Saturday, May 30, 2009

Check us out on Facebook!

We have a page on Facebook! Looks us up and even become a fan!

Search for nRange Golf GPS if the link doesn't work.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Use nRange on Verizon 8830 and Curve

More info from Charlie (who has a 8830 on Verizon).

I use the Hollux M1000. I found it on Amazon.com for $39.95. It also works well with BBMaps for Navigation. I like it because it is small and fits in my pocket on the golf course. I hope this helps.

Easily switch to email and back

Ken E. recently sent us a suggestion to make it easier to check email while using nRange. Thanks for the suggestion, Ken! We thought you played golf to get away from email, but realize it is a fact of life.

Here is how you can easily switch between email and nRange:
Use the red "hang-up" button to return to the home screen and click on your email client. When done, just click on the nRange icon again and you will go right back to where you were.

Advanced tip:
To switch applications, hold the Alt key and press the Escape button (looks like the back button). Continue holding the Alt key and select an application. Release the Alt key.
We have also heard you can map the side button on your blackberry to switch between applications.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Verizon works with External GPS puck

See another note today from a user about a solution for Verizon to enable nRange Golf GPS to work. Thanks Charlie!

The nrange will work with the Verizon BB 8830 if used with an external GPS puck.

Charlie Ware, BSRT

Potential "unlock" for Verizon and Alltel subscribers

An exciting message from one of our users is pasted below. Thanks Derrick!

Just some advise for Verizon users to try. I have an Alltel Curve 8330. I previously had the same issues with GPS not working. I actually did a few things to my phone and now it works. First I upgraded to v4.5.0.89 OS, it is not the latest but after reading several blogs, at the time it was the latest OS that supported GPS (I have no way of know if that is true, I just went with it). Updating the OS alone did not make a difference, I found another blog that explained how to do a diagnostic test on the phone. On my 8330, from the main menu, I select Options, scroll down and select Status. When viewing the Status screen I type the word “test” (without quotes, you can not see anything that is being typed). The phone goes into a diagnostic mode. I select the menu key (key just left of the trackball) and select Start. A menu is displayed with several options. The last option is GPS. I selected the GPS option, and click the run button. Instructions pop up indicating to use the track ball to select start fixing. The phone activates the GPS and gets a fix on the lat and long. After that the phone GPS chip works with all apps. I have had instances where the GPS would not get a lock, but I just redid the test and it cured my problems. Verizon users may want to try and do the same thing.

I appreciate your effort to create an app that is useful.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

v 0.95 is now live!

New/Improved Features in v 0.95 beta
Download or Upgrade today to take advantage of these new features:

  • Smoother/faster performance
  • More robust server connections
  • Course mapping prioritization improvements
  • GPS connectivity now uses Assisted GPS on phones that support it for faster satellite locks.
  • Better GPS connectivity on certain carriers/networks

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Mapping Progress

nRange Golf GPS now has active courses in 39 states! We have active courses in cities from Miami to Maui and everywhere in between! There is some concentration in the Southeast. It seems like our fans believe that we provide the best Blackberry golf rangefinder experience available!

Thanks to everyone's enthusiastic support for our Blackberry Golf GPS app we have seen a surge in requests for courses that are not yet mapped. We would like to make sure we are focused on making sure maps are ready when you are planning on playing. To help us do this, we have revamped the box that pops up when you select a course that has not yet been mapped that will help us prioritize better.

To help make sure the nRange experience is great for all of our users, we need your help.

If you made a request in the last couple of weeks, we are probably behind where we would like to be in fulfilling it. If you have specific plans to play a course, please search for it again so we can have an updated record of your interest and give us an updated idea of when you will be playing. We are going to be concentrating our mapping time on courses with multiple requests and requests from multiple users.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

How many yards away is Augusta National?


Get your yardage and see aerial images of August National on nRange Golf GPS.

nRange Golf GPS has recently made course information for Augusta National available on your Blackberry. While we watch some of the best pros in the game compete at one of golf's great venues, check out how many yards you are from some of those fantastic holes.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Verizon not as open as we thought

We've been working through some issues with very patient users over the last couple of weeks, and it finally appears like we can conclude that Verizon has not really opened up the GPS chip on the Curve and 8830. We've included some horror stories from users below. Please let us know if anyone has been able to get a different answer.

"I just switched to the Curve 8330 from the Storm. I was not impressed with it at all. Anyway, I downloaded the nRange, but it keeps telling me that the GPS chip is missing or not on. My GPS is set to on, but still nothing. nRange worked great on the Storm. I just got the Curve yesterday, any ideas?"

"Spoke to verizon again. Looks like the only way to get it to work is to buy a storm per employer.They have unlocked third party gps for the storm only. He thinks it is a hardware issue. I think its software. Thanks for the reply earlier. "

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Going on a Golf Trip? Make sure all of the courses are ready to play

We recently got an email from a user who is going on a golf trip this week. Other than jealously thinking about how nice it would be to get away for a few days, we also wanted to make sure he was ready for his big trip.

