[aha]

BlackBerry Map is pretty good but there are 3 things missing the mark right now:

1. Search: it just doesn't have that many places in its database to search for so it misses quite a few searches I input so far. And it's not smart enough to suggest similar places based on the incomplete addresses or not so perfect keywords---sometimes you just can't remember the name of the place you want to go perfect right.

2. Real time traffic based auto reroute. This is in BlackBerry traffic in OS7. Probably they just didn't have the time to added in the map.

3. Mistakes in Map data and the rate they update their data base. They have a mistake in a route in my community since OS6 days and it still haven't been corrected. Google used to have this problem but they fixed it in less than 6 months after I noticed it. BlackBerry still has this mistake in all of their Map products, including BlackBerry traffic (worst in traffic because the traffic always use the non existing route as the optimal route to get out of my community. I wish I knew who to call to issue a ticket for them.

Anyway, for these reasons I am shopping for a map app for BlackBerry 10. Do you have any recommendations that does all BlackBerry maps can do and doesn't have the problems above?

[Easy-G]

m.here.com

Nokia's mobile map site. It's fast and, unlike Google maps mobile, supports pinch to zoom and has voice guided navigation.

[bert106]

Just used it myself, very good, even gives decent public transport directions!

Posted via CB10

[aha]

m.here.com

Nokia's mobile map site. It's fast and, unlike Google maps mobile, supports pinch to zoom and has voice guided navigation.

Yeah, I tried it too and it was great. But I had to create a Nokia account to fully utilize its power... somehow didn't feel right....no, not because it has no offline map, nor Nokia is a BBRY competitors.... maybe it's because of OS Integration

I think I still secretly hope BlackBerry improve their Map app to the point similar to what Google did on Android. So the OS can capture address like info in any apps and start searching in map ... I mean after they fix the 3 problems above.... I know, that's really unlikely unless BB10 becomes a big hit in US Market... but that's a bit chicken and egg thing... hope US Is getting bored of IOS and Android, and Windows never picks up speed (even when they have so much cash and tens of thousands software engineers avaliable, damn!)

[Mercury]

you can sideload Google Navigation onto the Z10, but (i have only read not used) there seems to be issues with the app losing GPS signals, but it does come back. I have osmAnd downloaded from BB World, and again, haven't tried it, I personally like BB Maps.

[Nigelbrown]

m.here.com is fantastic and even support offline map downloads!

Sideloaded google works just fine too. Its funny how much of a bad rap BBmaps has gotten. BB has been doing maps for years and years, it's never been the top tier, so Im not sure if they even intend it to be. I think the Tom Tom deal would at least up it a bit more in quality. Its nice, but I ultimately don't use maps frequent enough to be a good case example. I also have used google maps only, which works amazingly well. Even completely disconnected from the network, as long as you have the map loaded, your currently location is updated by gps.

More and more I am using the web html5 version of apps. They run perfectly smooth in the bb10 browser and are becoming just as feature rich as the dedicated apps.

[Emiliano Riverso]

I've downloaded few maps apps from bbworld, useless.. at the end I saved to home screen the link to maps.google.com and it works great!

[Powdah]

How do you get voice guided directions for the Nokia maps. I do not see an option.

[yorkieman2]

What's amazing is when Blackberry needed BB10 to be a big hit they've done such (I hate to say this) mediocre job of so many of the built in apps such as maps, music, Blackberry Protect, Podcasting (non-existant).

If BB10 is so easy to program for (cascade, blah, blah, blah) then why have their own devs done such a middle-of-the-road job.

Surely when these apps were developed concurrently to the OS the devs have had plenty of time (due to the late release of the OS) that they could have got things not just great, but totally awesome!

[dynot]

What's amazing is when Blackberry needed BB10 to be a big hit they've done such (I hate to say this) mediocre job of so many of the built in apps such as maps, music, Blackberry Protect, Podcasting (non-existant).

If BB10 is so easy to program for (cascade, blah, blah, blah) then why have their own devs done such a middle-of-the-road job.

Surely when these apps were developed concurrently to the OS the devs have had plenty of time (due to the late release of the OS) that they could have got things not just great, but totally awesome!

