Figure 21: Search Details

The search details screen displays the business' name, full street address, telephone number, and category information.

Figure 22: Dialing A POI

It's also possible to call any POI that includes a telephone number by pressing SEND from the details page.

5. Traffic

Figure 23: Trip Summary

VZ Navigator includes access to real-time traffic information, and has the ability to incorporate traffic inform. For the most part, traffic coverage is spotty and incident alerts have a tendency to be 5-25 minutes delayed, often rendering an alert no longer relevant. Most GPS devices source their traffic information from the same place, so this weakness is common to virtually all traffic-enabled GPS devices (with the possible exception of Dash Express).

Still, traffic information is a nice feature, especially considering it's bundled into VZ Navigator's flat monthly cost. Also, the quality of traffic information is constantly improving, and will only get better. In my testing, I found traffic accuracy was spotty, but VZ Navigator did manage to save me from several hours of stand-still traffic on a recent trip from Manhattan to Connecticut.

Figure 24: Map Options

When navigating to a destination, pressing the Options button brings up the Options screen shown above. To view current traffic conditions along your route, choose Traffic Summary from the Options screen.

Figure 25: Traffic Summary

The Traffic Summary screen displays a list of all upcoming turns, along with traffic delay information next to each turn. Delays, if any, are color-coded by severity, ranging from green to red, and the estimated length of the delay is shown in the right hand column (displayed in minutes).

Any turn can be highlighted and avoided by pressing Detour.

Figure 26: Traffic Delay Details

More detailed information about any traffic delay can be viewed by highlighting the turn from the traffic summary page and pressing ENTER.

6. Movie Listings

Figure 27: Movies & Events

VZ Navigator includes the ability to lookup movie listing, local fuel prices, and events.

Search for movie showtimes and listings by selecting Movies & Events from VZ Navigator's main menu.

Figure 28: Movies & Events Main Menu

The Movies & Events main menu let you choose one of the following search options:

• Now Playing - Displays a list of movie titles found playing in theaters near you
• Movies - Brings up a search screen that lets you input a specific movie title, showtime, and location
• Movie Theater - Lets you search for a specific movie theater, or view a list of movie theaters in a specific area you specify
• Events Near Me - Displays a list of exhibits & art shows, special events, and sporting events near you
• Events - Lets you search for events by name, category, and/or location
• Event Venues - Searches for events at a specific venue

Some search options work better than others. For example, Now Playing is a quick way to lookup showtimes of movies playing at theaters near you. However, Event Venues included may venues that don't actually host any event, such as Starbucks, or nearby shopping malls, and was less useful.

Figure 29: Movie Results List

Highlight the movie you want to see and press ENTER on the cell phone to view showtimes and theater information.

Figure 30: Movie Details

Selecting a movie from the results list displays more detailed information about the film, including the MPAA rating, star rating, genre, and a brief description of the plot. Pressing FIND searches for theaters showing this film. Results are displayed in order of closeness to your current location.

Figure 31: Movie Showtimes

The distance to each theater is displayed in the blue column on the left side of the screen, while theater names and movie showtimes are displayed on the right.

Unfortunately, there's no way to purchase tickets directly through VZ Navigator.