[CrackBerry Kevin]

Hey All,

Ok, so I reached out to RIM right away on the GPS issues. I'm still waiting to get a more "official to post on the homepage" explanation back on it, but here's the deal so far as it's been relayed to me which I can pass on here:

It is not a hardware problem. RIM has now found the issue which is software related and IT WILL BE FIXED SHORTLY.

So let that put the GPS threads to rest here. Post back to this thread if anybody asks about it elsewhere. And if you've been thinking about returning your PlayBook because the GPS hasn't been working, just hold onto it. It'll all be good soon.

Will report more info as I get it.

Kevin

[pozi240]

Thanks Kevin, while mine is working well (for the most part anyway), I'm glad you posted this up...was getting tired of reading the GPS threads.....LOL.

[CrackBerry Kevin]

Thanks Kevin, while mine is working well (for the most part anyway), I'm glad you posted this up...was getting tired of reading the GPS threads.....LOL.

Cool. Yeah, not totally sure why GPS would work for some and not others. I know my first review unit that the GPS worked ONCE... then never again. So whatever it is, as long as it's fixed soon all will be well. Curious to see if we get a more indepth explanation on it. But I'm guessing once it's fixed that's good enough... just want it working!

[Speczorz]

Thank you for the heads up Kevin. Looking forward to the update..!

[AutoPilot2020]

i have a question, will we be able to use the gps without a internet connection like use bing maps as a gps relying only on the gps without a internet connection?

[Blacklac]

i have a question, will we be able to use the gps without a internet connection like use bing maps as a gps relying only on the gps without a internet connection?

Well, Bing Maps does not open without a Wifi/data connection, but this is still a very relevant question if someone were to make a 3rd party App with preloaded Maps. I would love that for travel on my Wifi only model!

[AutoPilot2020]

yeah^ isnt that the whole idea of a gps in it.... ahah

[eds817]

This might be a dumb question but how do I check my GPS? I went into Bing maps and tapped the green circle and it comes close to where I am but not exact. Is this what everyone is talking about?

[tprime]

Try the Poynt app. It should find your location. Sometimes i need to close and reopen Poynt to update location.

[Rudee66]

So let that put the GPS threads to rest here.

I doubt people care whether it's software or hardware related, they just want it working. And I doubt the issue will be put to rest until the issue is fully resolved.

[clone7]

mine works 20 percent of the time

[manofice1]

mine has never worked so waiting for an update

[FF22]

This might be a dumb question but how do I check my GPS? I went into Bing maps and tapped the green circle and it comes close to where I am but not exact. Is this what everyone is talking about?

No, some folks canNOT get it to work at all. If it comes close it is pretty much working. GPS accuracy varies even on standalone devices. If you come close to your neighbor's house, that can be considered pretty good. I will say that Bing, the other day had me about a block south of my house - that accuracy is really not very good. That could be Bing and maybe it has inaccurate maps although Microsoft is just across the lake and some softies live in my neighborhood!!!!

While someone suggested taking the coordinates found at the upper left and plugging them into Google Maps, those were still off when I tried it.

[Hup55]

Mine worked with the original software but not after the last software update. When it was working it was off by 35kms. Now it doesn't work at all.

[chainsaw42]

...And if you've been thinking about returning your PlayBook because the GPS hasn't been working, just hold on to it...

Kevin

better idea? return it while you can and buy anew one when/if they fix this and the dozens of other bugs.

i love mine and also hate it. it is going back. havent decided if i'm waiting and 'buying it back' when it's fixed or just buying an ipad2

[stubbornswiss]

Thank you Kevin for this information.

Unfortunately, like just about everything PlayBook related, we are once again told "it is coming soon".

The question is, how soon is soon?

(Just my Wednesday evening rant).

[mapsonburt]

I've been developing an GPS application using Google Maps (PilotView3D). It definitely is a software problem with the PlayBook. My application would only get geolocation events once in a blue moon but when it did, they were bang on. I saw them once after giving the application permissions to use the GPS and one other time but just shutting down the application and restarting it caused me to lose the geolocation events. There is something not quite right about how RIM is sending them from the device to the application. Registering for them works fine but it doesn't handle starting/stopping the application permissions very well. I don't think its very serious and I suspect they'll have it fixed quickly.

