BLACKBERRY MAPS
Whether you're a consumer or a business user, knowing where you are, where you want to get to and how to get there are increasingly becoming characteristics you require as standard on mobile devices.
While stand alone equipment exists in the area of Global Positioning System (GPS), it's not always practical or financially viable to lug two devices around.
So, just as the dividing line between PDAs and mobile phones has been blurred by the smartphone, so too has the line between smartphones and dedicated GPS navigation devices.
Older Blackberry handsets don't have built-in GPS, but workarounds are available and newer models feature this technology as standard. Indeed, many users will find Blackberry Maps ready and waiting to be used on their device. And if their device has an older version, it's very easy to upgrade to the latest version by downloading an update from th? Blackberry website.
WHAT IS BLACKBERRY MAPS?
With Blackberry Maps, you can pinpoint your location, source nearby businesses, restaurants and other places of interest, and then get step-by-step, visual directions to those places.
Rather than being stored on the handset, the maps are downloaded each time you fire up the application, so you should check with your mobile operator what costs, if any, may be involved. You will also need to be connected to the network to use the service, but youYe guaranteed to always get the very latest map data.
COVERAGE
Blackberry Maps coverage is vast. Maps for use in most of Europe, the US, Canada, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean are currently listed as being covered by Blackberry Maps data, but be sure to check the Blackberry website for more detailed coverage areas.
A good place to start is to find out where you are on the map. Once you have fired up BlackBerry Maps, press the menu button to bring up the context menu. Select 'Find Location' and the top entry should be 'Where I Am'. Press this to get a map of your current location. The device will bring up a 'Searching for Satellites' message, so it will work best if you are out in the open, with a good view of the sky, rather than in a built-up area.
If you want to find a particular address, choose one from your contacts book, from a list of recent contacts or from a list of favourites. This feature is particularly handy if you tend to search for the same things time and time again.
Another option in the menu is 'Local Search', which lets you enter a keyword, such as coffee, restaurant or hotel, and then searches for the locations of these services around the map's centre, up to a distance of around 30km. This is known as a location-based services search. In essence, the Local Search feature will quickly and easily help you find the places that matter to you, rather than you having to resort to asking strangers or a police officer.
Searching for 'petrol', for example, will bring up a list of petrol stations and the distance to them from the centre of the map. Select one of these stations and you will be given the address and phone number. Select the address and it will appear on screen; highlight the phone number and the device will offer to call it for you. if you later search for the same thing, your previous search entries will appear.
The real beauty of Blackberry Maps is it's not just useful to the individual using the handset at the time. You can also send your location to someone eise. This could be handy if you're meeting friends or colleagues and you've arrived but they're struggling to find your meeting point. Simply select this option from the menu and the device will create an email, containing your coordinates, to which you can attach a message.
Blackberry Maps also works with other Blackberry applications, allowing users to send maps via email, as outlined above, in addition to launching maps from within the address book to pinpoint where your friend or business affiliate is based.
When viewing the map, switch between pan and zoom mode by pressing the select button, in pan mode, using the trackball will move you around the map; in zoom mode, rotating the trackball will enlarge or reduce the image. Remember, the data is being delivered over the network, so if you are not in an area with good 3G connectivity, this process could be a bit sluggish because the device has to request the data, receive it and then display it on the screen.
To orientate yourself, choose 'North Up', which puts North at the top. Alternatively, choose 'Track Up' to put the direction you are heading at the top. Once you have plotted a route, each stage of the journey will be presented in a numbered list - pressing a stage will bring up an image of it. You can bookmark your favourite locations to save having to enter the information again. Another handy, time saving feature.
There is no voice navigation with Blackberry Maps, so it's less suited to in-vehicle use than other third-party applications, but such use is still possible. Buy a holder that mounts on your windscreen or dashboard; this will ensure clear line of-sight between the handset and satellite, and will let you see the screen without turning away and taking your eyes of the road.
Blackberry Maps' strengths are its Local Search capabilities and its handiness for walking directions. If you are with clients and want to find somewhere to take them for lunch - or if you simply need to find your nearest cash machine - this free application does the job.
IT AND BUSINESS USE
Blackberry Maps can be tied into the Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES), so your company can choose to turn it on or off and decide whether to allow third-party applications to access Blackberry ones. An example of third-party integration would be if a delivery company combined its pick-up and collection databases with Blackberry Maps, making for a low-cost routing system to ensure packages get delivered to recipients quickly and easily.
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