1. RDReavis's Avatar
    Hello!
    I'm looking to get the Bold on T-Mobile (when it does come out), and I have a few questions that will probably apply to Blackberries in general.

    1. GPS: Is service required to use the GPS? I will be out in the middle of the desert doing research, and I wanted something that I will be able to plot paths and locations on. Not exactly a place with roads that are mapped. Can I use the GPS without getting a service signal and will I be able to plot trails and roads using Blackberry's GPS app?

    2. Can you sync Outlook tasks, appointments, mail, etc. easily with the device? USB and/or Bluetooth to do this? Can I fetch sync information away from the computer? Can I fetch e-mail away from the computer, and can I sync current e-mail on my computer with the device if this is the case?

    3. How "full" is the web browsing on these devices? I really liked the web on the T-Mobile Dash, and the Curve had a slimmed-down version. Will the Bold be any better?

    4. Video and music playback: Easy to use player with features? I'm looking to replace my old MP3 player with this device.

    5. Application expandability: Download new applications from the Internet?

    6. Set mp3s as ringtones?

    I realize that many of the details concerning the 9000 haven't been released yet, so I'm hoping that those that some of the details regarding the questions given will apply to all (or some) Blackberry devices.

    I appreciate your time and effort to answer my questions! I hope that soon my ignorance will pass once I become more acquainted with these devices!

    Thank you!
    Richard D. Reavis
    Last edited by RDReavis; 06-14-08 at 01:45 AM.
    06-14-08 12:28 AM
  2. FF22's Avatar
    Hello!
    I'm looking to get the Bold on T-Mobile (when it does come out), and I have a few questions that will probably apply to Blackberries in general.

    1. GPS: Is service required to use the GPS? I will be out in the middle of the desert doing research, and I wanted something that I will be able to plot paths and locations on. Not exactly a place with roads that are mapped. Can I use the GPS without getting a service signal and will I be able to plot trails and roads using Blackberry's GPS app?

    2. Can you sync Outlook tasks, appointments, mail, etc. easily with the device? USB and/or Bluetooth to do this? Can I fetch sync information away from the computer? Can I fetch e-mail away from the computer, and can I sync current e-mail on my computer with the device if this is the case?

    3. How "full" is the web browsing on these devices? I really liked the web on the T-Mobile Dash, and the Curve had a slimmed-down version. Will the Bold be any better?

    4. Video and music playback: Easy to use player with features? I'm looking to replace my old MP3 player with this device.

    5. Application expandability: Download new applications from the Internet?

    6. Set mp3s as ringtones?

    I realize that many of the details concerning the 9000 haven't been released yet, so I'm hoping that those that some of the details regarding the questions given will apply to all (or some) Blackberry devices.

    I appreciate your time and effort to answer my questions! I hope that soon my ignorance will pass once I become more acquainted with these devices!

    Thank you!
    Richard D. Reavis
    While I have no idea what the Bold will contain, if it follows the general utility of other BB's it will:

    1. For certain gps functions you need data which might not be available in remote areas but there are a few gps programs that can record tracks or use maps you can download in advance and place on SD cards. Actually, I've tracked 60 mile bike rides using gps-ed and the track displayed on their server and Google earth (after export to proper format) shows a switchback on a "walking trail" that we bike ride.

    2. I'm not much of an Outlook user but adopted it for backup of my BB data and it appears to work fine using usb in my case - appt, contracts and memos

    3. The browser seems reasonable but for better browsing many folks have downloaded and used Opera-mini.

    4. mp3 and video playback is fine. I've got an 8gig SD card and it works fine as a replacement for my Creative zvm player altho, 22gig light on capacity. You will need to recode video probably.

    5. (don't press tab while trying to enter these answers!!!) You can in many cases download new apps to the device from BB Browser or use the Desktop Manager to load new apps to the device. I understand some generic java apps can also work and not just those designed for the BB (I just got a Periodic Table for it)

    6. Yup, "House of the Rising Sun" is my alarm clock tune. They may need editing down in size in some cases as full tunes can play oddly.

    Again, BOLD may be different but probably similar in many of these respects.

    Oh, some carriers lock the gps (verizon) and some of us have resorted to external gps bluetooth pucks. Works fine but another device (small) that needs to be separately charged.
    06-14-08 09:28 AM
  3. RDReavis's Avatar
    3. Opera-mini will allow for more complete web browsing, correct? And this is simply used as an alternative to the standard browsing application?

    And since T-Mobile (to my knowledge) does not lock the gps, I should be able to get by without buying a GPS puck, right?

    Thank you so much for your comprehensive answers!
    Richard D. Reavis
    06-14-08 01:17 PM
  4. FF22's Avatar
    I only occasionally use Opera which has rendered pages that the normal Browser does not. But for OTA downloads you need the bb browser.
    06-14-08 02:50 PM
  5. Go Blue's Avatar
    F2 addressed your answers well.

    I would only add that the GPS services will not work if you are out of coverage for cell service. If your desert research is out of coverage area, then the BB GPS won't do the job for you.

    Just to confirm. I just tested SprintNav (Telenav), BB Maps and Google Maps, and none of them work with the radio off. (I can't check out of range because I am IN range). All I get is "Searching for Satellites" message. I did not even get a lat/lon. I'll have to leave it to another time to check when truly out of range.

    The GPS service downloads maps as you use the service -- they are not resident on the BB.

    Don't know if a puck GPS will work when out of range -- I don't use one.

    So -- a handheld GPS may be your best bet if your desert research is out of service range.

    Now -- if you're in range -- the BB GPS frighteningly accurate. I have compared it to my marine navigation GPS units and it is spot on -- shows position within a few feet of the marine GPS units. It can tell not only where the boat is, but which side of the boat I am on.
    06-14-08 04:32 PM
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