[poldim]

So I have a 9000, and the GPS is all zero's. I'm guessing this is disabled as part of the BES IT Policy.

Anyone have any idea why my company would want to do that?

[MobileMadness002]

It will be all zeros until you refresh your position. At least thats what it reads on my bold and storm 2.

[poldim]

It will be all zeros until you refresh your position. At least thats what it reads on my bold and storm 2.

Is yours also disabled? How can I refresh it?

[MobileMadness002]

I just press menu and select refresh.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[VYCanisMajoris]

I can't speak for your employer but I can give you some insight as to why we do it (I work in telecommunications). Liability. Plain and simple.
It's yet another potential distraction while driving, especially for those driving company vehicles. Not to mention the accuracy issue. We just don't want our folks driving into lakes as a result of a flaky gps directive.
As it is, we've had to retrofit all mobile laptops with a 'lockout' feature. If the laptop is not docked with vehicle in park or receiving power from an AC source, it will not allow user input.
I'll never forget the day I was on the interstate in the high speed lane cruising at about 75 in my POV when a company vehicle blew passed me while the employee was interacting with his touch screen. He then proceeded to change lanes 3 different times, without signals. When I got to the office and pulled his data logs for that time, I learned he was flirting with another employee via msn chat.
Yowza!
That said, it may have been a default setup at your company. Have you asked anyone in your IT dept?

[poldim]

I can't speak for your employer but I can give you some insight as to why we do it (I work in telecommunications). Liability. Plain and simple.
It's yet another potential distraction while driving, especially for those driving company vehicles. Not to mention the accuracy issue. We just don't want our folks driving into lakes as a result of a flaky gps directive.
As it is, we've had to retrofit all mobile laptops with a 'lockout' feature. If the laptop is not docked with vehicle in park or receiving power from an AC source, it will not allow user input.
I'll never forget the day I was on the interstate in the high speed lane cruising at about 75 in my POV when a company vehicle blew passed me while the employee was interacting with his touch screen. He then proceeded to change lanes 3 different times, without signals. When I got to the office and pulled his data logs for that time, I learned he was flirting with another employee via msn chat.
Yowza!
That said, it may have been a default setup at your company. Have you asked anyone in your IT dept?

That's understandable, although I don't agree with it. The benefits of GPS far outweigh the potential distractions and misguidance that it may provide. I think that the cost of not using it is more than the cost of using it.

It allows the use of cellular triangulation to determine your location. But its just not accurate enough if I'm driving around San Francisco where the taller buildings hinder the calculation.

I'm going to call IT tomorrow for another reason and will poke around and see what I kind of information I can find on this issue.

[poldim]

I just press menu and select refresh.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Interestingly enough, I went to Advanced Options -> GPS -> Menu: Refresh GPS and it got coordinates.

Before refreshing, I was located with 1600m. After the refresh, it was with 20m. So why is gmaps having trouble initiating the refresh?

[cavingjan]

That's understandable, although I don't agree with it. The benefits of GPS far outweigh the potential distractions and misguidance that it may provide. I think that the cost of not using it is more than the cost of using it.

It only takes one bad accident (death or severe injury) to wipe out all of the potential cost benefits.

[VYCanisMajoris]

It only takes one bad accident (death or severe injury) to wipe out all of the potential cost benefits.

Exactly. All it takes is one. And the fact that an employee can say 'well I was using the gps' is not a risk we need to take. Most of our employees drive the same routes every day. GPS is used very infrequently.

I apologize for the digression. Hopefully this is not the issue in your case. Good luck.

[Muddville]

Interestingly enough, I went to Advanced Options -> GPS -> Menu: Refresh GPS and it got coordinates.

Before refreshing, I was located with 1600m. After the refresh, it was with 20m. So why is gmaps having trouble initiating the refresh?

Quite a common occurrence depending on your location, and Google Maps appears to be more susceptible to it than the native apps. Terrain, weather, RFI and buildings can also affect the accuracy, which is probably why they tell people not to get too dependent on GPS devices.

Most of this information is in the supplied documentation for these things, or available via the vendor support site.

[digitalb0y]

Interestingly enough, I went to Advanced Options -> GPS -> Menu: Refresh GPS and it got coordinates.

Before refreshing, I was located with 1600m. After the refresh, it was with 20m. So why is gmaps having trouble initiating the refresh?

