BlackBerry® Maps can do a lot more than help you find your way from point A to B. It can identify deals around you, avoid toll highways, and even help your family and friends get to where they need to go. If you do not have BlackBerry Maps installed on your BlackBerry® smartphone with BlackBerry® 7 OS, you can download it by visiting the BlackBerry Maps website using the BlackBerry Browser on your device.

If this post leaves you wanting more, be sure check out our previous blog post Five Tip Friday – Five Reasons why BlackBerry Maps is awesome!

1. Select your Route Options

As you may already know, BlackBerry Maps has the ability to provide turn by turn directions. The great thing about this feature is the ability to customize your route; you can choose the fastest route to assist in getting you there on time or the shortest route to help save on mileage.

1. From the Home screen or within a folder, select “Maps”
2. Press the Menu key and select “Get Directions”
3. Enter your start and end locations followed by selecting “Route Options”
4. Choose your route options, followed by “Ok”

5. Complete your request for directions by selecting “Search”.

2. Sending Directions

Need to share directions with someone else? Get the directions on your phone and then share them using BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), email, a text message, or any of the other available methods:

1. While viewing directions in BlackBerry Maps, press the Menu key and select “Send Directions”
2. Specify which method you’d like to use to send the directions.

3. Promotional Deals

The next time you are out and about, try using BlackBerry Maps to search for and view promotions and/or deals close to you.

1. From the Home screen or within a folder, select “Maps”
2. Press the Menu key and select “Show Deals”
3. Do one of the following:

• View the promotion location by selecting “Map”
• Get directions to the promotion location by selecting “Route”
• View the related website by selecting “Web”
• Call the business by selecting “Call”

4. Find your Latitude and Longitude

On the weekends, a friend of mine enjoys an activity called Geocaching. If you aren’t familiar with the activity, think of it as an outdoor treasure hunt — and knowing your latitude and longitude allows you to participate in the fun. My friend uses the “Display Details” option in BlackBerry Maps, which displays current latitude and longitude; it also lets you know about points of interest around you.

1. From the Home screen or from within a folder, select “Maps”
2. Press the Menu key and select “My Location”
3. Again, press the Menu key and select “Display Details”.

5. Set your Map Preferences

Global Map Preferences allow you to choose how information is displayed within BlackBerry Maps. Choose a different font and/or font size as well as selecting the system of measurement BlackBerry Maps uses.

1. From the Home screen or within a folder, select “Options”
2. Select “Device” followed by “Maps”
3. Under Map Presentation select your preferences
4. When finished, press the Menu key and select “Save”.

Bonus: Add a Location or Route to BlackBerry Traffic

BlackBerry® Traffic™ is an app which provides real-time traffic information, your estimated time of arrival based on that information, and much more. You can easily add a BlackBerry Maps location as a destination in BlackBerry Traffic. While viewing a location or directions in BlackBerry Maps, press the Menu key and select “Add to BlackBerry Traffic”.

To learn more about BlackBerry Traffic, check out our blog post BlackBerry Traffic 3.0, Now with Voice Guidance!

Have a tip for using BlackBerry Maps on a BlackBerry® 7 OS smartphone? Leave it below and let us know!

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BlackBerry® Maps is a great app that lets you view maps and receive directions on your BlackBerry® smartphone. Whether you need step-by-step directions to your destination, or are looking for businesses, restaurants and addresses nearby, BlackBerry Maps helps show you the way. Here are five tips to help you get the most out of BlackBerry Maps – which you can download for free for BlackBerry smartphones using BlackBerry® Device Software 4.1 or higher as well as BlackBerry® 6 OS and BlackBerry® 7 OS.

To find out which version of BlackBerry Device Software or BlackBerry OS you are currently using, click here. In the event you need to install BlackBerry Maps, click here, enter your email address and a download link will be sent to your BlackBerry smartphone. To use BlackBerry Maps, you’ll need to have a wireless data service plan from your service provider.

1) Send Location

BlackBerry Maps allows you to send a location as a message in an email or instant message, for example. The message that you send includes a link to the location so that the recipient can view the location in BlackBerry Maps on their handset. You have a number of mediums that you can use to share your location, which is really convenient! To send a location:

1. Do one of the following:
   • Send a location you are viewing on a map, press the Menu key.
   • Send a location that’s in a list, such as your list of Favorite locations, go to the list; highlight the location and press the Menu key.
2. Click Send Location.
3. Specify which medium you’d like to use to share your location.

2) Add to BlackBerry® Traffic

If you have BlackBerry Traffic installed on your smartphone, you can easily add a location from BlackBerry Maps as a destination that you can then select in BlackBerry Traffic. This will allow you to get suggested routes as well as determine your estimated time of arrival – plus the ability to avoid traffic! To learn more, check out my post, BlackBerry Traffic 3.0 Released, Now with Voice Guidance! To use this feature, whenever you are viewing or are at a specific location, press the Menu key and select “Add to BlackBerry Traffic” from the menu.

