[terminatorx]

I use Magellan Maps, it's not bad.

[anon(1544756)]

Magellan Compass works fine through the bridge.

[FF22]

You guys didnt forget about RIM's partnership with TomTom for BB10, right? The partnership can only lead to a native navigation App for BB10 .

I hope you are right but Rim has lost its sense of direction quite a lot since releasing the pb!

[smweb]

For offline navigation, I haven't found Magellan useful. The best (with limitations) so far has been OsmAnd for me. Google map (6.2 and below) is also good, provided you chalk out the route before the trip, as offline it won't be able to calculate. As per my experience, to make the PB GPS apps work, you need a combination of few things, few trial and error methods, etc.

Here would be my list of apps based on preference--
1) OsmAnd
2) Nogago
3) Latitude
4) Magellan

[I am JT]

Still can't comprehend why anyone would be embarrassed over an electronic device but to each their own.

I understand why you would want a good nav app+service for the PlayBook so you would have a larger screen. but with a 9900 and BB Traffic you had a better solution available. Don't know if you have used BB Traffic or not but it has always worked well for me. Actually that is one application I wish RIM would port to the PlayBook or make it Bridge enabled.

[pacoman03]

I think many here are missing the point. There is a big difference between Google Maps or BB Traffic and Osmand. Google Maps, and I assume BB Traffic, require a data connection to calculate a route- Osmand does not. What good would BB Traffic be on the wifi only PB? What good is Google if you can only calculate a route when your online if you're not online.? OK, you might say that you bridge to your phone, but I suspect that the majority of us do not own BB phones and therefore Bridge is meaningless. Thus, phone apps cannot be compared to PB apps, since it's likely that any phones with navigation apps have data access enroute. A wifi only PB does not- at least for the majority of us. Couple that with the fact that Google maps is inherantly unstable in OS 2.0, and has a tendency to lose the GPS signal in both OS 2.0 and beta 2.1, and Osmand is clearly superior to Google.

Now, as far as Osmand being difficult to use, I disagree. Once you've downloaded maps for offline use, to calculate a route all you have to do is find your destination on the maps, then press and hold on your destination. A box will pop up and you just choose "Set as destination". Then you top swipe and choose "Directions". Osmand will then calculate a route and give you voice guidance. Does that sound so hard? Once underway, if you miss a turn or stray off course, Osmand will recalculate a new route.

This doesn't mean that Osmand doesn't have its bugs. Where I live, most of the streets are one way, and Osmand doesn't necessarily know this. But its not a big deal- if it tries to send you the wrong way down a one-way street, you just go one block over which likely will be one way in the correct direction (see above about recalculating a route). Our friend from Portugal reports that the maps in his area are far from complete- that's not my experience where I am- so the app may not be idea for all areas.

Whether Magellan can do the things Osmand can do without an internet connection, I don't know, since I'm too cheap to fork over the money for it.

[brianatbb]

I love my PlayBook =). I am never embarrassed and I always brag about it and make my friends tablets look like crap. I like talking crap to them.

Hey, me too. My PB has always done everything and more than I expected. There are never any lags or unexpected crashes, my android apps work better on the PB than on android tabs, native email is the greatest, file management couldn't be smoother, the office tools make my desktop programs look amateurish, apps for everything anyone could ever want, even skype works great (don't know what everyone else is complaining about). No wonder it's the best-selling tablet on the market.

[Chaddface]

I would love an app that does real time navigation via bridge.

Magellan works well over bridge. It has the ability to save maps for offline use but that feature is a bit clunky. I have unlimited data so bridge works fine for me. I haven't used it with hotspot but it's probably faster.

[dynot]

Hey, me too. My PB has always done everything and more than I expected. There are never any lags or unexpected crashes, my android apps work better on the PB than on android tabs, native email is the greatest, file management couldn't be smoother, the office tools make my desktop programs look amateurish, apps for everything anyone could ever want, even skype works great (don't know what everyone else is complaining about). No wonder it's the best-selling tablet on the market.

Hey...me three! Mine makes breakfast too!

[diegonei]

If Osmand can't find your location, then probably nothing on the PB can.

In the very rare occasions Bing worked (like, 3, maybe 4 times) it found my location. So yeah, thanks.

[PedroBorgas]

Oh, and bridge is enough for OsmAnd.

I can make it work with lil old 8520...

Sent from a old but beautiful BB 8520 or a new and shinny PB 2.0

[pvantienen]

I had the exact same issue, before I upgrade to the latest beta build of 2.1. Been working much better ever since.

Hope that works for you as well.

OK....so I spent the better part of the morning looking for a great navigation app for my PlayBook.....and I finally found a bar file for Google Latitude as I have tried many navigation apps in AppWorld only to be let down by lack of features. I sideloaded Latitude and tested it out in my living room....was working flawlessly so I figured I would test it out in a short car trip with the family. Prior to leaving I tested the data connection with both Bridge and WiFi and there were no issues with either so I moved onto a real life test. I got the family piled into the car and typed in the address....it pulled up the address....when I hit navigate....it froze. I then turned on my hotspot on my 9900 as I thought the bridge connection might not be fast enough....still didn't work. Finally I re-started the PlayBook and it worked for about 10 minutes then forced closed. OK....so here is the embarrassing part.....my wife turns on her hotspot on her Galaxy S2 and then hits Latitude on her Galaxy Tab 8.9 and it works perfectly....very embarrassing that my PlayBook does not have a quality navigation app....ANY SUGGESTIONS? I would love an app that does real time navigation via bridge but would take one that I could use via my 9900's hotspot....

Sorry for the long post but I need help!!