Application permissions, most likely. If you go to Options > Applications and highligh GMaps, are you able to change its permissions to Allow for all categories? If you have an IT policy interfering with GMaps, that's most likely the way it's working. It's not blocking GPS, it's probably blocking the app's access to your GPS info.

[sssM]

That's understandable, although I don't agree with it. The benefits of GPS far outweigh the potential distractions and misguidance that it may provide. I think that the cost of not using it is more than the cost of using it.

It allows the use of cellular triangulation to determine your location. But its just not accurate enough if I'm driving around San Francisco where the taller buildings hinder the calculation.

I'm going to call IT tomorrow for another reason and will poke around and see what I kind of information I can find on this issue.

there is a benefit to GPS that outweighs death?

[digitalb0y]

If you die because you couldn't look away from your phone and drive responsibly, I REALLY don't think you should be able to hold your company reliable for providing the phone.

I *could* use my stapler to perforate my fingertips too, but I don't, because that would be idiotic. I like to think my company can be relatively confident that they don't need to disable the stapling feature of the stapler with which they provided me in order to avoid a frivolous lawsuit. I also don't need the blade removed from the paper cutter in the supply room, or the power cable removed from our router to prevent accidental strangulation or electrocution. If your workers require you pad everything you give them with foam padding, you need to look at the caliber of employees you hire. If you can't trust them with a GPS enabled phone, maybe you shouldn't be giving them electronics in the first place.

Again, I can't speak for all BES admins, but I'd say that if an IT policy is interfering with Google Maps, it's likely a permissions issue and not the complete disabling of the device's GPS feature.

[VYCanisMajoris]

I *could* use my stapler to perforate my fingertips too, but I don't, because that would be idiotic. I like to think my company can be relatively confident that they don't need to disable the stapling feature of the stapler with which they provided me in order to avoid a frivolous lawsuit. I also don't need the blade removed from the paper cutter in the supply room, or the power cable removed from our router to prevent accidental strangulation or electrocution. If your workers require you pad everything you give them with foam padding, you need to look at the caliber of employees you hire. If you can't trust them with a GPS enabled phone, maybe you shouldn't be giving them electronics in the first place.

.

You're missing the point. If you re-read my original response, you'll note OUR primary concern is with accuracy and then yes, we don't want our folks staring at a telephone screen to get driving information. The phone was provided for 'tele' communications, not driving directions. All of your analogies are incongruous with the original point.

You are way off here pal. Take a deep breath and rethink what is being said here.

And you obviously have no experience with liability laws. If you provide your employee with a tool and in the course of performing his/her job with said tool, someone or something is hurt/damaged, I would 'almost' guarantee you will be held liable. Most companies wouldn't even allow that type of scenario to make into a court room. Settlement < PR hit. It has absolutely nothing to do with the competence of your employees. Surely you've heard of accidents.

[mke67]

It only takes one bad accident (death or severe injury) to wipe out all of the potential cost benefits.

Please!!!!!! This is an over reaction. GPS today is highly reliable with SLIGHT inconsistencies.

[mke67]

You're missing the point. If you re-read my original response, you'll note OUR primary concern is with accuracy and then yes, we don't want our folks staring at a telephone screen to get driving information. The phone was provided for 'tele' communications, not driving directions. All of your analogies are incongruous with the original point.

You are way off here pal. Take a deep breath and rethink what is being said here.

And you obviously have no experience with liability laws. If you provide your employee with a tool and in the course of performing his/her job with said tool, someone or something is hurt/damaged, I would 'almost' guarantee you will be held liable. Most companies wouldn't even allow that type of scenario to make into a court room. Settlement < PR hit. It has absolutely nothing to do with the competence of your employees. Surely you've heard of accidents.

So then all the other GPS nav devices are potential liability lawsuits waiting to happen. GARMIN, MAGELLAN, TOM TOM better get your lawyer on.

Please, is smell BS.

Your original story was about an employee blazing up the hywy using IM. Totally different. Texting while driving is stupid and a whole 'nother issue. GPS navigation with the proper set-up should not be an issue.

"Driving into a lake" total exaggeration.

[digitalb0y]

If you provide your employee with a tool and in the course of performing his/her job with said tool, someone or something is hurt/damaged, I would 'almost' guarantee you will be held liable.

