[Stang68]

Hey everyone,

So I plan on buying my first BB on Friday from VZW. It is going to be the Curve 8330 and I have a question about the GPS. It is built into the phone, correct? Now, is there a BB App that is free for GPS? Or is VZ Navigator the only way to get GPS, by paying $10 a month?
I have heard of people who say that VZW will be making it free for BB users soon or something like that, but it could all be rubbish.

Let me know what you all think!

Thanks!

[John Clark]

GPS is not free for Verizon users. Never has been, and likely never will be. You can always purchase a Bluetooth GPS receiver and get free GPS that way, or just subscribe to VZNavigator.

[JSanders]

Built-in, and enabled only by purchasing the service via VZW Navigator. That is the way it is right now.

Anything else about the future is only rumor, VZW has announced nor rumored nothing other.

It is not what I, your or we "think", this is just the way it is.

[John Clark]

I think that settles it.

[Stang68]

Good enough for me haha. Now I just have to decide if I want to pay for the Navigator for my Curve. It IS a pretty decent application, after all.

[Dubdub]

As long as you are paying for it, I would get one of the standalone GPS devices. Much better, IMHO, than the GSP experience on a BB or PPC. Better screen, more features, better maps, plus it is POI data.

[RadHaz75]

are you sure its built in? i thought verizon used its cell towers to navigate and therefore doesnt need a gps chip in the phone

[JSanders]

Yes, we are sure it is built-in to the device.

[RadHaz75]

maybe thats just the regular cell phones then... cuz my rep showed me his flip phone in my building downtown and it knew exactly where he was and he said it had no gps and was getting it from the cell towers.

[JSanders]

Oh, I thought we were speaking of a BB 8330

A regular flip phone, could be one of 100 different models-- I don't know what those have. He is likely using Google Maps which DOES use cell tower triangulation to determine a broad area in which the user is located. Very nice for non-gps devices.

[takeshi]

Originally Posted by Stang68

I have heard of people who say that VZW will be making it free for BB users soon or something like that, but it could all be rubbish.

I can't see them going through the hassle of locking you into using VZ Nav to give it to you for free. VW's track record has involved (for a long time) crippling devices to lock out built-in functionality and then charging their customers to use those very same functions... It's precisely why I don't consider them at all when looking into a new carrier.

Originally Posted by RadHaz75

are you sure its built in? i thought verizon used its cell towers to navigate and therefore doesnt need a gps chip in the phone

No -- the specific device you're talking about does matter. Some have GPS receivers, some don't.

Originally Posted by RadHaz75

maybe thats just the regular cell phones then... cuz my rep showed me his flip phone in my building downtown and it knew exactly where he was and he said it had no gps and was getting it from the cell towers.

If it indicated exactly where he was it probably wasn't triangulating. The margin of error with triangulation is pretty big. In the city with decent tower density it's often up to 2000m off. In the sticks where tower density drops it can be off by an entire town or more. In either case, it's not really suitable for in-car navigation. I mean, how could you when it can't accurately determine which street you're on?

In any case, the OP mentions the BB 8330 specifically which is equipped with a GPS receiver.

[RadHaz75]

well from what he told me verizon has built their infrastructure to be able to handle this, their towers have been positioned or have better gear on them or whatever in order get the pin point accuracy u need for gps directions. his phone using vz navigator gave his exact location. i dont remember which one it was, just that it was a non bb flip phone.

i'll be happy to be proved wrong, but i can see where he's coming from since google gets its tower data from somewhere else probably which is why they cant be as accurate, though i have a feeling they will become so in the future as the technology takes off and becomes more publicly available

[takeshi]

Good point -- I'm not entirely clear on how Verizon gets it tower-based location info. My former post is mostly based on the triangulation that Google Maps uses.

[DallasFlier]

Originally Posted by RadHaz75

well from what he told me verizon has built their infrastructure to be able to handle this, their towers have been positioned or have better gear on them or whatever in order get the pin point accuracy u need for gps directions. his phone using vz navigator gave his exact location. i dont remember which one it was, just that it was a non bb flip phone.

i'll be happy to be proved wrong, but i can see where he's coming from since google gets its tower data from somewhere else probably which is why they cant be as accurate, though i have a feeling they will become so in the future as the technology takes off and becomes more publicly available

Cell-tower triangulation methods, and the inherent weaknesses compared to real GPS are well known and understood. If the rep's phone happened to give a good location when you looked at it, that's lucky, but no it won't be that accurate always or even most of the time. Whether you choose to believe that or not, vs what your sales rep tells you - is up to you. Its not up to anyone here to "prove you wrong."

[penguin3107]

Wasn't this thread "settled" in post #3 ?

[RadHaz75]

Originally Posted by DallasFlier

Its not up to anyone here to "prove you wrong."

well i didnt want to sound like a ****y know it all who is always right, even though i always am i'm just looking to find out for myself how it actually is.

[RadHaz75]

blast censorship!

[JSanders]

Now you have the answer.

Let me tell you this--your Rep is in the business of selling devices and services. That is his job.

[RadHaz75]

Originally Posted by JSanders

Now you have the answer.

Let me tell you this--your Rep is in the business of selling devices and services. That is his job.

that is an absurd notion!

[JD914]

Originally Posted by John Clark

GPS is not free for Verizon users. Never has been, and likely never will be. You can always purchase a Bluetooth GPS receiver and get free GPS that way, or just subscribe to VZNavigator.

And another reason why I'm glad I don't have Verizon.