[franknbeans]

Missing not paying for it every month - VZN will cost more after 9 months than the garmin.

[Rustproofcorn]

and i hear vz nav is a mem hog where garmin isnt but thats just what i heard i dont have either..

[correia]

Garmin Mobile: Take a free test drive on your GPS-enabled BlackBerry | Garmin

This garmin site has the 7-day trial available for GPS-enabled mobile devices, but it states that Verizon is not a supported carrier. Guess it is another way of verizon forcing us to use VZNav (which I refuse to do)

[robotpedlr]

You can get it for $79.99 with the following discount link. It is a great app..

Hopefully it is ok to post a link to another site... if not please let me know and I will remove it.

Garmin | Garmin Mobile for BlackBerry - Turn your BlackBerry into a savvy navigator with Garmin Mobile

And as stated above, the 7 day trail DOES NOT load on vzw bb... I called garmin and they confirmed. You can get a 3 day trial through the handango site which does load... just FYI Also Garmin said they offer a 30 refund policy...so its low risk.

[turbomentor]

Went to the Garmin 7 day trial website (OTA) and got this:
"Sorry, but the 7 day trial of Garmin Mobile is not supported on this BlackBerry Device. To purchase Garmin Mobile for your device please visit xxx.garmin.com"

If the TRIAL is not supported...how with the full version? I'd rather not spend $99 (or even $79) if the app isn't going to work.

Saw the post about the guy who got a refund from Garmin.

[SamMyers]

Go to the Handango site. They offer a 3-day trial.

It works great, but some of my local roads on not on the map (major roads).

Just started using it today.

[I8UB4]

Did you download the trial for the 9500? I tried selecting Verizon 9530 as the device and it said it was not supported. Then I tried 9500 and it let me download it, but it only downloaded a .cod file and another 1kb file. I can't run the .cod file and the other file is just a text read me file. The application loader on the DM doesn't recognize any files for download.

What am I doing wrong here?

[HiRoll3r]

OK, just got off the phone with Garmin. I was mistaken about the trial being offered, I just assumed there was one since my purchased copy had an option to "Start Trial."

Anyway, I was assured by a supervisor that if your purchase the software you have 30 days to get a full refund, regardless of reason. I'd just be sure to purchase it directly from Garmin, not from Handango, etc.

[Rustproofcorn]

i used the dm this is how i did it.. download the file leave on desktop. open dm go to applications click on add/remove click on browse find the file you downloaded on the desktop there you will see the app that can be loaded click on it then click next and viola installed...

[Rustproofcorn]

hiroller you can get a 3 day trial from handango that is what i am using now...

[JayInNJ]

I used the link in this thread and got the 3-day trial. Worked great so I purchased it for $80 from the other link in this thread. This is a great deal. I already have a Garmin GPS but it is about 3 years old and the maps are outdated. To update the maps cost $50 so I figured this is a much better deal. The maps will be updated automatically for free. This also gives you traffic. The interface is real slick and responsive. Makes great us of the Storm. Everyone should give this a try. The only negative I see is it will drain your battery much quicker when using it for a long time so I suggest you have a car charger when you go on trips. But this is no different than using a dedicated GPS.

[StuartV]

Originally Posted by JayInNJ

The maps will be updated automatically for free.

Why do you say that? I can't find anywhere in the info on Garmin's website where it says that. And I doubt it's true.

I expect this product is just like the map data for any of their hardware GPS's. I.e. you pay around $100 for a disk full of map data, and it's licensed for use on one device. But, if you want next year's updated data, you have to pay for it. It's been $75 per year every year that I've had my Garmin GPS's and upgraded my map data.

[robotpedlr]

Originally Posted by StuartV

Why do you say that? I can't find anywhere in the info on Garmin's website where it says that. And I doubt it's true.
.

The map data is ON LINE, so you always are using their current map. No need to update or upgrade your map.... Now stop doubting and start routing

[StuartV]

I stand corrected! robotpedlr, you are correct. Which is a serious bummer!

I just got off the phone with Garmin Tech Support. They confirmed what robotpedlr said. They added that the BB latency for accessing the SD storage is so slow that that is why Garmin Mobile for BB is different than all their other products. The map data is stored on a remote server. So, if you happen to be off in the sticks with no data signal, Garmin Mobile will not work for you. That is actually the exact scenario I was thinking of buying Garmin Mobile for, so now I guess I won't. It won't replace my standalone GPS for when I'm riding my motorcycle out in the boonies.

Further, I learned that, once you buy Garmin Mobile, it is licensed for the life of that phone.

If your phone is damaged and has to be replaced by the carrier, Garmin will transfer the license to the new phone (at any time - not just during the first year). But, if you simply upgrade your phone, the license does not transfer - EXCEPT, one time, during the first year, they will transfer the license.

[StuartV]

ps. Since Garmin Mobile (apparently) works without having to pay for VZ Nav, that tells me that the reason Google Maps does not work is something in Google Maps. Presumably, they will fix it. Hopefully, soon.

Once you can use Google Maps for free, why would you pay $100 for Garmin Mobile?

I *really* like the Voice Search capability in Google Maps. It makes it really easy to find things while I'm driving (using my Pearl). Does Garmin Mobile support that?

[Byproxy]

FYI Stuart... the voice navigation (so i'm told) will still work without cell coverage since that info has already been parsed... you maps just go away. that said, out in the sticks you could still follow the directions provided, you'd just not see yourself live on the screen map.

i'm hoping that maybe at some point they provide the option to download a map & route to your pc for upload to the phone via the mygarmin website. this way you could plot your course and then download to the computer then upload to phone. this way if you know you'll be in the sticks you can still have full function without cell coverage. doubt this will ever happen though. :(

[hudres]

Downloaded the trial for my 9530. There was no way to access the keyboard to program the thing. While VZNav is not that great, it is actually a lot more versatile than the Garmin. I was able to access all functions except the keyboard, so I got a good idea of what the software was about even though I could not program it. Too bad as I am taking a trip tomorrow and it would be a great test. I dumped it.

[sbudaj]

Originally Posted by HiRoll3r

Yes, it does. However, to get the voice to work I had to plug in headphones, then unplug them. Even after a battery pull the voice continued to come from the external speaker. Not sure if this is a bug or just something that happened to me.

I am having the same problem. However, after a battery pull the voice does work for a while then it stops. After it stopped working for no apparent reason, I tried plugging in the headphones then unplugged them and the voice worked again. A lot faster than a battery pull reset.

Hopefully they will fix this. I have reported it to Garmin.

[Byproxy]

everyone having problems must be experiencing them because there actually is no trial for the software and so the file you're installing isn't working properly. unless you've paid for the software up front and are just considering the 30 day guarantee a "trial" you shouldn't assume that the program you've installed is fully functioning.

as far as i know, those of us who've paid for the program aren't experiencing any technical issues at all. i have no problems accessing my keyboard and the voice is working 100%. indeed, i'm quite impressed with the software. it's working perfectly. my only gripe is that unlike the stand alone units, you can't be a little car in this version... you have to be a stupid triangle thing. LOL!!!

anyway, unless they've released an official trial and i'm just not aware of it, you can't judge the software based on some hacked trial version.

[robotpedlr]

There actually is a working trial on vzw stroms for the Garmin maps. It is the one offered via handango (3 day trial). I used it and did not have any of the issues either. I did not try using a head set though...so didnt test that..but voice worked great.