- Hi, im thinking about getting a 8310 since its the cheapest smartphone that at&t has right now, what im wondering is, in order to get the gps to work, does that require a service plan? Id rather have wifi feature and the tmobile phone has that but the at&t one has gps...
The gps may be a deciding factor in this. Would the gps be free?04-03-08 08:08 PMLike 0 - GPS does require a data plan, as the maps are not saved locally on the device and is dowloaded as you use them.04-03-08 08:12 PMLike 0
- amazinglygracelessRetired ModYou will need a data plan to use the GPS function fully, i.e. turn by turn directions, voice navigation, etc..
The are a couple of free GPS programs you could try:
http://www.amazegps.com
Nav4All - Free gps navigation for your mobile phone!04-03-08 08:14 PMLike 0 - the telenav function (which is like the gps you can buy from garmin) gives you turn by turn directions, reroute based on traffic, and different map views.... that is $10 a month on top of the data plan. you can use google maps and blackberry maps for free but they are NOT a navigation system. i have the 8310 and the telenav subscription. i got it cuz it was there and my device was new. if youre using the nav sys and the phone rings, you lose the navigation function... that will make me buy a standalone gps and cancel my subscription. but for now, its pretty cool!04-03-08 09:35 PMLike 0
- I use googlemaps but as said before it does require a data plan....then again why get a blackberry without a data plan lol. I don't like telenav and it costs more money.04-04-08 10:00 AMLike 0
-
- the telenav function (which is like the gps you can buy from garmin) gives you turn by turn directions, reroute based on traffic, and different map views.... that is $10 a month on top of the data plan. you can use google maps and blackberry maps for free but they are NOT a navigation system. i have the 8310 and the telenav subscription. i got it cuz it was there and my device was new. if youre using the nav sys and the phone rings, you lose the navigation function... that will make me buy a standalone gps and cancel my subscription. but for now, its pretty cool!04-04-08 10:15 AMLike 0
- I have used Nav4All for the last few weeks. It has proven to be very accurate and does provide voice turn instructions. It is a pretty good program for free. It is not as good as the Telenav GPS system, but of course we get what we pay for. I decided that I would not use a paid program enough to justify the cost but if you are going to use GPS a lot, then Telenav is worth the investment.04-04-08 12:05 PMLike 0
- Pete6Retired ModeratorDoes anyone make a standalone GPS for the Curve? I have an 8310 on order and I will put in an 8GB card as soon as OS 4.5 is deemed stable.
My TomTom (being eyed up by the wife) has both Europe and US maps on a 2GB card so if someone made a set of maps for the device then I could easily use my phone as a stand alone GPS device.
I have a data plan but it is only for 50Mb/month and I'd soon chew that up. The next step up for data with my carrier is quite large so I'd like to avoid doing that.
The alternative is to go out and buy another TomTom ONE but that is less elegant and far less fun.04-08-08 07:02 AMLike 0 - Nav4all works very well and any gripes I might have are eaisily over looked since it is free. It also uses very little space as the info is all pulled from their server and not stored on your phone. Well worth a try imo and my second choice is google maps however it does not give vocal prompts and the server response seems slower in my area.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com04-08-08 08:03 AMLike 0 - Not to veer the discussion too far off course, but you may want to use the built in locator with google maps for a while before you buy a puck and software (unless you need turn by turn). It trangulates your location based on the cell phone towers around you and I found it to be accurate within a fer hundred feet.
If you need turn by turn or pinpoint accuracy however it will not work for you.04-08-08 08:20 AMLike 0 - Pete6Retired ModeratorI am currently using Google Maps on my 8100 Pearl and the built in triangulator/locator. It works quite well too. On my new 8310 (as yet undelivered) I shall have a built-in GPS receiver so I am looking for a complete stand alone system that does not require that I go online. My data package is very cheap $10/month for 50Mb/month but the next step up is very pricey. This is why I am looking for a product hat will install its maps on my data card.
Any ideas?04-08-08 10:04 AMLike 0 - Look into the Garmin products. They cost $, but I think it might be a one-time fee rather than a subscription.
I also saw something recently that either they or one of the other big GPS companies launched a service for BBs that was cheaper than TeleNav; I think it was $4/mo or something if you signed up for a year. N/A to you, because you don't want to use data, but others may find it useful.
-Eric04-08-08 10:11 AMLike 0 - Pete6Retired Moderatori'm downloading AmazeGPS OTA as I type. The other reason I want a standalone product is that sometimes I travel to other European countries where I only have 'half a data plan'. I still have one but they put the price up by charging me per megabyte when I'm outside my home country.
Even though a Garmin system is a big one time cost, I'm fully independant once I have it installed.04-08-08 10:35 AMLike 0 - Holy crap, does the entire world outside of the US pay through the nose for data? If so, anyone have any clue why? Heck, I have a philosophical problem paying $30 USD for unlimited data each month, but when I see what some other countries pay, I don't feel so bad.
-E04-08-08 10:38 AMLike 0 - Pete6Retired ModeratorEurope is a peculiar case right now. Why? The European Comission (Congress) passed a law stopping network operators from ripping people off as they made phone calls between the various European countries. The EC wants Europe to look like one big single region with local differences (dream on) for culture and language (???).
The network operators complied - they had to -but they have just jacked up their prices on 'value added sevices' i.e. data. This won't last. Within most countries data is relatively cheap but they have unbundled the various components. I pay $10.00month for 50Mb data/month and additional $20 for my BB email here in Switzerland where my BIS is managed by my network provider.
In the UK my brother pays $45.00/month for unlimited data access but he does not use a BB so I don't know what they charge for that.
I have a T-Mobile (Deutsche Telkom in reality) Pay As You Go card for when I visit the UK and because I am not on contract I get stiffed for using a) data on my phone, b) using my phone as a modem for my PC c). receiving BB emails.
There is a TV program on in the UK called Watchdog and they look into national scams. They found a kid who went from the UK to France and got a bill from T-Mobile for - wait for it - �9'000.00 and another who went away for the weekend and came back with a �2'000.00 bill from British Telecom (or O2 as they are now called). When questioned, both operators cancelled the bills without quiestion.
The EU will ultimately nail these b^$t^&ds but until they do we are stuck with it.
All these are seperate tariffs and buyng one does not get you another.
My response was to put in wireless broadband into my Mother's house and my Mother-In-Law's house. This is cheaper than using mobile data for the moment.
I also keep a portable PC at my Monther-In-Law's becaue I can only take one carry-on bag on the plane when I go via Gatwick airport.
All this considerabley adds to the fun of visiting the UK and European travel in general as you may imagine.
Once Europe is sorted out, say 5 years, the rest of the world will continue to get shafted just the same.
So now ya know why I want off the networks for data intensive apps.
PeteLast edited by Pete6; 04-08-08 at 11:18 AM.
04-08-08 11:16 AMLike 0
- Forum
- BlackBerry OS Phone Forums
- BlackBerry Curve Series
GPS and 8310
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD