vB Easy Archive - VZ Navigator 'costs'?

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VZ Navigator 'costs'?
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Posted by: Lenagainster

Searched the VZW website and this forum and can't figure out what VZ Navigator costs. Is there a monthly fee? Or does it just use airtime? Is it burning airtime the entire time one uses the Navigator function? Or does one pay a separate fee for data access?

Thanks.

Lena

Posted by: AFAngryWarrior

Its $9.99 a month for the feature and it uses airtime to connect and download the maps one time, unless you go off the suggested route then it connects again to download a new route to correct your error. If you ahve the unlimited VCast, Web, GIN for $15/month than all you're worried about is the $9.99 because it won't eat your airtime.

Posted by: jfb336

You can also pay $2.99 for one day of use.

Posted by: Lezam

You can try it out free for a month... I am on my trial and love it, however dont feel its worth the money...

Posted by: wnrussell

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lezam

You can try it out free for a month... I am on my trial and love it, however dont feel its worth the money...

TomTom Go 910 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator by TomTom
Buy new: $799.00 Usually ships in 24 hours
Used & new from Amazon.com $708.88

Posted by: Lezam

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnrussell

TomTom Go 910 Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator by TomTom
Buy new: $799.00 Usually ships in 24 hours
Used & new from Amazon.com $708.88

Garmin StreetPilot i5 Automotive GPS Navigator Price:
$356.88

Also, keep in mind that verizons service uses your minutes...

Posted by: agent623

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lezam

Garmin StreetPilot i5 Automotive GPS Navigator Price:
$356.88

Also, keep in mind that verizons service uses your minutes...

Also keep in mind that since it takes less than a minute to download your route it will only use 1 minute (unless you are travelling after 9, or on the weekend, or have vcast).

Posted by: Lezam

Quote:

Originally Posted by agent623

Also keep in mind that since it takes less than a minute to download your route it will only use 1 minute (unless you are travelling after 9, or on the weekend, or have vcast).

It doesnt always take a minute... It connects sometimes to gather the route, and doent always turn off right away.

Posted by: Vatothe0

Even if you had if for 2 years that'd only be $240. You'd still have $120 left over from the price of that Garmin unit to spend on airtime and you don't have to carry around another device or worry about it being stolen from your car.

Posted by: hatoncat

Another crucial advantage... the VZ Navigator map data is never more than 90 days out-of-date. No need to buy and install new map data when new streets are built.

In the future, it's likely traffic jam data will be added, allowing you to avoid being stuck.

Also, you don't need the $15 V Pack. You will have to use airtime, but only for a few minutes of each trip. Airtime is only used after downloading the route if you go off the route, and then it will only use one minute each time.

It's extremely airtime-efficient.

Posted by: Lenagainster

Thanks for all the responses. You've perked my interest. My son has an opportunity to get a Magellan GPS for the car at a 40% discount, but even at $360, it seems a bit pricey for the number of times we'd need it.

I do like the idea that it is part of the phone and we wouldn't have to worry about a GPS unit mounted on the dash yelling "Come and get me" to every would-be thief who passes by.

I guess it would work if we were walking. What happens if you turn off the phone and turn it back on? Does it retain the information so you can continue your route?

How do you enter information about the place you want to travel to? Just use the keypad to enter the address? Do you get voice prompts to make turns along the route?

Lena

Posted by: hatoncat

VZ Nav has a history of places you've navigated to, similar to a web browser history. You enter addresses or Local Searches via the keypad just like a text message.

Posted by: WaltA

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatoncat

Another crucial advantage... the VZ Navigator map data is never more than 90 days out-of-date. No need to buy and install new map data when new streets are built.

Good point.

For my Garmin, map updates are about $70, and they come out about once per year. So, if you break it down, that's about $6.00 per month I am paying just for maps. In relation, that makes $10.00 for VZNav not all that bad of a deal.

Posted by: fkolias

How do you sign up for VZ Navigator? I can't find anything on the verizon website. I tried buying a razr and 450 min plan online, the Navigator option never came up.

Posted by: hatoncat

You add it under Get it Now > Get Going from the phone.

Posted by: fkolias

Thank you.

Posted by: wnrussell

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaltA

There are other features the VZ Navigator has that the standalone GPS units do not. Like phonebook lookup. Type CVS into the search box and you get a list of every CVS store within 20 miles or so.

The other systems make you drill down through categories. Suppose there is no "Pharmacy" category? With Navigator, you can find a business by name (autosorted by distance) and then dial it up.

Also, every upgrade will be included with the subscription. Features and maps will never be obsolete.

