Device software for BlackBerry®

[miehmer]

I don't know about alltell but the ads for telus promise gps with blackberry maps.  Even the salesperson at the Telus store where I bought it said the gps works great with bb maps and all I would need is the unlimited data plan to make it work great.  She said telus navigator was an option that could b added n for @10 a month if I preferred it better than bb maps. I don't think there is nyway rim should be able to get out of this.  I certainly hope your not taking Rims side St Pete-I am sure your not but lets not make their arguement for them.  I am sure they can make these work as there are people out there who have units that work great-so what is the difference between th phones that work and don't?  Rimneeds to find this out and Telus needs to compensate with free navigator until they do because they advertised and physically told us this when we purchased the phones.

[miehmer]

Oracle.. WHY CAN YOU NOT MAKE A FIX SO THAT BB MAPS ACTS MORE LIKE THE PREMIUM BASED SERVICES BY USING HELP FOM NETWORK CONNECTION RATHER THAN BE A STAND ALONE AS U MENTIONED IN YOUR POST-IT IS ADVERTISD THE SAME WAY WITH TELUS.  I HAVE ONE QUESTION-HOW CAN MY NEIGHBOUR WHO HAS THE VERY SAME BB PEARL 8130 ON TELUS ALWAYS(95%) GET CONNECTIONS ALMOST RIGHT AWAYWITHIN 30 SECONDS) WITH BB MAPS-EVEN WHEN HE IS IN HIS BACKROOM WHICH HAS NO VIEW OF THE SKY AT ALL?? AND i CAN'T GET ONE STANDING ON TOP OF MY CAR POINTING MY BB TO THE SKY??  MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL.  IT IS LONG OVRDUE-EITHER THERE IS A SOFTWARE FIX OR THERE ARE FAULTY PHONES U SOLD-IT IS VERY VERY CLEAR ISN'T IT-HOW ELSE DO U EXPLAIN THIS.  PLEASE ANSWER AND LETS GET SOMETHING DONE.

[toober]

Yeah, you scammers.  Give us our GPS.

[miehmer]

Oracle, Please look at the link from Blakberry-your company.   http://www.blackberrypearl.com/performance/#  .  It specifically says the 8130 works excellent with Blackberry maps for many great things.  If you click on the -more about GPS link it even goes in to more details about how great the GPS and Blackberry Maps work together.  It also says down below that it ALSO works with other third part applications.  It is very clear advertiising that the GPS receiver works great with as you call it stand alone programs like Blackberry Maps and as mentioned-this is one of the main reasons, I and many others bought this phone.  It has been another 10 days since we have heard from you-what is RIM and or Telus doing for this.  We are not going away.  Kevin Miehm

[StPeteMark]

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StPeteMark wrote:

I went back to re-read Alltel's GPS descriptions:

****************************************************

In main description: "...and GPS capabilities at the touch of a finger."

Under Premier Phone Features:  " * Never get lost again using GPS capabilities with TeleNav GPS" (but you need to spend $10/month for this service)

Under Premier Services: " * Get directions from TeleNav GPS"

****************************************************

NOTHING about direct use with Blackberry Maps!  Another lesson of never assume anything!

.

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This is a follow-up to these and previous observations. The original post was not to support RIM, but to express that I made assumptions based on incomplete and vague adverstising by the provider. I concluded (wrongly) that the Device GPS would be without problems with Blackberry Maps and third party software.

I tried several free GPS programs; none worked with the Device GPS and I uninstalled them.  One of Alltel's pre-loaded icons is for TeleNav GPS Navigator (5.1).  I found out that they offered a 30-day free trial, before charging $9.99/month.  What a great way to further test the Device GPS, so I downloaded and installed the program. Before I share the results, I must say this seems to be a good and comprehensive navigation program with voice commands, 3-D, and 2-D maps, with and without traffic, depending on location. For info, check out: http://www.telenav.com/products/tn/ 

Like magic, the installation of this program seemed to unleash the full power of the Device GPS for applications.

