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App Review: Google Maps Mobile (with My Location Beta)
One of the most popular and useful smartphone applications (”apps”) is Google Maps for Mobile. And a hugely popular new feature (in beta) is My Location. If you’re a new BlackBerry Pearl owner, you simply must check this out. In this post, I’ll cover the basic features, a ton of screenshots, and even some photos of how I have jury-rigged my 8130 to serve like a regular GPS navigator in my car.
Map View and Satellite View
Let’s jump right in and see how it works. First we see that there are two basic views: Map View and Satellite View. Below is a map view of the world. (Please ignore the “Updating location…” message.) Press the Menu (BlackBerry) key to get the main menu. Here you can switch to Satellite View (among other options):
Satellite View displays photo imagery, so it takes a little longer to load all that detail. The numbered stars you see represent “Favorites”–locations that you pinpointed then marked for future reference. You are limited to 9 favorites. (I hope that limit is extended in the future.)
The Keypad: Zoom, Scroll, Toggle Views, etc.
To zoom in to the map, press the 3 key. When you zoom in, you see a little white square that indicates the area you would be zooming in to. There’s a brief pause to allow you to click several times to zoom further in all at once.
To zoom out, press the 1 key. When you zoom out, the full screen image shrinks inward leaving an empty border around it that gets filled in as the surrounding map data streams in. You can zoom in multiple levels by clicking several times quickly.
Here’s a complete list of keypad functions:
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1 Key — Zoom Out
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3 Key — Zoom In
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7 Key — Scroll Left
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9 Key — Scroll Right
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5 Key — Scroll Up
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8 Key — Scroll Down
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2 Key — Toggle between Map and Satellite Views
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* Key — Open Favorites List
Search
How do we find a place on the map? Inside Google Maps, do Menu Key > Search. Next, select Enter a new search. You will enter an editor to do this.
In the editor, type the address, then do Menu Key > OK. Google Maps will take you to the location it thinks is correct, but it’s not unusual for it to be off a little bit. In my case, shown below, the entrance to my location is a bit up the road to the right of the green arrow and the crosshairs. So, I need to make a small correction.
Rather than accept the found location, I will do Menu Key > Favorites > Place a star on the map. Then I’ll make the necessary adjustment before I create my favorite.
Since I recognize the terrain and can pinpoint the entrance to the location I want to make a favorite, I use the trackball to scroll to the right until the crosshairs are right at the driveway entrance, then click the trackball–and the star is placed. But because I didn’t accept Google Map’s placement of the star, I lost the chance to place the search address into the name of the favorite. So, I have to follow directions to rename the favorite.
I’ll skip some screens, but basically I do Enter Key > Rename favorite > (enter name) > OK. Finally, I have my favorite starred on the map and entered into the Favorites List.
Directions
Now, let’s take a trip. We need directions. Do Menu Key > Directions. You will to choose a start point and an end point. Choices of starting point are:
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Use my location (where Google Maps thinks you are–more on this later)
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Enter an address
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Select point on map
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Select a favorite
Let’s start at a favorite. Do Menu Key > Directions > Select a favorite > (scroll to choose and click the favorite you want to start with).
You’re next asked to choose an end point. Let’s enter an address. Caution: If this trip is important, be very careful to type the address as fully and accurately as possible. In this example on my first try, I did not put the “NW” in the street address, and Google defaulted to “NE,” putting me quite a ways off from my desired destination. In addition, it’s good to review the entire route to check for errors and to become familiar with the waypoints before you start traveling.
After a brief delay, Google will produce a route list. Check the destination and, if at all possible, verify Google found the correct destination. In my case, I chose the Georgia Aquarium–the world’s largest aquarium, having a very distinctive architecture. So, I could easily recognize that Google found the correct destination (once I got the “NW” in the street address).
Once the route is figured, I like to zoom way back to see the entire route.
Finally, I return to the directions list and can step through the waypoints one-at-a-time to review my turns before I set out. (Can anyone reading this remember the old days when you would phone AAA and they would mail you a marked up map of your vacation route? Who would ever dream a handheld wireless phone would be doing this one day?)
