I've been playing with Blip and wrote up a review of my findings at
App Review: Blip™ (Share Your Where™) « My BlackBerry Pearl 8130. Below is a copy-and-paste of some excerpts from the article (to keep the moderators happy; in this case it's not too practical to try to duplicate the article here--mostly because it's so dependent on all the screenshots I use):
Your BlackBerry Pearl has GPS (built-in or external Bluetooth), so you know where you are. But what if you want others to know where you are? Here is just the application you need: Blip by BlackLine GPS. In this article, Ixxx8217;ll review how to install Blip on your BlackBerry, create a Blip account on the web, and share on the web with others where you are: all for free!
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Why share your location with others?
Youxxx8217;re traveling and your loved ones want to know youxxx8217;re OK.
Youxxx8217;re doing a bike race, geocaching, or other travel-oriented contest and you want your supporters to know where you are.
Youxxx8217;ve dispatched an employee to a customer destination and you need to know he/she is on schedule to complete the assignment.
Youxxx8217;re taking some kids on a field trip and you want parents to know where the group is.
Before you start
You need to have GPS capability whether itxxx8217;s built-in or external. This article is intended primarily for Pearl 8130 owners although it may apply to many other models. Verizon Wireless customers should know that the built-in GPS capability of the 8130 is intentionally disabled unless you pay $10/month for the VZNavigator service. Since my provider is VZW, I purchased an external Bluetooth GPS receiver (see my review).
You need to download and install Blip on your phone. Make sure you check the Blip web site to verify that your model is supported (8130 owners need not checkxxx8211;itxxx8217;s definitely supported).
You need to have an Blip account on the web. Itxxx8217;s totally free, and gets created when you do the Blip setup on your phone. (Be aware that, depending on your wireless providerxxx8217;s plan and your level of usage, you may incur data charges. When I say xxx8220;freexxx8221; here, I mean that BlackLine GPS doesnxxx8217;t charge you anything. My Verizon xxx8220;Email and Webxxx8221; plan, which is not an unlimited data plan, gives me more than enough freedom to use a product like this without incurring charges. You may need to inquire about your plan.)
You need to configure your phonexxx8217;s Blip application and possibly your Blip web account.
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My experience with Blip so far is very shallow, and I have occasional problems with my Bluetooth GPS sometimes losing its Bluetooth connection to my phone. So, I still have a lot of work to do to determine how reliable and useful this Blip service is. But so far I am very impressed with its potential. I hope some of you readers will take the plunge into Blip and return to share what you learn. As usual, if I learn something significant on my own or from readers, Ixxx8217;ll update this article to keep it as fresh as possible.