• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, March 19, 2007

Commuting just got easier. Now, Mobile device owners in the tri-state area can view key roadways in real time to avoid traffic jams, thanks to mobile-marketing company 3rd Dimension Inc. It's available on enabled mobile phones, BlackBerry, Palm Treo and Windows Mobile smart phones and freetrafficcam.com. The free, ad-supported service allows users to view video from more than 450 traffic cameras in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

The service is currently sponsored by the Tri-State BMW Dealer's Association, whose ads appear when the video is loading. The deal complements BMW's existing program of advertising around radio traffic reports. John Tuchtenhagen, media supervisor at GSD&M, Tri-State BMW's ad agency, says such applications are utilized by "a small but very cutting-edge, forward-thinking, ideas-driven audience--a perfect fit with BMW's target audience."

The new service rolled out earlier this month after a test launch in November, in coordination with WCBS Newsradio. 3rd Dimension plans to bring similar services to other large metro metropolitan markets in the next few years.

Recently, major mobile carriers like Verizon and Cingular-AT&T have struck deals with content owners, including the broadcast TV networks, to make content available to users who pay an extra subscription fee. However, 3rd Dimension's service appears to be the first free, ad-supported traffic-monitoring application for mobile devices.