KDDI's EZ Passenger Seat Navi
KDDI has announced a new navigation service for their CDMA 1X WIN handsets over in Japan called "EZ Passenger Seat Navi." Based on the same technology that made the company's "EZ Navi Walker" pedestrian GPS navigation system possible (yes, walking directions are frequently needed in Japan), EZ Passenger Seat Navi provides basic driving direction assistance to those with compatible handsets. The system offers most of the basic GPS features such as voice commands, auto-reroute if you go off course, refreshes every second, and preference-based searches. But what's most attractive is the price of the service — you can pay either 157 yen (about $1.42) for 24 hours of usage, or 315 yen ($2.86) for an entire month. Considering the costs associated with purchasing a dedicated GPS system for your car, this makes a nice low-cost alternative for those only wanting basic functionality.