Posted by: GrayGeek

Wirelessly posted (LGE-VX8300/1.0 UP.Browser/6.2.3.2 (GUI) MMP/2.0)

The biggest drawback, for me, is that you can't save and restore routes. So if you exit the program you have to regenerate a route to continue navigating. If you're not in an area covered by Verizon's data network, you are out of luck. Hard to believe they don't have save/load capability. A plus...you can save favorite locations, recent searches are saved, and you can look up destinations by category. Even with it's drawbacks, I'll spend the ten bucks a month after the trial period. If they add the ability to save and load routes, it will be much more flexible. Fortunately, you can make and answer calls from within the app.

Posted by: WaltA

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnrussell

My handheld Garmin unit would have no problems searching for "CVS" and providing a list of all stores, sorted by distance from my current location or sorted by distance from any other spot on the map. One can click on any of them to get its street address and its phone number.

I usually leave the category yXzw ("all" or "any") unless the search term is so popular, I need to attempt to restrict it (names like "smith" or "acme").

Like I had previously mentioned, I tried VZNav while on vacation in Florida. While it had no problems successfully finding "Disney" with VZNav, it totally hosed on trying to find "Kennedy". I tried every alternative too like "Space Center" to name just one. It was simply not in its database.

My Garmin had no problems quickly finding the "Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center" searching for just "Kennedy" starting from "Orlando" on the map.

However, I am sure there are other quirks or omissions in either's (the Garmin or VZNav) database.

| Why is "open" being displayed as "yXzw" in my post??? |

Posted by: Tip10

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaltA

My Garmin had no problems quickly finding the "Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center" searching for just "Kennedy" starting from "Orlando" on the map.

However, I am sure there are other quirks or omissions in either's (the Garmin or VZNav) database.

| Why is "open" being displayed as "yXzw" in my post??? |

Just sitting here in my office in Missouri -- fired up NAV -- opened Local search -- left categories as All -- put in the name Kennedy for WHAT and Orlando, FL for WHERE and it shows:
42 miles -- Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center, Merritt Island FL.

Not sure why it would not locate for you.... It is in the database....

EDIT - spelling

Posted by: WaltA

They must have just added it (do they read these forums???

)

I even tried to find it manually, by searching their map of the Cape Canaveral area. It just wasn't there. The entire NASA area BTW, was just a large open, featureless, labelless, block in the map.

Posted by: wnrussell

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaltA

They must have just added it (do they read these forums???

See that's the beauty of working with a "live" database. I can't speak for the NASA lookup, but as soon as a new destination turns it's phone on, it is listed in the VZ Navigator.

Now, I won't say that EVERY place is listed instantly, and some that aren't signed up for the Yellow Pages may never be.

Posted by: wymi

What happens if I'm using VZ Navigator and my phone gets an incoming call or I need to make a call?

Posted by: WaltA

Quote:

Originally Posted by wymi

What happens if I'm using VZ Navigator and my phone gets an incoming call or I need to make a call?

While navigating, the center menu button is for calls (ie "Talk").

Posted by: WaltA

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnrussell

See that's the beauty of working with a "live" database. I can't speak for the NASA lookup, but as soon as a new destination turns it's phone on, it is listed in the VZ Navigator.

Actually, this is even better news. When I was playing with it, even the highways stopped at the boundary of the NASA/Air Force facility. I had been thinking that in the post-9/11 world, that possibly for security reasons, VZ Nav wasn't going to allowed to show such details. I am glad that it didn't turn out that way.

Posted by: RobDMB

if you have the vcast package does verizon navigator still use minutes from your phone?

Posted by: WaltA

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobDMB

if you have the vcast package does verizon navigator still use minutes from your phone?

Nope. . . .

Posted by: mikestightride

I travel out of North America from time to time... Do you think the Navigation feature would work outside of the Verizon Coverage area????

Posted by: hatoncat

No, it will not, there is no map data outside the U.S... even if you managed to get it to work with international data roaming.

Posted by: Sassy5d

I was just on a trip and we got lost and I ran the nav. application for the "free trial" I used it 1x... Do I now have to cancel it or does it just run out?

Posted by: hatoncat

The trial application should expire on its own after 30 days.

Posted by: fakesnake

i used it from So cal to the Grand canyon and then to Las Vegas.. It worked awsome except when I didnt have service on my phone, i didnt have service to use the NAV

Posted by: VernERRN

nice feature to have. tried it out on the trial. nice. i can definitely see the appeal with no extra devices and the minimal minute usage. but 10 bucks/mo. anything they can do to make a buck!

Posted by: fillthemup

AHH!
Why isn't it available to the 8100 yet!? Grrrrr

Posted by: hatoncat

Quote:

Originally Posted by VernERRN

nice feature to have. tried it out on the trial. nice. i can definitely see the appeal with no extra devices and the minimal minute usage. but 10 bucks/mo. anything they can do to make a buck!

$10/month is very fair for what they're having to pay to offer the service.

