AT&T rethinking approach to non-iPhone GPS?
updated 04:25 pm EDT, Wed August 29, 2007
ATT Restores BB 8820 GPS
AT&T may have backtracked on an apparent decision to cripple GPS in the BlackBerry 8820 under online pressure, according to a new report. Previous sources had accused the American carrier of insisting that Research in Motion deliberately restrict software GPS support in the BlackBerry to favor the iPhone, boosting the Apple phone's marketability but forcing users to pay for monthly TeleNav service to use mapping on the 8820. The discovery of the arbitrary restriction and the subsequent negative press are said to have made AT&T reconsider the decision, however, and the BlackBerry 8820 is now set to allow any compatible software use its GPS service, the report claims.
Multiple sources have claimed that the BlackBerry 8820 will launch on AT&T's network in early September and is most likely due September 4th, immediately following Labor Day. If there are no changes, AT&T may be forced to sell some models with the restricted GPS feature still in effect, as early shipments will have already begun; these systems would have to receive a software upgrade after the fact, the source says.
AT&T has neither confirmed nor denied the reports, making its level of influence unclear. Like most providers, the company frequently chooses to modify or disable certain programs on many phones to promote its own services, but until now has not been accused of disabling one phone's features to promote another. The iPhone is its most heavily-marketed cellphone yet and is known to remain a highly-coveted exclusive for AT&T's network.
8820 Must not be tampered
08/30, 08:58am reply
I have been waiting for this phone with much more anticipation than the iPhone (and I consider myself an Apple fanboy). I do regret the fact that there is no camera but a non-crippled GPS will more than make up for it. I was livid when I first heard AT&T might be crippling the GPS on this unit, but the online backlash may have been effective enough to make them listen for once. Power to the people!
dimplemonkey
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 2001
Makes iPhone Better
08/30, 09:40am reply
Changing the market to favor the product is not a good thing. Now Apple will have some pressure to incorporate GPS. If they are concerned with battery life, then allow the user to disable it (the same way they can disable wifi to save battery life).
dynsight
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2005
I smell BS
08/30, 01:37pm reply
Total BS. This story has nothing to do with the iPhone - AT&T is simply trying to get more money out of Blackberry subscribers by forcing them into a monthly subscription to use GPS. It's as simple as that, and all the cell providers try this in different ways. Verizon does the same tactic by disabling desktop syncing by default on Treos, making most users do over-the-air syncing and use up additional wireless minutes. Sprint disables the ability to download photos from many of their phones onto your computer, forcing people to buy "Vision" to use airtime to send photos from place to place.
The only reason this story mentions "iPhone" at all is because certain people are creating wild conspiracy theories and trying to create artificial interest in this story, when simple greed explains everything. I'm glad AT&T is backtracking, but making this iPhone-related is a waste of time.
Gee-Man
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2001