Today's VZ Navigator 5.0 news is evidence the for-fee navigation service market isn't dead yet despite moves by big players like Google and Nokia to offer navigation for free.
Verizon Wireless announced the launch of VZ Navigator 5.0, which sells for $9.99 a month for unlimited access or $2.99 for a one-day/24-hour use on certain devices. The service is powered by TeleCommunication Systems (TCS), which acquired Networks in Motion last year. Navteq supplies the digital map content.
After Google announced its free navigation service last year, LBS industry insiders surmised that those who charge for such services will need to step up their offerings while Google improves its map database. That appears to be what's going on with this latest version of VZ Navigator.
Enhancements include improved functionality in finding points of interest and the ability to run multiple VZ Navigator functions simultaneously within a navigation session. VZ Navigator 5.0 also now includes traffic crowd sourcing, so users can opt in anonymously to send real-time location and speed to the VZ Navigator traffic reporting service, allowing for quicker notifications and improved accuracy for all VZ Navigator users.
In addition, the service is now integrated with Facebook, so users can update their Facebook statuses directly through VZ Navigator with the option to include and share their locations. Customers also can use Verizon Wireless' Roadside Assistance service to send their locations to a dispatcher so assistance will reach them more quickly, according to a press release.
There's more. Other new features include what Verizon calls an "improved customer experience" – customers don't need to wait for the entire route to download before starting their trip because data will now be streamed, causing display screens to populate more quickly. Points of interest have been enhanced, with access to premium places of interest with detailed descriptions branded by map icons. Users can now get graphic notifications for things like tunnels, u-turns, traffic circles and toll plazas, and there's a "Say It Mode" for select BlackBerry smartphones and Windows Mobile handsets to allow customers to verbally search for and update destinations.
The 5.0 version is rolling out on select smartphones and handsets starting today, including the BlackBerry Curve 8530, LG enV Touch, HTC Touch Pro2 and Samsung Omnia. More devices will be added in the coming weeks.