My Location
Ready to get started on your trip? But, wait! Who wants to scroll along on their maps to keep track of her/his location on the map? With the new My Location feature (still in beta but works quite well), Google Maps will keep track of your location and move the map as you travel. Sweet!
To activate My Location, do Menu Key > My Location. Google Maps can determine your location two ways (1) by GPS, or (2) cell tower triangulation. The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 has GPS built in, however Verizon (for one) disables it unless you pay a fee ($9.99 monthly or $2.99 daily) for VZ Navigator. Without GPS, the Pearl 8130 uses measurements taken from cell phone towers to triangulate and find an approximate position. In my experience, the accuracy of cell tower triangulation is stated to be within:
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rural area: 5000 meters (about 3 miles)
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town, highway: 1000 meters (about 0.6 mile)
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metropolitan area: 500 meters (about 0.3 mile)
With GPS, your location is indicated by a blue ball.
Without GPS, your the indication is a blue ball with a light blue circle around it showing the entire range in which you might be located.
From my observation, the My Location works quite well but needs to do a lot of guesswork, which sometimes leads it astray–sometimes laughably. Since most people using this feature are in a car traveling, My Location tends to locate you on the nearest major road or highway that is near your computed location. That makes sense, and in practice works very well. Oddly, however, in one area I travel through I seem to always find myself placed on a railroad track for a brief time! In another odd case, when I pass through a rural (Georgia) area far from any tower and with numerous dead zones (no signal), My Location temporarily puts me near one of my Favorites–a point in Colorado! So Google is serious when they mean My Location is still in beta. But, don’t be discouraged by my pointing out a couple of flaws, My Location is a powerful and useful feature that works most of the time quite well. Especially in a metro area where there are lots of cell towers due to the dense population. Honestly, I love it.
Using Google Maps In My Car
I don’t recommend fiddling with your BlackBerry while you’re driving, but I couldn’t resist trying to use it like a regular GPS navigator (e.g., TomTom). Since I already have a removable satellite radio mounted on my dash, just underneath my rearview mirror, I decided to mount my 8130 there:
I used a very sophisticated mounting system which I will sell to any reader (please specify red or blue):
To make this work I had to use my BBLight app (see my review) to keep the display lit continuously while I had the car charger plugged in to keep the battery charged.
Here are some screenshots of Google Maps as I made a trip around metro Atlanta, in both Map View and Satellite View. Note the My Location ball with the light-blue circle around it. The right-most image using Satellite View additionally has Show Traffic enabled. The Show Traffic feature, available in about 30 major metropolitan areas, reports traffic conditions as green, yellow, and red. The day I made these screenshots, the reported traffic was very accurate. I’m not sure exactly how this data is gathered, but I presume it’s from some Department of Transportation computer network.
As you drive along, when your location nears the edge of your display, Google Maps updates the display to put your location closer to the center. Below are a couple of shots with more detail. Notice how large the light-blue circle has become. But I find that when I’m on an Interstate highway, Google shows me on the highway on the map. But once I exit, My Location can be very inaccurate, placing me just about anywhere inside the zone of uncertainty.
Before leaving this section, please take my warning NOT to use your BlackBerry during driving in a way that takes your attention from driving. Every day there are too many people hurt or killed that way. Take the time to pull off the highway if you need to play with your phone.
Conclusion
Google Maps for Mobile with My Location (beta) is one of the very best apps you can install on your BlackBerry. Especially if you travel frequently and need directions, and especially if your travel is in or around a major metro area. I find I can easily live with the inaccuracy of not having true GPS, but it’s disappointing that Verizon (and others?) took that away so they could charge separately for their own proprietary navigation app. If I want the accuracy of GPS, I’ll look at one of the many small Bluetooth GPS units that is probably far more accurate than the 8130’s GPS is anyway, and costs under $100–far less than a 1-year subscription to Verizon’s VZ Navigator. Thank-you, Google for yet another incredible product!
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You might want to compare Google Maps to Microsoft Live Search Mobile at Bull’s Blog application review. Bull is a frequent commenter on this blog, and continually encourages me to keep working on it.
