AAA leaves paper behind

Founded in 1902, AAA has shown no signs of being stuck in the past with the launch of its fourth-generation mobile service, dubbed AAA Mobile. This service works on GPS-enabled phones to provide mapping and turn-by-turn directions along with a plethora of location-based services. We saw a short demonstration of the service on a Motorola phone at this week's CTIA show. Although the maps were small, and would be difficult to read while driving, they were useful. AAA Mobile includes points-of-interest and can guide you to motels and other locations that offer AAA discounts.

(Credit: AAA)

And similar to the new navigation system in the Lincoln MKS we previewed recently, AAA Mobile includes live traffic and weather reporting, gas prices, and movie times. These information services let you, for example, find the nearest, cheapest gas. Traffic is integrated with route guidance, and will alert you if there is bad congestion on your route, suggesting detours. For emergency services, AAA Mobile lets you send your precise location to AAA for roadside assistance requests. Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T offer phones capable of using the service.