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Verizon 8330 & 8130 Now Getting BlackBerry Maps GPS Love?

by Ronen Halevy on Dec 5th, 2008 at 2:36 am EST
30 Comments »
 

Kelly over at the BoyGenius caught wind that Verizon has opened up the GPS on the 8330 & 8130 to the BlackBerry Maps application. The catch is that you need to be using OS 4.5 and select the internal GPS option in the settings. It also looks like Google Maps is not working with the GPS since that is a "Security Risk" according to Verizon.

Anybody want to verify this for us?

Thanks Oran for sending this one in!

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 5th, 2008 and is filed under GPS, News.
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30 Comments to “Verizon 8330 & 8130 Now Getting BlackBerry Maps GPS Love?”

  1. Posted by: Mike
    December 5, 2008 at 4:22 am EST

    Works!
    Nice early Christmas gift =]
    I just picked up 11 satellites.. woohoo

  2. Posted by: Lawtownpopo
    December 5, 2008 at 5:14 am EST

    I fell like a teenage boy again. “You mean I’ve had this, and I could have been using it”

  3. Posted by: Lawtownpopo
    December 5, 2008 at 5:15 am EST

    I feel like a teenage boy again. “You mean I’ve had this, and I could have been using it”

  4. Posted by: DavidB
    December 5, 2008 at 8:29 am EST

    This JUST happened yesterday folks. Verizon flipped a switch somewhere and it works now so don’t think you have been missing something. It didn’t work until yesterday.

    I can confirm it works on my 8830 running 4.5. You have to get a beta (I recommend .101) though since no official release from Verizon yet. I have asked a 8830/4.2 buddy to try Maps but haven’t heard back yet.

  5. Posted by: Kris @ Fresh Focus
    December 5, 2008 at 8:59 am EST

    OMG!

    It works! I complained to the FCC and sent an EECB to Verizon corporate. I’m so glad that they listened to the uers!

    Yeehaw!

  6. Posted by: JohnQ
    December 5, 2008 at 9:16 am EST

    They didn’t listen to the users. I’m sure that it was in their best interests from a financial standpoint. I’m positive that it has something to do with all the the new devices being released.

  7. Posted by: OldBlackberryuse
    December 5, 2008 at 9:40 am EST

    Works on my Verizon WE 8830 running 4.5.101! Wish it worked for Google Maps too, but at least they threw us this much of a bone, eh?

  8. Posted by: Dave Hughes
    December 5, 2008 at 10:58 am EST

    It works on my 8830 running 4.5.0.101
    I’m excited. Thanks Verizon (Finally).

  9. Posted by: Richard
    December 5, 2008 at 11:46 am EST

    Yaay! I have yet to try it, but it gives me something to do…and like some other people, I complained to the FCC and Verizon as well…maybe we made a difference!

  10. Posted by: blcassady
    December 5, 2008 at 1:10 pm EST

    It appears they Opened it up on the Pearl 8130 also, BUT the catch is BB Maps doesn’t work with 4.5 and as was stated before Google Maps won’t pinpoint your location – so what good is it? Glad it works for you other folks, I’ll keep trying Map applications for the 8130 till I find one that works. (I had deleted BB Maps when running 4.3 to make extra room in memory and when I read this post I tried to reinstall it but got the message it was incompatible with 4.5.)

  11. Posted by: blcassady
    December 5, 2008 at 2:56 pm EST

    UPDATE: Ok, I got BB Maps loaded back onto my 4.5.0.77 OS (the original release from Verizon – not the re-release) and the Open GPS works Great.

    So whether you intended it or not VZW (VZ Navigator still appears as being an option for me to purchase on my browser menu….) “…thanks for all the fish!”…lol

  12. Posted by: Cathi
    December 6, 2008 at 4:40 am EST

    Anybody try it on the 8330 yet? I’ve got 4.5.0.77 but don’t have an internal GPS option in my settings …

  13. Posted by: Kris @ Fresh Focus
    December 6, 2008 at 5:30 am EST

    I have 4.5.0.77 and it’s working on my 8330.

  14. Posted by: blcassady
    December 6, 2008 at 11:11 am EST

    Cathi, go to Options/Advanced Options/and under GPS check to see if the GPS Data Source is set to “Device GPS” (Mine is locked to that option.) Then under GPS Services make sure you select “Location On”. That’s pretty much it. That how it is on my 8130 – I imagine it’s pretty much the same on the 8330 if it doesn’t have an option that actually says “Internal GPS”.

