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AT&T Crippling BlackBerry for iPhone?
0xdeadbeef writes "BlackBerryCool got a tip that not only was AT&T removing GPS functionality from their version of the BlackBerry 8820, they're doing it so it won't show up the iPhone. While carriers crippling phones to stop them from competing with pay-per-use services is nothing new, this might be the first time they've done it to make their other products seem less diminished."
This is a bullshit article written to publish the idea that a BlackBerry can show up an iPhone. It cannot, even if you love your push email you are lacking so much other stuff you need a notebook just to read the Web.
Why doesn't BlackBerry put a real Web browser in there to avoid the iPhone showing them up? When you consider necessary features, a Web 2.0 browser comes in way ahead of GPS let's be real. Even audio/video Podcasts are more important than GPS. That gives you radio, TV, training courses.
The lack of GPS in the iPhone is something hardcore nerds complain about so they can keep carrying their antique smart phones. It's not something that most people even know exists let alone need. Never mind that any moment there will be a plug-on GPS for the iPod dock connector and then what? Can you plug Firefox into a BlackBerry?
I've got a 7130e from Sprint. GPS is completely unlocked so I can use Blackberry Maps for real-time maps and speed information. I can also use InfoSpace FindIt! for turn-by-turn spoken directions. I also have google maps that for some reason doesn't support the internal GPS but will support a Bluetooth GPS that has been associated with the phone. I wonder if users will be able to use Google Maps with their 8820 and an external GPS? Anyway all are free services. Which is strange considering since Sprint bought Nextel (who pretty much exclusively GPS enabled phones) you'd think they'd want to you to pay for TeleNav service.