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JustMike

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Posts posted by JustMike

    Best Android geocaching app?

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    A previous entry here mentions that android phones cannot import .gpx files from Gmail, but I have had no problems doing so using the MyTouch 3G...YMMV.

     

    I use K-9 for my email, and my .gpx (and actually.zip) imports right into Cachemate on my Droid with no problems.

     

    Some combinations of gmail (the gmail app, not gmail via a web brower) and some apps do not allow gpx downloads correctly. I believe GeoBeagle has this problem, but don't recall which other apps also bump into the problem. It's, evidently, a well-known browser problem that some apps work around and others don't.

    Best Android geocaching app?

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    ...The only mobile app for Android that does all this, that I'm aware of, is the one we can't talk about. And, evidently, the future app from Groundspeak.

     

    How soon?

     

    I'm not a Groundspeak employee or volunteer and don't even play one one TV. However, a semi-official comment a day or two ago was that the app was getting some alpha testing now and would begin beta testing soon. Sometime in Spring seems like a good guess.

    Best Android geocaching app?

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    Yeah, I personally would love it if finding a new cache nearby was as simple as the program imploring use of a modified version of Google Maps. It would save having to open a browser up, scrolling on the screen and then trying to zoom in on the map with such limited controls. Anyone know if a "geocache filter" on google maps could be done in the same way that this site does it but in an interface?

     

    I believe that all the programs that do this violate Groundspeak's TOU, but perhaps someone will provide a 'legal' example. The only mobile app for Android that does all this, that I'm aware of, is the one we can't talk about. And, evidently, the future app from Groundspeak.

    Alternative Hike of the Month (AHOTM)

    in Northwest

    Posted

    Anybody know if snow will be an issue? Normally this would be a snowshoe hike in March, but this has been a low-snow year.

     

    There was 6 inch-ish along the freeway when we drove through there a few days ago. I would assume there's just enough snow on the trail to be a hassle and not enough to use snow shoes. Enjoy!

    Best Android geocaching app?

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    I tried out Geobeagle, but I can't get it to import PQ files. It tries to, but says there's nothing there. And there no longer is as it deleted the file! :anibad:

     

    It was cool to have it show up as a link when I clicked the "preview" button in gmail for the ZIP file though. Cachemate works similarly, but was actually able to load the file.

     

    I believe there is a bug that involved the Android gmail app, attachments and some apps, like GeoBeagle. Don't recall the details, but you can do the PQ to GeoBeagle download by using a browser to access your gmail account rather than the gmail app. Yup, it's inconvenient.

     

    If you're using GeoBeagle, the little app 'Find Geocaches' is useful and it allows you to do live searches and feed them to GeoBeagle. Makes GeoBeagle almost as good as the app we can't discuss.

    Best Android geocaching app?

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    Sounds good, although I could not find 'find geocache' in my market. It may not be available in Canada or at least until we get an update. I am also waiting to try Google goggles....LOL

     

    It's 'Find Geocaches' by pgray16. http://sites.google.com/site/pgray16/find-geocaches . pgray16@gmail.com Don't know if that's a US-only app or some other restriction. You may be able to get it from the developer. And, I have no relationship with pgray16. I just found his app a useful addition to GeoBeagle.

     

    Goggles is a cool idea. Not sure how useful it is, but the idea is intriguing In any case, it's available via the Market too (at least in the US).

    Best Android geocaching app?

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    I am using I have geobeagle on my hero and it appears to work well, it is available in the market at no charge. you need to turn the gps on (i added a shortcut so there is an "gps on / off" icon on my home screen) and you will see the gps in the task bar, it looks like a satellite dish. Once the gps is on, run your browser and head to geocaching.com. once you are in the cache you want to look for "For online maps" just under the hint section and click on google maps. the phone should prompt you to "complete this action using..." and select geobeagle and your off.

     

    Geobeagle also supports other formats (LOC GPX...) and you can check out their project page, it contains a complete tutorial, videos, contact info...

     

    http://code.google.com/p/geobeagle/

     

    Another application available in Android Marketplace is 'Find Geocaches.' This little app does a live search and passes the data to GeoBeagle. Little easier than the Web Browser Shuffle.

    Best Android geocaching app?

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

     

    I have only done one cache with my HTC Hero. It took longer to settle out than my 60cx but once it did they both showed the same "2 meters west" when I was standing at GZ. This was under medium tree coverage. The only concern I have is with durability. It appears to me that my garmin can take a licking but I'm not prepared to put my phone through the same.