NAVTEQ charges about $5/month per customer alone for the map data (actual NAVTEQ contracts are confidential... this is our educated analysis of the price to Networks in Motion). So, they're left with $5/month for the map data maintaining, BREW app development, testing, approval, customization, local data, and searching.

It's actually a vary fair price, considering PDA competitors like Mapopolis want $100/year... and make you bring your own GPS unit (and PDA).

In addition, direct competitors such as Garmin Mobile and TeleNav are also $10/month.

Posted by: wnrussell

Quote:

Originally Posted by fakesnake

i used it from So cal to the Grand canyon and then to Las Vegas.. It worked awsome except when I didnt have service on my phone, i didnt have service to use the NAV

I appears to work like Pocket Streets where you don't have coverage. You get the mapping at the beginning of your trip.

I took a voyage through the California deserts last month and I was surprised at how well it worked, even where I had no regular reception. I programmed the destination from the airport.

Posted by: hatoncat

I got a good hour of navigation on a trip without any reception. It got buggy after that, thankfully I got the signal back a few miles after that. The resiliency of the program has restored my faith in BREW... not that I had any faith in it before this.

Posted by: WaltA

I am not too sure why I am using so many minutes, but here is my latest bill showing all the VZ Nav used minutes....

Code:


Date    Time    Minutes Number          Type
22-Jun	09:10P	1	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:11P	1	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:12P	1	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:12P	1	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:15P	1	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:17P	2	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:18P	3	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:21P	2	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:25P	8	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:37P	1	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:38P	3	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:40P	3	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:42P	2	(777)000-0001	Data

Posted by: Yankees368

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatoncat

No, it will not, there is no map data outside the U.S... even if you managed to get it to work with international data roaming.

Just to add to the thread, back when I had my Sanyo 7400 with Sprint, I used Telenav while in Canada. As long as I was able to pull in a useable Sprint 1x signal, telenav keep tracking and providing maps for Canada.

Posted by: hatoncat

TeleNav is not VZ Navigator however, I do not think VZ Navigator has licensed the data.

Posted by: wnrussell

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatoncat

TeleNav is not VZ Navigator however, I do not think VZ Navigator has licensed the data.

The data is provided under agreement with NAVTEQ.

Quote:

NAVTEQ employs an extensive team of over 550 field researchers strategically located to drive the roads, verifying and updating information in the NAVTEQ® database. From turn restrictions to relative road crossing heights, every road segment captured in the NAVTEQ database has up to 160 data attributes such as access restrictions, one-way streets and speed categories that help optimize navigation. Additionally, the NAVTEQ database includes the Points of Interest (POI) that make it easier to locate and route to different destinations and enhance location relevant services for consumers and businesses.

Here is the press release.

Posted by: hatoncat

Yes, I know. However, NAVTEQ licenses based on area, the U.S. maps are a different contracted price from US and Canada.

The press release you cited does not change my prior opinion that there isn't Canada data on VZ Navigator. If someone drives up there and uses it, then you'll know for sure. TeleNav offers TeleNavTrack which required them to license Canadian maps, the same is not true with VZ Navigator.

Posted by: wnrussell

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatoncat

Yes, I know. However, NAVTEQ licenses based on area, the U.S. maps are a different contracted price from US and Canada.

Yeah, NAVTEQ is huge. All over the world now. It looks like they are providing data to Google, Microsoft, AutoDesk, AAA, TeleAtlas, SkyHook, Zagat, and most of the car manufacturers now.

NAVTEQ is creating data and licenses based on area for everything now, it seems.

Posted by: tivoman

Wirelessly posted (LG 8100: LGE-VX9800/1.0 UP.Browser/6.2.3.2 (GUI) MMP/2.0)

I tried it out today from Lake Elsinore to Sea World and there was one little bug in the directions, but I guess no GPS system is 100% full proof. At one point it told me to go north on the 5 fwy for about 17 miles, exit and then head south on the 5 fwy again for 20 miles.

Posted by: MannyL

I had requested it direct me to the nearest Chase bank from Freehold NJ. it directed me to a residential house. I don't know why it did that.

I wish it had the following features

1) Ability to re-direct to an alternate route. -Useful if stuck in traffic jam
2) Ability to set mutiple way-points

Posted by: wnrussell

Navigate to a specific phone number would also be nice.

Oh, well. It's only version 1 and we get free upgrades.

Posted by: uscboy

Now it's just maps, right?

It's not live like GPS... specifically tracking you on the map and also listing your speed and other stats like that?

Posted by: MannyL

If you leave the map screen you can go to another screen that shows your speed, heading, altitude (not very accurate in my opinion) as well as your latitude and longitude

Posted by: fillthemup

uscboy - it does have live maps like GPS, although using that feature uses minutes up the A** (if during PK)

Posted by: wwwtopdjcom

I bought a Garmin 276C its the Bomb transflective screen, works on my Motorcycle and boat too!

