[jackdorff]

Hi - I have read several posts which claim google maps on blackberry without a blackberry plan - just on a regular data plan.

Even the blackberryfaq.com website says:
: What kind of data usage can I use on BlackBerry with just a generic data plan?

A: You can use third-party software such as Opera Mini, IM+, GMAIL Mobile, Google Maps Mobile, BBWeather, etc. A lot of these applications are free. You just can't use BlackBerry-RIM-branded applications, but almost everything else you download off the Net into your BlackBerry works. Everything else you would normally use, such as phone, voicemail, PIM, SMS, etc, work perfectly on a BlackBerry.


BUT - I can't get google maps to work with my blackberry bold. I was able to download the application using wifi. But it won't use my data services to connect and download the maps. It keeps saying 'Loading....' in the top right corner. I have set my apn to vfinternet.au as several posts have suggested (since I'm with vodafone australia). I have tried battery pull several times.

Can anyone help?

[kjaslow]

You may be falling prey to some semantic differences between the US and Australia. In the US, most service providers sell to Blackberry owners just two things - Voice, and Data. In Australia, you need to buy Voice, Blackberry, and Internet. Google Maps uses Internet data, not Blackberry data. Do you use a BES? Any chance you've purchased a Blackberry plan, but no Internet plan, in which case maybe Vodafone never sent you certain service books?

My colleague sitting just next to me is on Vodafone, and is able to use Google Maps, so it's not a question of this being unsupported by Vodafone. But you may not be able to use the app on just Wifi...you may need 3G (GPRS, EDGE, whatever...)

[othernet]

Hi

Correct me if I am wrong. I have Voice, Data and Blackberry plans for my Bold. In some software, I noticed that you can select "BIS or BES or TCP" Does that mean that if I select BIS, I am using Blackberry to send my data across? And if I select TCP means I am using my carrier's data plan to send data across?

And if that is the case, can I select either since I am paying for both? What is the difference?

[kjaslow]

For us, on Telstra, we could do BIS or TCP. Here's an example that might help make this more comprehensible...

My wife is on a BIS (I'm on BES, so that would just confuse things to talk about my own). She used the Google Mail program. That program polls over TCP every few seconds. My wife is on an unlimited Blackberry plan, but we got a call from Telstra warning us that my wife had far exceeded her Internet plan, because the Google app used TCP instead of the Blackberry infrastructure. They told us to remove the Google Mail application, and instead just set up a Blackberry e-mail account for the Google mailbox, which would then use the Blackberry plan.

Google maps is supposed to use Internet access, and not just Blackberry data. I don't think you can control that, but others might know the Google Maps app better than I do. I'm under the impression that it works out your Internet data plan...