GPS-Verizon 8830-Update

[rgoeri]

An additional follow up regarding GPS performance on the 8830 via the Navibe GB735 Bluetooth receiver. I downloaded the latest versions of Google Maps and BB Maps and found that the two programs function slightly differently. Google Maps detects the Bluetooth link and asks if you want to allow the GPS unit to do its thing. I found it important to NOT check the "don't ask me this again" box but, rather, to answer "yes" to this question whenever it comes up. This allows time for proper pairing and things go smoothly from that point on. Without this step my BB repeatedly locked up. BB Maps initially loads with an option in the menu that asks if you want to begin GPS navigation. There was never a problem with this program with this approach...just select "yes" and away you go.

Now for some differences in display which I suspect would be true regardless of how the GPS signals are received. In my hands BB Maps was superior to Google Maps in that the BB Map screen is more interactive. When you're stationary the map symbol for your location is a circular ball symbol. When you move, the icon changes to an arrow and the map display moves, rotates, and tracks with your movement (with another arrow continuously showing you where north is) without doing a thing other than keeping the display from going dark because it timed out. Google Maps also has a circular globe position icon but the icon, rather than the map, moves and may eventually leave the display if you don't manually adjust it. Driving in my car, both programs worked equally well at real-time tracking and were very close to my "in-car" navigation system in terms of staying current. I think that's about it as far as US navigation is concerned. I'll know more about overseas issues in a few weeks.

[morsetti]

New user here. I'm just as freaked out about this GPS issue too. Had a VZW cell phone with VZ NAvigator in it, my company when to the super-duper 8830 and low and behold no GPS. I've read all the blogs everywhere on this and it STINKS! Verizon should be ashamed of themselves. I travel a lot for my job to remote places in the US and I need GPS.

What are the opinions out there on a class action lawsuit?

I know a very good and very agressive NY lawyer who would love to get his teeth into this. This is MY phone Verizon! This is total BS!

I would like to hear everyones opinion on this please...

[Rad]

ME


I am sorry to be a pest, but I would like to get a clarification on what "alleviate concerns regarding access to data by malicious applications and misuse of location information" means. Does this mean that the GPS feature on the 8830 makes the phone not secure? Can you please elaborate what this means in the layman's words? I am an amateur techie and I would like more
details... please..
Why is it that the Tech support at Sprint and AllTell do not have these concerns?

VS THEM

We are not saying that the GPS feature with other carriers is not secure but we require additional security. Our location-based service requires customers to choose to be identified by a GPS service before the user?s location is shared.
It is the best way to protect customers and minimize the potential for "man in the middle" attacks. The Verizon Wireless Location Service encrypts the customer location information in the device before transmitting it to the network. Verizon Wireless requires all location requests be authenticated before the handset or network can obtain a customer?s location information.

Verizon Wireless supports Assisted GPS (AGPS) rather than stand-alone GPS like some others use. AGPS uses the Verizon Wireless Network to provide more accurate, faster location information, in addition to better navigation performance indoors and in dense urban areas. At launch, we elected not to implement other applications because of the overall impact they could have on the device?s performance.

In general the BlackBerry 8830's GPS chip is used to provide the handset's
location to emergency responders when placing 911 calls. It does not provide any user accessible functionality such as location information for directions, mapping or any other application at this time.

------------------------------------

I WILL NOT BUY BB 8830, I am going to wait for the Pearl in Nov, if they do the same, I am thinking of NOT upgrading to BB after all.

This is pathetic....

[trinston]

Originally Posted by morsetti

What are the opinions out there on a class action lawsuit?

I know a very good and very agressive NY lawyer who would love to get his teeth into this. This is MY phone Verizon! This is total BS!

There are talks about this at the moment.

[TreyStyles]

Class action suit sounds good to me! This is garbage.

[John Clark]

Originally Posted by TreyStyles

Class action suit sounds good to me!

Good luck!

