Given the recent ad campaign of Verizon, and AT&T's subsequent lawsuit, iblipped could not have better timing. The application is totally free, an essentially creates real carrier coverage maps based on user data. IT gathers data based on signal strength and dead zones, and compiles the data to create real coverage maps. iBlipped uses volunteered data, so the more people that use it the better. It works on any GPS enabled device, both GSM or CDMA.
Calling up Blips, you start out seeing a page that is acquiring sattelites. Pressing the Blackberry Button yeilds the options menu. Allowing you to set options such as recording mode, either Distance (good for driving) or time (good for walking). When you are done collecting your data, press the blackberry button, then press upload files. Pressing the end button sends the Blips program to the background where it continues to collect data while you go about your travels. Your data will show on our maps within 24 hours (but usually overnight if you get your files in before 9pm). So if you are going across town or across country, iBlipped.com needs your help to succeed.
I think this is a very cool app, especially for free, that over time will provide a great deal of data that could help improve networks.
Reader comments
iblipped App Shows Real Carrier Coverage Maps
...for those who like Blips, check out Cellumap:
www.cellumap.com
To download OTA point your BlackBerry browser to: cellumap.com/ota
See the map at:
http://www.iBlipped.com
Along the top of the map, click the carrier to see results.
Verizon ATT T-Mobile Sprint Telus Other
connects to satellites
shows collected info and location
but no map
Yea it kicked my batt life in the ass. But if this can in anyway help with terrible coverage it can stay on the car charger and I travel a lot.
When I saw this app, I thought that it was a cool idea and grabbed it. It's still a cool idea, but after using it for half a day, I deleted it. By the end of my day (around 10 pm), my battery level on my 9530 is usually at around 40%. With this app running, my battery dropped so quickly that by 7 pm I had to put it on the charger -- it was down to 14%. According to MeterBerry 1.5.8, my average discharge rate was over 17% per hour. As I said, I like the idea of the product - I just don't feel like carrying a spare battery with me wherever I go.
Hmmm... well, won't work on my 8830 b/c verizon blocks the gps. And it won't work on my 8330 (even though sprint enables gps) because the phone's not supported.
So... sounds like a great product. :-L
anyone know about iblipped for the Curve 8330?
what r the chances that the map is of canton where i live. lol i thought for a min that it like detected my ip and put up a map or something. But anyway im downloading just becuase its a map from canton. lol
That map in the screen shot is where I live!!!!
i was litterally thinking about this exact app idea a few weeks ago then again when the tmobile crap happened . awesome/
i was like it seems simple enough. why hasnt someone done it. and there it is lol
Says not available for the curve on the download page.
If they really wanted the data, they might want to include the blackberry that has such a huge volume of users?
so i dl this today and went driving with my friend i just went and looked on the map and there it was ct and mass with little dots where we drove today not all of them are up but i dont know if the gps was good on the back roads will see.
My BB 8330 is GPS capable, wonder if it can run on there?
I have received data from 8330 already from sprint and us cellular....give it a shot and let me know how it goes
HAHA! Its Stark County! My house can be seen from there,lol. Hello from Massillon!
no GSM?
I'll be testing this in Chicago!
good to go on my 9530 (vzw) ... i'll be plotting a bunch in the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix metro area) ... this should be interesting. I hope some AT&T users in the Valley start plotting so we can compare.
Hey just so you know you storm users can plot ATT, Verizon, and Tmobile. You just need to get your phone unlocked and go buy a cheapy pre-paid card with as few minutes as possible. All you need is to be able to lock onto the carrier to gather data. You just cannot upload until you switch back to Verizon.
also running 5.0.0.314 and it installed fine for me, I had it send me the link in an email. UI isn't very user friendly or intuitive though.
Hey that picture is in my neck of the woods
No blips at all in my area. Looking forward to posting some!
Posted some data last night from the upstate of SC, and they are already on the map! Nice job! Looks like someone else a little west of me did some too...
There were a mobile-ready map (Google Map Layer?) that could display the information from iblipped.com.
Y'know, since we're out the collecting the data and all.
Yes I got really excited when the new google maps supported layers. Unfortunately, the mobile versions of google maps, doesn't allow KML support, but they said the support for it will be coming soon. Once this hits or once BB correctly supports java script , we can see the data on the blackberry.
Does this mean the Verizon "Can you hear me now" guy is out of a job?
Yeah, So far, all the info on the Massillon, Canton, Canal Fulton, Alliance, and Akron area all belongs to me... But with so many fellow ohioans chiming in, I can only assume we're going to get a lot of data.
