Verizon locates switch to enable GPS on RIM 8330, 8130

BlackberrymapsgpslockIt’s nearly 18 months since we struggled with the GPS radio that wasn’t meant to be on the BlackBerry 8830. Oh, the device has a GPS radio, but Verizon Wireless disabled it when the 8830 debuted on the VZW network. Eventually, that got resolved, although not in the way we had hoped. Similar shenanigans continued on the network with RIM’s 8330 Curve and 8130 Pearl, but Boy Genius reports that Verizon Wireless has enabled the embedded GPS radio to work on the handset, and not just for the premium VZ Navigator service they offer.

Unfortunately, the radio only appears to work with the integrated BlackBerry Maps program at this point, so if you have a Curve or Pearl and were counting on Google Maps and the GPS, you’ll be let down.

I have no issue with the carriers making a fair profit and offering add-on value services, but the disabling or limiting of hardware features has to stop. It’s like buying a new car with a high-end stereo system and then not being able to listen to music while driving because the dealer claims they haven’t tested the radio’s effect on the roads. VZW: if you have to test advertised hardware features in handsets on your network, that’s fine. Just pick up the pace so the features get enabled before the handset model sees EOL.

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