Tip: Use the Application Switcher (press and hold the Menu key) to switch between BlackBerry Maps and BlackBerry Traffic. This is a great way to view your trip on a map and get suggested routes before leaving for your trip.

3) Find a Location

BlackBerry Maps is a really easy way to find a specific address, store, café and more. By default, a search will be completed near the center of the map unless you specify a different location before searching. To perform a search manually, complete the steps below.

1. On the Home screen, click the “Maps” icon.
2. Press the Menu key then select “Find a Location”.
   • To search for a point of interest such as a business or landmark, in the Find a store, café, etc. field, type the information for the point of interest.
   • To view a new location, type an address in the “Find an Address” field.
3. 3. Press the Menu key then select “View on Map”.

If you are viewing a location other than your current location, you can get directions to this spot from your current location by pressing the Menu key and selecting “Navigate to Here”. Your BlackBerry smartphone must have an internal GPS receiver or be paired with a Bluetooth® enabled GPS receiver to perform this task.

Tip: Customize your directions using “Route Options” – just press the “Get Directions” button along the toolbar followed by “Route Options”, which allows you to select the fastest or shortest route in terms of distance in addition to avoiding highways and/or tolls.

4) North Up vs. Track Up

A small feature that makes a big difference is the ability to change how the map appears when you are following directions or using the “My Location” feature. “North Up” is selected by default, which means the top of map is always North. My preferred setting is “Track Up”, which is designed to allow you to have your current direction as the top of the map. Try each setting using the steps to see what you prefer.

1. On the Home screen, click the “Maps” icon.
2. Press the Menu key and select “Map Orientation” followed by “North Up” or “Track Up”.

5) Favorites

Store your favorite locations so you can quickly reference them in the future!

1. On the Home screen, click the “Maps” icon.
2. View a location on a map.
3. Press the Menu key then “Add as Favorite” and confirm with “OK”.

To learn more about the features offered by BlackBerry Maps, make sure you visit the BlackBerry Maps website and check out this awesome demo.

Got a question or tip you’d like to share? Leave a comment and let me know!

A new feature available in select BlackBerry® 7 smartphones (such as the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900/9930 and BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850/9860 smartphones) is the Compass functionality. You can also use the Compass with location-based applications – such as the BlackBerry® Maps application that might be preloaded on your BlackBerry® smartphone – and is designed to provide you with information like driving directions, or your position in relation to points of interest. You can also use the Compass application to determine your direction in relation to the Earth’s magnetic poles or to true north.

Today I’ll show you how you can get up and running with the Compass so you use can take advantage of Augmented Reality apps such as Wikitude – a great way to explore the world around you!

Setting up the Compass

To access the Compass, open the Applications folder from the home screen and select the Compass icon. The first time you use the Compass app, you’ll be shown the Compass Tune Up screen which is designed to help calibrate the Compass. If you haven’t used the Compass before and launch an app that uses the Compass, such as Wikitude, you’ll be shown the Compass Tune Up Screen as well.

When this screen appears, move away from any metal objects and start flipping and tilting the BlackBerry smartphone. After a few moments, the BlackBerry smartphone is designed to vibrate, which indicates that the Compass has been successfully calibrated.

After calibrating the Compass, here are a few things you should know:

Change options for the Compass

1. On the home screen or in the Applications folder, click the Compass icon.
2. Press the Menu key and select “Options”.

• To change the way latitude and longitude coordinates are displayed, change the Location LAT/LON display format field.
• To change where the Compass points, change the Magnet/True North field.

3. Press the Menu key and select “Save”.

Calibrate the Compass manually

When “Calibration Required” appears at the bottom of the screen, you should calibrate the Compass manually for a more accurate Compass reading. To do this, complete the following steps:

1. On the home screen or in the Applications folder, select the Compass icon.
2. Press the Menu key and select “Calibration”.
3. Flip and tilt your BlackBerry smartphone until it vibrates.
4. The Compass is now calibrated.

View location on a map from the Compass

You can view the Compass and your location on a map at the same time.

1. On the home screen or in the Applications folder, click the Compass icon.
2. Press the Menu key and select “Location on Map”.

Navigate to a destination

You can use the Compass application to help you navigate by direction rather than by a driving route; for example, if you are in an area with no roads, or if you are walking to your destination. Before you begin, GPS technology must be turned on.

1. On the home screen or in the Applications folder, click the Compass icon.
2. Press the Menu key and select “Set Destination”.

• To find your destination on the map, place the cursor on the map.
• To search for a specific location, type the address or the latitude and longitude coordinates in the “Search” field. Click the destination.
• To search for a point of interest, such as a business or landmark, in the Search field, type the information for the point of interest. Click the destination.