I've been doing my best to help out the developer with their website and also submitting the article to CrackBerry. Somewhere it got lost in translation what Blips actually worked on. The poster a few posts up stating "Storm 9530 (vzw), Storm unlocked (ATT), Tour 9630 (Vzw), Storm 9500 (Vodafone UK), Blackbery 8820 (ATT), BlackBerry 8830m" is correct.
One thing people needs to know is that you need to have the GPS Services set to Location On, rather than E911.
Happy Blipping!
I am in Massillon and now with VZw , but it is showing me on the Alltel network is this common ?
I am using the Tour 9630
The Miz,
I am not sure but if you were previously an alltel subscriber and now a verizon subscriber, I know you may still see alltel info.
Not sure why though. Jim I
Thanks Obie
Seen Massillon on it but I can't seem to get it to run on my Tour and every thing seems to hang up
It shows me on Alltel
All I see is
State:Running
Date and Time
Reseach in motion
Longitude
lattitude
s[peed
service
network
network service
and I can't read what is below and it will not allow me to scroll down
Should I see a map ?
George (the Miz) You won't see a map on your device, it is only collecting coordinates and radio signal levels, then when you upload it, and it gets processed by the iblipped servers, you can see your data at http://www.iblipped.com
Jim
I can only vouch for my Storm. It worked for me.
The directions are none existent so I am only watching my screen to see if it asks me to do anything after it collects all the data.
i going to try and see if this work up in canada
I want this app, but it doesn't matter what device you choose... it says not compatible!
It support 8530, 88xx, 9700, and all Storms, but no 8900 / 9000? wtf?
It works fine on my Pearl even though it isn't listed as compatible. Try it anyway even if the site doesn't say your device is compatible, I'm guessing it will work on a good number of devices that aren't specifically listed as compatible.
And no 83xx... lol, looks like it doesn't work on probably 80% of the Blackberrys out there!
I thought I saw something on this about it being able to work on bb's with gps..
Min Requirements from the app itself
# any blackberry with an onboard GPS that is unlocked by the carrier. Typically if google maps works to fix on a satellite, this program will work.
#
# Known to work on the following Blackberries: Storm 9530 (vzw), Storm unlocked (ATT), Tour 9630 (Vzw), Storm 9500 (Vodafone UK), Blackbery 8820 (ATT), BlackBerry 8830m
I tried installing on my 8900 with 5.0.0.314 and it doesn't work... might just be because i'm running a beta OS. But still, when you click on compatible devices, there's no mention of 83xx, 87xx, 8900 or 9000... anybody else have any luck install on one of these bb's?
Works on my 8900 with 5.0.0.314.
In general if you have internal GPS on your blackberry and your carrier has allow 3rd party apps access to the gps (e.g google maps not cellular triangulation), then the app should work. As I get more data with different devices I will update the supported list.
As long as the GPS signal is strong it shouldn't really effect battery life on the Tour. I left Google Maps on by accident one day and drove about 100 miles and it kept updating my status though the whole drive while my battery was only drained by 15%. The Tour has awesome battery life with the GPS on.
I came to comment on the odds of my house being on that map, only to be surprised by so many others saying the same thing!
Altimate One and shellhorn: I grew up in Perry Heights and I was surprised to recognize the map, too! :)
I went to the page about this and says the Bold 9000 is not supported. Anybody try it on an Old Bold? I am running 5.0.0.238 and not sure I want to try it...
Looks really cool and I'd burn up some battery on this.
I was looking at some of the routes and said "Hey, that looks like Ohio". Too Funny.
I saw the North Canton and 43, and thought "hmm that looks mighty familiar."
Oh nostalgia.
I have 5.0.0.230 installed and i get an Uncaught Exception java.lang.error when I try to run this.
Oops double posted...
This sounds like a good idea to me. Let real smartphone users determine how coverage truly is. And yes, this application will drain your battery. Anything that uses data and/or GPS drains battery. It's to be expected. I'll happily gather data for them in my morning commutes to work.
for the 8900? when i went to DL it said it was not compatible.
My house is on that map...SHOUT OUT to Canal Fulton, Ohio!!!
i'll shout out to masillon perry. gotta rep my hood.
Sounds pretty nifty, but myth is right on with the battery comment.
Especially for going to your carrier to complain about dropped calls and dead zones. I wonder who will buy this up and shut it down .. cough .. AT&T .. cough!
It just like that computer program that uses clients computers to compile information or some junk like that..
I just wonder how it will affect battery life if it is running in the background grabbing the gps signal.
Cool. I'm in, this info should really be useful to us and maybe a pain to carriers.