Magic Lane
Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Update Template:Infobox company Magic Lane Ltd. (formerly Route 66 Geographic Information Systems B.V.) is a privately held company headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Route 66 was founded in 1992 and specialized in navigation software for PC and mobile devices (PocketPC).<ref name="pocketnavigation-2004">Template:Cite web</ref> and released for iOS and Android devices in 2015 <ref name="pocketnavigation-2015">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="company info">Template:Cite web</ref> In The company has been rebranded as General Magic in 2018 and then again rebranded in 2022 to the current name, Magic Lane Limited, in part as a continuation of the Magic Earth brand as well as a reference to the founder and CTO Johan Lanen.<ref name="siliconcanals">Template:Cite web</ref>
Magic Lane is the developer of Magic Earth, a common proprietary navigation application, first developed by Route 66 in 1999 for PC and mobile devices (PocketPC)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and released for iOS and Android devices in 2015.<ref name="pocketnavigation-2015"/> It is now developed by the Dutch company Magic Lane. In 2016, Route 66 Navigate was discontinued and replaced by the pro version of Magic Earth.<ref name="pocketnavigation route 66">Template:Cite web</ref> Notably, since 2018 it has been included as the default navigation application for the /e/ Operating System, a privacy-focused alternative to Android for smartphones.<ref name="eOS docs">Template:Cite web</ref>
Route 66
Route 66 was founded in 1992.<ref name="pocketnavigation-2004"/> In 1999 the company opened a software development center in Brașov, Romania. In 2005 the company moved all its research and development operations to the aforementioned location, which at that date employed 45 of the company's total of 65 employees.<ref>Adrian Nuta (5 October 2005) Route 66 face harti digitale la Brasov, Wallstreet.ro</ref> In 2008, the company announced 2.4 million euros in revenue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2010, the company had 92 employees, of which 65 were software developers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Nokia 6110 Navigator delivered with Route 66 was the first mobile phone with on-board navigation installed as standard, apart from smartphones with their significantly larger dimensions and heavier weight.<ref name="PocketGPSWorld_Route66"/>
The current founder of Magic Lane previously developed the Route 66 route planner in the 1990s, which was among the first navigation products for Macintosh, PC, and early mobile phones. They established General Magic to rebuild their software, focusing on privacy, offline functionality, lightweight hardware usage and multi SDK support. Their end user product was Magic Earth, which was used as a testing ground for their developments on Android and iOS platforms.<ref name="PocketGPSWorld_Route66"/>
Route 6 Navigate
In November 2013, Route 66 launched Navigate 6.<ref name="PocketGPSWorld_Route66">Template:Cite web</ref>
The continuation of Route 66 Navigate was carried out after the company rebranded as General Magic, with the introduction of the navigation app Magic Earth as a testing ground for Android and iOS, made first available in 2015 on Android.<ref name="pocketnavigation-2015"/>
In 2016, Route 66 Navigate was discontinued completely and replaced by the pro version of Magic Earth.<ref name="pocketnavigation route 66"/>
Magic Lane Ltd.
Magic Lane Ltd. was founded in 2022 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as a continuation of Route 66.<ref name="Magic Lane Our Story">Template:Cite web</ref> It provides a platform to other companies enabling navigation for their apps and platforms. Magic Lane's Software Development Kit (SDK) allows companies to add mapping, location, and navigation functionality into vehicles, apps, and online platforms in several programming languages.<ref name="FinSMEs">Template:Cite web</ref> The SDK is for iOS, Android, JavaScript, QT, Linux, Flutter and C++.<ref name="Techzine"/>
Magic Lane's datacenters are located in Europe.<ref name="Techzine"/>
Magic Earth
Magic Earth is built on OpenStreetMap (OSM) data with a focus on privacy and around 2,000 data sources to calculate routes for pedestrians, cars and bicycles.<ref name="Techzine">Template:Cite web</ref> It also provides turn-by-turn navigation for driving, biking, walking, and public transportation.<ref name="AutoEvolution - Apple Watch">Template:Cite web</ref> The application also works offline, with offline OSM data for 233 countries and regions. It can display 2D, 3D and satellite maps as well as location data for parking and details like route surface, difficulty and elevation.<ref name="AutoEvolution - Apple Watch"/> Navigation includes speed camera alerts, live traffic updates, and speed warnings in supported regions. The app also includes a speedometer that remains on even when not navigating.<ref name="CHIP.de - Speedometer">Template:Cite web</ref> Magic Earth works on Android and iOS devices and supports Android Auto, Apple CarPlay <ref name="AutoEvolution - CarPlay">Template:Cite web</ref> and Apple Watch <ref name="AutoEvolution - Apple Watch"/> integration.
Magic Earth does not collect personal data.<ref name="AutoEvolution - CarPlay"/> Revenue is generated through a subscription fee of €0.99/year and developer SDK sales.<ref name="Magic Earth Pricing">Template:Cite web</ref> The /e/ Operating System, which aims to be a privacy-focused alternative to Android, uses Magic Earth as the default navigation application, with the explanation that Magic Lane provided the /e/OS developers sufficient documentation about privacy behavior to include the application in the OS.<ref name="eOS docs"/>
Due to having the exact same name, the application is sometimes confused with Magic Earth Inc., a gas and oil industry data visualization software company, founded in 1999 and acquired by Halliburton in 2001.<ref name="Halliburton">Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
References
Other sources
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- https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Magic_Earth#Resources