Using Wi-Fi Positioning from Skyhook, area/code has released Plundr, the world’s first location-enabled game for the PC. Skyhook’s technology plots a player’s location and area/code integrates that information into gameplay.

Check out some recent Plunder coverage here. The game is a pretty sweet pirate adventure all based on player’s current locations. Players travel from island to island and ship to ship selling goods and fighting for booty. Depending on the player’s location in the physical world, they will find different islands to pillage, ships to raid, and goods to loot.

To play now, click here.

Plundr will be up on the DS real soon - and then we can all get our game on outside, in the fresh air and sunshine! Imagine that!

Last night at the MITX Technology Awards, Skyhook Wireless won the Impact Award for Web 2.0 Enabler. Skyhook was selected to receive this award because our WPS technology was identified as one of the most innovative and competitive technologies offered by all of the high-tech companies in the Boston area. It also demonstrates that in developing WPS and by deploying the Loki application, Skyhook has made a significant impact on content distribution and the development of Web 2.0.

Unbeknown to us until a sharp Loki user across the pond told us, the BBC’s Kate Russell profiled Loki on her TV Show Webscape . Go here and then click ‘Watch Now’ on the right hand side. Fast forward to minute 23 and bada-bing - we have landed on the shores of Her Majesty’s doorstep. There’s also a transcript for those who prefer the ancient art of reading.
This is all part of our plan for world domination through better location. Stay tuned for more information on Skyhook/Loki coverage in Europe and Asia…and country/region specific channels and content soon after!

We are happy to announce the launch of Loki for all of you Mac users. The current version wont have the toolbar that the Windows users are used to, but it does have the Javascript API in it and will allow you to use Loki on any sites that support it. Our good friends over at Socialight have already added support for Loki into their site, so after you install it, you can go test Loki at www.socialight.com.

You can also use the Loki FindMe page as your starting point with Loki. It will automatically determine your location and let you start searching for things around you right away.

The Loki team will be at Where 2.0 in San Jose next week, at sessions and our booth talking about the cool stuff that we’ve been doing with Loki 2.0. The new Javascript API lets developers enable their site with just a few lines of code. The support interface has been improved, and both Loki Mobile and Loki for Mac are now available.

With all these updates, Loki has been getting great user reviews and thumbs up from the press.

Naturally, all of these factors combined mean that we’re having a party. For those of you attending Where 2.0, the party is just around the corner from the conference. For those of you who aren’t, you’re still invited to come on over to the Loft in San Jose (map) and get your groove on. Logistics below. We sure hope to see you there!

We have been getting a lot of support requests asking if Loki works on Vista. I usually like to start with bad news first then follow up with the good stuff. The bad news is that Loki does not currently support Vista. There are a number of reasons, but the biggest is that Microsoft re-architected the way in which programs access the WiFi driver and almost the entire wireless subsystem and we could only begin research into how to support it once Vista was released.

Now the good news — we have been cranking away at it for some time now and we expect to support Vista soon. So stay tuned.

So we apologize to you avid Loki users who have upgraded to Vista, but we should be back on your machine soon.

Skyhook’s 2007 World (ok, nationwide) Tour will soon be rolling into a city near you. Our VP of Marketing, Jed Rice, a frequent commentator on location, mobile and more, who has stunning, absolutely marvelous speaking skills (he’s my boss, what can I say? But really, he’s pretty good), is making the rounds.

On Wednesday, May 23, Jed will be in Detroit moderating a panel at Mobile Location Enabled Services on mobile search and location.

A week later on Wednesday, May 30th we will be at Where 2.0 in San Jose talking about convergence and Location Based Services.

See you on the road, or maybe backstage?

Last week, our Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS) was selected as a finalist in two major industry awards.

Right in our own backyard, WPS was named as a finalist in the 2007 Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) Technology Awards. These annual awards recognize the individuals and organizations developing the most innovative technologies in the New England area. We are thrilled - to be nominated alongside notable innovators in our hometown area, and also to see location recognized as a key feature in the mobile space.

In London, WPS was also nominated for the Best Wi-Fi Product or Service in the 2007 Wireless Broadband Innovation (WBI) Awards. These awards honor innovative applications in Wireless Broadband from all across the world. In this nomination, Skyhook’s WPS is recognized alongside others developing cutting edge Wi-Fi based services and applications.

It was a pretty good week! Wi-Fi Positioning has made a splash in the industry awards season for innovating both the mobile space and the use of Wi-Fi technology.

Loki 2.0 has launched! Today’s release features the new Javascript API, a reskinning, and a number of performance and bug fixes.

• Javascript API - Website developers can now implement Loki’s positioning system with only a few lines of Javascript. Enhancing applications and websites with location awareness is now easier than ever.Head over to the Developers Section to learn more and sign up as a developer.
• Updated UI - The user interface has been cleaned up, beautified and reskinned with new icons. Tasks are now grouped together for easy navigation. And now you can minimize the toolbar when you’re not using it.

Visit the download page and update to the latest version of Loki.

Skyhook and Navteq, a leading provider of digital maps, have announced a global agreement for Navteq to resell Skyhook’s Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS) in conjunction with its market leading map data. Our first collaboration with Navteq was on the iriver w10, where iriver implemented Skyhook’s WPS for positioning and navigation and Navteq’s data for mapping and point of interest info.

We are psyched - the agreement will allow Skyhook and Navteq to together launch more exciting collaborative projects like the w10. Who knows what else is around the bend. And hey, this also sets a new capability standard for Wi-Fi devices… all in a day’s work.