Program Links Developers with Tier-One Wireless Carriers and Services to Speed

Development of Innovative LBS Applications for Wireless Subscribers

3GSM 2006 Conference, BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk Inc., (Nasdaq: ADSK), today announced its Autodesk European Location Services Developer Program. This location-based services (LBS) program provides European developers with the resources and support needed to rapidly bring LBS applications and services to market. The LBS market is estimated to reach $200 million EUR by 2007, according to Frost and Sullivan, and wireless carriers around the world are location-enabling their networks to facilitate worldwide demand for LBS services such as social networking, gaming, personal navigation and directions.

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Modeled on its successful U.S. program, this new program helps developers create LBS services using Autodesk's open standards platform to market their applications worldwide. Autodesk works with the most successful wireless carries in the world; including three of the five tier-one wireless providers in the United States.

Additionally, the program offers a solid geo-services and location privacy management platform architecture, a standards-based application programming interface (API) for the Web and handsets, as well as technical documentation and support. Autodesk plans to foster location-based developer discussions, blogs, events and discussion groups for the community on an ongoing basis. The European program was created with developers' needs in mind by utilizing feedback from Autodesk's Developer Council, a selected group of LBS developers devoted to guiding and informing Autodesk about the tools needed to bring commercially successful applications to market.

TikGames, an LBS gaming company, is an early member of the developer program. The company is a semifinalist in the EU Navteq Challenge, a contest for companies paving the way for solutions that enhance a mobile lifestyle. "We joined the Autodesk program, after conducting competitive research and determining that their coverage, physical maps and associated data were stronger and visually superior to those of other companies," said Alex Tikhman, Founder of TikGames. "Their platform is amazing to work with; our ability to access their maps and cutting-edge technology empowers us to quickly develop sophisticated, new games. Their program helped us gain marketing exposure for GeoUniverse, our wireless game facilitating a real world treasure hunt, to market."

    Specific Aspects of the Developer Program Include:

    * Free Connectivity to Hosted LocationLogic LBS Platform: In order to
      minimize the risk, cost and speed at which applications are built,
      Autodesk's LBS platform enables the creation of services for commercial
      deployment, which easily integrate with, and link to, many of the
      world's most successful network carriers.
    * Application Programming Interfaces (APIs): Standards-based APIs make it
      easy for developers to rapidly build and customize services for
      deployment without the up-front and ongoing costs of maintaining a
      separate server-side LBS infrastructure.
    * Software Development Kit (SDK): This kit provides developers with the
      building blocks, sample code and documentation needed for the
      development process.
    * Dedicated Support Services: Developers can take advantage of technical
      and business oriented support and aid to bring their services to market.
    * A Network of Carrier Relationships: Autodesk provides marketing and
      technical support to introduce selected developers to tier-one carriers
      and their broad base of network subscribers. Autodesk acts as the
      trusted advisor for new applications.
    * Suite of Geospatial Services: Includes routing and directions, device
      location determination, content management, mobile user and object
      tracking, mapping, visualization and navigation, and custom weather
      features, etc.

"People do not buy technology, they buy 'make-my-life-easier' solutions, which LBS services like 'personal navigation' or 'family minder' provide," said Brent Iadarola, Frost & Sullivan industry research manager. "We see a large market opportunity around LBS enterprise applications. The ability for small to medium-sized businesses to access low-cost, sophisticated technology to track, guide and communicate with field staff to optimize or re-allocate resources, saves them time, money and angst. The Autodesk Location Services Developer Program, with the LocationLogic LBS platform, provides the tools and support to expedite the creation of LBS applications for wireless operators worldwide."

How to Register

Developers can register for the LBS program at www.autodesk.com/locationservices/partners/developerprogram.cfm. Autodesk is committed to working with experienced developers to deliver compelling location based applications and services to this emerging market. Autodesk is an exhibitor at the 3GSM 2006 Conference. Visit the booth (D28-29) to meet representatives and developers on hand to discuss the program and how location services can help drive revenue and value for carriers and developers alike.

About Autodesk's Location Platform and Applications

Autodesk LocationLogic is a carrier-grade middleware platform for location-enabling services. It is a scalable platform with the geospatial services needed for operators to offer their subscribers location-enabled applications. Autodesk LocationLogic 5, features support for location- sensitive alerts, improved tools for managing dynamic content (such as traffic information), subscriber data and real-time navigation support.

Autodesk's suite of market-ready, location-sensitive applications enable wireless subscribers to use these services to find businesses or entertainment, get directions and traffic reports, and locate nearby friends and family. Additionally, the Autodesk Mobile Resource Manager service enables small and medium-sized businesses across a variety of industries to easily locate, manage and communicate with their mobile workforce.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is wholly focused on ensuring that great ideas are turned into reality. With seven million users, Autodesk is the world's leading software and services company for the building, manufacturing, infrastructure, digital media and wireless data services fields. Autodesk's solutions help customers create, manage and share their data and digital assets more effectively. As a result, customers turn ideas into competitive advantage by becoming more productive, streamlining project efficiency and maximizing profits.

Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California. For additional information about Autodesk, please visit http://www.autodesk.com .

NOTE: Autodesk and LocationLogic are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

Contact: Kortney Oliver, (0) 696-483006 +34 Spain

Email: kortney.oliver@autodesk.com

SOURCE Autodesk Inc.
CONTACT:
Kortney Oliver of Autodesk Inc.,
(0) 696-483006 +34,
Spain,
or kortney.oliver@autodesk.com
/Web site: http://www.autodesk.com
(ADSK)