44 comments on this post
Google maps is indeed a very nice app. However, I still like to use Blackberry maps better in conjunction with a bluetooth GPS. Main thing I enjoy about BB Maps is the ability to send your current location to an email, txt or PIN message. So if I’m in town and I see something I like, I take a picture of it, go to BB Maps, grab my location and send it to an email. That way I can later geotag the photo on flickr.com for an accurate location of where I took that picture.
When I used to have a Moto Q before my 8130, I used Google Maps extensively and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Now if I want some nice satellite imagery however on my Pearl, I’ll use Google Maps, since BB Maps is limited to vector drawn maps.
On a sidenote, another advantage of BB Maps, that when used with a bluetooth GPS, the screen will stay lit indifinetly.
All I have to say is wow. I really like the way you broke everything down for those who are not as knowledgeable about Blackberries in general such as myself (picked a HTC Touch (Telus)) and my girlfriend (owns a 8130 as well on Telus). I’d love to do the same for the my Windows Mobile device, but there’s a lot to cover and I’m a perfectionist when it comes to having the post read correctly (to me at least). If you want, please take a look at my two blogs at http://gadgeticmusings.wordpress.com and http://openserveros.wordpress.com. Thank you so much for this treasure trove of information.
@Bull,
As always, thanks for adding so much value to this blog with your technical knowledge and insights. If I had time, I’d love to compare similar products (like BlackBerry Maps versus Google Maps) rather than just review a single one. So, your brief comment about BB Maps helps a lot. I especially like the idea of GeoTagging photos for Flickr.
Something I didn’t add about Google Maps: I have fun just scanning satellite imagery of the Earth and looking for cool landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Ground Zero in NYC, Mount Everest, etc. Not to mention places where I live, work, travel, etc. Using Google Earth on a computer is better, but being able to do that on my phone is just mind-boggling.
Keep up the great commenting!
Kelly
@Soul_Est,
I checked out your two blogs and looks like you’ve got a good thing going. I especially would be interested in the OpenOS topic. I’ve found that blogging about something helps you focus and keep digging in to learn more. Takes a LOT of time, though. Thanks for the kind words about my blog. Since you, too, use WordPress, we should compare notes about some of the “under-the-hood” tricks we learn about this great blogging tool.
Kelly
@Kelly
I should have the review up by tomorrow evening (GST -5:00). Thanks again!
Thanks for the sincere reply. I’d be delighted to share notes with you on what I’ve learned on WordPress (but I must admit, it’s not much). I’ll soon be doing a review on Google Maps for Windows Mobile as I’ve tried it before (with Telus’ default addons installed) and the My Location feature didn’t work. This time, there are none of the addons installed as I restarted the device before they could be installed. I can’t wait to try again. I’ll do so right now.
Soul_Est
@Kelly
What are you using to get screenshots from the Pearl? I wouldn’t mind doing my own app reviews for the 8130.
Bull,
I use BBScreenShooter most of the time. A more primitive one is JL_Cmder that does not only screen captures but everything else that JavaLoader.exe will do (e.g., Wipe Handheld, load Java modules). I’ll email you some notes I’ve taken on both of those–should save you some time and trouble. I’d LOVE to see you doing some app reviews, too–the more the merrier. Let me know if I can help somehow.
Kelly
[Oops--my photo shows up because I accidentally deleted Matt's comment and had to restore it under my login. Sorry, Matt. I'm sure you're a much more handsome guy. Kelly]
Sorry to ask such a newbie question…. Once Google Maps Mobile is downloaded onto your 8130, is there still a cost to use the program (ie; airtime, browser time)? I have the 8130 through Bell in Canada and I’m not sure if I would be charged for using this program. Like I said, I do apologize for the newbie question, but at least I can admit I’m new! Any help would be appreciated.
Matt
Matt,
I love “newbie” questions–don’t ever be reluctant to ask. Especially considering the seriousness of your question.
I don’t know how your wireless plan works, so you need to check into that and ask for details of your provider’s customer service. With Verizon, I have an unlimited data plan, so I do NOT get charged for usage when I do email, surf the web, use Google Maps, etc. But your plan may be different. Google Maps DEFINITELY uses data air time, and a LOT of it if you leave it running while you travel. So, be careful and check your plan details.
