I took a different approach and emailed samsung instead of verizon to ask about the GPS and here is what I got back. What I got back was suprising and I went to the Samsung site and their literature no longer lists GPS as a feature on the phone see pdf link.
PDF
"Dear John,
Thank you for your inquiry. The built-in GPS feature of the phone supports Emergency 911 only. This is so that in case of emergency, you can be located by emergency services. There is no support for the use of 3rd party GPS devices at this time, nor do we have information about future development in this area.
Do you have more questions regarding your Samsung Mobile Phone? For 24 hour information and assistance, we offer our new FAQ/ARS System (Automated Response System) at
http://www.samsung.com/us/support/faqs/supportFaq.do. Be certain to check the Handy Resources links at the bottom of the page for quick access to things like the Owner's Manual, Warranty Information, Accessories, and more.
It's like having your very own personal Samsung Technician at your fingertips.
We do thank you for your interest in Samsung products.
Sincerely,
Technical Support"
Original Question (choose Samsung i910 when sending in question)
The GPS on this phone is currently locked. Verizon blames this on samsung and says it is waiting on you for a firmware update, and that they are hoping to have unlocked GPS functionality available by the 2nd half of 2009. Can you confirm this is the case and about when you will be sending updated firmware to verizon?