taxi ordering and brokering service, running on all popular device platforms, with a global coverage that will change how taxis are ordered anywhere in the world," says Raoul Järvis, Founder and CEO of T+1 Solutions. "We are very thankful to NAVTEQ, the true world leader in premium-quality digital map data and content, for organizing such contests for developers and opening up the potential of LBS to a wider audience."

TaxiPal is a mobile taxi ordering and brokering 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.

"Many judges in the ESNC panel are deeply involved in innovation generation and venture creation. They therefore not only acknowledged the contestants' level of innovation and technical expertise, but also chose the application with the overall most promising business case," says Thorsten Rudolph, CEO of ESNC organizer Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen. "In line with the current trend of responding to the growing need for just-in-time individual traveling, the first NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge CHAMPION shows great potential for a quick commercial realization internationally and sustainable success."

About the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge
First launched in 2003, the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge is a world-wide competition conducted by NAVTEQ Network for DevelopersTM (NN4D), daring application developers around the world to build innovative location-based services (LBS) using dynamic positioning technology and NAVTEQ® maps. Integrating the accuracy and richness of NAVTEQ digital map data and LBS content facilitates the timely evolution of the next wave of location-aware applications. The Global LBS Challenge has become the premier event in the LBS industry for shining the spotlight on global LBS innovation and opportunity. Over 32% of the finalists from the past six years 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.

Our winning application Taxi4me changes the way taxis are ordered anywhere in the world, breaking down the language barriers. Time and location information about the desired trip is sent from mobile phone to taxi brokering server. Local taxi companies make their offers and the client chooses the best time and price offer using his/her phone.

The NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge competition is already in its sixth year and T+1 Solutions was excited to reach the finals for the second time. With a global prize pool valued at over $5.5 million USD this year, and a track record of bringing commercial contracts and funding to a large part of the semifinalists since inception, the LBS Challenge is a proof of NAVTEQ’s long experience of stimulating innovation in the LBS space.

The winners of Americas were chosen from a strong field of 14 semifinalists in the categories Navigation, Enterprise, Entertainment & Leisure, Social Networking and Content. We are proud about winning the Grand Prize for our Taxi4Me application.

First launched in 2003, the NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge® is a developer competition organized by NAVTEQ Network for Developers(TM) (NN4D) daring application developers around the world to build innovative location-based services (LBS) for mobile phones using dynamic positioning technology and NAVTEQ® maps. The Global LBS Challenge has become the premier event in the LBS industry and a global symbol of LBS innovation and opportunity. For more information, go to www.LBSChallenge.com.

For the Challenge homepage, please go to www.lbschallenge.com.

The nominees were chosen from hundreds of entries. One of the nominees in the category of "Best Real World Game" was the game concept MoveYa! developed by T+1 Solutions. For complete press release, please click here.

For the IMGA homepage, please go to www.imgawards.com.