During the past week I had the opportunity to take a couple of out of town trips and decided to use my BlackBerry Storm 2 for my GPS.

In preparation I ordered an Amzer Gooseneck vehicle mount.  The suction cup on this bracket is extremely strong and placing the Storm in it easy and is held very securely.  Attachment of the power cord is also convenient.

There are several areas within the Town of Clifton Park, New York which have very poor cellular reception.  Even in portions of the Town which are weak, the Garmin never lost reception.

Over the past years I tested GPS software from Verizon Wireless, Telenav and Garmin.  There are pros and cons to each.  The system I settled on is the Garmin for BlackBerry.  While it may not have some features of the VZ Navigator or Telenav, there is a one-time cost of about $90.00 vs. $10.00 per month for the others.  The Garmin has been precise and has acquired a satellite signal 100% of the time.  Additionally, the directions have been accurate, something I can’t say for the VZ Navigator.

My vehicle is equipped with Sync, which works exceptionally well.  While making and receiving calls changes the screen from navigation to phone, it is easy to get the navigation screen on, while still talking on the phone.  The only time an incoming call created an issue, was when the unit had been on for over an hour with no input.  When the system reverted back to the navigation screen after the call was completed, the phone went into lock mode as that is the default I have setup.  If the call had not come in, the navigation would have continued to work even without any input to the screen.

For those seeking a one device solution while traveling, the BlackBerry Storm 2 with Garmin software loaded is an effective solution.