Quickly finding a POI on the NAV?

[toddjb122]

How do you find POIs while you're driving? (other than scrolling the map to icons)

For instance, say you want to find out how far the closest rest area is?
Or you want to find the closest Italian restaurant?
Or, you already have a destination programmed, but you want to know where the closest gas station is (maybe add it as a waypoint to an existing navigation plan)?

I can muddle through all of these searches while driving, BUT, there is no way I can do it without the 1791 code and it is way too much button pushing to safely do it in any circumstances (and its just too much searching anyway). To do it...I think I set a destination as a POI, then select the POI category, and then it makes me start to enter a name but I input as little as possible and then hit the list button, at which point I have to select "5 Nearest Cities" and then see what comes up...it is a lot and in the process I have usually driven past it or mucked up my current navigation plan!

Second question, can you do this with voice commands? (Find the closest item of a specific category of POI)

This is something I have wanted to know how to do anyway, but the current Ford Focus ads with the voice recognition car are bringing these to mind.

Thanks!

 

[flysurfer]

I use voice commands such as "navigation, gas station" or "navigation, rest area" things like that.

Keep in mind that POIs don't show up on the map when scale is larger than 1/2 (miles I think)

 

[Houm_WA]

...or "navigation, I'm hungry" or "navigation, Thai food"

...another piece of advice; if you're going on a long drive (say an hour or more) just punch in 1791 before you leave.

...also, you do know that when you put in a destination generally it's better to input it using a reverse-logic, right? Meaning, put in the town first, then the street, then the "house number" or name (of POI). Right?

 

[toddjb122]

Good advice, Houm.

Flysurfer, I'll try your tip on the way home and see what it does. Usually when I say "Navigation <anything>" it responds with "Navigation Dual Map," or "Navigation Zoom Out!" LOL I'll keep working at it...

 

[toddjb122]

I use voice commands such as "navigation, gas station" or "navigation, rest area" things like that.

Keep in mind that POIs don't show up on the map when scale is larger than 1/2 (miles I think)

Okay...I tried that this weekend, and all the NAV does is repeat what I say. I'm guessing it has turned on the POIs for those items, but it doesn't plot a course or show me the nearest or anything.

Am I missing something?

 

[grommet]

No, the voice item for a specific POI simply makes the icon appear on your map if it's there. Once you see the icon, you can press/touch it, etc. (This works without the bypass.)

 

[toddjb122]

Ahhh, okay. That's not too helpful then as you still have to scroll around the map if it isn't coming up soon. Thanks.

In case it is new info to anyone, there is always an "invisible button" in the upper right corner of the screen you can press to take you to a POI menu (on the bottom of the screen) that will then let you select POIs using your quick select buttons. When you are under route navigation control, that "invisible button" is actually the green square telling you when you're next turn is. FWIW,

-todd