Originally published January 2 2006
Verizon to implement navigation / direction services on cell phones
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
VZNavigator from Verizon will tell people where they are and give them directions to nearby destinations on their cell phones. The service will cost $2.99 for a 24-hour period or $9.99 a month for unlimited use.
Verizon Wireless said yesterday that it is rolling out a service that will tell cell-phone users where they are and give directions to nearby destinations, ranging from gas stations to hospitals to hotels throughout the United States.
The service, VZNavigator, is Verizon's first to be based on the cell-phone user's location and will compete with navigation services that are used in automobiles.
VZNavigator will be made available nationwide beginning next week, said Verizon Wireless spokesman Ken Muche.
Jeff Kagan, a telecommunications industry analyst, said such location-based services will be a hit with consumers.
"I think it's going to be hot -- as hot as pictures and songs," he said.
"This is the first step in a brand new world of wireless connectivity and wireless innovation."
VZNavigator will cost $9.99 a month for unlimited use or $2.99 for use in one 24-hour period.
Initially, users will be able to access the service over Motorola's V325 phone.
Verizon Wireless' service will work by using global positioning system technology built into cell phones to determine the user's location.
The user than can scroll through a menu to find a nearby destination.
Verizon said it offers the addresses of 14 million places in the United States in its database, including restaurants, ATMs, hotels, police stations, hospitals, movie theaters and gas station.
The global positioning systems built into cell phones primarily are a safety feature that can help law enforcement locate cell-phone users who dial 911 in an emergency.
Wireless companies are beginning to use the ability to locate callers to increase revenue through offering location-based services.
In Korea, one such service allows cell-phone users to keep track of their friends.
In Japan, cell-phone users can opt to receive text messages advertising deals at stores as they pass by.
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