METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING REAL-TIME VISUAL INFORMATION ON AN AUTOMOBILE PERVASIVE COMPUTING CLIENT

A navigation system, preferably for use in a vehicle. The system includes a processor, and a graphical display for displaying map information. As the vehicle approaches a given location, e.g., an intersection, a visual image of the location is retrieved and displayed on the graphical display. In one embodiment, the visual image is a photograph of the location that is displayed in a pop-up window on the display screen. If desired, additional graphic images or text are superimposed on or associated with the image to facilitate navigation. Thus, for example, if the user were approaching an intersection, the invention displays a still photograph of the intersection, together with an arrow overlaid thereupon to illustrate that the user should make a given turn.