Jibi over at BGR clears up some misconceptions about the alleged consumer triumph over big, bad AT&T. A few weeks ago BlackBerry Cool posted that AT&T would be crippling the 8820 GPS, and on Wendesday reported that the consumers had won, and the GPS would not be disabled after all.
As Jibi says, the internal GPS on the GSM 8800 is fully functional, and the only limitation is a software setting that hides the BlackBerry Maps icon. While it makes for a great story, especially when it ends up on Slashdot, it's a bit of a joke.
AT&T made it difficult to use the GPS by hiding the bundled BB Maps, and they tried to to steer customers towards a paid option, but they stopped short of disabling the GPS entirely.
Verizon has completely disabled the GPS on three devices now1 – the 7130e, 8703e and the 8830. You can't edit an .alx file or install an OS from a different carrier, VZW flexed their new-to-us-but-two-years-old muscles and RIM caved.
Need more proof? Here's a screenshot of the BB Maps options from an 8703e which allows you to choose the internal GPS. It doesn't actually do anything, but it's nice to pretend.
Now take a look at the new and improved BB Maps that ships with the 8830. Notice anything missing?
That's correct, VZW had RIM remove the internal GPS as a GPS source from BB Maps. The internal GPS is still listed in the GPS Options, and Google Maps will attempt to find your location, but that's as close as you'll get.
To summarize:
This is a tired thread and I'd like to apologize to anyone that's read this far.
- VZW doesn't have a subscription-based alternative, and the release VZNavigator for the Blackberry is now several months overdue. [back]
April 24th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
it is not rite for people to kill horses for no reason..they where here brfore u and me so.. LET THEM LIVE!!!!!!!! thanks!
April 24th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
people should not be killin horses they lived here for hundreds of yrs.. they where here before u and me so i think we shoule let them live..they helped us alot throw the yrs.. LET THEM LIVE!!!!!!!! thanks you!!!
April 24th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Holy shit you're dumb.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Actually we brought the horses over although they were originally here in a less evolved form thousands of years before.
October 20th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Holy shit the first 2 posters here are really daft.
The guys beating the horse are beating a *dead horse*. It's a reference to the saying "flogging a dead horse" – or bringing up an old topic time after time, when it's not topical anymore.
October 29th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Oh my God! These !!!'s deserve to go to hell if you dare abuse a horse I swear to the f*cking *** you will die painfully and alone and you peoples why don't you beat yourselves and see how you like it! Oh my God you deserve to be burnt up like nothing and kicked and laughed at! Treat something the way you'd like to be treated! For thoose of you who think animals are just meat for us to eat you can go and get killed by a car! This is totally outraging!
October 29th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Please read the third comment.
December 4th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
YOU PEOPLE ARE CRAZY WAT ARE YOU THINKING HORSES ARE AMAZING ANIMALS AND NEVER HAVE HURT YOU SO WHY ARE YOU HURTING THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! STUPID PEOPLE
August 18th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Hey guys if you need a working blackberry gps i found a working version of gamrin here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq49zL1Gpws
August 24th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Great info, but I wrote otherwise about this topic at my blog