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Microsoft Streets & Trips 2007|
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Several products are harnessing 21st century technology to help drivers find anything from grandma's house to an ATM to a cheap gas station this holiday season.
Road Savvy: The Microsoft Streets & Trips 2007 with GPS Locator is ideal for gadget-loving motorists planning a hassle-free holiday or business trip. The $129 package pairs a new USB-ready SiRF star III GPS Locator with the newest version of the Streets & Trips mapping software. By installing the software on a laptop, travelers can customize the program to plan stops from more than 1.2 million points of interest, calculate fuel costs, and add more destinations. The software also shows estimated drive time, gives the latest road construction news to avoid delays, and includes a keyword search that finds nearby amenities.
Phone Help: Meanwhile, Verizon Wireless is offering a non-GPS take on location finding with its VZ Navigator, which uses "location based services" including mapping, audible turn-by-turn navigation and the ability to find over 14 million points of interest. Customers see a map of their current location, with directions leading to a selected address, and hear turn-by-turn navigation with audible voice directions to any location in the U.S. For Verizon customers with a Get It Now-enabled handset and Verizon Wireless digital service, VZ Navigator is available for $9.99 for unlimited monthly access or $2.99 for 24-hour use.
FuelFinder: Also from Verizon, customers can use their mobile phones to find the best price for gas. FuelFinder enables Verizon Wireless customers with Mobile Web 2.0SM-capable phones to search for the best deal on fuel by ZIP code, city or recent search, with regular updates on over 110,000 stations from coast to coast as often as every two hours. In addition, Verizon Wireless customers can view an interactive color map on their phones that plots out FuelFinder's results and provides turn-by-turn directions to any selected gas station. FuelFinder is available on Mobile Web 2.0-capable phones for $1.99 monthly access.