  15. Posted by: mondux
    December 7, 2008 at 12:15 am EST

    Works on my verizon 8330 with 4.5.0.97(132). Had to enable the gps location-on setting in options, but then it worked. I hate vz navigator and don’t have it installed, and this still works. Thank you thank you thank you. :)

  16. Posted by: Vinman
    December 7, 2008 at 12:38 pm EST

    It works for me too. Initially it wouldn’t work, so I turned off GPS and then turned it back on again. I’m also using OS 4.5.0.77.

  17. Posted by: Kevin
    December 7, 2008 at 5:12 pm EST

    Works with BBerry Maps on Curve 8330 OS4.5.0.77. Does not work with Google maps. Very cool!!

  18. Posted by: Dave
    December 7, 2008 at 6:06 pm EST

    confirmed works on verizon 8330 with 4.5.0.97 beta. also, tried it on friend’s 4.3 verizon 8330 and it did not work. TIME TO UPGRADE, everyone who was waiting. On a side note, I no longer get the speakerphone blast while answering since I upgraded from .77 and previous betas.

  19. Posted by: teriyaki
    December 10, 2008 at 2:25 pm EST

    I have 4.5.077 but did not have BB map installed. I may have deleted it a while back. I tried to download BB map but it won’t let me. BB website says i can’t reinstall since it requires 4.1 or 4.2. arrgh!! ANybody have any suggestions?
    Thanks in advance

  20. Posted by: blcassady
    December 10, 2008 at 8:42 pm EST

    teriyaki,

    You have to rerun the install file for 4.5.0.77 on your computer, then start your Desktop Manager Software and make sure you select Application Loader if it doesn’t automatically start. Then connect the device and select BB Maps from the menu and it will reinstall it to your device. I had to do this also when I found out about the opened GPS on my 8130.

    You can download the software here if you need it:
    http://vzw.smithmicro.com/blackberry/download.aspx?ct=personal

  21. Posted by: phil
    December 10, 2008 at 11:12 pm EST

    hey i’m using vzw curve 8330 4.5.0.77 and it does not work! any suggestions? i have location on and its set on GPS device since there is no option of internal GPS. thanks.

  22. Posted by: DavidB
    December 11, 2008 at 1:39 am EST

    @phil:
    Try battery pull and try resending service books from the Verizon BIS site.

  23. Posted by: Vinman
    December 16, 2008 at 8:54 am EST

    It worked on my 8330 for two days and now it no longer works. Verizon must have realized that they were giving customers what they were paying for and pulled the plug.

  24. Posted by: DavidB
    December 16, 2008 at 9:04 am EST

    8830 in Northern Virginia.
    Ran flawlessly as soon as discovered. Ran flawlessly in San Diego while I was on travel last week. Working flawlessly back home today.
    I suspect you have some other problem as its not Verizon having shut it back off.

  25. Posted by: Vinman
    December 16, 2008 at 2:56 pm EST

    You could be right. All I get now is “Searching for Satellites.”

  26. Posted by: Kris @ Fresh Focus
    December 16, 2008 at 4:34 pm EST

    Still working here!

  27. Posted by: JB
    December 19, 2008 at 2:56 pm EST

    Nice thing about 4.5.077 is we get Document to go now too, which was supposed to be a big benefit of the storm. Just got a new curve yesterday and it came preloaded with 4.5.077

  28. Posted by: phil
    December 21, 2008 at 6:14 pm EST

    @davidb
    thanks the battery pull out worked!

    the ones that keep saying searching for satellites, try driving around outside. at first i was indoors and it didn’t work so i went outside and nothing, but i was in an area with a heavy tree population. when i began driving and turned it on it then worked.

  29. Posted by: Travis Tubbs
    December 31, 2008 at 10:46 am EST

    I love it when company’s state something is a “security risk” to protect their own product. Of course, being on the outside of this situation, I really don’t know if that’s what’s happening here or not.

    If anything, allowing your hardware to be open to others (in this case, the GPS hardware to Google Maps) encourages companies to work on better software and features for their customers. But I guess innovation doesn’t mean much to some.