Posted by: ilvla2

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwwtopdjcom

I bought a Garmin 276C its the Bomb!

Nuclear or conventional?

Posted by: hothothotguy

so i'm pretty new to verizon and i just want to be clear on something...
any program such as vz navigator or mobile web that uses airtime, if you use these things after nine or on weekends it uses you unlimited minutes not your plan minutes? thanks

Posted by: wnrussell

Unless you have VCast.

Posted by: hothothotguy

but it would use unlimites mins right?
also i was futzn' around with the free nav trial and chose to locate an airport to see how it worked and it asked me if it could locate me for 4 hours. what does that mean???

Posted by: cplclegg

Right, any minutes it uses would not count against your plan.

The tracking is just giving LBS (Location based Services) permision to triangulate you from their towers for 4 hours. It's probably because you don;t have it one all the time.

VZW does not use satellites to track you but rather the cell towers. I would only rely on it when you are sure the area you will be driving has great coverage. I've only used it from Philly to Boston and it's been great, I'm driving to Hilton Head, SC later this month and I am going to see how well it works on the way and down there.

Posted by: wnrussell

Quote:

Originally Posted by cplclegg

VZW does not use satellites to track you but rather the cell towers. I would only rely on it when you are sure the area you will be driving has great coverage. I've only used it from Philly to Boston and it's been great, I'm driving to Hilton Head, SC later this month and I am going to see how well it works on the way and down there.

No, it is aGPS which uses the GPS and tower triangulation.

I took a voyage through the California deserts last month and I was surprised at how well it worked, even where I had no regular reception. I programmed the destination from the airport and when I got to areas with no bars, it just worked like Pocket Streets.

Now, if I took a wrong turn or a detour and also had no reception, the Navigator would probably not recalc a new route, and surely not generate a new follower map.

Posted by: capnsawdust

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaltA

I am not too sure why I am using so many minutes, but here is my latest bill showing all the VZ Nav used minutes....

Code:


Date    Time    Minutes Number          Type
22-Jun	09:10P	1	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:11P	1	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:12P	1	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:12P	1	(777)000-0001	Data
22-Jun	09:15P	1	(777)000-0001	Data
etc etc etc

What if I program a route and stick to it? Does it still eat minutes like this, or is it only when calculating a new route? I could spare a few minutes each time I use the navigator, but this kind of usage (as quoted) would cost me a million bucks.

Posted by: hatoncat

No, if you stick to the route, no airtime will be charged after it fully downloads the route (at the start of the trip).

Posted by: WaltA

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatoncat

No, if you stick to the route, no airtime will be charged after it fully downloads the route (at the start of the trip).

Part of my initial use of minutes, were used to plot the route (ie, defining, finding, the destination). Apparently, that uses up minutes searching the VZW database.

Posted by: capnsawdust

Cool. Right now Verizon is waving a free RAZR V3c in my face, and though I don't need another phone, I've lived in Frisco for 2 years and I still get lost daily. It would be a cost-effective way to solve that problem, and without adding another gadget to my pocket.

Posted by: hatoncat

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaltA

Part of my initial use of minutes, were used to plot the route (ie, defining, finding, the destination). Apparently, that uses up minutes searching the VZW database.

Basically, you can have multiple minute usages if the session times out. Unfortunately, that timeout time is only a few seconds. So, it's possible that searching, plotting, and the GPS location all use up one minute each of airtime... even though all three took place in less than a minute. Is VZW wrong for doing this? Yes, but in fairness, they probably didn't anticipate a phone working in such a manner as this.

I think that Networks In Motion could fix this in an updated version... if they took the effort. That's not to say the app is bad, or doing anything wrong, but it could be slightly more efficient in airtime minutes used.

Posted by: WaltA

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatoncat

Going by my billing, and what I was doing, I don't think the sessions simply are timing out. It seems that the application opens up a data session, and when finished, intentionally closes it. If that data session lasted for only a few seconds, VZW bills me for a full minute.

Establish another data session for just a few seconds, close it, and VZW bills for another full minute.

IMHO, VZ Nav wasn't designed for users, like me, who are on the "pay per minute" plan. VZ Nav was more probably designed for someone with a data plan, where there was no need to worry about starting and closing a session every few seconds.

Posted by: ilvla2

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatoncat

but in fairness, they probably didn't anticipate a phone working in such a manner as this.
.

I bet they did.

Posted by: hatoncat

I really don't think so... I think they anticipated companies like NIM to collect all the information before sending it to a server. The manner in which NIM designed VZ Nav is supposed to be more "user friendly", but it does not take into account the policies of Verizon phones as much as Verizon engineers took them into account.

Posted by: anthonyy

I finally figured out how to add addresses and look up businesses on the web and synchronize them to my Navigator's "Favorites". If anyone is interested here is the link: http://my.telenav.com