[Jarhead]

As far as I am concerned for the moment, I did the next best thing and switched to AT&T, there are good points and bad points to every carrier, for me I have an excellent 8800 and I OWN it, since I get 45% discount I bought it and have NO contract and a 22% discount off my bill. IHMO in Albany NY where I live, VZW and AT&T both have good service, but why pay for higher cost of Data when its not needed or justified? Between the two the speeds are identical as far as email and surfing the web. Just got tired of the crippling, and LIES about a simple GPS situation . VZW is protecting me by crippling the GPS, F U , your just greedy, More more more money. Not from this household

[Stephanie408]

I realize that there's been a million posts about the fact that Verizon has disabled our use of the GPS in the 8830 but I could really use some help making one thing clear...
Basically, if I want to use my GPS with BB Maps I'll have to pay an extra 10 bucks a month through Verizon, and then it'll work just like it's supposed to, giving me turn by turn directions from where I am with my phone to the destination that I type in? Also, once I have this then I can use 3rd party accesories with it, etc.?
All of this is assuming they dont just decide to enable it, which by looking through these posts, doesnt look very likely...

Thanks a lot,
Steph

[wabbit]

Steph

The only way to get gps is using a gps puck through bluetooth pairing where the puck would need to be with about 30 feet or less of the device.

Verizon does not have currently a blackberry version of vz navigator so you can't pay then if you wanted too.

Only thing I'm not sure if you can get turn by turn directions using a puck.

anyway hope this help.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[HoldHard]

Our Verizon rep was in yesterday and he mentioned that "something was in the works" for GPS navigation from Verizon to be disclosed by the end of the year. (Thanks buddy, that was published on this website already..... doh!)

When asked why VZW disabled the GPS and Sprint did not, he replied that Verizon wanted to "do it right". I asked if it was something along the lines of VZNavigator he said that it could be. The monthly charge would "only be $9.99" for this new service.

When I told him that my company is already paying for unlimited data and the device has been constructed with GPS capability why should I have to pay an additional $120.00 per year for something that has already been purchased? He tap-danced around that one with answers like "it'll have extra features like male/female voice selection" and "we don't want it to slow down the network" ..... oh pleeeeeze....

All I asked was that he carry the message upstream about a very unhappy customer and he may be losing this account to Sprint when our executives require GPS navigation on their Blackberry 8830s. His reply was "I get an order every day for a new 8830, most days more than one...."

Looks like he's riding the gravey train so he really doesn't give a damn...

HH

[gueido]

Curious if anyone has tried downloading Telenav? I have an 8830 with Alltel and I had to download Telenav, purchase a trial subscription, and the first time I logged into Telenav on my BB, GPS started working on all other programs (Google Maps, Blackberry Maps, Berry411). I have since canceled Telenav, but GPS still works.

Telenav offers a 30day free trial. The software is downloaded from
VERIZON:
TeleNav
ALLTEL:
TeleNav

[Trevor]

Sorry about the inconvenience, the url filter is to discourage spammers. It goes away after 10 posts I believe.

[kjparfekt]

my blackberry is currently mia, but i'll try anything to get gps working on since it is such a cool feature... i've got verizon so i'll try this when i get my blackberry back monday if no one else has tried it before then

[Stephanie408]

Has anyone tried Telenav with Verizon's 8830? It looks perfect and I don't mind the $10 bucks a month (yeah, it sucks that I have to pay at all, but I'm over it)...
Should Telenav work or am I still going to run in to the same GPS disabled problem?

[Jarhead]

Originally Posted by Stephanie408

Has anyone tried Telenav with Verizon's 8830? It looks perfect and I don't mind the $10 bucks a month (yeah, it sucks that I have to pay at all, but I'm over it)...
Should Telenav work or am I still going to run in to the same GPS disabled problem?

Did you goto Telenav's site and do some investigation on your own? I doubt it , but here you go

Verizon Compatible Devices for TeleNav GPS Navigator

Now you can go and BUY a GPS receiver for your CRIPPLED device, or wait till the end of the year and see what HORIZON enables in your 8830 or switch carriers. Switching carriers mite be a better option

Best of luck