Not if the employee wasn't using it as intended. How is this argument any different from say, the paper cutter analogy? The hypothetical paper cutter is provided as a tool for employees to use in the course of their work. If they cut their fingers off, should the company remove the blade? Your company provides phones. It doesn't tell users to use them for anything but telecommunications. You shouldn't be any more liable if they use them as mapping devices than you would if they started using the paper cutter to half their sandwiches on their lunch break.

And you're right, accidents happen, but if they happen because a driver is too stupid to watch the road, the problem was NOT that their phone had GPS enabled.

But we're getting off on a tangent here. Did the OP check the permissions for the Google Maps app?

[mke67]

Not if the employee wasn't using it as intended. How is this argument any different from say, the paper cutter analogy? The hypothetical paper cutter is provided as a tool for employees to use in the course of their work. If they cut their fingers off, should the company remove the blade? Your company provides phones. It doesn't tell users to use them for anything but telecommunications. You shouldn't be any more liable if they use them as mapping devices than you would if they started using the paper cutter to half their sandwiches on their lunch break.

And you're right, accidents happen, but if they happen because a driver is too stupid to watch the road, the problem was NOT that their phone had GPS enabled.

But we're getting off on a tangent here. Did the OP check the permissions for the Google Maps app?

I think he solved it before the "life lessons" posts

[joemecu]

GPS navigation with the proper set-up should not be an issue.

I think that you're overreacting. It seems to me that VYCanisMajoris was primarily concerned with using equipment, while driving. I didn't perceive the "driving into lakes" was the primary concern. Even GPS units (Tom Tom, Garmin, et al.) themselves generally warn against using them, while driving. The less fidgeting around with gadgets while driving, the safer the roads will be for all of us. I can't see anyone, in their right mind, arguing against that.

Either way, it's hard to fully perceive people's posts on the Intenet, and the topic is getting off point, no thanks to myself.

That being said, hopefully the OP is in the clear. Definitely check your Application Permissions, if you already haven't (as suggested in a previous post). This can be found in Options->Advanced Options->Applications->Google Maps. Hit the Menu, then Edit Permissions. Make sure that All are set to Allow, or at least try to set Connections->Location Data to Allow. You may have to check with your BES admin, if you're not allowed to change Permissions, which you're most likely not.

[poldim]

Wow, this thread got a little off topic.

While playing with the settings on the phone shortly after my last post I changed the permissions all to allow with the exception of one which was greyed out to deny. Using it for the past couple of days, it seems to have solved the problem.

[VYCanisMajoris]

Not if the employee wasn't using it as intended. How is this argument any different from say, the paper cutter analogy? The hypothetical paper cutter is provided as a tool for employees to use in the course of their work. If they cut their fingers off, should the company remove the blade?

You are in way over your head here Jr.

Whether the employee was using said tool as it was intended is irrelevant. The end result is the issue.

And the paper cutter analogy is apples to my oranges and I'll explain (although it should be very self evident as to why). A paper cutter is inherently dangerous. A cell phone is not. Can you injure yourself or a customer with cell phone? And taking a blade out of a paper cutter would render it useless. We are talking about cell phones minus the GPS feature. Call me crazy but I'm quite certain the phone is still capable of connecting phone calls without the GPS activated.

I should probably quit while I'm behind. I'm not one for banging my head against a wall.

[VYCanisMajoris]

So then all the other GPS nav devices are potential liability lawsuits waiting to happen. GARMIN, MAGELLAN, TOM TOM better get your lawyer on.

Please, is smell BS.

Your original story was about an employee blazing up the hywy using IM. Totally different. Texting while driving is stupid and a whole 'nother issue. GPS navigation with the proper set-up should not be an issue.

"Driving into a lake" total exaggeration.

please explain what you mean by smelling bs?

That a victim can't hold a company liable for their employee being distracted by using a cell phone as a GPS device which subsequently causes an accident? My company's risk management department pays claims of the very same more than we would like. We've had lawyers subpoena our chat/server/dispatch logs in attempts to prove the employee in question was involved in activities detrimental to safe driving.

Ironically, we've paid claims when it was obviously not a question of being distracted but the mere appearance of impropriety is enough in some cases.

And yes, driving into a lake was typed with my tongue planted firmly in cheek. It was an intentional exaggeration to make my point. But I stand by my logic, I didn't read it in a book. I learned in the trenches. 30+ years in the trenches. It keeps my department's accident/injury rates within budget. And with all due respect, we didn't develop our safety guidelines based on feedback from conversations on the Crackberry users forum.