Jeremy

PLEASE don't announce it here when updates are submitted. No kidding. For iPod Touch users I want to make sure that the current issues are crippling the application to much. If they are I can restrict the use (and purchase) of the application for iPhone users only. We definitely don't want to create a poor experience for anyone. Send PQ To saved items could work. I'm assuming the application can handle 500 saved caches.

Thanks! Keep the feedback coming. It will be in active development for some time (though I hear that the lead time for upgrades can be a couple of weeks *after* we submit changes.

It has been listed on our account as "ready for sale" since Friday so I've been checking about every 4 hours to see if it is in the store. They have been known to release from 3-5 days after it is listed as ready so hopefully tomorrow or Wednesday it will be available.

There's an option to switch between miles and km It isn't in the current roadmap for the next couple of updates, but it is a desired feature we'd like to add. It first launches in English worldwide. Updates will be included for at least German, French, Dutch and Czech.

Once you pick a cache and save it you can use it outside cell phone coverage just like you would with a GPX file. The advantage of the application is real-time access to cache information - and that does require a network connection. If you have WiFi you can also access the information outside of cell phone coverage. If you are a hardcore geocacher I see the application as more of a companion device for your standard GPS handheld, not a replacement. If you are a casual geocacher that likes to look up and find caches in addition to some other activity it works well for that too. On Saturday, for example, I found a cache at a local park on my way home by pulling over and seeing what was in the area. I didn't have to do any prep work to find that cache - I just opened up the application and did a quick search.

It works with first gen software and the Touch using WiFi and/or cell tower positioning, so you need a WiFi connection to use it, but you can't navigate with it other than using a Google Map. In other words, the accuracy of WiFi positioning is too poor to provide you with a compass arrow.

There's no monthly fee with this application. It's a one time fee. Apple doesn't provide the ability to offer trial software through their iTunes store either.

Thanks. We'll get this into the next update.

All snarkiness aside, we have a team actively working on the next generation of Wherigo. It will be a lot more flexible and will become the platform for our mobile strategy.

What did you think of Objective C, xcode, Interface Builder, etc.? --Marky I worked with Brian, an outside developer, on the application, so I can't take credit for the work. I did have to dabble with the code throughout the process and find that Objective C is definitely more on the C side than the object oriented language side. There was a question about images. Attached images do not come through as an option though I could probably drop them in as we do upgrades. It will show whatever images are in the description, however, since it renders that data as a web page. If you are disconnected from the network, however, the images don't save locally.

The iPhone 3G not only has GPS but it uses WiFi positioning and/or cell tower location to get your relative position. The Geocaching application queries the database from your position and returns caches near you. It can also geocode addresses, use a location in your address book, or look up a cache by its GC code. The system works on an iPod touch (with WiFi), or the original iPhone but neither of these devices have GPS (though you can still do a search from your location as long as it can figure out your WiFi location). I would say that the GPS on the iPhone is not nearly as good as a dedicated GPS device but it does get the job done. In urban environments I tend to use the Google Map to navigate to the cache instead of the arrow since there are a lot of map references that can help me find the cache.

Oops. I forgot to add the most important part - the compass screen.

You'll need to define a webapp. Geocaching for the iPhone is an application written in Objective C using Apple's iPhone SDK. The wap site is a webapp (as is the Geocaching.com web site). .

Well I would sure pony up $10 for a similar app on Windows Mobile (same goes for a Waymarking application). You can get the same 'touch' experience on those devices too. Windows Mobile 6/6.1 also support a GPSID "emulated" GPS device so the programming is a lot simpler nowadays. I have read that Windows Mobile 7 will have a marketplace for applications like the iTunes store (as does the Android platform). What has been hard in the past for little guys is to get on the carrier's "deck." Getting on Verizon is next to impossible. Geocache Navigator by Trimble has been on a variety of mobile devices for some time. They either have a monthly fee or they are free to download (like on the N95). Monthly rates and ad supported applications are two approaches while the iPhone is a "buy once" price structure.

