Creativity Software has reported that its Rough Guides Mobile travel application is now on 5 million mobile phones throughout Europe .
Rough Guides Mobile is a mobile application which provides travel content through a navigable map interface, allowing consumers to access useful travel information on more than 200 cities in 33 European countries. It is embedded on all new Motorola handsets sold through retail in Europe and it is also offered by Samsung through its Fun Club portal in the UK .
The news comes as a recent spate of acquisitions clearly signals the intention of some large mobile players to begin delivering travel guide content across mobile devices – Tom Tom, the supplier of GPS personal navigation devices have acquired TeleAtlas, the second biggest supplier of maps in the world; and Nokia have acquired Navteq, the biggest supplier of digital maps in the world.
Saul Olivares, Marketing Manager of Creativity Software commented, "We're very pleased with the tremendous success of Rough Guides Mobile. While many companies are aligning their strategies to ensure they are able to offer valuable content to mobile phone users, we are already present in more than 5 million phones throughout Europe . Mobile device manufacturers are realising the importance to deliver branded and rated travel content to their consumers and this is exactly what Rough Guides Mobile offers".
Liz Statham, Marketing and PR Director of Rough Guides, added: "Today's traveller wants travel information that they can trust available to them in whatever format best meets their needs. Rough Guides are known for telling it like it is and we are delighted that our travel information can now be accessed by million of mobile phone users, many of whom will already be loyal Rough Guide book buyers"