Posts Tagged ‘GPS’

GPS and Maps on your BlackBerry

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Recently on a trip to California to visit family and friends, I discovered a great app already installed on my BlackBerry that I didn’t even know was there — and that saved me a whole bunch of time and gas.

My Curve 8330 (from CREDO) includes built-in GPS, and the BlackBerry Maps app already installed. I found it to be a perfectly suitable way to navigate some less-than-familiar territory, and in a couple cases it got me un-lost when I didn’t really know where I was.

Of course, due to the comparatively small screen size of a mobile phone, it’s not quite like Google Maps on your desktop or anything. But in a pinch, it works fine. If you have a CREDO BlackBerry, try it out! (There’s no additional charge to use the BlackBerry Maps app on CREDO phones.)

First, to get started, you’ll want to turn on the GPS functionality of your phone. Select “Options” (little wrench icon) from your device’s main screen, and then Choose “advanced options.” Then select “GPS.” Then scroll to the second option on that screen, “GPS Services,” and set it to “Location On.” This will let your phone talk to the network of GPS satellites to figure out your current location.

Then, to get started with maps and directions, find the icon from your main screen that looks like a small compass on top of a topo map (or possibly just a black compass). Select that, and then hit your BlackBerry key and “Start GPS Navigation.” Then just click your trackball to toggle between zoom and pan modes on the screen. You can get directions from your current location to wherever you need to go……zoom in and out to see various levels of detail…and even do a local search for gas stations, sushi restaurants or whatever.

To find out more about the BlackBerry maps application, just visit:
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices/features/blackberry_maps.jsp

(Warning — don’t even think about trying any of this while driving — that would be a REALLY bad idea, even if you’re great at multitasking. The consequences could be deadly. Pull over, or ask a passenger to navigate for you. If you do a lot of solo driving requiring directions, you might want to look into the Telenav application for $9.99 per month that will respond to voice commands and give you voice-guided driving directions.)

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Poynt makes GPS local search on my BlackBerry easy

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

I just discovered a free app called Poynt that allows me to search Superpages.com, movie listings, and other local content from my BlackBerry using geo-location data. When I’m searching for a new restaurant I read about in the newspaper and I’m in a neighborhood I don’t know well, I have a chance of finding it. Poynt is able to pick up my physical location and then allows me to automatically search the local options nearby.

While there are multiple apps I could use to solve this problem, Poynt Offers:
• An easy to use interface
• Ability to manually type in Zip codes or other search criteria if my current location is not what I’d like to use.
• Google and BlackBerry map support
• Send to a Friend – I like this because I can find a movie or restaurant and easily send all the details to friends I’m meeting without texting it all out.
• Purchase movie tickets right from the site. Once you find a movie it redirects you to movietickets.com to buy them

Want to read more about Poynt? Check out their website at www.mypoynt.com Or, if your’e ready to download from your phone go to: m.mypoynt.com or you can also download from from BlackBerry App World.

Hint: If you receive a message that says “GPS not found” try standing near a window or outside. GPS systems require line of sight with the satellites they use and therefore they tend not to work that well indoors.

What would make Poynt better? Ratings and reviews. This is a great app for finding new restaurants, businesses, stores and other local options, however, I’d also like to know which ones are good!

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A review of mobile GPS Navigation Apps for BlackBerry, Katana and more.

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

I am a frequent user of mobile navigation tools and I hadn’t checked for the latest and greatest recently.  I decided to do a little investigation of a few of the programs available.  I started by reviewing a new navigation application available within CREDO Mobile’s myContent store – the TeleNav GPS Navigator which works on several standard telephones.  Next, I checked out MapQuest 4 Mobile and MapQuest Navigator that both work on the BlackBerry Curve.

If you’re a current CREDO Mobile customer one great option is the TeleNav GPS Navigator application that’s newly available from the myContent store on your phone.  It works on the following devices: LG 260/Rumor, Sanyo Eclipse, Sanyo LX, Sanyo Katana, and Sanyo Katana II.  TeleNav’s GPS Navigator application offers voice-guided turn by turn directions and all the other features you’d expect from a full GPS navigation device.  You get functions you’d have with a unit installed in your car but the convenience of being able to use it anywhere, even when walking or on your bike.  To get the TeleNav app go to the myContent button on your CREDO Mobile phone and click the following links to locate the application.  “Get New /Applications/GPS” The service is $9.99 per month and the subscription can be cancelled at anytime from the myContent feature on your phone.

If $9.99 is too pricy, a free option can be found with MapQuest 4 Mobile: which works essentially like the version you use on a PC.   You can search for a business by name; get directions, view maps, get traffic updates and access My Places.  To get My Places on your BlackBerry make sure you have a profile at www.mapquest.com.  When you save maps and routes there, you can access them via MapQuest 4 Mobile when you’re out.  It even has a cool Find Me feature that works with the phone’s GPS to track where you’re at.
Go to m.mq4m.com on your Blackberry to download the application and check it out.

