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VZ Navigator - GPS for a very few people

Posted On: Sat, 10/12/2005 - 00:50 by Alex

PCMag says: Don't have a $1,500 GPS system in your car or a $750 device on the dash? Soon, anyone with a cell phone will be able to have a navigation system with turn-by-turn routing and voice instructions. That's the promise of Verizon's new service, VZ Navigator, which will be available as a $10-a-month or $3-a-day location-based service (LBS). The $3-for-24-hours service will provide an option for someone who needs the navigation service for just a day or two, while traveling.

Sounds good - the only problem is that the Verizon service is launching initially on only one phone, the just-announced Motorola V325, a mid-range $80 handset. Who wants to have to use that? And Verizon doesn't carry any Symbian handsets, so...

The other problem is the methodology: "The phone gets a quick fix on your location by triangulating on the nearest cell towers (which are all GPS-equipped on carriers using CDMA technology, meaning Verizon and Sprint)." This makes it seem as though only Verizon and Sprint CDMA will use it - so it's not ever going to be a global solution or anything.

Oh well - the value proposition is there - if you happen to be stuck with the V325 anyway.

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