Geotagging coupled with BlackBerry Maps using the BlackBerry Storm can be very useful.

how to get here … when you’re here …

I’m going to say it; The best (a) feature on the BlackBerry Storm is the ability to geotag pictures.

Geotagging, for the layman, is using the internal GPS on the phone to embed a little bit of information on each picture that is taken. This information is the GPS coordinates of the picture. Essentially, the picture knows where it was taken.

That’s all well and good but what can it be used for. Well, with this feature coupled with BlackBerry Maps, pretty cool things can be done.

The Setup

The BlackBerry Storm needs to be set up to begin geotagging.

1. GPS services have to first be enabled. Go to Options > Advanced Options > GPS and change GPS Services to Location On.

2. turn on the camera and click the BlackBerry button > Options and change Geotagging to Enabled.

3. When taking pictures, wait for the red target and x on the bottom right.

You’ll notice that in the picture folder, all the geo-tagged pictures have a globe-like icon next to their picture name.

View on Map

The first most basic thing that can be done to a geotagged photo on the Storm is viewing it on the map.

Clicking on the picture, then the BlackBerry button > View On Map, the picture loads up on BB Maps and pinpoints the location it was taken. Pretty cool, but after the initial novelty of it, it’s relatively useless.

Getting Directions

After the picture loads on to BB Maps, it can be used to find directions to the place. Push the BlackBerry button again and then Get Directions. For the Start Location click Where I Am and the End location will be the picture filename. BB Maps will now give turn by turn directions to where the picture was taken.

Some Uses

1. Having a bad memory, I use geotagging to remember where I park. After parking, I take a picture of my car. Later, when I want to go home, I click Start GPS Navigation and as a little red dot I walk toward my car.

2. I can send my picture to anyone who has BB Maps on their Storm and they can use it to get to my location. I can just say, “Let’s meet here.” They’ll have directions to the place and a visual image.

Some limitations

The speed of geotagging is determined by the speed it takes the phone to get a GPS lock. This can be awfully slow, especially indoors. Under ground or under a thick ceiling and it could be downright impossible.

I found that it helps to get a GPS lock with an app that uses GPS like Poynt or BB Maps before I use the camera.

Geotagging doesn’t work on the Google Maps on the Storm.

Lastly

There are a few apps that use the Storm’s geotagging. Flickr users can upload the geotagged pictures onto their accounts and use them (Although, last I checked, it wasn’t a simple process). I’m sure there’s a few more uses I just haven’t come across.

The BlackBerry Storm is one of a select few phones on the market that currently can geotag, but I’m willing to bet it’s a feature that will someday be standard in phones.

**** Update ****

My girlfriend just got a Storm today! Hopefully she’ll help me with writing on this blog. Using her smartphone, I tested out this article sending her a geotagged picture and IT DIDN’T WORK. The sent picture loses it’s GPS information. I’m not sure why this happens but it kills an awesome reason for the use of geotagging.

I can, however, send my location to her using BlackBerry Messenger and she can use that to find directions to my location. Awesome feature for the BlackBerry Storm, but it’s technically not geotagging.