Technology

Google on Friday last week announced what it comes as a strategic U-turn in the pricing policy of its Map API. The price goes down from US $4 per 1,000 map loads to 50¢ per 1,000 map loads, beyond 25,000 map loads per day.

Tied up in the long-running fight over reauthorizing the Highway Trust Fund is funding for a program to develop GPS-enabled crash avoidance technology for vehicles.

Inrix Inc., a traffic-information provider backed by venture investors, is moving toward an initial public offering that may value the enterprise at more than $1 billion, Chief Executive Officer Bryan Mistele said.

Satellite navigation system maker TomTom is considering delisting from the Amsterdam stock exchange, business magazine Management Team said.

Intel Capital is announcing a $100 million fund to invest in the future of car technology. The Intel Capital Connected Car Fund is aimed at turning the web-connected automobile into a reality.

Yandex announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and the full year ended December 31, 2011.

Last week Toyota announced to be the first car manufacturer in the UK to provide TPEG traffic information service using DAB technology (digital radio). The service is provided by INRIX (formerly known as ITIS)

In 2011, demand for mobile phones once again increased in Europe, largely as a result of the rising popularity of smartphones. According to GfK, 3.2% more mobile phones were sold in 2011, in particular the sales of smartphones increased by 67%.

(Reuters) - Google Inc received U.S. antitrust approval to buy Motorola Mobility, a deal aimed at building up an arsenal of patents, and an Apple-led consortium also received the go-ahead to purchase a trove of patents from bankrupt Canadian company Nortel Networks, the Justice Department said.

Mediamobile, which provides real-time traffic data in France, the Nordics and Poland has announced it is integrating Floating Cellular Data from wireless operator Orange France.