LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.-Motorola Inc. and Avis Rent A Car recently announced several enhancements to the Avis Assist mobile-phone-based navigation system.
The service, which targets traveling business people, includes a global positioning system-enabled Nextel Communications Inc. handset powered by Motorola’s Viamoto software that can be mounted in car or carried in a user’s pocket. For $10 per day, Avis customers have unlimited access to live Avis Advisor operators who can assist in locating destinations and directing drivers to them.
Among the new enhancements are more specific directions that include spoken state route numbers, along with street names. Also, with enhanced re-routing capabilities, Avis Assist recognizes when a driver is off course and automatically recalculates the route. Detour functionality allows drivers to avoid sections of their routes should they come upon an accident or inclement road conditions and then restart directions when back on course. Finally, location-specific Amber Alerts now show on the handset’s screen when powered up. Other smaller improvements to the service include spoken instructions for using the device and streamlined menus.
Motorola expects real-time traffic updates to be added to the service “shortly,” said Lee Callaway of Motorola. In addition, he said Motorola is always looking for augmented location-based services like enhanced directory offerings that would include hours of operation and menus or location-specific weather reports that could warn of snow or ice on a road.
