A work in progress as of 2-07

Do you need a data plan to use GPS?

Yes for now. Rumor is that there are programs in the works to utilize the microSD cards on the 8100 and the 8800 to come. Why do you need data? To get the maps that are downloaded OTA.

What do the GPS programs do?

Most of them are driving direction programs. There is one that is for geocaching.

What do the GPS programs facilitate?

Most of them are GUI's to various data providers. They provide a graphical user interface to the data - the maps, and the points of interests. Some do this much better than others.


What broswer do you need to use to get BBMaps?

You need the use the one labeled Blackberry Browser, not Internet Browser or a third party browser like Opera Mini.

What areas does BBMaps cover?

Originally the US and Canada, but in Jan 07 the UK was added.

If Google Maps isn't connecting, what should I do?

If you are not on BES (corporate servers), make sure you can otherwise connect to the internet (sometimes you have enter TCP and APN settings), and try resetting your firewall for Google. Options>Advanced Options>Applications>Google Maps>Edit Permissions>Reset Firewall Prompts

How to get a lock on GPS for an 8800
You should be in Advanced Applications>GPS. Make sure you are outside and if in a city with tall buildings in a park or on top of the building.

If you don't get a lock, then do a Ctrl, Num, Delete and refresh from the meun.


For now get more information here:

Stinsonddog's Blackberry GPS Review

The download page for bb maps says it won't work on the AT&T network.

I have to assume this is true, but does anyone have any information on why, or when it will be come available?

Follow the sticky and it will work fine.

I'm indoors now, so can't test the gps capabilities of the 8800, but the software downloaded and installed just fine. Thank you

The GPS receiver in the 7520 and 7100i for example works well without any plan. Moreover, GPS itself is a free service. (Global Positioning System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Some providers (like Verizon at the 8703e) deactivate an already built-in GPS receiver if unless their customer subscribes to some service plan. So your answer is half true and half false. There are some devices that have a GPS receiver built-in and some of them are activated and some not. For those that don't have a built-in one you can even use an external Bluetooth GPS receiver.

That does not work on the Pearl. How to reset the Pearl?

So the GPS is free.... but if we want to use a GPS mapping program like Google maps(WM5) which is free, how does the software get the map, as they are not stored on the device itself. Is a data plan requiried then?

Sorry if this is a dumb question but to me, Free GPS + Free map software = FREE everything

i have just purchased a bluetooth GPS for my O2 Xda Atom from eBay but havent received it yet. (i know this isn't an O2 forum but im here for the GPS side.)

can some body clear this up for me =]

As I see it, at this point there are no gps maps that we can load on our 'berries, they are kept on servers. So in order to use the maps, they have to be downloaded to our devices while we are moving. That's where the data charges come in. There are free gps software programs that inteperate the maps, but nothing we can store on our microSD cards at this time.

Yes, you need Data Plans to load the maps. asa stated there are no programs that store the maps on the devices. The GPS is free and the app os free but to use it you need a BB data plan. There are many free choices for apps.