Navigation systems company TomTom is teaming up with Google so users can find and send business addresses to their portable devices.
TomTom, which makes sat-navs for cars and mapping software for handheld computers, said its users would be able to search for business addresses on Google Maps and transfer them to their TomTom device.
It said it would continue to explore partnerships with third parties to expand the personalisation options it offers.
The tie-up would for instance allow TomTom users to plan a city trip by searching for accommodation, restaurants or museums using Google Maps on their computer and then transfer the places they want to visit to their TomTom device.
TomTom's devices do include so-called "points of interest" - such as restaurants, petrol stations and parking garages - but if a user has not regularly bought map upgrades, such data can become out of date.
TomTom expects a substantial number of devices sold next year to be online and receiving real-time traffic information and eventually other services over wireless networks.
These services could help TomTom fend off a challenge from handset makers such as Nokia, which are increasingly building global positioning (GPS) technology into phones, promising to turn a mobile handset into a navigation device.
Nokia, the world's largest handset maker, signalled in October this month it was serious about GPS by offering to pay $8.1 billion to take over digital map maker Navteq.
TomTom was forced to raise its bid for Tele Atlas to about 2.9 billion euros last month to seal the deal after US rival Garmin offered 2.3 billion euros for the company.
Meanwhile, Google is testing technology that will find the location of people using its mobile mapping service - even if the phone making the connection isn't equipped with a GPS receiver.
The new tracking feature is being touted as an added convenience because it will enable people on the go to skip the task of typing a starting address on a mobile handset's small keys when they turn to Google's maps for guidance.
Using the technology, dubbed "My Location," simply requires pressing zero on a mobile handset equipped with the new software. The sender's location shows up as a blue dot on Google's mobile maps.
The tracking system isn't set up to collect a user's phone number or any other personal information that would reveal a person's identity, said Steve Lee, product manager for Google's mobile maps. As a safeguard, the feature can be turned off at any time by simply clicking on a link in the help menu.
Those assurances probably will alleviate privacy concerns raised about the new service, said analyst Greg Sterling of Sterling Market Intelligence.
