BryceS
join:2007-09-17
Waterloo, ON
| [ Mobile] Bell will be 'throttling' free Blackberry GPS Apps
In the coming weeks Bell will be making GPS satellite locks performed by free/3rd party apps* take 2-10 minutes instead of the standard 15-20 seconds to make GPSNav [Sold separately] look like a better product with it's 15-20 second GPS lock.
* Blackberry Maps, Google Maps, etc.
The following phones are affected:
• BlackBerry 8830 World Edition.
• BlackBerry 8130 Pearl.
• BlackBerry 8330 Curve.
Various quotes include:
"Clients should be using GPS Nav from Bell Mobility"
"High quality locates are only available by using GPS Nav" Source: »www.howardforums.com/showthread.···=1435850
Confirmed.
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My employer is in no way responsible for my views/suggestions/posts made in this forum. |
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HiVolt
Premium
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON
clubs: | I smell a new ad.
Bell. We're the better throttler.
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GO LEAFS GO! |
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Snickerdo
Premium
join:2001-02-28
Niagara Falls, ON | reply to BryceS
Wow, typical Bell bullshit. Nothing they do surprises me anymore. The talking points they are providing to agents are just great, too.  |
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R0CKY
TSI Rocky
Premium,VIP
join:2005-05-19
Chatham, ON
|  reply to BryceS
Unreal.... I actually enjoyed the Google maps off my Blackberry.... So much for that idea! Guess the $100+/month data and voice plan isn't enough to cover that additional bandwidth! Booooooo
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TSI Rocky - TekSavvy Solutions Inc. |
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BryceS
join:2007-09-17
Waterloo, ON
| said by R0CKY  :Unreal.... I actually enjoyed the Google maps off my Blackberry.... So much for that idea! Guess the $100+/month data and voice plan isn't enough to cover that additional bandwidth! Booooooo Do you need BES support or tethering?
Take the $30 Unlimited Data BIS and no tethering. |
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R0CKY
TSI Rocky
Premium,VIP
join:2005-05-19
Chatham, ON
| Hmm.. no clue. Never put any time in this end of things as it just worked.
Sounds like we might be needing to put a little more effort on this side of things shortly! 
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TSI Rocky - TekSavvy Solutions Inc. |
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hmmmmmmmm
@videotron.net
| reply to BryceS
Do I understand you correctly?
(I'm blackberry dumb)
What I understood is this:
Free 3rd party GPS apps doing GPS satellite locks will take 2-10 minutes instead of the normal 15-20seconds.
(I have no idea what a GPS satellite lock is)
They are doing this in order to sell Bells own GPSNav app which will have no forced times delay (throttle) in order to sell their GPSNav app as the best alternative for speed.
Does this mean the 3rd party apps will also cost more to use since they will be purosely delayed by minutes?
Wouldn't this be anticompetitive? |
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Robrr
join:2008-04-19
Toronto, ON | reply to BryceS
I wonder if RIM will allow that to happen for very long, I mean it is their own app on the blackberry. |
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BryceS
join:2007-09-17
Waterloo, ON | reply to BryceS
RIM already approves of this on Verizon [USA] and O2 [Europe]. |
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Robrr
join:2008-04-19
Toronto, ON | Seriously???? I could understand them allowing the network provider to offer their own mapping service on the bb but to allow their own app that is free to be throttled?? Something doesn't sound right. |
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BryceS
join:2007-09-17
Waterloo, ON
| reply to hmmmmmmmm
said by hmmmmmmmm :
Free 3rd party GPS apps doing GPS satellite locks will take 2-10 minutes instead of the normal 15-20seconds. (I have no idea what a GPS satellite lock is)
The time it takes a GPS satellite to 'find you'.
said by hmmmmmmmm :
They are doing this in order to sell Bells own GPSNav app which will have no forced times delay (throttle) in order to sell their GPSNav app as the best alternative for speed. Yes.
said by hmmmmmmmm :
Does this mean the 3rd party apps will also cost more to use since they will be purosely delayed by minutes? Not really. Most users are on unlimited data plans to begin with.
said by hmmmmmmmm :
Wouldn't this be anticompetitive? To Google, maybe.
