Disappointed with the Passport on AT&T
I remember how frustrated I was of not being able to navigate the first time I purchased the Passport. Sure, I tried the native maps application, Google Navigation, and Waze. The result was always the same - an experience that was lagging so much that using navigation was pointless. What was my solution? Well what do you think? I returned the "defective" Passport for another Passport. Problem solved, right? Surprise! The GPS experience is exactly the same - absolutely terrible. So, either the Passport is a shoddy device or there's something funky going on with the Passport while specifically on the AT&T network. Therefore, I decided to test the GPS while turning my mobile network off... and guess what? It worked flawlessly.
What I simply can't understand is how did this get by QA? Besides something as simple as placing a phone call, a functioning GPS should be somewhere at the top of the list of things to check before you release a phone on a carrier's network. It's a frustrating experience to have a GPS that is a total crapshoot... sometimes it works, but usually it doesn't. I know there are various leaks and tricks that I'll have to do to get this working, but the simple point is - I shouldn't have to do these things. I imagine there will be a fair number of users who decide to give the Passport a try... only to return the device with a lasting bad impression because something as simple as the GPS did not work.
The last 4 devices I've purchased were the Q10, Z10, Z30, and now the Passport. Each of those devices I purchased outright. As someone who supports Blackberry and wants to see them do well... I have every right to feel a bit pissed off that I have to jump through hoops to get my GPS working on a $600+ phone. I don't understand why Blackberry or AT&T isn't putting something out addressing this issue. This problem cannot possibly help Blackberry's image. So... I'll have fun driving with my mobile network turned off... or maybe I'll do what works... which is turn on my mobile hotspot... then use my Z30 to navigate. Awesome... thanks Blackberry and AT&T!