What Can You Do With GPS on Your BlackBerry Smartphone?
GPS technology is built right into many new BlackBerry® smartphone models. Maybe you’ve used GPS on your BlackBerry smartphone to get step-by-step driving directions, but what else can you do with GPS? This article shows you some of the fun and interesting applications available for download, and explains how GPS technology actually works!
Driving Directions with BlackBerry Maps
Planning a road trip? With GPS capabilities and BlackBerry® Maps, you can plan your route and view it, roadmap-style, in full color on your BlackBerry smartphone. Or, use BlackBerry Maps to get step-by-step driving directions to restaurants, movie theatres, business appointments, or virtually any other destination you want to visit. You can also build a list of your favorite destinations for easy reference. The BlackBerry Maps application is built into your phone, so it’s ready to use right out of the box.
Turn-By-Turn and Enhanced Directions
Other GPS applications bring colorful 3-D moving maps, turn-by-turn spoken voice directions and more to your BlackBerry smartphone. With some applications, you can be automatically re-routed around road construction, and use location-based services to do things like search for the lowest fuel prices in proximity to where you are! They can also include millions of predefined, searchable points of interest. So if you’re away from home and feel like dinner at a Chinese restaurant, just perform a quick local search in the application and you’ll soon be on your way. Garmin Mobile for BlackBerry and TeleNav GPS Navigator are two applications that provide some of these enhanced features. Available on a subscription basis.
What Else Can You Do with GPS and Location-Based Services?
Do even more with these third party GPS applications for your BlackBerry smartphone!
Some GPS applications like AllSport GPS are designed to track your movement and record your times when you’re running, walking, and mountain biking. You can chart your progress whether you’re training for an upcoming race, or just trying to keep track of your personal performance.
Geocaching
Geocaching is an increasingly popular outdoor treasure-hunting game that’s played throughout the world. The Geocache Navigator application lets you download the locations of all the hidden treasures (called geocaches) closest to you, and then provides a set of tools to find them.
Outdoor Adventure
Trimble Outdoors is a downloadable application that lets you use your BlackBerry smartphone as a navigation device and a journaling tool. You can use it to download maps of your terrain, and view your route in 3D with Google® Earth.
How Does GPS Technology Work?
The GPS receiver in your BlackBerry smartphone sends radio signals to GPS satellites orbiting the earth. In order to pinpoint your location, your GPS receiver needs to communicate with three satellites simultaneously ( there are 24 GPS satellites orbiting the earth).
Knowing the locations of the three satellites, and the distance between those satellites, the GPS receiver in GPS-enabled BlackBerry smartphones is able to mathematically determine its position in relation to those satellites and, in doing so, pinpoints your precise location on earth.
Check with your local wireless carrier to see what GPS services and applications they provide and subscription fees where applicable. Visit builtforblackberry.com for new GPS applications as they become available »
GET YOUR OWN COPY!
Not subscribed to BlackBerry Connection? Get the latest news, offers, interviews and seminars sent direct to your inbox.
Sign up >>
Ask someone why they love their BlackBerry — view videos & stories from BlackBerry owners.
Learn more >>
* Offers subject to change without notice. Please check offer details for more information. Void where prohibited. Check with service provider for availability, roaming arrangements and service plans. Certain features outlined in this document require a minimum version of BlackBerry Enterprise Server software, BlackBerry Desktop Software, BlackBerry Device Software and/or BlackBerry devices and may require additional development or third party products and/or services for access to corporate applications. Prior to subscribing to or implementing any third party products and services, it is your responsibility to ensure that the airtime service provider you are working with has agreed to support all of the features of the third party products and services. Installation and use of third party products and services with Research In Motion's ("RIM") products and services may require one or more patent, trademark or copyright licenses in order to avoid infringement of the intellectual property rights of others. You are solely responsible for determining whether such third party licenses are required and are responsible for acquiring any such licenses. To the extent that such intellectual property licenses may be required, RIM expressly recommends that you do not install or use these products and services until all such applicable licenses have been acquired by you or on your behalf. Your use of third party software shall be governed by and subject to you agreeing to the terms of separate software licenses, if any, for those products or services. Any third party products or services that are provided with RIM products and services are provided "as is." RIM makes no representation, warranty or guarantee whatsoever in relation to the third party products or services and RIM assumes no liability whatsoever in relation to the third party products and services, even if RIM has been advised of the possibility of such damages or can anticipate such damages.
The above information regarding third party products and services is provided in BlackBerry Connection for your information. Since third parties provide the information to Research In Motion Limited ("RIM") and RIM relies on the information without performing any independent investigations, RIM makes no warranty or guarantee concerning the features, reliability, or pricing of the third party products or services, or their compatibility with any RIM products.
© 2008 Research In Motion Limited. All Rights Reserved. BlackBerry®, RIM®, Research In Motion®, SureType® and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world.