Cabbies go for O2 XDA II on the dashboard

A LONDON BLACK cab company, Xeta, has been able to dispense with high cost terminals and dedicated PMR radio links by switching to O2's latest wireless PDA, the Xda II.

The system is running custom software, XPert, developed for the original Xda and works in conjunction with satellite navigation software from Tom Tom along with GPS receivers.

Using PDAs means the drivers can leave their cabs for lunch and still be able to respond to jobs. Xeta's md, Geof Kaley, revealed the cost of equipping a cab had dropped by at least a quarter but the chief advantage was that software updates could be sent out using OTA (Over-The-Air) technology. Previously making minor modifications cost a fortune as thousands of vehicles had to be worked on simultaneously.

Cabbies like the system since they can run any app they like on the Xdas. In special cases,Xeta can send a photo of the customer to the Xda. Improvements to the system include the ability to link directly into the meter to record fares charged.

Bad news for bankers and lawyers is that the system produces reports on who has kept the cab waiting for longest with the meter still running.

Mike Magee writes: It's not just black cabs that are using XDA IIs - a minicab brought me back from Heathrow to INQ Centrale just an hour or two back, and that driver had one too. But meanwhile the GPS firm to watch is TomTom, which is demoing 3D in-car systems so you can not only see the trees at the side of the road, but the out of town megaTesco and the land fill sites too, behind the trees. And the dulcet tones of an automated lady will give you a running commentary too. µ