BlackBerry GPS Navigation options (part 1)

One of my criteria for the perfect mobile device is having a functioning GPS navigation system included. I've been evaluating some of the options for the BlackBerry. All of these options were tested on a BlackBerry 8800 from T-Mobile. The 8800 has a built in GPS chip, although all of the apps tested work with external Bluetooth GPS devices as well. I have an unlimited data plan, and as you'll see, you should have that before using your BlackBerry as a GPS. For proper use in a vehicle, I got a windshield mount and a car charger as well.

Google Maps 2.2

A review of Google Maps as a GPS navigation tool can be written as a single word: worthless.

While it's a free download, the app lacks map rotation and doesn't disable display sleep so everything goes dark after 30 seconds (system default) and now you can't tell where you are on the map.

Google Maps still has it's uses and works with cell-tower triangulation if you don't have a GPS. But as a navigational tool, don't even try.

BlackBerry Maps 1.1

BlackBerry Maps is perhaps the most surprising app I looked at. It's also a free download, but sports basic navigation features. The interface is very uncluttered. Aside from the map, it shows 4 other items in a surprising small amount of screen real estate: the street you are on, the number of GPS satellites connected, your speed and the direction of travel.

It can plot directions from your current location, but doesn't offer turn-by-turn voice directions. This is actually quite pleasant. If you wander off course, you never have a snotty English lady telling you to turnaround or making you feel that this car is too good for you. It was very nice, on one of my tests, to take 8th Ave instead 6th Ave and not be given any correction.

BlackBerry Maps does not come with any built-in maps, and all map data is downloaded using your BlackBerry's data connection. Downloads seem "light" and do not hog the data connection. Map data is downloaded before it is needed based on your direction of travel. I didn't have the chance to take the 8800 out of town and into the mountains but I'm very sure that a lack of cell signal would result in no map.

Interestingly, this lack of built-in maps brings up a possibility. Many "normal", that is dedicated GPS devices, ship with a fixed set of maps for say, the US and Canada. For certain models, additional maps can be purchased. However, with BlackBerry Maps all map data is stored online. Updates to that data should be immediately available to everyone. Furthermore, I had no trouble downloading street maps for Scotland or France, even although I wasn't in either country. So, you should be able to take a BlackBerry internationally and use BlackBerry Maps for navigation, although you may want to unlock your BlackBerry and get a local SIM card as international data roaming is very, very expensive. Like start selling your organs to pay the bill, expensive.

Additionally, BlackBerry Maps can use the street addresses in your Address Book as destinations and perform local searches for locations such as restaurants, libraries, etc

I do have a couple of concerns.

• On a few occasions, BlackBerry Maps seemed to stall. The speedometer and compass functions continued to work but the map and my position on it did not update. (It was not related to a lack a of cell coverage.)
  
• The map does not zoom to an appropriate level. Let me give you an example. If you turn onto a side street, and your current zoom level doesn't show side streets, the map doesn't zoom and it's looks (on screen at least) that you are driving off road.
• While I didn't take BlackBerry Maps out of town, it would be nice to have some sort of Download Maps for Route function that downloaded maps based on your driving directions ahead of time. This would make cell phone deadzones much less of an issue.

All that said, I can strongly recommend BlackBerry Maps for basic GPS navigation functions, especially for city driving. If you want a more feature rich experience you'll have to spend money.

Next up, I'll be evaluating Garmin's offering for BlackBerries.