Again–sorry I accidentally deleted your comment and got my photo stuck on your comment above.
Kelly
Thanks for the response. I also spoke with some friends and colleagues about using Google Maps on my phone and they warned me about the data time as well. Right now I’m going to stick to using a trusty old map book, or Google on my desktop and then print or forward the text directions to my phone. Thanks again for your patience.
Cheers,
Matt
What a great review! thanks. I have been on the fence to get this cell phone. But it looks like a real winner – thanks again
Oh, please do sign me up for the blackberry dashboard mounting apparatus! Red would be best ’cause it would match my Valentine pearl! You REALLY made me laugh, thanks! ~smiling here~
AND I really appreciate your blog and all the stuff you’ve got here!
Do I need both VZ navigator and Google maps? I think Google maps is excellent. In fact, I find Google maps works better, save the voice command directions thing. I go to the address, save it as a favorite and am able to pull it up even without service (I think)…
So… in your humble opinion… do I need both?
Cheers~
Makani,
Please specify your desired shipping method for the BlackBerry dashboard mounting hardware. I recommend FedEx Overnight.
You do NOT need VZ Navigator. Google Maps is entirely standalone and independent, and works fairly well without GPS. VZ Navigator costs about $10 a month. What does it buy you? It enables your internal GPS which is disabled by Verizon. And it gives you some software that is much like Google Maps. I intend to eventually purchase a Bluetooth GPS unit to use with my BlackBerry. Readers of this blog have recommended the GlobalSat BT-359. It’s way cheaper in the long run than VZ Navigator and I’ll bet it’s far more accurate than the internal GPS of the 8130. You can find ‘em on eBay for around $50, see: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=GlobalSat+BT-359&category0=. I’m not in a big hurry, though, because I don’t really do that much travel to places where I need directions. My birthday is coming up soon if anybody out there wants to buy me one.
Thanks for leaving comments, Makani.
Kelly
For blackberry devices that seems to have blackberry maps for free on most plans. I have noticed that BB maps is more accurate than google maps. Any comparison on the two products ?
Glenn,
I’ve recently been playing with BlackBerry Maps and Google Maps with a Bluetooth GPS unit (since Verizon disables the Pearl’s internal GPS device). I can’t say whether the maps are more accurate with one than the other. When I’m driving in rural areas, it seems Google Maps knows more road names.
For navigating with GPS, I definitely prefer BlackBerry Maps. For one, it rotates the map to show you always traveling “forward.” Google Maps always shows north being “up,” so if you’re traveling south, the display shows you traveling “down,” or backwards. That’s hard to use.
For seeing the terrain around me, Google Maps satellite view is the only choice. I really like having both, and they’re both free.
Kelly
Kelly:
Enjoyed your review. I’m considering getting a new Blackberry(haven’t yet decided on Pearl vs 8830). I currently have verizon as carrier for myself and my family. In view of the issues with verizon disabling gps on their phones, do you know if it would be possible to get a Blackberry from another vendor (that does not have the gps disabled), get it unlocked, the obtain service from verizon for that phone, thus leaving the gps enabled and access to Blackberry maps intact? Would this approach also impact the issue of having to pay a monthly charge for tethering the phone to my laptop?
I’d appreciate any feedback you can give me.
Mark
I’m glad you made the comparison between Blackberry Maps and Google Maps. I guess I should consider canceling the VZ Navigator service and save the extra $10/month, eh ?
Reggie,
I honestly can’t comment on VZ Navigator since I haven’t used it, other than to say I would simply prefer to $50-100 ONCE for a GPS unit compared to $120 EVERY YEAR just for the PERMISSION to use the GPS built in to my phone. Plus, maybe if enough customers DON’T pay for VZ Navigator, Verizon will get the message that they need to ADD value to their version of the phones rather than TAKE AWAY value to differentiate themselves from the competition. (I’m getting carried away with ALL CAPS, aren’t I?)
