[sidewazegtsr]

Hey everyone I have a couple of GPS questions here but don't worry, I won't be asking if a "data plan is needed?" .

Basically I am trying to figure what is going to work best for me, having GPS on my BB or getting a unit for my car. As I work for Tiger Direct.ca I get some HUGE discounts on things so a full hand held unit is only going to cost me $120 Can however, having it on my BB sounds really cool too.

After reading some of Stinsondog's own tip site he stated to stay away from Garmin and I am just wondering why?

Now I only have a data plan for push email, no browsing, so it's only 2mb's per month which translates to maybe 15 email's ish per day. With using GPS programs on your BB that uses mb's unless you have an unlimited plan which I am not interested in. I was thinking about getting the following unit,

Garmin Mobile Bluetooth GPS For Blackberry With 20SM 0100062600 in Canada at TigerDirect.ca

and since there is a 1 Y subscription from Garmin does that mean I won't be using any of my data plan? I'd like to have GPS but just use my Pearl as a screen to display the maps. I can download all of North America on to an SD card to put in my Pearl so thats easy enough and then would I just be using Garmin's service instead of my data plan or am I totally wrong? There wasn't anything really conclusive on this that I've read as yet so I would appreciate any help here.

Thanks guys.

[John Clark]

No, all the mapping programs out there still use data off the network. There are no real services that have the maps saved to the SD card. Hopefully, one day we'll see this.

[sidewazegtsr]

Thats weird because my buddy has a regular GPS unit in his car and when I asked about how much space the maps took up he told me approx 1 1/2 GB that he saved on an SD card so I thought the same would apply with using my Pearl.

Oh well I guess it's an automotive unit for me.

Thanks the info man.

[John Clark]

Memory cards are still relatively new on the BB. They've only been out a year and the cards have only recently gotten big enough to hold that kind of data. Hopefully we'll see it in the future, but for now, there's nothing out there.

[sidewazegtsr]

Well they have Micro SD cards now that are 6 GB's so that should be WAY more then enough room .

SanDisk 6GB microSDHC with USB Reader and SD Adapter SDSDQ6144A11M in Canada at TigerDirect.ca

My Pearl will be able to accept this size card right?

[sidewazegtsr]

So I did a little more digging in to this and after speaking with a rep a Garmin (working at Tiger Direct lets me speak to more knowledgeble people then customer service ) "apparently" this should work WITHOUT a data plan. The software is installed on the BB, and you use Garmin's service to get the maps live via bluetooth. This is taken directly from the add,

"With Garmin Mobile for BlackBerry, youxxx8217;ll have access to FREE wireless data services. This dynamic content allows you to route around traffic tie-ups, view the local weather and find the least expensive gasoline prices"

I'm gona confirm all this next week with the rep who's looking in to it and if that is the case, wild! No need for an expensive BB data plan to have GPS .

I'll let you guys know

[John Clark]

It's still calling it "server-based navigation." How does the Garmin app "talk" to the server? You have to at least purchase a subscription. I'm not sure how this would be better than having a data plan on your phone and using something like TeleNav.

[sidewazegtsr]

Well you get a 1 year subscription free with your purchase and when it's up you pay monthly/yearly. My take on what it's saying is you access Garmin's network via the bluetooth reciever when your hooked up to satilite. As I said I'll try and get 100% concrete answers when the guy calls me this week.

[John Clark]

Sure seems like a costly solution.

[BBRaffey]

In my opinion, the major problem with the GPS in the BB is the size of the screen. I have vehicle that came with a nav system and it has a 6.5" screen and is WAY more readable while driving than the BB is. That said, you cannot exactly pack your car in a suitcase when you fly for business or vacation. If you do not mind lugging around extra chargers and electronics, get a dedicated nav system with at least a 3.5" screen. For myself, I hate having to carry a nest of wires and stuff so I like to use the BB for everything if I can get away with it and just live with the small screen.

[ashleyneiltaylor]

Don't want to upset anyone, but the Garmin product does require a dataplan.

http://iq.garmin.com/eCustomer/KODSelfService/request.do?session={b54f96b0-a1ca-11dc-53c8-000000000000}&event=1&lowestScore=96&range=c11&for ward=main:0#

I cannot see how they would send that amount of information (map details etc) using the GPS network of satellites since the GPS message specification doesn't support this. Pretty much all you get from GPS is location and time. You won't get complex data for downloading maps etc.

[jcrossno]

I was nosing around on Garmin's site the other day, and am currently using the Mapquest Navigator product. From what I can put together, Garmin's solution loads all the maps on a micro-sd card that you stick in your Blackberry (I have an 8320, so that's my reference). Basic navigation then occurs locally, since the maps are on the phone. Where the server and thus the data plan comes in is where they have all the bells and whistles, like gas prices, traffic info, etc. That's where you would need the data plan to connect to Garmin's services/servers where they send updates for all the other information.

While all that's nice, it's not worth anything if you happen to be in an area where you don't have access to the network, or data access. Having the maps local on the phone and being able to do basic navigation would be the way to go, if what I could read from between the lines is true...

It would be nice to have this confirmed by someone at Garmin though. Oh, BTW.. I believe that their XT product isn't ready for the 8320 yet either. I think that's the solution I was hinting at above.