MapQuest Navigator: For $49.99/year (or $9.99/month) you can get all the bells and whistles you may expect from navigation software across several phone models and carriers.  This version offers voice-guided personal navigation that helps you find the optimum route, avoid traffic, find the cheapest gas nearby, and locate the best restaurants and venues as rated by AOL City Best®.
The offer of a free 7-day trial and voice navigation are alluring.   Living in a hands-free driving state, voice navigation is the way to go when on the road.   To learn more go to MapQuest Navigator.

There are numerous navigation options out there.  I’d like to hear about others that you’ve tried as well.

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GPSed: Cool GPS Tracking App for BlackBerry

Friday, July 31st, 2009

BlackBerry Maps and Google Maps are great for driving directions and figuring out where you are, but how about an application that shows you where you have been and how long it took you to get there?  Try GPSed.  It is a free app that you can download to your BlackBerry or Motorola Q PDA.
There are a ton of cool applications for this app:

  • Bike computer – record your distance, time, average speed, maximum speed
  • Pedometer – distance, time, average speed, maximum speed
  • Route mapper – record your route and export it to Google Maps so you can remember if for next time, share it with friends
  • Vacation updates – show friends where you are in your trip, upload photos, share info via Facebook
  • Compass


After you set up an account, you will be able to save and share your tracks (i.e., trips) online.  Here is a sample online track of my commute from the Caltrain station to our office.

gpsed-image_fix

I installed the software to my desktop and then used BlackBerry Desktop Manager to get it to my device.  I did have some significant periods of waiting before the install worked, but it got there eventually.  To use, launch the application, then choose New Track to begin tracking.  Choose Stop Track when you are done.  You will then have the option of uploading your track to the Internet.
A Pro version of the software is available for $9.99. It offers an “SOS button” for instant position alerts over SMS or email.

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Posted in Exercise, Travel and Maps | 1 Comment »

Finding Yourself with Blackberry Maps

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Aren’t you glad that you didn’t buy your BlackBerry from AT&T? Yes, there is the warrantless wiretapping, their contributions to right-wing politicians, and the censoring of Pearl Jam. Almost as important is the fact that BlackBerry Maps doesn’t come with your AT&T phone. BlackBerry Maps is a free and very user-friendly mapping and navigation application that comes pre-installed on your CREDO Mobile BlackBerry Curve. Unlike other mapping apps, it integrates seamlessly with the other features of your BlackBerry.

Here are my top uses of BlackBerry Maps:

1) Where am I? – Lost while biking? Just choose Find Location, then Where I Am. Boom, you get a nice detailed map of the neighborhood.
2) How do I get there? – Now that you know that you are in a sketchy neighborhood, find out how to get out fast. Choose New Directions, then Where I Am as your start location. You can then type in a new address or even select a friend’s address from your address book. Finally, don’t forget to select Avoid Highways unless you are good shape. You now have turn-by-turn directions to your destination.
3) Where is the nearest Whole Foods? – You are out of steam and need an organic energy drink. Choose Local Search and type “Whole Foods”. Shazam! You can choose between the closest locations and get directions or call.
4) Tell a friend – Your biking buddy calls and wants to meet you, but you don’t know where you are. Choose Send Location and then Email or SMS Text. They will receive a link to a map of your whereabouts.
5) Send directions – You are out of steam and need to call home for a ride. Choose Send Directions and your directionally-challenged driver can get there ASAP.

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Posted in Travel and Maps | 4 Comments »

My second favorite use of my CREDO BlackBerry camera

Monday, June 29th, 2009

If you were to scroll through the photos stored on my phone, you’d find quite a few that look like this:

Parking Lot B, Level 1

GPS is fancy and all, but where I really need location-based help is in a confusing parking garage.

Ever forgot where you parked your call in a mall? Or has your mom ever lost her car in short term parking when picking you up at the airport?

GPS might help you find the nearest Peet’s Coffee, but it won’t help you find your parked car.

Here’s an easy way to make sure you can find your car when parking in a multi-level parking structure: Just use your cell phone camera.

Whenever you park in a confusing indoor parking structure, just take a picture of the sign that’s supposed to help you navigate back to your car.

When it’s time to return to the parking lot just click on the camera icon in your phone’s applications. Usually it defaults to the last picture taken. If yours doesn’t, just open the camera function, hit the “menu” button and you should be given the option to “view pictures.”

Try it out, and don’t forget to tell your mom.

(What’s my favorite use of my CREDO BlackBerry camera? Check out sf.mybikelane.com.)

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