[2c]

OK....so I spent the better part of the morning looking for a great navigation app for my PlayBook.....and I finally found a bar file for Google Latitude as I have tried many navigation apps in AppWorld only to be let down by lack of features. I sideloaded Latitude and tested it out in my living room....was working flawlessly so I figured I would test it out in a short car trip with the family. Prior to leaving I tested the data connection with both Bridge and WiFi and there were no issues with either so I moved onto a real life test. I got the family piled into the car and typed in the address....it pulled up the address....when I hit navigate....it froze. I then turned on my hotspot on my 9900 as I thought the bridge connection might not be fast enough....still didn't work. Finally I re-started the PlayBook and it worked for about 10 minutes then forced closed. OK....so here is the embarrassing part.....my wife turns on her hotspot on her Galaxy S2 and then hits Latitude on her Galaxy Tab 8.9 and it works perfectly....very embarrassing that my PlayBook does not have a quality navigation app....ANY SUGGESTIONS? I would love an app that does real time navigation via bridge but would take one that I could use via my 9900's hotspot....

Sorry for the long post but I need help!!

hahahahahahahahahaha you lost your male ego

[lavrishevo]

Still don't have a proper Nav app on the playbook... I don't miss the device whatsoever. Ridiculous that you need to tether it to a data connection as well.

[pacoman03]

Still don't have a proper Nav app on the playbook... I don't miss the device whatsoever. Ridiculous that you need to tether it to a data connection as well.

Why are you here then? And if you read my post and others, you'd have seen that there is a proper working Nav app.

[Michelle Haag]

OK, you might say that you bridge to your phone, but I suspect that the majority of us do not own BB phones and therefore Bridge is meaningless.

lolwhut? I'm willing to bet that the majority of people that own/use a PlayBook have a BlackBerry.

Anyhow, I think it would be cool if BlackBerry Traffic worked over Bridge, or as someone said if you could do a 'send to PlayBook' to view it. Other than that, I don't see much use for it on the PB unless you have a 4G model.

[pacoman03]

lolwhut? I'm willing to bet that the majority of people that own/use a PlayBook have a BlackBerry.

I'll take that bet. How much? It was probably true that initially most PB owners had BB phones, since the early purchasers were probably almost exclusively BB fanboys, but since BB dropped the PB price late last year, the non fanboys took notice and took the plunge. This group is probably the bulk of PB owners, since initial PB sales were so anemic, and consist largely of non BB phone owners. They were largely attracted by the reduced price, not by the bridge features.

[varunsain]

I'll take that bet. How much? It was probably true that initially most PB owners had BB phones, since the early purchasers were probably almost exclusively BB fanboys, but since BB dropped the PB price late last year, the non fanboys took notice and took the plunge. This group is probably the bulk of PB owners, since initial PB sales were so anemic, and consist largely of non BB phone owners. They were largely attracted by the reduced price, not by the bridge features.

Well the OP has Bridge.. So.......

[FF22]

Since we know exactly how many pb's have sold, plus or minus 200,000 or so, I'm sure we can resolve this question in favor of one or the other parties - bb owners or others.

[thecsman]

So, you have a 9900 and you were trying on your PlayBook?

You could've used your BB with the Google maps application and enable Latitude there.

[varunsain]

Maybe QNX Car2 will have some good navigation in there?? Buy a porsche?

[annon91221]

Well I drive quite a lot and most of my work I do is on playbook..When I am within the city limits I use Lattitue...outside I use osmand...I have magellan as well...
IMO...lattitude is the best...it has very updated maps...compared to the other two...I remember however that it didnt work nearly as well untill i updated to 2.1.0.8..beta....it is the most stable version for playbook...gps issues are completely fixed.......takes no more than 30sec to lock in..it even gets signals indoors as well...heck even bing maps give you the location...

SO...update to 2.1.0.8..beta and most of your troubles will be over...and then pray that now on all bb beta software is as stable and the full versions even better...

[escher7]

I am new to this board and I am sure this has been discussed a million times, but I really need the inside track on the Playbook. I am very poor these days thanks to bad Karma, bad health and a crooked ex-partner so I can't afford to screw up on my tablet purchase. I am reasonably computer savvy and have researched the Playbook enough to understand most pros and cons but here's what I need to know from hands-on users:

1. They are giving away the 16 Gig machine in Winnipeg ($149.00) but how useful is that small of a memory? My uses will be reading books, email checking, and general browsing. All other stuff on the laptop. What do I need - 16, 32 0r 64 Gig?

2. I often download books (pdf, ebooks, djview). Is it easy to convert these to some form that the Playbook will handle (on the laptop) and use the usb connection to load them? (I am aware of Calibre.) I assume that the Playbook will just show up on the computer as a drive and I can drag and drop, but I am not sure. Will the Playbook handle pdf well or is mobi better?

3. I have some concerns about screen size both for reading and browsing. The Kindles etc are small and I hope that using the Playbook length-ways like a Kindle would work, but is it a comfortable read?

4. I know you folks are enamored by the Playbook, but seriously is it glitchy or just does the occasional goof like any computer?

Any help will assist me in what is currently a big purchase. (I used to spend this much on a couple of Cuban cigars, but hey, I am more relaxed now.)

Thx.

escher7

[PedroBorgas]

Hey :

1 - Enough, i guess. I have tv shows, games, books, etc and have 3 gigs left, so...

2 - There apps to read Ebooks, and natively it reads Pdf's. There also "sideload", which will enable you to get the KindleEreader.

3 - Screen size is not perfect for book reading, but it does the trick very well.

4 - Like any computer

Hope i helped

Edit: wrong reply on 4 ^^

Sent from a old but beautiful BB 8520 or a new and shinny PB 2.0

[diegonei]

I enjoy reading books on my PB very much. I finished two books on it already.

pacoman03, please share your research when it's finished. I'm sure you'll find that most PB users are indeed BB users. Let us know.