     

    That's the experience I've had with my Moto Droid too. The GPSr in the Droid is roughly as accurate as my Garmin 60CSx, but the Garmin is much more rugged. My 60 has been dropped on rocks, been underwater multiple times and is frequently gritty with mud. My droid got splashed at the bathroom sink and stopped working for 12 hours and now has the little 'got wet' indicator activated so my warranty is void. There are times with using a cell phone to geocache makes sense, but other times when a more rugged device is the answer.

    Best Android geocaching app?

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    What I'd really wish for at this point is the 'app that shall not be named' to change from scraping-based to GPX-file-based, so I could drop PQs in it, like CacheMate works. It'd be my favorite if that happened, but as is, it's getting deleted.

     

    Why not use CacheMate? The Droid version works nicely. It doesn't do live searches since Groundspeak does not allow any application other than their own to do so, but it does what it does well.

     

    By the way, GeoBeagle does a nice job with PQ management too. And the app 'Find Geocaches' allows live search data to be fed to GeoBeagle. Not sure if 'Find Geocaches' is a screen scraper, however.

    Best Android geocaching app?

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    I am flip flopping on this issue a lot so don't quote me. Today I read something on the developers web page that made me flip Groundspeak's way.

     

    "Coming soon---Storing caches and images to memory to allow offline geocaching"

     

    I am guessing that in other words currently the app goes out to gc.com every time he switches pages because he has no persistent data! This is extremely bad programming practice and if this is the case and I was a programmer at GS, I would be really ticked off. Phone data and gc.com data are not free. The bandwidth costs money. Persistent data is the major way of conserving bandwidth. GS can not stop someone from accessing the gc.com site so they simply stopped people from advertising an app that abuses access. I am hoping the adding of persistent data will make GS happy. GS might even have suggested the change.

     

    I am guessing Android phones require unlimited data access. I know Google Maps does not allow any app to make the map data persistent. You must load fresh map data every time you zoom or pan.

     

    I'm really not following your logic. You're claiming that any application that accesses gc.com as data is needed rather than downloading it before it's needed and storing it is 'extremely bad programming practice?' Why? Networks today are cheap so are very commonly used to avoid increasing local storage. That, in a nutshell, is the major component of cloud computing. With your definition of 'bad' every web browser is bad. Google is bad. Heck, gc.com is bad because they encourage this bad behavior.

     

    Further, how is it better to download the data for 500 caches and only actually use 5% of that data? What a huge waste of network bandwidth, local storage and server (ie, gc.com) computer power. On-demand data gathering can be very good.

     

    As long as were guessing, I'm guessing that gc.com strongly wants to avoid apps that store gc data rather than accessing the gc.com web site on-demand since those apps caching data allow users to avoid viewing the ads that gc.com sells. That's probably one of the reasons that Groundspeak is opposed to screen scrapers since those screen scrapers allow users to avoid viewing the ads and could lead to less ad revenue for Groundspeak.

    Best Android geocaching app?

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    So I'm starting to finally use my new Droid, and want to do some Geocaching with it as well. I was playing with Geobeagle yesterday and I guess I either misinterpreted how people described it, or I didn't do it right.

     

    When I told it to go to a cache, it gave me the compass pointing to the cache. What I usually need first though, is driving directions to get close to the cache, then switch over to the compass. Is this something that Geobeagle, or other caching applications can do? I still have to play with others apps as well. Hopefully the snow will melt away more soon since I have a class next week where I've not yet cached, so perfect opportunity to start trying out more of the applications.

     

    Thanks.

     

    Well..... not claiming to be a GeoBeagle expert, but this seems to work:

     

    1) When displaying the GeoBeagle cache description page, select the menu option 'Google Maps'

    2) From Google Maps select 'Directions' from the menu.

    3) From the Directions box, press the box to the right of the destination and then 'Points on a map'

    4) Press a point on the map near the cache, then press on 'Tap to select this point'

    5) Press 'Go'

    6) Press Navigate

     

    This all seems pretty clumsy to me so perhaps there's a better way. I've certainly not given up my Garmin 60CSx, but GeoBeagle on a Droid does work. I'm on a business trip this week and forgot my 60 at home (gasp!) and found a few with nothing but Beagle.

