By If you aren’t buying up map companies these days, you aren’t cool. Amazon is the latest to snap up a map company of their own. The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon has bought UpNext, a firm who provides mobile mapping, navigation, directions, and more for $2.8 million.
UpNext apparently has their leg up on 3D mapping technology, as well, so Amazon would be right up there with the big boys. Buy what’s the reason? Why, the Kindle, of course. Amazon sent a clear message with the Kindle Fire that, while they may be using Android for their software, they would be making it their own.
If the user interface for the 7 inch tablet wasn’t enough, then completely bypassing Google’s apps ecosystem was. And now they want to do even more to offer what they believe is the optimal tablet experience. We’ll see what comes of this, but for now we only know that they bought the company. [via WSJ]
It’d have to be pretty freaking amazing to top what Google has done with Maps lately. Idk Amazon. Your new Kindle might get doused fast :/
I don’t see why people are bothering in an attempt to compete with Google Maps. It has far to much experience and greatness to have competition: first Apple, now Amazon…why does everyone insist on ruining a great thing?
Good luck Amazon, more competition is always healthy.
This is a company that tries so hard to stay in the competition but always fails. It must suck to always be the “follower”.
Nothing the Nexus 7 won’t fix.
This makes sense. Not only is there a huge market for online navigation to websites … aka Google/Bing/ect search. The next big market is Maps/GPS. Now that local commercials are dead, and no one reads newspaper ads, there is a huge market for local advertising through mapping. Google saw it coming first, now everyone wants in. Everyone with a mobile device is joining the game so they don’t export all their ad space to Google.
So they’re going to compete with Google maps by buying a $2.8m company? Really?
2.8m? Must be one tiny company!
Start small, make a name, create bigger company, make a name….