Geomate.jr

I have been looking at that one but I'm in Canada and they don't have caches for Canada yet from what I understand. I'd also have to order it in the US. Having to purchase an extra update kit for new caches isn't thrilling me either. But if it works great and is very kid friendly maybe it is worth the extra? Hint... You may want to get in touch with Landsharkz (http://www.landsharkz.ca) No promises, but they could have some interesting info for you with respect to the Geomate.jr and Canadian caches.

G'day Guys The Update Kit is looking better and better by the day! Our target (and commitment to resellers) is to start shipping kits out no later than the 24th of August. Yep, definately later than we really wanted (and later than you guys wanted of course) but I sincerely thank you for your patience and support. The Update Kit will definately add a whole other dimension and usefulness to the Geomate.jr. And as it looks like the moderator has kindly asked to refrain from asking vendors direct questions, I'm happy for anyone to email me direct at warren@apisphere.com and re-post my responses. That said, I'll be watching this thread and answering any questions people have. After all, the moderator didn't say a vendor can't respond right?? Cheers Warren

G'day Dingbat11 Yep, you are 100% correct. The initial release of the Geomate.jr does only store the first 20 found caches in the found list. This has since been corrected and all units moving forward will be able to store the intended 1000 found caches. But I have some good news!! Another cool little feature of the Update Kit is the ability for us to 'upgrade' the software running on any Geomate.jr along with the geocache list if you want. So it will be very easy for you to get this feature without needing to swap or return your Geomate.jr. (We don't want to slow down your geocaching fun after all...) Thanks for keeping us honest on this one Dingbat11. To say thanks and to make up for the inconvenience, I'm happy to send you a free Update Kit when it is available. Please email me direct on warren@apisphere.com and we'll fix you up! Cheers Warren

G'day Markus You hit the nail on the head - at the moment, the Geomate.jr ships with a US database loaded by default. But don't despair, in a few short weeks we will be releasing an update kit that with allow you to select and load all of Europe into your Geomate.jr. Some more Update Kit details can be found here: http://www.mygeomate.com/update_kit I hope this helps! Cheers Warren

G'day Markus You hit the nail on the head - at the moment, the Geomate.jr ships with a US database loaded by default. But don't despair, in a few short weeks we will be releasing an update kit that with allow you to select and load all of Europe into your Geomate.jr. Some more Update Kit details can be found here: http://www.mygeomate.com/update_kit I hope this helps! Cheers Warren

G'day TnAMurphy99 Mahini has already done an awesome job of answering all of your other questions and here is the answer to the last one. The Update Kit will allow you to get the latest version of the default factory database (which is filtered to only include caches that have been in place for about 4 to 6 months and does not include anything over a difficulty 3) or you will be able to select a database that has had no filtering applied. In this case you'll get every traditional cache in the US (but in this case you will have to select between east and west coast - but there is a huge overlap of the areas). I hope this answers your question? Cheers Warren

No worries!

G'day All Sorry for disappearing for a bit there - actually managed to get away for a little scuba diving and geocaching R & R. But I'm back and eager to help! To answer some of the recent questions: For the Mac users, even though the Update Kit will only support PC on day one, you will NOT need to buy a different Update Kit when we do support Mac. It is only web/software development we need to complete in order to support Mac with no change to the hardware component needed. High sensitivity GPS? Yep, the Geomate.jr uses the SiRFstarIII GPS engine which is arguably the best performing GPS engine on the market today and is what most of the high end, more expensive GPS receivers use. If I've missed any other questions, please let me know!! Cheers Warren

Hi On the left side of the Geomate.jr is a flap. Lift this flap up from the bottom and you'll find a connection port. In about two weeks or so we will be releasing an Update Kit (http://www.mygeomate.com/update_kit) that comes with a cable that you will be able to plug into the Geomate.jr and your computer. This Update Kit is your key to unlimited updates for your Geomate.jr - including all traditional, non-premium caches for the US and any other country! Cheers Warren

G'day all! Just a really quick 'update' on the Update Kit. Well, I can proudly say we have functional update kits in house and they are looking sharp! But we still have a fair bit of work ahead of us until we can let 'em loose! Time wise, unfortunately we are still looking at 2 to 3 weeks before they will be on the shelves. Thanks for your patience! We're as anxious to see them released as you all are I'm sure! Cheers Warren

Thought I would give you guys a sneak peek of what the web interface will look like for the updates. Please don't read too much into it as many things change at the 11'th hour (as always). That said, comments are welcome!

