Verizon rolls out VZ Navigator service (on one phone)
By Evan Blass 
posted Jan 31st 2006 5:00AM
posted Jan 31st 2006 5:00AM
Verizon has finally joined CDMA rival
SprintNextel
in offering a cell-based navigation service, albeit on only one phone. VZ Navigator is a $9.99-per-month/$2.99-a-day
audible turn-by-turn direction service, map generator, and points-of-interest "database" that was rolled out
concurrently with the new Motorola V325 clamshell, currently the only model that is VZ-enabled. Now it seems that
Cingular and our old favorite T-Mobile are the only wireless carriers not even offering a token GPS service- not that
it really matters to us, as we only sport Bluetooth-enabled smartphones that can add BT or SDIO receivers on a whim.[Via Phone Scoop]
It costs more to use this VZ Navigator. I have been using this since 5-6 months. The latest release of Navigator also displays the current traffic along the route. But now it takes up lots of Bytes and also for every time you use, as well as for some reason they even charge for using SMS. I have been charged for more than 30 SMS in my last month bill for no reason. So monthly charge for using this service is not $9.99 but $9.99 (Monthly charges) + $3.98 (Data Access charges) + ~$6 (SMS charges) = approx $20 plus Airtime charges
Verizon falsely advertise that using Verizon Navigator costs $9.99 per month…
this is HORRIBLE!!! Here is why and here is what is going on...most people, the general public, do not know that using GPS satellites costs you NOTHING! for example, if you buy a GPS unit, like a tomtom, or a magellan, or a garmin, or whatever, you do not have to have a subscription or anything, or pay for anything other than the actually hardware costs, because the actual satellite signal is FREE! Verizon is not paying the goverments for use of their satellites....but they are charging you $10 a month, when you can buy a bluetooth GPS receiver these days for $30!!
This is the BIGGEST free money idea verizon has ever thought up, and they are making money hand over fist because of the ignorance of the public! GPS has been free since the dawn of satellites...over 50 years! Please people...don't be a sheep, don't be an idiot and pay verizon for a service they do not even have to pay for themselves! ITS FREE ALREADY....would you pay $10 for a "FREE: Take One" sample product at the store?!!! I have been using my bluetooth GPS for years...guess what it costs me? around $35-$40 bucks, ONE TIME!
#1- Maybe if you just want to go on one trip you can pay a one time $2.99 charge for a single use.
Would make sense for people who only want to use it a few times a year and now pay the monthly fee.. like for a weekend road trip ($6.. $2.99 there, $2.99 back) or such.
I mean not, not now.
Wait, my Cingular v505 has had these exact features ever since I got it over a year ago... When searching for directions or food or whatever it locates your phone and uses that as the start or finds whatever's nearby (and it's free)
Another case of Verizon locking out features and 3rd party software so they can sell you their own.
I'm sure there are plenty of J2ME apps that would run and do the same thing on many GPS-enabled Verizon phones.
But Verizon will have none of that.