Kelly
@Mark,
Your idea for sneaking GPS past Verizon sounds possible but I would not be surprised if there wouldn’t be a “gotcha” that would interfere. I haven’t run across any stories on the web of anyone doing what you propose. Very clever thinking on your part, but I’d rather just buy a Bluetooth GPS unit: very affordable, potentially superior performance than the built-in GPS, and allows for sharing the GPS unit with someone else. A little inconvenient to carry around, but so small it’s hard to complain too loudly.
Let me know what you decide to do.
Kelly
was wondering is it possible i have two black berries. can i see where my kids are. if they have it on them. and turned on. is that possible with some sort of software on the internet. can someone let me know via email plz
vo1um@nf.sympatico.ca
eddie,
Verizon used to sell a cute little phone for kids and offer a service, maybe called Chaperone, but I’m pretty sure they canceled that due to low sales.
Blip, or a product like it, makes what you’re asking for possible. It won’t update any more frequently than 15 minutes, which might or might not be OK. Where your kids are involved, I know you don’t want to take chances.
Kelly
The Google my location doesn’t work on my phone but Live Search just launched their own “Find My Location” in the UK (http://m.live.com).
It actually works straight from the mobile browser and gives a pretty good location. I’m not really sure how they do it but it’s nice to have it from the browser instead of an app.
pete
Peter,
Glad to have readers from the UK! Live Search (http://m.live.com) when browsed by me (in the USA) doesn’t reveal any “Find My Location.” Possibly some script running in your browser can access info inside the phone about the wireless cells you’re in and relay that to the Live site. Americans would get too freaked out about “Big Brother” for that to be popular here, if that’s indeed how it works.
Thanks for sharing that interesting information. Tell your friends they’re welcome to visit this blog, too. We need more UK input!
Kelly
Kelly,
Your review of the My Location function on Google Maps for Mobile is amazingly well done. I looked at a lot of different pages when researching this feature and yours, by far, provides the best explanation for turning this into a useful tool. Thanks also for the other suggested links you posted on my blog.
Howder,
Thanks for your nice words. I found your site interesting, too.
Kelly
i was wondering if there is a charge for downloading google map and using it. if so how much (do i pay a one time fee or will i get charge monthly on my mobile bill) Do i have to have internet access through my provider in order to use google map. BTW i went through alltel
seanvangster,
I’m with Verizon and I have what’s called their Email and Web plan. My Google Maps airtime is considered like web surfing. I’m allowed a certain number of gigabytes transfer per month (the details escape me at the moment, but I’ve documented them on this site somewhere). To be safe, you really need to talk to your Alltel representative and read the fine print of your plan contract. That’s what I had to do with Verizon.
Kelly
Kelly,
You mention that you have VW’s “unlimited” email and web plan. Is this the plan that is $29.99 when added to a eligible calling plan (just trying to make sure we’re talking about the same plan)? I searched your site, but couldn’t find where you detailed the limit on transfer – but I think that it is 5 GB/month. While this is a lot, the google maps app seems to involve a lot of data transfer – particularly when it is continuously updating as you drive around. Is this actually a problem with the 5 GB limit…let’s say if you were to use the device for 2 hours of driving, 5 days a week, for a month? Have you ran into or heard of anyone having problems in this regard?
Thanks!….(and thank you for the site! It is a great reference for those of us new to the Blackberry world).
Wayne,
I hope I didn’t use the word “unlimited” because I did know there is a 5GB limit. I did go research that in response to a reader question, so perhaps that info is in a comment and not in the article or a postscript.
I did some quick-and-dirty math and I estimated that the usage you proposed might consume about 0.5 GB/month for Google Maps alone. Even if I’m off quite a bit, it sounds like you would be safe.
Kelly
@Kelly
Thanks for your response! Is it best to treat this type of usage as “streaming” usage and then use the data transfer rate as an upper-bound on your total transfer for a specified time?
I think that you did you the world “unlimited” in one of your replies to a comment (comment 10 on this page), but you later qualified that the plan does have a transfer limit it comment 29, unless I am misunderstanding what you were talking about. No worries – VW calls the plan “unlimited,” but it is fairly well understood that there is a cap on the “unlimitedness.”