Excellent post. I was thinking the same thing. Although I'm happy with what I have (heck, who wouldn't be when you are comming off OS6), I am disappointed with the unfinished/bare-boned state of BB10 and their native apps. When they announced all those delays I was discouraged but I thought at least they're getting extra time to really polish off their OS and apps.

Well, here we are a month later and still no BB Travel, a very basic map app (with outdated road info), and a feature-missing OS. Don't get me wrong, I want them to succeed and I'm still faithful to BBRY, but I fear they're getting close to throwing in the towel. There is truely no excuse after all the extra time they bought themselves.

[Easy-G]

How do you get voice guided directions for the Nokia maps. I do not see an option.

Seems that the voice guided directions only come up when you have "Walking" directions enabled. It doesn't seem to come up for driving.

[aha]

What's amazing is when Blackberry needed BB10 to be a big hit they've done such (I hate to say this) mediocre job of so many of the built in apps such as maps, music, Blackberry Protect, Podcasting (non-existant).

If BB10 is so easy to program for (cascade, blah, blah, blah) then why have their own devs done such a middle-of-the-road job.

Surely when these apps were developed concurrently to the OS the devs have had plenty of time (due to the late release of the OS) that they could have got things not just great, but totally awesome!

As long as BBRY can stay healthy financially, I am sure they will improve all those native BBRY apps. I have nothing but respect to BBRY's software team, they have done amazing job in the past two to three years given the situation. Just hope things turns around for BBRY so they can increase their staff level and have better management to prioritize things better.

For the hardware team, they have improved so much since OS6 devices, but still not enough... I couldn't believe BBRY's hardware design team is surpassed by Asian design teams from HTC, Samsung, and LG by this much in only 5 years. I wonder who is the head of BBRY hardware engineering...

[leto13]

I have an issue with Blackberry Maps, after 10-15 min on the road the map is not longer loading, I have the GPS working and following the route, but all the map disappear, and I have to reload Maps app. It's really annoying, there is no problem with network.

[belfastdispatcher]

Try Magellan Compass app, I bought it for my PlayBook and I didn't have to buy it again for my Z10

Check out Magellan Compass Maps in BlackBerry World! You can find it at http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/21328


Posted via CB10

[mphillips828]

Excellent post. I was thinking the same thing. Although I'm happy with what I have (heck, who wouldn't be when you are comming off OS6), I am disappointed with the unfinished/bare-boned state of BB10 and their native apps. When they announced all those delays I was discouraged but I thought at least they're getting extra time to really polish off their OS and apps.

Well, here we are a month later and still no BB Travel, a very basic map app (with outdated road info), and a feature-missing OS. Don't get me wrong, I want them to succeed and I'm still faithful to BBRY, but I fear they're getting close to throwing in the towel. There is truely no excuse after all the extra time they bought themselves.

Just wondering what "feature-missing OS" you mean? I know it may not be up to par to iOS currently, but I use this phone daily and have never found myself thinking..."oh this OS is missing super necessary features!" So I am curious what features you are referring to? Also, Rome wasn't built in a day...iOS wasn't built in a day...BB10 will not be built in a day...BB10 is powerful and has great core features and the little apps everyone wants cleaned up and polished will get updated and polished off nicely over time...the core OS is great. They may have delayed the OS launch, but in the grand scheme of things launching 3 months later for an ENTIRE OS is not a large delay (just seemed large due to media headlines ripping into it)...when Apple decides to start building a new iOS for their phones, it wont take them 1 year to create the entire new system...it will take years, and even so, they will encounter issues they did not expect, and will launch with less functionality than the current iOS has, just like BB10 launched with less than BBOS...it will happen to everyone, BBRY is just the first major Smartphone company that has had to move from a MASSIVELY successful OS into a new generation, and that is not an easy task.

Oh and just to add to all that...an example of Apple probably encountering some serious issues they and no one would expect is seen in their launch of their Maps...the first time they branch off and create their own mapping system, it is a disaster...sure has that Flyby feature, but still isn't good...so that is just a great example of Apple not being able to switch from what they used to a brand new feature...imagine how many more issues they would encounter creating an entire new OS...I think BBRY has done well!