John

[sidewazegtsr]

^^

See thats my take on it too. It should provide turn by turn navigation via the GPS reciever that the BB connects with using bluetooth. The maps are all accessed from the memory card so a data plan won't matter. All the extra stuff like gas prices and what not isn't what I'm interested in.

The Garmin rep I am waiting to hear from has been on vacation so hopefully he'll be back this week and I confirm all this.

[John Clark]

Originally Posted by jcrossno

I was nosing around on Garmin's site the other day, and am currently using the Mapquest Navigator product. From what I can put together, Garmin's solution loads all the maps on a micro-sd card that you stick in your Blackberry (I have an 8320, so that's my reference). Basic navigation then occurs locally, since the maps are on the phone. Where the server and thus the data plan comes in is where they have all the bells and whistles, like gas prices, traffic info, etc. That's where you would need the data plan to connect to Garmin's services/servers where they send updates for all the other information.

While all that's nice, it's not worth anything if you happen to be in an area where you don't have access to the network, or data access. Having the maps local on the phone and being able to do basic navigation would be the way to go, if what I could read from between the lines is true...

It would be nice to have this confirmed by someone at Garmin though. Oh, BTW.. I believe that their XT product isn't ready for the 8320 yet either. I think that's the solution I was hinting at above.


John

I'm pretty sure it doesn't work this way. If you prove otherwise I'd be happy to be wrong.

[jcrossno]

Originally Posted by John Clark

I'm pretty sure it doesn't work this way. If you prove otherwise I'd be happy to be wrong.

Hey John,

I believe you are correct, in that it won't work the way I described... at least not for the 8320. It's not on their list of supported phones... But, they do have the technology working for other phones. I just hope they hurry it up for the BB (8320 at least) soon

John Crossno
TMo 8320 Curve 4.2.2.180 BIS
(Ex-7105t)

[sidewazegtsr]

Well I finally got the word and it's not what I wanted to hear :(. This is a direct copy/paste from the email I received at work,


"Thank you for contacting Garmin International,

Here are the answers to the questions in order.

1. The Blackberry service is currently only available here in the US and
can only be used through us based carriers.

2. The maps cannot be loaded to a card. The blackberry phone pull all
thier map information from their servers and there is nothing loaded to
the unit map wise it downloads what it needs as needed.

3. As I explained above how the Blackberry downloads it's information a
Data plan is required. You cannot use this service without a data plan
and if you travel outside of your coverage area you will not have GPS
information anymore as you can no longer access the blackberry network
to download it. So your Navigation would not be accessible until you
traveled back into your coverage area.

With Best Regards,

Jason S
Software Support Specialist
iQue Team
Garmin International"


So yeah it does require a data but whats even more stupid is that he's saying it won't work in Canada yet we sell it on our website .

Anyway at least we got the answer and it looks like it's a regular GPS system for me. At least I have 3 months unlimited data so I'll have a great time until then.

Cheers guys .

[jcrossno]

So... Is this then also an indication that they are not planning to support their XT product on the Blackberry, as they do on other phones? They have two products for phones it would appear. Their Garmin Mobile for Smartphones, and their Garmin Mobile for Blackberry. So it sounds as though they have no plans to include the Blackberry in their category of Smartphones, which does come with a microSD card loaded with maps, etc. And it's all the same price too... grrrrrrr.
[Soapbox mode on]
Even worse, they don't consider the Blackberry a Smartphone. In the other group are the Treo, Blackjack, and others. I guess two questions goout to them, in my mind. Why isn't the Blackberry considered a Smartphone, and with the facilities and capabilities of a phone like the 8320, do they have plans to add it to that list and support the other way..
[Soapbox mode off]

I think I'll ask... If I hear anything, I'll post it.

John Crossno
TMo 8320 Curve 4.2.2.180 BIS
(Ex-7105t)

[Stinsonddog]

Wow you got a response from support. I have tried like 10x times and never got one. Care to send me Jason's email?

[jnyost]

Buy a GPS unit such as the Garmin Nuvi. You'll never look back. It doesn't matter if you loose your cell coverage. While GPS on a BB does work it isn't the same as buying a device built for navigation. They are small, use the same mini usb, and have an awesome interface.

Jared

[knucklebusted]

Originally Posted by jnyost

Buy a GPS unit such as the Garmin Nuvi. You'll never look back. It doesn't matter if you loose your cell coverage. While GPS on a BB does work it isn't the same as buying a device built for navigation. They are small, use the same mini usb, and have an awesome interface.

Jared

I just downloaded the Nav4All software to play with. It seems interesting but..

I can second the above sentiment. I have been using a Garmin Quest for several years now, both in the car and on the motorcycle, with excellent results. You can fiddle with the BB and GPS, like I have been, but you will not get the functionality of a real dedicated GPS unit. Any of the newer basic units is so far ahead of the BB software that I wouldn't put them in the same category. It is better than nothing but not my first choice.

Even though Garmin has been bad mouthed a good bit in this forum, I've not had too much trouble contacting them by email. I've always gotten a reply within 24 hours. I'm even looking at a newer unit for my wife to use as I won't part with my battery powered, waterproof Quest, even if it doesn't tell me the names of the streets.

Just one man's opinion, worth what it costs.