Main Features of BBMaps:

• Import/Export Favorites.
• Waypoints support for driving directions.
• GPS Support with quick refresh (1 second)
• Offline Maps using gMapMaker
• Online Maps via EDGE, 3G or Wifi.
  • Google Maps
  • Yahoo Maps
  • Windows Live Maps
  • OpenStreet Maps
• Keeps BlackBerry "Backlight On" when driving and locked into GPS.
• Exchange your Favorites with GoogleMaps using KML format
• Driving Directions and Location Search (Requires internet connection Wifi or Mobile)
• Import/Export bookmarks using KML format.

Offline Maps:

• Read info about offline maps here

Features on Development:

• Save & Load GPS driving route to file.
• Save & Load Driving directions to file for offline driving.
• Implemented v1.6.4!! Distance & Estimated time calculation for routes.
• Implemented v1.6.0!! Allow waypoints for driving directions.
• Audible directions.
• Implemented v1.6.5!! Autoswitch network interface between wifi and mobile.
• Icons and route drawing improvements
• Performance Tune
• Update hints that can be displayed
• Implemented v1.6.3!! Shortcut to fast re-route from current GPS location to destination
• Implemented v1.6.3!! Shortcut to quickly calculate directions from current GPS location to any point in the map
• Click any point on the map and be able to see geolocation information.

Changelog for Version 1.6.9 (20-Jan-2012):

• Added route details to search results page, shortcut key '8'
  • Total distance
  • ETA

Changelog for Version 1.6.8 (20-Jan-2012):

• Persistent routes on restart
• Improved directions search.
• Improved icons.

Changelog for Version 1.6.5 (19-Jan-2012):

• Added Autoswitch network interface between wifi and mobile for BlackBerry
• Added new features available only with shortcuts:

  Add Destination to Route

• Fixed problems for J2ME compatible phones.

Changelog for Version 1.6.4 (19-Jan-2012):

• Added new features available only with shortcuts:

  Route Source
  Route Destination
  Add Waypoint to Route

• Distance and Estimated time calculation implemented on waypoint details, select any waypoint along the route to check distances and ETA

Changelog for Version 1.6.3 (17-Jan-2012):

• Added new features available only with shortcuts:

  Search Directions
  Search Local
  General Search

  Recalculate Route
  Calculate Route from GPS to Map Center

Changelog for Version 1.6.1 (14-Jan-2012):

• Added search of directions with the following options
  • Avoid Highways
  • Avoid Tolls
  • Walk and Driving calculation

Changelog for Version 1.6.0 (13-Jan-2012):

• Added Support for waypoints & multi-route on directions using the following format that can be used at destination field:
  • Directions from A passing at B and C to finally arrive at D:
    • From: A
    • To: B to:C to:D
• Example
  • From: 3rd St Park Ridge, IL
  • To: Meigs Field, Chicago to: Smart Museum of Art, Chicago

Thanks to Google!! their geolocation system is amazing!!

Important Shortcuts that makes everything easier:

Arrows - move map
# - Zoom in one level
* - Zoom out one level
0 - Track My GPS Location
1 - Previous place on Route
2 - Toggle Display Route/Search Points
3 - Next place on Route
4 - Add favorite at the current position
5 - Toggle joystick mode
6 - View Favorites
7 - Rotate screen
8 - Search Results
9 - Next map type

t - GPS full Screen
y - GPS Overlay

g - Recalculate Route from GPS
h - Calculate Route from GPS to Map Center

j - Search Directions
k - Search Local
l - General Search

v - Route Source
b - Route Destination
n - Add Waypoint to Route
m - Add Destination to Route

Tips:

• Internet
  • By default BBMaps is configured to use the Internet connection of your Mobile Network, to use Wifi Internet select:
    • Settings > Advanced > Append to HTTP Request > ;deviceside=true;interface=wifi
• View KML
  • Open from web address is not working, but open file located on the phone memory works.
• Searching Directions and Locations
  • Sometimes search won't work, it can give the following messages:
    • No results found.
  • Google did not understand the places you are searching.
  • Search result is so big that phone could not process it.
  • Error downloading data.
    • Check your internet connection.
    • Search server might be offline.
  • Error understanding downloaded data.
    • Update BBMaps if this message always appears.

Why BBMaps?

Google products are great but Mobile Google Maps for BlackBerry has the following problems:

• Not being able to add favorites on latest version 4.5.3 because of "unknown location" issue.
• When you are outside network coverage (offline) it will show a message and then close itself because you don't have a network connection even if the current map is cached.
• GPS updates are slow.
• Sometimes when driving it won't keep the BlackBerry backlight on.
• No offline support.

These problems with Google Maps made the application unusable for me, at least on BlackBerry.

Trying some alternatives found MGMaps but was not good enough.

Since MGMaps source code was available decided to give it a try and improve it, developers of MGMaps have done a great job but they stopped the development time ago.