[cyberbob]

Your reference is a post from another guy who posted WRONG information acting like he knew what he was talking about (which is the same complaint I was making against you, sorry if it was too abrasive). If you read through that thread you'll see the guy is corrected several times by lots of different people.

For interest of closure, here's the information as best I know it
- GPS is NOT locked on the Storm
- aGPS is locked on the Storm. Device GPS is not locked.
- There are at least 3 or 4 other apps that access the Device GPS just fine with no interference from Verizon
- There is nothing preventing turn-by-turn or any other GPS functionality on the Storm. Verizon is NOT crippling GPS to prevent competition against VZ Navigation. Anyone with Java skills can write an app accessing the Storm GPS and Verizon is not preventing that what-so-ever.
- I personally have compiled a sample app from the java jde that accesses the Storm GPS api. There is nothing preventing Google or anyone else from accessing the Storm GPS.
- The issue is that Google Maps references aGPS (which is locked on the Storm) and refuses to change a few lines of code to reference the device GPS. They are likely holding off on these changes due to the legal wrangling around another issue between Google/Verizon (although that's just conjecture on my part).
- To complicate matters on the subject, on a GMM support forum a Google representative blamed the issue on Verizon which has led to hundreds of inaccurate posts (like the one you link to) and people inaccurately thinking that GPS is locked on the Storm, which it is not.

An engineer at VZW told me that aGPS was restricted to VZNav to entice people to use that service for at least 3-6 months. If he is wrong, fine. But their is no real reason to cripple hardware in this manner unless you are trying to restrict usage. VZW is know for this.

And yes, I did confuse the terminology of the aGPS with standard GPS, grouping them together as one and in the quoted post I did confuse Google Maps dependancy on aGPS versus GPS. For that, I am sorry for the confusion and did inadvertently contradict myself.

I just hope that it all made you feel better about yourselves to pounce on it and act such A-holes about it. You the reason that many newcomers to this site are afraid to ask questions and make statements. God help you if you make a mistake, eh? Even mkleiman suggesting that I not come back?

Thanks.

[Thrangor]

How is that different that what I said?? I said that the aGPS on the Storm was locked. Not the GPS. Which is why Garmin Mobile and Telenav will work, it just won't use the aGPS! I too said that Google was based on aGPS. So again, how does that differ from what I said and "make me wrong on every account"...

Sorry, Evilhomer, you are not wrong on every count, but it doesn't help when you call people names.

[vatothe0]

If these newcomers you speak of are going to come and tell people they know the FACTS, continually post incorrect information and call people a-holes if they explain why they're wrong, then I would like to see them stay away.

[cyberbob]

Sorry, Evilhomer, you are not wrong on every count, but it doesn't help when you call people names.

I agree, but I do not recall name calling anyone here. I did say some were acting like an A-Hole, if that is what you are referring to. But that is not calling someone a name. It's pointing out someone's bad behavior.

Thank you for your comment though.

[cyberbob]

If these newcomers you speak of are going to come and tell people they know the FACTS, continually post incorrect information and call people a-holes if they explain why they're wrong, then I would like to see them stay away.

Guess it's a good thing no one died and left you in charge then.

[Just2swim]

Soooo...

have we found out for "trd_tacoma" why he can't get his location using the cell towers? I am also having this problem and am wondering.

By the way, thanks to everyone i now know that Evilhomer was wrong about some of the stuff he said about Google Maps!! Great!!

[cyberbob]

Soooo...

have we found out for "trd_tacoma" why he can't get his location using the cell towers? I am also having this problem and am wondering.

By the way, thanks to everyone i now know that Evilhomer was wrong about some of the stuff he said about Google Maps!! Great!!

Say I'm wrong all you want but the aGPS is locked on the Storm so you are not going to be able to use the cell towers for location acquisition unless you use VZNav.

[cyberbob]

Also, in regards to those using Telenav on their devices, please see this post from a rep with Telenav on Boygeniusreport.

On Dec 23, 2008 @ 12:55 pm, Mary Beth-TeleNav Said:

@Iphoneuser - Currently TeleNav on the Storm uses autonomous (vs. assisted or A-) GPS as AGPS is locked. @VerizonGuy is correct when he says that Verizon allows us to use the AGPS for corporate-liable accounts (non consumer). Hopefully this will change in the future.

All of that said, as a consumer, you shouldn’t notice a major difference. Garmin and Tom Tom devices, for example, use regular (autonomous) GPS. The only difference you might notice is in the “time to first fix” - when you launch your first destination - it may take up to a couple of minutes (max) to get a GPS lock. Could be much shorter though - a matter of seconds. You also probably will have a harder time getting a GPS fix indoors - which is not necessarily a big issue for a GPS navigation application. If you want to search for POIs or plan your trip while indoors, I recommend doing this online (via My TeleNav) - it’s easier anyway - then you can send these to your phone.

You can read the entire thread here:

Speed round: TeleNav launches on the BlackBerry Storm, your first look : Boy Genius Report

Look for comments from Mary Beth - Telenav.

She says that aGPS for the Storm is unlocked on Corporate Liable accounts, so those of you with company owned Storms may be getting results.