If you have a special occasion or are going on a once in a lifetime trip, here are some tips to make sure nRange Golf GPS will help you create some special memories:
1. Search for all of the courses you will be playing and see if they are available
2. If any are not available, be sure to indicate when you will be leaving by checking the right radio button next to the days remaining till you leave.

Optional: drop us a quick email to nrange@nrange.com to let us know about your big plans so we can make a special effort to get the courses mapped and ready to play. Besides, we like hearing about the great trips! After you get back, drop us a photo or at least an email telling us how it went!

Verizon unlocks GPS chip - Blackberry OS update needed for it to work

This post explains how Verizon just unlocked the GPS chips on their Blackberry phones, but you will need the 4.5 version of the Blackberry software for it to work. The post explains how to get it.

http://www.blackberrycool.com/2008/12/gps-now-unlock-for-verizon-blackberry-8130-and-8330-blackberry-bytes/

Saturday, March 14, 2009

"unlocking" the GPS chip on Alltel

On Alltel and having an issue getting the GPS to connect? Read this thread on a Blackberry forum:
This may also be the case for Verizon.

http://www.blackberryforums.com/gps-mapping/110191-gps-not-working-8830-alltel.html

There was another post that included this info as well:
urious if anyone has tried downloading Telenav? I have an 8830 with Alltel and I had to download Telenav, purchase a trial subscription, and the first time I logged into Telenav on my BB, GPS started working on all other programs (Google Maps, Blackberry Maps, Berry411). I have since canceled Telenav, but GPS still works.

Telenav offers a 30day free trial. The software is downloaded from
VERIZON:
TeleNav
ALLTEL:
TeleNav

Friday, March 13, 2009

New version of Free Golf GPS nears official launch!

New version nears official launch!

Please try the new version and tell us about any bugs. This will help as we wrap up final testing.

Try by pointing your Blackberry browser to nrange.com


What's new?

* Better error handling. If you've had trouble downloading the app, please give it another try!

* More streamlined and easier to use rangefinder screen (see below).

* New green outline feature so you can see the shape of the green without even opening the map

* Easy shot measurement - Exactly how far was that monster drive?

* Enhanced map functionality including a movable "target" to help you determine distance to any feature on the course

* More little changes to improve your experience including a GPS signal strength indicator and online help topics

Why change the name?

After a lot of discussion, we wanted a more distinctive name that would be easier to register the trademark. This marks an important milestone for us. We appreciate all of the feedback that helped us get to this point. Keep the feedback and suggestions coming!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Mailbag

Several users have been very helpful in providing testing feedback on the new version. Through this process, we've been able to assemble info on ensuring that your Blackberry has its GPS chip unlocked and ready for nRange Golf GPS to use it.

We get excited to hear your feedback - the good and the bad. Here is a selection:

OMG this thing is AWESOME! - Knoxville, TN

It does not work with the blackberry pearl, so if that could happen, I would try to get it again.
Our Response: we found out that this user was on a carrier that currently restricts access to the phone's GPS chip. Many users use the Perl quite successfully. This particular carrier has hinted that they will soon open up the GPS.

Make the controls more accessible and easier to use. Too difficult to press.
Our response: Good feedback. Our usability testing has told us the same thing and we think you'll be excited to see the next version that should be released very soon!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

More courses available

Thank you for being part of the Free GPS Golf family of users.

The last few weeks have been very active so we wanted to give you an update with some highlights.

1. A new screen layout is under development thanks to your valuable feedback and suggestions.

2. New users are downloading every day - thanks for your referrals!

3. Please send us "mapping requests" for your favorite courses. Average turn around time on mapping requests have been about 2 days. In some cases we've been able to turn around special requests the same day.

4. We've made 63 new courses available for play in the following areas:

Baton Rouge, LA

Bay Saint Louis, MS

Belden, MS

Biloxi, MS

Birmingham, AL

Brandon, MS

Columbia, TN

Coral Springs, FL

Cordova, TN

Duluth, GA

Fairburn, GA

Flowery Branch, GA

Flowood, MS

Franklin, TN

Gautier, MS

Germantown, TN

Goodlettsville, TN

Gulfport, MS

Guntersville, AL

Guntersville, AL

Hattiesburg, MS

Hendersonville, TN

Hernando, MS

Hoschton, GA

Jackson, MS

Knoxville, TN

Lakeland, TN

Lawrenceville, GA

Louin, MS

Lumberton, MS

Madison, MS

Mckinney, TX

Memphis, TN

Millington, TN

Nashville, TN

Ocean Springs, MS

Olive Branch, MS

Oxford, MS

Pascagoula, MS

Pass Christian, MS

Pebble Beach, CA

Philadelphia, MS

Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Sardis, MS

Saucier, MS

Scottsdale, AZ

Smyrna, TN

Southaven, MS

Sumner, MS

Tunica Resorts, MS

Tupelo, MS

Vancleave, MS

West Point, MS