We're still hammering away at getting the Update Kit ready to go. We're definately liking the way it's coming together (albeit a little later than we would like) but we really believe it will bring tremendous value. As promised, here's a sneak peek of what the web interface will look like. Please don't read too much into it as many things change at the 11'th hour (as always). That said, comments are welcome!

Yep, we are dangerously close... Unfortunately it looks like we won't quite make this month, but soon, I promise!! Want a sneak peek at what the update page interface will look like??

Geomate.jr cheerleaders? Simply brilliant! I'll get the engineering team some needle and thread right away! Problem though... We're stumped on what type of Pom Poms. Classic, plastic, glitter, metallic, solid color, mixed color.... Just too many choices!!

No worries, happy to answer any questions... We create a new version of the database every time we build more units for distribution. There's obviously no guarantees, but we try to keep it as fresh as possible. We are also encouraging any new retailer to keep an Update Kit in the store that customers can use to make sure they have the absolute lataest. I believe Groundspeak is planning on updating every unit that they ship - so you will have data not much older than 24hrs in this case. The factory loaded/default cache list is filtered to try to give it as much staying power as possible as well as family friendliness. As a rule of thumb, we only include caches that have been around for at least 4 to 6 months (staying power) and we don't include anything above a difficulty 3 (for newbies and families). We also do a check to make sure that any cache has been found relatively recently. Our thinking here, is to provide something that works out-of-the-box so anyone can give geocaching a shot without needing to spend a lot of money. For many people, this will be just fine and keep many families outdoors enjoying geocaching together for some time. But as we all know, new geocaches are being added daily and some caches have a tendency to disappear. In this case, you will have the option to use an Update Kit. With an Update Kit, you will get access to EVERY traditional cache (premium member caches excluded) - for the US and other countries. We can only hold about 250,000 cache locations and information, and there are more than that in the US. So the way it will work, is you plug in your Geomate.jr with the Update Kit, go to www.mygeomate.com, select the list you want (e.g. all of the US but filtered, east coast all caches, west coast all caches, Europe, Australasia, etc...) click the magic 'UPDATE' button and you will get the latest and greatest for the area you selected. Cool hey? It looks like the second week of July for the Update Kit. A little longer than we hoped, but to thank everyone for waiting for the Update Kit, we are offering a small rebate if you buy the Geomate.jr now. Details can be found at http://www.mygeomate.com/update_kit I hope this helps! Cheers Warren

First off, the disclaimer - yep, I work for the company. My name's Warren and I'm the guy behind the Geomate.jr. As so many of your criteria hits our strengths, thought I might chime in. Oh, and I'll just give you the facts, no hype. The Geomate.jr is equipped with a SiRFstarIII GPS chip which is arguably the best performing GPS technology on the market and is what many of the expensive GPS receivers use. This technology is designed for good position performance in difficult places (like heavy tree coverage etc) $69.95 Designed for the outdoors and to be used by children. To operate the Geomate.jr, you need to go outside and switch it on. It will work out the closest geocache to your current location and show the distance and direction to that cache along with size, difficulty, and terrain. All that is left is to follow the arrow. To move to the NEXT cache, just hit the NEXT button. Unlike anything else on the market, the Geomate.jr works on the concept of 'load every geocache so I don't need to hand enter them'. It comes preloaded with about 250,000 goecaches that cover all 50 states, so there is no planning or entering of coordinates - they're already loaded! It will work anywhere in the US by turning it on. If you want more caches (as there are more than 250k in the US) you can get them with an optional Update Kit. Admittedly though, as easy as it is to just head off to search for geocaches, it is not suitable for multi-caches as you can't hand enter coordinates when you are in the field. You can get more info at www.mygeomate.com and as mrbort mentioned, there's a thread called Geomate.jr Owners Report Cheers Warren

No worries! As a general rule (and we do have exceptions) the default database does not include geocaches that have not been in place for at least 4 to 6 months (for staying power) and we do not include any cache with difficulty above 3 (for some family friendliness). We do include micro-caches though. My guess is that your cache doesn't meet the 'must have been in place for 6 months' rule. But there a solution! With the update kit you'll be able to select a list where this filtering hasn't been applied. So you will be able to get ALL of the latest and greatest with a single click (ok, a couple clicks).