     

    Regards,

    Mike

    Droid and Geocaching

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    These apps open a web browser to the gc.com gc search page and kick off a search based on the phone's current location. Then the user just needs to make a few clicks and the download the .loc file. Unfortunately, it looks like the various Android web browsers all choke while doing this. So..... I was hoping the problem had been solved in some other way.

     

    Doesn't seem like any of this would violate Groundspeak's TOS, but what do I know?

    Droid and Geocaching

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    So.... I've tried CacheMate, GeOrg and GeoBeagle on a Droid. All handle gpx file inport reasonably well. However, it would really be nice to just do a "show me the caches near where I'm standing" operation. As near as I can tell, none of these apps handle that well. Some (all?) query gc.com via a web browser, select caches and attempt to download a .loc file for those caches. However, I always end up with a .aspx (active server page?) file rather than a .loc file.

     

    And I'ved tried the "closest 50 caches" app. It sorta/kinda works if sat reception is very good, but fails to make use of position data from the cell towers and is just plain flaky.

     

    Anyone solved this annoying behavior?

     

    Thanks!

    Droid and Geocaching

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    If anyone is writing software for the droid what would be great is if an app could be designed as a layer in Google maps so that you can search for caches on the fly without downloading the GPX files on to the unit thanks Joe

     

    I just downloaded SimpleGPX and it works with Google Maps

     

    Just looked on Marketplace and a google of 'droid simplegpx' with no success. Where does one find SimpleGPX?

    Cache owner not receiving email

    in Website

    Posted

    This seems to be a common complaint, but probably 75% of the time its a problem with the receiving domain.

     

    Quite often it either gets marked as spam or rejected all together.

     

    That was my assumption, but a few test messages, including a log to one of the caches in question, caused email to be delivered as expected. A search through the spam folder reveals nothing. Email gremlins, I guess.

    Garmin oregon 300

    in GPS technology and devices

    Posted

    I'm thinking about buying one, but they're only $250 on Dell right now (through Thursday, 6/18). Trading for an iPhone might be difficult because I'd imagine most people are still locked in with their 3G.

     

    Do have to know a magic word or something? A simple search on the Dell site leads to a $509.99 price.

    How do you "connect" with other cachers?

    in Northwest

    Posted

    I loved doing the WA History Challenge! What an awesome adventure.

     

    SiHi is pretty easy to do on your own. There will be billions of people on the trail on any day with fairly decent weather so you don't have to worry about being alone. It's a big climb, but a fun one. The cache titled Geocache (GCD), on the other hand, is out there where you're all alone in the middle 'o nowhere if that bothers you. Awesome location.

     

    Skagit River Delta was my motivation to buy a kayak. The boat has been a lot of fun since. Not sure you really need a companion for that cache, but it is a bit of a journey so it's not a bad idea to have company.

     

    In any case, your question about how to connect probably will help you connect. A note like, "Hey, I want to do Mt Si on ___. Anyone want to join me?" has worked for me.

    Night Caches in Seattle/East side area?

    in Northwest

    Colorado 300

    in United Kingdom and Ireland

    Posted

    Maybe my sparkling new Colorado is just defective. It does highway navigation fine, but off-road, especially within 100', just stinks. The compass screen wanders all over the place to the point of being completely useless. I get within 100' and am then blind. I keep having to get out my 60CSx so I can actually find a cache.

     

    Also, what about the screen brightness/contrast? It's nice in sunlight and the backlight makes it nice in very low light, but in medium light, like a forest on a sunny day, makes the screen very hard to read/see. It's too light for the backlight to help and too dark to view easily. I had a couple other people view the screen to make sure it wasn't just me too.

     

    mouse: Thanks for the pointer on adding profile change to the shortcuts. That does indeed get switching between on- and off-road down to a few simple clicks/spins, which is as easy as the methods on the 60.

    Colorado 300

    in United Kingdom and Ireland

    Posted

    I've been very happy with a 60CSx, but have been VERY disappointed with my new Colorado 300. The accuracy completely stinks. It bounces all over when within 100' of a cache. What good is that? If I can't find a way to make this work better it's going back. :(

     

    On a related note, anyone know how to quickly switch the Colorado from 'on road' routing to 'off road' routing? On a 60, you can recalculate with a few quick button pushes, but on a Colorado it's very awkward. Am I missing something or is this just badly designed?

     

    Thanks, Mike

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