[kusellout69]

The reason Verizon locks out the GPS for non-VZNav apps is "network stability". This is because when your cell phone makes a GPS request, it does a cell tower triangulation to determine your approximate location, then makes a network request to the VZW network to determine what GPS satellite it should try to fixate on. This generates network traffic for VZW. They claim they are testing opening up the GPS to other applications, but no date yet.

If you think about it, all the LBS services, especially those that follow you constantly, could generate additional network traffic for VZW, not only in the original call after the triangulation, but also as those LBS services constantly send out pings to the network.

This is Verizon's standard policy they're following, to try and limit actual data use as much as possible. If you recall, the aircard plans used to be unlimited data, and now they're capped by the GB. My prediction is they're noticing too much data traffic when they leave the door wide open to unlimited use, so they're trying to limit data use to make sure the network as a whole is stable.

[Redflea]

Thanks for your post, kusellout69...that's a perspective I hadn't heard before...

[003402]

I have vzw navigator 4.1.0 running on a Curve. Its working as advertised. When I want to open another app, I just hit the red phone button and it returns me to the home screen. When I click on the VZW nav button again, its there running happily in the background. OS is 4.3.0.127

[kusellout69]

As reported on other threads, Verizon has opened up GPS for Blackberry Maps application on the Curve and Pearl 4.5 OS. I thought anyone following this thread might be interested in the news.

[akosnitzky]

Originally Posted by kusellout69

As reported on other threads, Verizon has opened up GPS for Blackberry Maps application on the Curve and Pearl 4.5 OS. I thought anyone following this thread might be interested in the news.

And works on 8830. What I am trying to figure out if there are any other free GPS programs unlocked for VZW users?

[Redflea]

So far the answer is no...only works w/BB Maps.

[akosnitzky]

Originally Posted by Redflea

So far the answer is no...only works w/BB Maps.

Thank you.

My hope is that they will get more flexible as we know there is competition among carriers

[Redflea]

I'd expect that's everyone's hope!

[akosnitzky]

Originally Posted by Redflea

I'd expect that's everyone's hope!

I cant complain. A few days ago, I was impressed with cell phone tower triangulation from google maps.

[Organman]

Originally Posted by kusellout69

The reason Verizon locks out the GPS for non-VZNav apps is "network stability". This is because when your cell phone makes a GPS request, it does a cell tower triangulation to determine your approximate location, then makes a network request to the VZW network to determine what GPS satellite it should try to fixate on. This generates network traffic for VZW. They claim they are testing opening up the GPS to other applications, but no date yet.

If you think about it, all the LBS services, especially those that follow you constantly, could generate additional network traffic for VZW, not only in the original call after the triangulation, but also as those LBS services constantly send out pings to the network.

Just curious, isn't the "additional network traffic" still being generated by my using a 3rd party navigation program with a GPS puck? Constant downloading of maps is still generating "traffic". So, doesn't that defeat that part of their argument for not unlocking the internal GPS?

[Redflea]

I think that the % of customers using pucks is going to be a very small part of their installed base. I have a number of friends w/BBs (including technical engineering types) and none of them even knew about the puck option until I told them.