1. The TeleNav program worked without any problems; and it found my location in less than a minute...inside my house!

2. Blackberry Maps: "Where I Am Location" found me, a little slower...inside my house.

3. Blackberry Maps: "Navigation" found satillites in under a minute.

4. Google Maps: Used satillites instead of cell towers to find my location.

Bottom line is that something stinks...that something appears to be software that runs the Device GPS. But, if you throw more money in the bucket, it works just fine! :-(

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Message Edited by StPeteMark on 08-06-2008 12:26 AM

[Xandrex]

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StPeteMark wrote: 

I tried several free GPS programs; none worked with the Device GPS and I uninstalled them.  One of Alltel's pre-loaded icons is for TeleNav GPS Navigator (5.1).  I found out that they offered a 30-day free trial, before charging $9.99/month.  What a great way to further test the Device GPS, so I downloaded and installed the program. Before I share the results, I must say this seems to be a good and comprehensive navigation program with voice commands, 3-D, and 2-D maps, with and without traffic, depending on location. For info, check out: http://www.telenav.com/products/tn/ 

Like magic, the installation of this program seemed to unleash the full power of the Device GPS for applications.

(...)

Bottom line is that something stinks...that something appears to be software that runs the Device GPS. But, if you throw more money in the bucket, it works just fine! :-(

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Hello, I am using a Curve 8310 over BES (not CDMA because I an in Europe). I can open Blackberry Maps and search for an address, but when I try and locate myself, my device never finds the satellites. So I called the It of my company, and they said that the Blackberry Maps was available, but that all GPS functions were disabled for everyone in the company using a Blackberry. I guess software partial lock of the Blackberry Maps is possible.

[MoccasinLanding]

Glad that StPeteMark pointed this thread out to me. Don't know how I missed it, because I looked everywhere for info on using GPS on my 8300 with ATT.  After futile attempts to make the BB work, thinking it had the capability and spending money to get the Garmin Mobile for BB set up because ATT did not give access to the BBMaps, I got disgusted about throwing good money after bad, and I bought the new Garmin Nuvi 880.  I now use it as a GPS device and also as a

BlueTooth device to talk handsfree on my BB.  It cost over $1000, so I'm saying to RIM that they lost out on their share of this equipment purchase. I do NOT want to have GPS on a monthly fee basis, I want it continuously and paid for in an actual PURCHASE.

If you want to use the investigative method that market research AND the law use, you would say, "FOLLOW THE MONEY."  I pays my money and I makes my choices. It is very Darwinian; the products which do not adapt to the new

environments will go the way of the dinosaurs.

[MoccasinLanding]

Toober says, "

I too am in a situation where I'm stuck with a contract on this piece of junk that doesn't work.  I bought a GPS phone so that I could have access to location-based services.  RIM's GPS phones unfortunately do not seem to provide GPS functionality, like the iPhone does.  Apple's iPhone actually comes with the GPS features they promise."

Yes, I know how that goes. I have ATT and have been with them all my life (now 70) but about 5 years ago when my first cellular contract ran out, I opted not to renew the contract. I keep it on a monthly basis. When I went in to get

my Blackberry 8300, they dangled the tasty morsel of REDUCED PRICE in front of me as a benefit of buying into a two-year contract. While I will probably stay with them based on my past choices, I kept that option open. It cost me about $200 more to be independent, but I pays my money and I makes my choices. 

Now I am very glad that I have no contract holding my feet to the fire. If any other service provider comes up with a certified plan for GPS reception, I am free to go. All things being equal, it will be the GPS feature which determines my next carrier.   The only way we can ever get businesses to change is to talk with our expenditures.  Money talks. The American consumer has a LOUD voice.  It's like some conspiracy (hate to use that term, you get labelled a looney), but

restraint of trade is also something the gummint listens to, where all the businesses in one industry have agreed in one way or another, to lock step in some feature.....I think it is this one, the very large area of LOCATION BASED SERVICES, which emergency services can already use to find you, but which YOU cannot use to find your way out of a paper bag.

[xaroc]

my GPS connect 60% of the time on BB maps , but it takes 3-5 minutes to connect, and im with Telus on a Curve 8330

I had 2 free months of Telus Navigater ( the $10 a month service ) and guess what, connects within 10-20 seconds...

Is it a safe assumption that Telus, as well as other companys are filtering GPS to a bare minimal state thus promoting the sales of their 10 dollar a month service, as a way to draw extra money out of peoples pockets?

people say GPS works, just not well. THEY say "our program makes it better" 

would you agree? They arnt forcing people to get it , but if you it to work efficiently you pay extra.

Tell me what you think...

[jokerdud]

Well, when I bought mine 3 months ago... The guy told me that there was a free gps application from telus, that I could download it, blahblah... I soon realised that it was only the first month, of course, that was free... He never talked about the BB maps... Anyways, we are in August now, hope the patch will come soon, before this thread gets forgotten...