Vacation time is the worst time to get lost. That's why we take all of those maps, right? Well, OK, some of us use our GPS devices, but who can afford those? As it turns out ... Icould and didn't even know it!
Having just purchased my enV Touch from Verizon, I took it along with me to keep in touch with everyone. That, and to secretly play with all of its features. Having only had basic cell phones in the past made this one a treat. I'll mention where you can read my LG enV Touch review later (if you'd like), but for now Iwould like to keep the conversation with what Icame here to talk about - the VZ Navigator from Verizon.
Before Igo on, Iwould like to say that getting lost is not normally crime, but doing so on vacation is a tragedy. Worse yet, is arriving at your destination, pulling all of your hair out as you weave in and out of heavy traffic ... only because you are a fish out of water with no way of knowing the lay of the land you have arrived in.
Fish begone! Now you can travel anywhere in the US with no fear of getting lost, as the VZ Navigator will route you around traffic delays, allow you to plan out detours, and provide you the option to find cool things in your area. Still with me? Ithought so!
My trip was to Williamsburg, Virginia, and the route planned for me was relatively calm traffic-wise (much better than the mapped route Ifollowed the previous year). Of course, this isn't asking much of a GPS, so Iput it to the acid test ... local trip planning!
First off, Ichecked for a local grocery store. Oh, Ialready knew all about the Walmart Supercenter several miles away, but did the navigator know? As it turns out, it did ... and it also knew of a Ukrops that was even closer! Much to my surprise, we were led straight there and were able to buy groceries ... mission one accomplished!
What next? Movie rentals!
Movie rentals? Couldn't you do that at home?
Yeah, well we like to watch movies on vacation ... that's just us ... and the navigator led us right to the Blockbuster just by clicking on Local Search and typing in the name of the business. It also found Quiznos, Panera Bread, Olive Garden, and the Golden Corral.
Of course, we did go to see things ... other than movies and food ... and the navigator took us to Yorktown, Jamestown, the Virginia Aquarium, and the Science Museum in Richmond. It even made some suggestions we didn't have time for (you can only do so much in one week, so we'll save those for next year).
So, how does it work? First, you need to sign up with Verizon for the service. From there, you select the VZ Navigator application and off you go. I'll try to hit upon the highlights for you:
The Navigation link is where you will plan your long trips. In there, you can select where you will be going, how you want to get there (fastest route? shortest route? simplest route? toll roads? hov lanes? highways?), and if you want to be alerted of upcoming traffic congestion and if you want to be automatically rerouted around it (this really came in handy on the trip, as we only wound up in deep trafic once on I95, which was inevitable, given we didn't want to travel another hour out of our way).
The Local Search link allows you to look for restaurants, amusement parks, museums ... you name it. By going into the category option, you can even allow the navigator to make suggestions ... really handy when you run out of ideas! Of course, you can also use the local search to find restaraunts, fast food joints, and gas stations. It's THAT versatile!
There's also a Movies and Events link that allows you to search for locally playing movies and events. We didn't use this much, but we did find the info contained inside to be accurate and up-to-date.
Of course, what good is info if you can't store it for usage later? As each search can be sent to favorites, you can retrieve them later, allowing you to wait until the rain stops to go to the beach or to wait for a rainy day to go see the museum. This is the feature we used the most, as the weather was very unpredictable while we were on our vacation.
Of course, like any good GPS, the navigator tells you how far away things are, as well as how long it will take to get there (of course, you need to take their time suggestions with a grain of salt when you have a lead-foot at the wheel - haha).
All-in-all, Iwas extremely pleased with the capabilities of the VZ Navigator and Iintend to use it again on my next vacation. There is a charge for the service, but it's negligible (in my opinion)when you recognize all it can do. It's also extremely clever at avoiding traffic congestion, which makes it ideal for worrisome drivers like myself. Granted, it won't remove all traffic from the equation, but it definitely removes a lot of it, plotting routes that are often scenic, little-known, and just off the main path.
My only complaint (and Imust have one, as Istrongly believe there is no such thing as a perfect product or service) is that the navigator does get lost a bit when you go off the beaten path (like when you pull into a shopping center), and it sometimes (though rarely) announces late when coming off of an on-ramp, but these minor tribbles are forgivable for the fact that you just can't get lost (as best as we tried) using this service.
As such, Igive it a 9 out of 10 rating and do highly recommend it!
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