SmartPhone use for Paperless

[+Hobbit Taz]

I have a Moto Q smartphone using the USCellular phone service.

The phone uses Windows Mobile as its base.

Is there a Database that I could download GPX files onto that will run on this phone?

Maybe a good way to download a searchable PDF file (something like 1 page per cache) so I can search the PDF for a cache name or GC# and get the description/clue/difficulty/type/or other basic info on the cache without having to scroll through 100s of pages?

 

Maybe someone has an alternate idea that I missed. If so Im open to ideas.

[Wintertime]

Cachemate is a wonderful geocaching program. I use it on my Palm, but I see that it's also available for Windows Mobile devices:

 

http://www.smittyware.com/wmsp/cachemate/

 

Patty

[+FraCaMen]

You can also take a look at GPX Viewer.

[+Maeglin]

You can also take a look at GPX Viewer.

The Q isn't a Pocket PC device.

[+JBnW]

I also have a Q, and it seems much easier than buying more add-on software:

 

copy the HTML pages from the PQ into a folder (I put them onto an SD card) in the Q

Use "File Manager" on the Q to navigate to the folder

Click on the file of your choice (center button)...Q opens it with Internet Explorer (there's no data fees here since all the files are resident on the Q)

 

There's also the "difficult" pdf viewer preloaded on the Q. Wish they had developed a friendlier way of viewing those.

 

Of course there's also wap.geocaching.com if you have the data service

 

Good luck!

[Wintertime]

I also have a Q, and it seems much easier than buying more add-on software:

 

copy the HTML pages from the PQ into a folder (I put them onto an SD card) in the Q

Use "File Manager" on the Q to navigate to the folder

Click on the file of your choice (center button)...Q opens it with Internet Explorer (there's no data fees here since all the files are resident on the Q)

That only lets you view the cache listings, right? Does it let you search for specific ones, organize them by name or waypoint, list them in increasing distance from your current location, etc. etc.?

 

Patty

[+TotemLake]

PAF

[+Prime Suspect]

I also have a Q, and it seems much easier than buying more add-on software:

 

copy the HTML pages from the PQ into a folder (I put them onto an SD card) in the Q

Use "File Manager" on the Q to navigate to the folder

Click on the file of your choice (center button)...Q opens it with Internet Explorer (there's no data fees here since all the files are resident on the Q)

That only lets you view the cache listings, right? Does it let you search for specific ones, organize them by name or waypoint, list them in increasing distance from your current location, etc. etc.?

 

Patty

Run the PQ through Spinner, and it will create the HTML cache pages, and fully indexed pages so that you can look up caches by name, ID, owner, etc.

[+JBnW]

I also have a Q, and it seems much easier than buying more add-on software:

 

copy the HTML pages from the PQ into a folder (I put them onto an SD card) in the Q

Use "File Manager" on the Q to navigate to the folder

Click on the file of your choice (center button)...Q opens it with Internet Explorer (there's no data fees here since all the files are resident on the Q)

That only lets you view the cache listings, right? Does it let you search for specific ones, organize them by name or waypoint, list them in increasing distance from your current location, etc. etc.?

 

Patty

 

What Prime Suspect said. All the pages in the PQ, ground by Spinner, are stored in the standard file management manner (1 before 2, a before b, yadda yadda). In File Manager, one can either scroll through the list, or use "find by name" if you know the GCxxxx number. My phone service doesn't currently support GPS on the Q, so the phone never really knows where it is. But thats why I have the GPSr. However, each cache page does show, and link to, the next 15 or so nearest caches with distance and direction from that cache. Which matches up with what the GPS is saying, as all the waypoints in it match the files on the Q.

 

Also, one can go to wap.geocaching.com and search by coords from the GPSr, and retrieve an up to date list with logs from the current location or by zip code, and log the find at the cache.

[Wintertime]

All the pages in the PQ, ground by Spinner, are stored in the standard file management manner (1 before 2, a before b, yadda yadda). In File Manager, one can either scroll through the list, or use "find by name" if you know the GCxxxx number.

Oh, okay. Thought you were trying to do all this without adding software to the smartphone.

 

I still recommend that "Hobbit Taz" check out Cachemate. For $10, it's a real bargain.

 

Patty

[+JBnW]

All the pages in the PQ, ground by Spinner, are stored in the standard file management manner (1 before 2, a before b, yadda yadda). In File Manager, one can either scroll through the list, or use "find by name" if you know the GCxxxx number.

Oh, okay. Thought you were trying to do all this without adding software to the smartphone.

 

 

I am. No new software has been added to the phone. Spinner is on the desktop, where the USB ports are for connecting the GPS, and readers for the SD card. Just using the functionality of the Q that's already there.

