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webmicha

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Everything posted by webmicha

  1. No, I disagree. The problem is, that a cute developer has build an app with a feuture set no other can beat. GS is not able to offer an app with nearly the half of the features and while they say they use their own API the question comes up what the API can offer to a developer? For me it seems, that the API is the lack. As I remember, carnero would rather use the API for his app if it would support the needs for his app. You can't develop against an API when there's no way to realize functions while they are not supported. For that he decided to use another way, I guess just to demonstrate what's possible. From that point of view, I can understand how frustrating it must be if you want but can't. Maybe he hasn't the patience, a single person can act much more agile than a complete team in a company. Maybe it's only a big misunderstanding, who knows? I disagree again! The gap is between the market demands resulting in requirements that the API can't serve. It has nothing to do with GS' iOS app. If you compare the iPhone app (works well so far) with c:geo, you will find out that c:geo serves user's need much better. OK, Android users are in general different from iOS users due to not comparable philosophies. The core question to me is if GS' API could satisfy the requirements of c:geo or not. I guess no, at least not yet. If the answer is 'not yet', when will the API be ready? If the answer is 'no', what set of fuctions will GS offer to other developers? If you think ahead the comparison with A**le is not so far away since A**le has really strong restrictions of what developers are allowed to do and what not.
  2. Bashing isn't helful. The discussion here just shows that there is a gap between offer and demand.
  3. Since when? Believe it or not, there are many of us who use a dedicated GPSr for geocaching and PQ's are a great feature. All I see from your post is another person acting like a petulant child that didn't get their way and is now collecting his toys and going home. Need a hankie? Using PQs was a comfortable way to load caches for years. Btw: c:geo is also able to handle PQs as every other app, but that's not the point. Times are changing, with all the millions of smartphones which are sold in the last and coming years, user's behaviour is changing too. Now you will really get every information with just a finger tap and why should this not work for geocaching?! Every cacher should be able to go for a hunt in the way he wants. Those who are using PQs for their GPSrs or apps can do so, those who are prefering spontanous live caching should not be slowed down. I think it has to be accepted, that due to smartphone using, a new generation of cachers comes up and they have other necessities. On one hand there's an app which satisfy these demands, on the other hand this app has requirements which are not fulfilled by the service provider. Or in other words: what the service provider offers is not adequate.
  4. on the live map you can see all caches depending on the map scale you set while you are moving (e. g. by car). "Show on map" means to display the caches from a list (e. g. nearest 20 around the place you made the request) on a map. That's quite easy
  5. From my point of view, the available geocaching apps work in different ways and therefor apples are compered with oranges. c:geo stands for live geocaching while you can aquire cachelistings from anywhere you have an internet connection. Besides that, it can also deal with PQs like most other apps do. The disadvantage of PQs is, that they are static and from the point of creation on they contains "old" data. That's the way GPSrs work too and how a lot of cachehunters have learned it for years. It means you have to do a lot of prerequisites before starting a gc tour. Caching with a smartphone is completely different because you are always connected to the internet (under normal circumstances) and of course you have always access to all available information. From that perspective, the availabilty of live data enables you also live feedback, live logging etc. and results in a real-time experience that wasn't possible before. What I understand is that the API provided by GS was not able to fulfil the requirements of such an app so far and the developer used another way to gather the information the app needs to fit users interest. At the end, c:geo is the most installed, most used and best rated geocaching app for Android so far and all stakeholders in this conflict should be think about how to find a solution that respect users needs and wishes
  6. Where's the difference between opening gc.com in smart phone's browser or grabbing the same information by an app regarding load and traffic? Maybe c:geo is using data it get's from the WAP pages? I don't know it, but what I know is that 10 times more users have installed c:geo on their android phones then those using the official app. And be also aware that c:geo offers only features which are available through gc.com, there's no magic If you compare GS' iPhone and Android app, last one is extremely behind in development. Another point is, that you have to buy an app for 10 USD (7 EUR) without any guarantee of working. Just have a look at the ratings in market: GS' app has an average of only 3,7 stars, an indicator that it does not really fits user's needs and expections, or? GS has declined offering a geocaching lite app like they do for iOS, so it's no wonder people try first other free apps instead of buying a pig in a poke (don't argue that you can return an app if you don't like it, it is not lifelike to get an impression of a geocaching app within 15 minutes). GS writes "We are committed to improving the application and it is our goal to deliver the very best geocaching application for the Android platform. Although we will not be providing refunds beyond the Android policy, it is our goal to make you happy with your purchase. Current bugs will be addressed as quickly as possible and new features will be added shortly and you'll be able to download the updates free of charge." Both goals are not fulfilled yet, not for me and also not for many other users...
  7. Um...No it doesn't; unless it is done like c:geo did/does it. Most screen scraping apps for geocaching will actualy reduce the burden on the servers by saving data for future use. c:geo's live, non-stop, non-user initiated searching was indeed a load. I used it a few times when my WM6.5 phone had duel boot, but I stopped when I realized what it was doing. I also am not sad to see that app go. And what did you realized that c:geo does? My experience is that it acquires data only on user's request and there's no endless data sinking. In fact, it's a very convenient app, comfortable and easy to use, it has excellent interaction with map providers like locus and many more features the GS app doesn't offer.
  8. c:geo was always better than the "official" app: - very fast development speed - direct response to users wishes - a feature set covering nearly all needs - great interacting with map provider app like locus (for using osm) The advantage of c:geo was never that is was free of charge (I would have paid for it), how many opponents assume, but it gives the Android phone cachers what they need. I do not want to deal with PQs when I have the possibility to get always live data and therefor always actual information for the caches I want to go for. The GS App isn't just worth the money!
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