[Lisa]

Okay, from a real newbie:

What is the value of GPS in terms of the Blackberry? What would it do for me if it were on my Blackberry?

Best,
Lisa

[finch]

It would probably make your navigation needs much easier...

[Lisa]

How can it help with 411? Thanks.

[JE$U$]

???

I guess it would help with 411 because you'd know where to go after you get the info from the directory assistance operator....

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Lisa

Okay, from a real newbie:

What is the value of GPS in terms of the Blackberry? What would it do for me if it were on my Blackberry?

Best,
Lisa

From what I understand of your question, its seems to me like your asking what GPS is.

GPS stands for Global Positioning System, it connects to up to 12 satelites that are located in strategic locations above the earth. It transmits signals, and measures how long it takes the signal to bounce back.

From this, your Exact (within 5 meters) coordinates are given to you.

Your exact coordinates, provided you have some sort of mapping software or a regular map, will give you your exact location, city, street, etc, and thus it can guide you to whatever address you would like, give you directions, etc.

Hope that helps

[Casper]

OK,...I've just picked up a 7750. Under the localization menu, I can turn on/off GPS. Does this mean that there is a GPS RECEIVER in the BB? If so, anyone developing maps...?

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Casper

OK,...I've just picked up a 7750. Under the localization menu, I can turn on/off GPS. Does this mean that there is a GPS RECEIVER in the BB? If so, anyone developing maps...?

GPS in our blackberries is a dispatch for emergencys only, as with all newer cell phones. I am not sure if anyone will develop a way to harness it.

[Casper]

now THAT would be cool...miss my T|3 + Bluetooth GPS

[Mark Rejhon]

A very good GPS review site is http://www.gpspassion.com ... I visit there from time to time.

It's getting cheaper and cheaper, you can get GPS for well under $100 for laptops now, and BlueTooth GPS units for under $150. The wireless Bluetooth GPS units are the size of a pack of cards.

These might be usable with the rumored Bluetooth-capable Blackberry 7290 too if there's a Bluetooth serial profile for the 7290, then someone could write a GPS navigation app for the 7290, although the 32MB of RAM would only be enough to hold navigation maps for one major city or a few minor cities.

Then the question remains about whether the CPU of the Blackberry is fast enough for map rendering (Probably yes, at a slow update rate). The Blackberry screen at only 240x240 for the bigger models (77XX) and 240x160 for the smaller models (72XX) may be somewhat cramped, but superior to older PalmOS handhelds at 160x160. It would be useable for finding your way around an unfamiliar city, and you'd just keep your Bluetooth GPS unit inside your briefcase or backpack etc. (many newer GPS based on newer GPS chipsets are now sensitive enough to actually work indoors in non-metal-frame buildings or stowed away without needing line-of-sight to GPS satellites. Some even have accelerometer dead-reckoning for GPS through tunnels and urban canyons with intermittent satellite view) As a result, GPS is a lot more discreet than they used to because you no longer need to pull out an antenna anymore, packed away in a pocket, briefcase, backpack, or glovebox works well enough for the better Bluetooth GPS units for most situations. And you can reuse the same Bluetooth GPS unit with your laptop, with your desktop, with your PDA, and maybe with the Blackberry 7290 too.

[Lisa]

Thanks for sharing, guys!

[JOHNGAETANO]

Lisa,

Since your BB is always with you, how great would it be to be able to always know where your at, or where your going via the GPS map?

I would love this feature.

John

[MrCynical]

I've got a Nextel i730 with GPS on it, and I can guarantee you that I *never* get lost anymore! If I could have it on my blackberry too, I'd toss my other phone and be 100% on the blackberry. As for now, it's a waiting game.