When I did have it working, I was getting accuracies in the 5-7 foot range horizontally and within 10-15' vertically which is very good. You could certainly navigate with accuracies like that.

[manofice1]

does bing maps offer starting location like google maps on the ipad? so start location would be my current location

[PDSchofield]

better idea? return it while you can and buy anew one when/if they fix this and the dozens of other bugs.

i love mine and also hate it. it is going back. havent decided if i'm waiting and 'buying it back' when it's fixed or just buying an ipad2

Bye then, dont let the door hit you in the **** on the way out...

I dont mean to sound rude, but I, and i am sure many others, am getting a little fed up of the posts along the line of "Buying my PlayBooks was the worst idea since Abraham Lincoln decided to have a night at the theatre.... I am taking it back and signing my soul over to His Steveness"

This forum is supposed to be a place for owners to discuss and swap tips about the device, but a large number of posts recently seem to be following exactly the opposite path, and to be honest it is making visits to the forums less appealing.

I purchased my PlayBook knowing full well that it was a first generation release in a totally new product area for RIM. I knew there would be flaws and bugs, and to be honest there are less than I expected and the vast majority of them can and will be fixed by a software update in the not too distant future.

I think my PlayBook was a very good purchase, I am enjoying it thoroughly, and I am looking forward to additional functionality and refinements that are sure to come down the line.

Ok, rant over... I need a beer....

On a side note, thanks to Kevin for taking the time to follow up with RIM on the status of the GPS, as it does seem to be hit and miss... now we have a definitive answer and we can get on with our lives.....

[Jake Storm]

better idea? return it while you can and buy anew one when/if they fix this and the dozens of other bugs.

i love mine and also hate it. it is going back. havent decided if i'm waiting and 'buying it back' when it's fixed or just buying an ipad2

Cool story Bro!
A new member with 3 posts, just joined CrackBerry to slam the PlayBook.
My guess is Chainsaw42 never had a PlayBook. He's just an Apple troll, here to try and stir up some isht.

[BlackStormRising]

Mine must be working then. I have a huge glass skylight above me and when i go to maximum zoom on Bing the satellite pic comes up and i can see myself hunched over the Playbook in the food court. Pretty awesome.

[FF22]

I've been developing an GPS application using Google Maps (PilotView3D). It definitely is a software problem with the PlayBook. My application would only get geolocation events once in a blue moon but when it did, they were bang on. I saw them once after giving the application permissions to use the GPS and one other time but just shutting down the application and restarting it caused me to lose the geolocation events. There is something not quite right about how RIM is sending them from the device to the application. Registering for them works fine but it doesn't handle starting/stopping the application permissions very well. I don't think its very serious and I suspect they'll have it fixed quickly.

When I did have it working, I was getting accuracies in the 5-7 foot range horizontally and within 10-15' vertically which is very good. You could certainly navigate with accuracies like that.

Bing appears to work for me but locates my house about 200 south of its real location (a puget fault might make Bing more accurate one of these days). I've taken the lat/long it provides and plugged them into googlemaps and it matches the wrong location position. Maybe it's connected to the same glitch you're seeing.

Manofice: I may be missing it, but when I search for a place and then ask for directions, it does not appear to plug my current location into the START location but does place the location I searched for into the destination. Maybe someone can point us both in the right direction. And I gather Bing does not do voice narrative for directions.

[OniBerry]

does bing maps offer starting location like google maps on the ipad? so start location would be my current location

If there is, I haven't found out how to yet. Bing is listing my location pretty close to where I am. About 15 meters from my house.
If you find your location, you can populate the search (Point A or B) and either start from, or end at, your home location. With the accuracy though, I wouldn't place any bets.

Just glad to know it is a software issue and not a PB hardware issue.

Poynt on the other hand, works better on my berry...lol

[flyersfan76]

If you are getting a location that is off my 20feet that is pretty damn good. As it started (to the public anyway) GPS wasn't that accurate. With the military about moving away from their original design the new (D)GPS are getting pretty close to spot on.

[chainsaw42]

i posted that, as well as this post on my playbook.