[yorkieman2]

Just wondering what "feature-missing OS" you mean? I know it may not be up to par to iOS currently, but I use this phone daily and have never found myself thinking..."oh this OS is missing super necessary features!" So I am curious what features you are referring to? Also, Rome wasn't built in a day...iOS wasn't built in a day...BB10 will not be built in a day...BB10 is powerful and has great core features and the little apps everyone wants cleaned up and polished will get updated and polished off nicely over time...the core OS is great.

I agree. iOS wasn't (and still isn't) perfect from the start, but they had the luxury of time. Blackberry do not have that luxury. They need a phone that competes right now. Overall, I do love my BB10, but that doesn't stop me being puzzled as to why so many of the Blackberry built-in apps are so lightweight on the features side. Things we were used to in OS6 and OS7 are completely gone. Blackberry Protect should have been improved not downgraded. Blackberry Bridge should have been improved not downgraded.

Surely Blackberry have dedicated teams on these apps and it's not a case of everyone mucking-in on the OS and so not having enough time to polish off their own app. Maybe that was the case.

It's not as though you need large teams to develop these apps. Many of the top apps in App World are developed by a single developer working on it - and not a whole team of developers. I would have thought that two people working on music app, for example, could have come out with something staggeringly good in a year, and likewise for the non-existant Blackberry podcasting app, etc.

[meltbox360]

Originally Posted by yorkieman2
What's amazing is when Blackberry needed BB10 to be a big hit they've done such (I hate to say this) mediocre job of so many of the built in apps such as maps, music, Blackberry Protect, Podcasting (non-existant).

If BB10 is so easy to program for (cascade, blah, blah, blah) then why have their own devs done such a middle-of-the-road job.

Surely when these apps were developed concurrently to the OS the devs have had plenty of time (due to the late release of the OS) that they could have got things not just great, but totally awesome!

As long as BBRY can stay healthy financially, I am sure they will improve all those native BBRY apps. I have nothing but respect to BBRY's software team, they have done amazing job in the past two to three years given the situation. Just hope things turns around for BBRY so they can increase their staff level and have better management to prioritize things better.

For the hardware team, they have improved so much since OS6 devices, but still not enough... I couldn't believe BBRY's hardware design team is surpassed by Asian design teams from HTC, Samsung, and LG by this much in only 5 years. I wonder who is the head of BBRY hardware engineering...

Tell that again to my htc built nexus one that has touchscreen and hardware button/trackball issues. Feels great in the hand, doesn't really work though....

[DetlevCM]

I like Osmand a lot - as a map it is hard to beat. Good detail and resolution, the best bit however, you can download them in advance. Plus, if you have Osmand+ on the PlayBook, it is free on the Z10.

[Hobbes2099]

I sideloaded version 6.14.2 of Google Maps from this thread.
Once installed, it appears as "Navigation":


I'm getting the typical issue; GPS doesn't seem to work nice;


What's really killing me is that the app force closes EVERYTIME I try to open the Settings Menu


Does anyone know if 6.14.2 is the latest version? is there a better (more stable) version I should look for?
Should I just try to delete and re-sideload?

Also, how do I make my enormous pics a more bearable size?

[QuantumQnx]

m.here.com

Nokia's mobile map site. It's fast and, unlike Google maps mobile, supports pinch to zoom and has voice guided navigation.

I just tried tried nokia maps and it is way better than Google's site. Thanks!

Posted via CB10

[dynot]

I just tried tried nokia maps and it is way better than Google's site. Thanks!

Posted via CB10

Just tried it too and I agree its very nice. Will try it out tomorrow.

I noticed you can save map areas. So does this work off line?

[Hobbes2099]

An Android port of Waze was released this week. Depending on the quality of the port, we might have the best nav app available throughout all smartphone OS.

It only sounds like hyperbole until you use Waze.

Posted via CB10

[vladi]

Sorry for the bump but I have a question.

What about BeMaps 10 Pro vs GPS Maps for Google Maps Pro? Which one is worth the money and whats the actual difference?