3. The Compass displays the direction of the destination.

Troubleshooting

If you are not receiving an accurate reading from the Compass, try some of the following things:

• If the Compass doesn’t point north, move your BlackBerry smartphone away from metal or magnets.
• If “Calibration Required” appears at the bottom of the screen, calibrate the Compass manually using the steps provided earlier.
• To help prevent metal and magnets from interfering with the Compass, close the Compass application before you get in a vehicle or insert your smartphone in a holster.

Got a question about the Compass functionality? Leave a comment and let me know!

I’ve written before about Facebook® for BlackBerry® smartphones 1.9 and the cool new feature called Facebook Places. But every now and then I’m unable to update my location, and I get a message telling me that “Your location is temporarily not available”. There are a few reasons why this happens, and I wanted to share this info with you!

When the message appears, this means that your current location – such as an elevator, an underground parking garage, or anywhere else that may have poor cell reception – may not be accessible via Facebook Places at this time. At this point, before you do anything else, try moving to a location with better cell reception. Ideally, you want to be outdoors, as it’s easier to obtain a GPS signal. In most cases, this should address the issue.

However, if the message is still appearing when you try to check in, there are a few possible reasons for this:

1) The attempts to acquire a GPS or cell site location have failed. This may mean a number of things, such as:
- Your wireless provider does not support cell site location service
- Facebook Places may not be able to obtain a GPS signal while indoors
- Your BlackBerry smartphone may not contain GPS functionality and is running BlackBerry Device Software 4.5, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.7 or 4.7.1, which do not support cell site location (see KB25069)
- Wireless service is not available at your current location
- A temporary issue affecting GPS may be occurring

2) Your BlackBerry smartphone’s Location Services are disabled or have been turned off.
- Check out my previous post to find out how to enable Location Services on your BlackBerry smartphone.
- There may also be some IT policies enabled that affect how Facebook Places functions – see KB24995 for details.

If your device is capable of providing Location Services and they are in fact enabled, you may want to check in with @BlackBerryHelp or visit the BlackBerry Support Community Forums for further assistance. You may also want to review this article from the BlackBerry Technical Solution Center for additional troubleshooting steps.

Let us know if you have any questions!

One of the great new additions to Facebook® for BlackBerry® smartphones 1.9 is the ability to let your friends know where you are using Facebook Places. Want your friends to meet you for sushi? Using this new feature, you can easily check in and tell them where you are!

But before you get started, there are a few simple steps that you’ll need to take to properly allow the application to find your location and check you in to your favorite Places.

By default, the option Share my Location with Facebook is disabled (unchecked) and may also appear as a non-editable/grayed checkbox. This option will remain grayed out until the application is able to determine that you have allowed Facebook to use Places and you have accepted the Places disclaimer.

1. Open Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones.
2. Click the Places (P) icon.
3. Click the Check In button once it appears.
4. Select a location from the list that appears, or select Add a Place and enter a Name and Description, before clicking Create.

The following disclaimer is then displayed with the option to accept or decline:

Once this disclaimer is accepted, the Share my Location with Facebook will work. If you want to turn it off later on, simply press the Menu button, select Options and scroll to the option Share my Location with Facebook – adjust as you please.

(Please note your Facebook profile privacy settings may also require some configuration in order to allow Facebook Places to be shared. Please see the Privacy settings in Facebook for more information.)

To acquire a location using GPS technology, a BlackBerry smartphone with GPS capability must be used and location services must be enabled on the BlackBerry smartphone. If this option is disabled, Places will not function correctly. If the BlackBerry smartphone does not have GPS capability, Places will use cell site location services to determine your approximate location, providing Location Services are set to Location On.

To enable Location Services, complete the following steps:

On a BlackBerry smartphone with BlackBerry® Device Software 5.0:

1. Select Option
2. Select Advanced Options
3. Select GPS
4. Ensure GPS Services is set to Location On

On a BlackBerry smartphone with BlackBerry® 6:

1. From the homescreen, select the Search icon
2. Type Location Services
3. Select Options
4. Select Location Settings
5. Ensure Location Services is set to Location On

Please note that if Location Services is not available, your wireless carrier may not be allowing GPS access. Please contact your wireless provider for more information.

[Updated December 6, 2010]   If you are do not see a Check In option, your BlackBerry smartphone may not meet the minimum requirements to use this feature, or is encountering difficulty obtaining your location. Please review the following Knowledge Base article for additional assistance: http://www.blackberry.com/btsc/KB25069

If you see the message “Your location is temporarily not available” when attempting to use Places in Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones, check out www.blackberry.com/btsc/kb24970.

Now you are ready to use Facebook Places from your BlackBerry smartphone. Where will you check in first?