It's a one time $9.99 purchase. I don't know what you mean about non-iPhone users but we are working on an overall mobile strategy. It's just hard to get on *every* mobile device so we have to pick our battles with the SDK, the carriers, etc. There is no GPX support because it uses the network to download cache listings on the fly, based on your location. You can't save an entire search results page of geocaches but it is pretty straightforward to click on the save link for each one to retrieve it later. Due to network limitations it would be difficult to download 20 caches in bulk anyway - unless you are on a WiFi connection.

I'm relieved to announce that we have submitted our first geocaching application for the iPhone to Apple yesterday. Depending on how quickly they get to reviewing the application we should see it in the Apple Store within 2 weeks. The cost of the application is $9.99 and has the functionality you need to look up and seek out caches using the networking and location-based features of the iPhone 3G. It also works with the iPod Touch and first gen iPhone though you will need WiFi for the Touch and the compass won't work on the first generation iPhone (naturally). The first release will not have the feature to log caches or filter hides and finds, but it will be included as a free upgrade as we add that functionality - hopefully over the next month. We wanted to get the application out as soon as possible since the demand was so high for it. Some non-obvious features: You can look up travel bugs and find out their goal while out on the trail Saved Items allows you to save a cache listing and navigate to it, even when you are out of network range The application starts in beginner mode which only shows traditional caches. Advanced shows all types To help with speed issues on, say, the Edge network, you can restrict the number of results to 5, 10, 15 or 20 We'll be translating the application into multiple languages as well to support our international community. Here are some screenshots of the application. Edit - forgot to add the compass screen

Thanks for the response - I realise now that probably should have posted this in another forum but this clarifies things. I did wonder about the images that are used in the headers - now I know that Groundspeak ask permission, which I think is good. I'd originally assumed that anything posted would be automatically theoretically up for re-use elsewhere on the site. We ask permission as a courtesy for those who submit photos to our site, especially when we want to use them for things like brochures for geocaching, the GPS Adventures Maze, etc.

Sorry to derail the conversation but this comment is incorrect. The concept of geocaching was created independent of any knowledge of letterboxing. It is, in essence, a sister activity - but more in the Luke and Leia sense of the word. Neither knew they were related until Darth Vader told them.

We have group functionality on Waymarking.com that we plan to extend to Geocaching.com. This will allow a family of geocachers, or a group of geocachers, to create a group and assign managers of that group. We can then provide features like aggregating finds. It isn't exactly what you are proposing but it can provide some functionality that can address (or at least compliment) what you're looking to do.

For the next version we're focusing on J2ME instead of Objective C. This does not mean we won't eventually target the iPhone like we're doing for Geocaching. J2ME opens up a broader assortment of platforms, including Android. Once we're done with this development we'll target other platforms including the iPhone. Wherigo has been designed to work across platforms and we'll be true to that goal.

There is a private API and it is available for trusted partners. We have no plans to offer an open public API at this time. It was considered in the past but the current decison is to keep it private.

The link wasn't showing if the number of ratings were 5 or less. It now shows a link when there are less than 5 ratings so you can see what has been rated so far. Thanks for pointing this out!

At approximately 8pm Pacific time today the image server will be going down for an upgrade. Due to the size of the current hard drives we use for images we will need 6-8 hours to fully transfer and test the files between the old and new drives. During this time the Geocaching.com web site will be functioning fine but images on the image server will not be shown. You will also be unable to upload new photos. Expect to see a server not found error when you try to view these images. You will also be unable to see geocaching stats banners. Thanks for your patience while we perform the upgrade! It is necessary since we are down to the last few gigabytes on the hard drives.

I found the issue with these notifications being removed. It happened when the system tried to send a notification of your own log. This has been fixed and shouldn't be removed again. Thanks for pointing it out and sorry for the trouble!

Have whoever handles your public arts contact us. This project can be done all over. The Arts & Cultural Affairs Office initially contacted us about the project and we'd be happy to run any other region.