RIM, the inventor of the Blackberry, already approves of this behavior on other international carriers.
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BryceS
join:2007-09-17
Waterloo, ON
| reply to Robrr
said by Robrr :Seriously???? I could understand them allowing the network provider to offer their own mapping service on the bb but to allow their own app that is free to be throttled?? Something doesn't sound right. Let me be more clear.
Verizon Blackberry users don't even have access to Blackberry Maps unless the GPSNav is purchased.
Most O2 Blackberries aren't even shipped with the Blackberry Maps software.
Bell is the only one to throttle, as other carriers just disallow access all together. |
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Robrr
join:2008-04-19
Toronto, ON | That is seriously f'ed up. Thank god my new BB Bold is from Rogers.
Mind you as soon as they start a tactic like this, I am done with them. |
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rickstep
join:2002-11-25
Hamilton, ON
| reply to BryceS
Perhaps; WE (collectively) are responsible.
30 years ago (give or take) if you ordered telephone service, you HAD to rent your phone from Bell. The CRTC finally ended the practice after a Montreal company took Bell to court for violating common carrier rules. I'm hoping my memory here is not too faulty. At least you can hook up the phone of your choice today.
The cell phone that you use is not sold to you, it is sold to Bell, Telus, Rogers etc. and is essentially given permission to work on the network that purchases the phones. The phones are then sold (and imprinted with the Bell etc. logo) or more precisely you are blackmailed with your own money to sign a contract for a free phone that has a few some or most of the built in features disabled. Bell also does this with the Siemens/Speedstream 6520 and other modems where they disable the built in firewall and then sell you security services.
This problem will not go away until we begin to buy our phones from independent suppliers, the bill you get from Bell Mobility and others is reduced to only reflect the network charges and legislation is in place to force open standards on cellphone providers, ISPs and other future communication systems that currently don't exist. |
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theninjasqua
join:2007-09-26
Oakville, ON
| reply to BryceS
Unlimited data plans? I didn't think Bell even offered that. Can you clarify?
Also I am assuming Bell will not be sending notices out or making a formal announcement about this either to inform its customers. I guess they just want us to keep wondering why our GPS lookups are taking so long until we give in and call into support to waste their time so that they can upsell us on the GPSNav.
They're doing anything they can nowadays to make an extra buck, this is getting ridiculous.
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-theninjasquad |
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BryceS
join:2007-09-17
Waterloo, ON
| said by theninjasqua :Unlimited data plans? I didn't think Bell even offered that. Can you clarify? Also I am assuming Bell will not be sending notices out or making a formal announcement about this either to inform its customers. I guess they just want us to keep wondering why our GPS lookups are taking so long until we give in and call into support to waste their time so that they can upsell us on the GPSNav. They're doing anything they can nowadays to make an extra buck, this is getting ridiculous. Bell's had unlimited data plans for BBs since Spring.
Telus since December.
Rogers has 6GB since July. |
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theninjasqua
join:2007-09-26
Oakville, ON | Do you have a link to that on their website?
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-theninjasquad |
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CanadianIron
join:2006-10-08
Beverly Hills, CA
| reply to BryceS
Sneaky sneaky....
Rather than just disallow the 3rd party application they purposefully and discretely limit it so that their own inferior service appears to be superior.
Good business decision for now as it could be good for revenues in the short term. Whoever made the ultimate decision to implement this needs a refresher course in ethics.
Many believe in karma, so in the end it all equals out.
It is possible to get to the top without stepping on others heads. One idea would be to offer a superior service to the free service for a modest fee. Too bad Bell has no idea how to do that. |
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BryceS
join:2007-09-17
Waterloo, ON
| reply to theninjasqua
said by theninjasqua :Do you have a link to that on their website? »www.bell.ca/shopping/en_CA_QC.Un···.details |
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riojew04532
@cia.com
| reply to BryceS
If I understand correctly how this is going to work from an inside source its that clients without the service SOC on their line will not get the a-GPS data, either because the device isn't sent the info or the application itself isn't allowed to get the data (only the paid app can access this info). |
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