[+Prime Suspect]

All the pages in the PQ, ground by Spinner, are stored in the standard file management manner (1 before 2, a before b, yadda yadda). In File Manager, one can either scroll through the list, or use "find by name" if you know the GCxxxx number.

Oh, okay. Thought you were trying to do all this without adding software to the smartphone.

 

I still recommend that "Hobbit Taz" check out Cachemate. For $10, it's a real bargain.

 

Patty

I just really don't get the appeal of Cachemate. It fragments the information too much, and you lose text styles, colors, and pictures. I'd rather see it just like I see the cache page on gc.com. Everything's in one place. You just scroll the display to read it, just like the web browser.

[Wintertime]

I just really don't get the appeal of Cachemate. It fragments the information too much, and you lose text styles, colors, and pictures. I'd rather see it just like I see the cache page on gc.com. Everything's in one place. You just scroll the display to read it, just like the web browser.

Well, I rarely use Cachemate for geocaches, and NGS datasheets don't have text styles, font colors, or pictures. But it sure does give me all the info I need right where I need it--and lots of ways to organize that info.

 

Even when I do use it for geocaches, since I have a Palm rather than a smartphone, I don't have realtime access to the Geocaching.com website to get a list of the nearest geocaches that way. But I don't need a realtime connection, because I can use the sorting capability of Cachemate to find the nearest ones. I can either use a certain geocache as the centerpoint, or type in coordinates of my choice, or connect the Palm to my GSPr and let it grab my current location. I can even specify a certain compass direction, which eliminates the clutter of listing a bunch of nearby caches that are not in the direction I'm heading.

 

All in all, Cachemate lets me do a lot of things I can't do simply by viewing PDF files of Geocaching.com web pages. (Although I have a PDF reader on the Palm for that, too. I just don't use it for geocaching or benchmark hunting.) I could easily see someone using both Cachemate and a PDF reader--the former for its data management capabilities, the latter to view the original web pages of the selected caches.

 

Patty

Edited September 13, 2008 by Wintertime

[+Prime Suspect]

I just really don't get the appeal of Cachemate. It fragments the information too much, and you lose text styles, colors, and pictures. I'd rather see it just like I see the cache page on gc.com. Everything's in one place. You just scroll the display to read it, just like the web browser.

Well, I rarely use Cachemate for geocaches, and NGS datasheets don't have text styles, font colors, or pictures. But it sure does give me all the info I need right where I need it--and lots of ways to organize that info.

 

Even when I do use it for geocaches, since I have a Palm rather than a smartphone, I don't have realtime access to the Geocaching.com website to get a list of the nearest geocaches that way. But I don't need a realtime connection, because I can use the sorting capability of Cachemate to find the nearest ones. I can either use a certain geocache as the centerpoint, or type in coordinates of my choice, or connect the Palm to my GSPr and let it grab my current location. I can even specify a certain compass direction, which eliminates the clutter of listing a bunch of nearby caches that are not in the direction I'm heading.

 

All in all, Cachemate lets me do a lot of things I can't do simply by viewing PDF files of Geocaching.com web pages. (Although I have a PDF reader on the Palm for that, too. I just don't use it for geocaching or benchmark hunting.) I could easily see someone using both Cachemate and a PDF reader--the former for its data management capabilities, the latter to view the original web pages of the selected caches.

 

Patty

 

I was referring to Plucker files, not PDF. Plucker files generated by Spinner are indexed in over a dozen different ways. And each cache page lists all the nearby caches, including distance and direction.

[+Hobbit Taz]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Sorry I was offline this past week due to my workload on the job. Im going to look into some of these ideas and see if any/all make since.

 

I like the WAP access on my phone with the data plan, but there are some things it just doesnt seem to give me so I have to go to the actual geocaching.com area and it takes so long to load.

 

Ill check the Spinner software for creating seperate PDF files for caching as well and cachemate (Ive had others mention that before to me - before I got a smartphone). It may not be GSAK but might work well to quickly get the basic information at least about the next cache we go after.

 

We normally cache on the fly - picking out an area; downloading the caches in the area; then wherever and whichever cache pops up next is were we go. If a cache appears too long a hike or needs mainteannce ect then we skip and go on to the next. Because of this we don't always have easy access to a piece of information that we might want except for getting online somehow or pre-printing out paper copies.

 

Again Thanks for the info and suggestions. Ill let you know what I find in the near future.

[+EvilMonkeys]

If you cache on the fly I would recommend geoscout. I've been using it for 2 weeks now and its great. Full paperless caching, download maps for free for each cache, option to download caches from your phone. Goto www.navstation.co.uk. 30 day free trial and it only cost £20. The other option is http://www.backcountrynavigator.com/ looks a really good product but only has US mapping so not much use to me.