Wayne,
I suppose everything is open to interpretation by VZW, but I would not consider Google Maps to be “streaming” as much as like “web surfing.” To me, it seems to be more like periodically clicking on a web page that downloads an image. But maybe more accurately it kinda fits in between streaming and web surfing.
I wonder how they monitor usage like that anyway? Since VZW offers their own maps application, they must anticipate people using a map app in a scenario much like yours. So, I’d be surprised if they offer an app like VZNavigator then turn around and punish people for using it “too much.” But maybe they would punish someone for using a competing product, I don’t know. At least they should issue a warning for a first offense since they don’t really give you a way to know you’re exceeding some threshold.
If I needed to use my GPS and a map app under a scenario like yours, I’d just go for it and see if they warned me. I would be surprised if you exceed their threshold. Please let me know how you proceed and any interesting results.
Kelly
I do not think that Verizon would consider using a map applet as actual “streaming” … it only updates upon your interaction with the system…unlike streaming audio/video. However, I was trying to figure out how you calculated the 0.5 GB/month value. Did you use VZW’s standard transfer rate (xxx bits/sec and multiply it by the usage time as if I were actually streaming the data) – or what kind of back of the envelope calculations did you do?
Do you know how to check what your current data usage is – in a semi-real time format? Let’s hope I don’t exceed any thresholds!!
Thanks again, Kelly…..
Wayne,
I see now your email address is from MIT.edu. So it’s natural you’d want to know how I did my calculation. I did say it was “quick-and-dirty,” right? I think I assumed 25k bytes per update every 10 seconds. That was the only assumption. From there I just multiplied your stated usage over 23 days in a month. I rounded up to 0.5 GB. What I would call a “first order” approximation. It at least convinced me it shouldn’t get too close to 5 GB/month.
If you think a better assumption(s) are appropriate, I’d love to compare. Wish we could actually measure it somehow.
Kelly
For what it’s worth, Sprint does not disable their internal GPS in the Pearl nor do they limit the bandwidth of their unlimited data plans (though I have heard rumors that they’re considering doing the 5GB cap).
To answer Mark’s Question, most providers of CDMA service (and Verizon is a CDMA provider) will not accept phones from other providers on their network. The reason tricks like that work on other providers (such as AT&T and T-Mobile) is that GSM phones use a SIM card to actually provide the interface between the phone and the network…. CDMA carriers do not use SIM cards (which is unfortunate for a whole lot of reasons).
stardestroyer,
Thanks for sharing the info for Mark and the rest of us.
Kelly
I love Google maps for mobile. I just can’t get lost with it. However, I really would like to see Google maps have the searching cability of cell phone numbers and ploting their locations of the screen. There is a program called phonetracker4 that performs this funtion, but is not avalilable for BBs. Does anybody know why?
Thanks,
Dan
Dan,
Phonetracker (http://www.phonetracker.de, in German or English) is written for phones that run the Windows Mobile operating system, not the BlackBerry operating system. That’s a choice that Ing.-Büro Schmidt made.
Have you read my article on Blip at http://newbbie.com/2008/04/13/app-review-blip%e2%84%a2-share-your-where%e2%84%a2/? You might find that interesting.
Kelly
Hi, I just got a BB Bold and it doesn’t seem to have BB maps installed. Since I don’t have an unlimited data plan, I don’t want to use Google. On BB’s website I get an error message when I try to download it. Any ideas?
Perry,
What exactly were you trying to download? Can you provide me the link to where you had the problem? I don’t have a truly unlimited data plan, either. I have something Verizon calls the “Email and Web Plan” that allows me 5GB of download per month. I’ve never come even close to exceeding that. Do you know the details of your data plan? But you’re right that Google Maps can take more data, especially if you use the Satellite view.
Kelly
Hi, here’s a link to the BB maps downloading page http://www.blackberry.com/devicesoftware/entry.do?code=maps
Since I have a AT&T pay as you go SIM card, I really don’t want to use any data downloads at all since it’s costing an arm..
Thanks
Perry
Perry,
It says on the download page that “Note: BlackBerry Maps is not supported by AT&T.”. I suspect that is your problem since you’re using an AT&T sim card.
Kelly
Yes, but even when I take the sim card out of the phone, I still can’t get the map icon to show up…
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