G'day Moonpup First, congrats on your Geomate.jr purchase! It's always good to hear from users of the Geomate.jr. As to your reset question, we don't really have a master reset as there really is nothing to reset to default settings. The two user configured items at this point are 'home waypoint' and 'found list'. You can't actually clear the home waypoint, but you can overwrite it by holding down both buttons when you have a valid GPS position. As for the found list, you can clear this by holding down the small button on the right for a long time (something like 8 seconds or so). I hope this helps!! Cheers Warren

Hi NYPaddleCacher You bring up some very good points and interesting questions to say the least. Here are some thoughts / answers... To answer this question in a nutshell, actually quite a lot! Personally I have been geocaching for about 4 years, have introduced others to the sport, have taken school groups and other youth clubs geocaching, and have geocached in over 5 countries. Having worked in the GPS industry for the last 10 years or so, I've had the good fortune of having experience with almost every handheld GPS unit on the market - many of which I've used for Geocaching. But now I use the Geomate.jr almost exclusively. Why? No planning needed and it does all I need it to. Because it is already preloaded with about 250,000 geocaches, all I need to do is switch it on and it doesn't matter where I am! You bring up some excellent points here! First, we do actually provide some additional information when we display the cache such as terrain, difficulty, and size; so you know what you are getting yourself into. But keeping the first time user experience in mind, we actually filter the default database to only include geocaches that have been around for at least 4 to 6 months (to give it a bit of staying power) and we don't include anything above a difficulty of 3. But if you want the harder or the latest geocaches, soon we will be releasing an Update Kit that will enable you to refresh this default filtered database or select an unfiltered version and have access to every traditional geocache location in the US (and other countries for that matter). Yep, another good point. Even though we use the SiRFstarIII GPS engine (arguably the best performing GPS solution on the market and is what most of the high-end GPS receivers use), just like any other GPS receiver, the Geomate.jr is still only your navigation tool to get you close but then it is up to you. Nothing really changes here except for the fact that you didn't have to download anything, plan in advance, take out a small loan to buy it, or read a small novel to work out how to use the thing - perfect for a bit of casual spontaneous geocaching for you or your family. Our goal is only to make the technology easier to use and more convenient, not to eliminate the need to get down and dirty and search for the geocache. I hope this has given you a little more insight into our thinking! Cheers Warren

Nah, this is our little secret - just between you and me. Unless someone else is reading this, but what are the chances...

Perhaps I can be of assistance. You can find information about the Update Kit, the rebate, as well as an Update FAQs here: http://www.mygeomate.com/update_kit We are getting dangerously close to the release of the Update Kit and admittedly, it's looking good! I think you'll be impressed. It will most likely be available for sale early July. Cheers Warren

Confessions up front - I work for the company. Normally I stay away from plugs, but given the topic, I just had to say something. The question of "why does it have to be so hard" is the exact question we were asking ourselves when we were thinking about the Geomate.jr. Sure, the technology behind the scenes is awfully complex, but that doesn't mean the user experience needs to be the same. The entire User Guide for the Geomate.jr can be summed up in 3 steps: 1. Go outside 2. Switch it on 3. Follow the arrow and distance to your closest geocache. In fact, these are the first steps in the Quick Start Guide - the rest are just details. Check it out for yourself: www.mygeomate.com My name is Warren and I'll be watching the forums to field any questions anyone may have. Cheers Warren

Hmmmm, don't really want to go too deep into the technical details. But I can say "yes, the device's software can be updated and is something we plan to take advantage of with the Update Kit. People will be able to access the latest features through a software upgrade using an Update Kit."

Sorry for not getting back to you earlier on this, it slipped through the cracks. The reason you don't see these Geocaches is the filtering we apply to the default database. As a rule, we don't include geocaches that haven't been around for at least 4 to 6 months at the time of the current list creation (for staying power) and we don't include difficulty above 3 (family-friendliness). Looking at the caches you mentioned: GC17EGQ: Difficulty too high GC1PR26: Hasn't been in place long enough GC1NX5R: Hasn't been in place long enough But the good news is that with the Update Kit (http://www.mygeomate.com/update_kit) you will be able to select a US database that is unfiltered so you will get all of the hard ones and caches that have been placed up to 24hrs prior the update.

I think everyone on this forum has already picked up on it, but we are offering a rebate on an Update Kit. It's our way of saying "thanks for being one of the first to own a Geomate.jr!" Details can be found here: http://www.mygeomate.com/update_kit Oh, and there is also an FAQ's about the Update Kit on the same page to help give a little more Update Kit insight. Cheers Warren