AT&T answers Verizon with its own mobile maps service

From 2006 up to now, AT&T Wireless has relied on TeleNav technology for mapping and location services. But with Verizon Wireless making serious waves with its VZ Navigator service, AT&T has finally branched out and launched its own competitor.

Unveiled today at the CTIA Wireless 2008 convention in Las Vegas, AT&T Navigator is now available on a small number of its mobile phones with GPS functionality. The new service offers users full-color moving maps with turn-by-turn driving directions, and access to Yellowpages.com. Users also can receive estimated time of arrival for proposed routes, along with traffic updates and the flow of traffic along designated routes.

Motorola's Moto Z9 slider mobile phone, also announced today at CTIA, will be the first product to launch with AT&T Navigator. Speech recognition for the AT&T service is only available on BlackBerry devices, but should become integrated into future AT&T handsets starting later this year.

The service is available for $9.99 per month, though Motorola Z9 users have a $2.99 Day Pass option. Current AT&T subscribers with a mobile phone capable of operating AT&T Navigator have the opportunity to test the service during a free 30-day trial.

Mobile competitor Verizon Wireless has a similar service, VZ Navigator, that lets users avoid traffic congestion while receiving traffic incidents and updates. The latest update to VZ Navigator also gives users a 3D view of the traffic, a movie and entertainment finder, weather reports, and a listing of local gas prices. Navigator also has a built-in feature that can be used to find Wi-Fi Internet hot spots, ATMs, shopping and entertainment, and other similar attractions along routes.

VZ Navigator is available for $9.99 per month or $2.99 per day. While VZW's and AT&T's services cost the same and offer virtually the same benefits, VZ Navigator currently covers more cities and miles of road across the continental United States.