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Best Android geocaching app?


Patuxent

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I've used several Android apps (including the one we do not speak of) and as yet, I haven't found a single app that meets all my needs. The closest is an unnamed app in conjunction with GeoBeagle or GCDroid. For me, the perfect app must have the ability to hold LOC/GPX data for offline browsing as well as live connections. As I live in a mountainous area (UK Lake District), I'm quite often without a phone signal so can't rely on downloading live data. Saying that, I want the ability to download cache details close to me if the urge takes me (i.e. away from home).

 

Android caching app must haves - allow logging (upload live / later), TB tracking, decent compass / Radar, ability to switch between Compass & GPS mode easily, online & offline modes, audible directions (via earpiece for urban caching), work in low battery mode (e.g. only check GPS every 5-10 mins whilst walking to a cache then switching to frequent checks when within 500m)

 

Nice to have - update locally cache info with updates, logs, etc when connected via WiFI and in particular, any of your own caches; route tracking (similar to MyTracks);

 

I'm looking forward to the GC Android app and if it meets most of my needs, will probably switch to it as the iPhone version seems to be pretty good.

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GS needs to be careful i think.

 

The app which shall not be named is what got me into geocaching. i saw it on a top android apps site, tried it out and i am now in love with the sport and I suspect it may draw many others.

 

Same thing here.

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I haven't even found any geocaching apps for the Samsung Moment. I must not be looking in the right place.

 

I did find an accurate GPS in the app market. Used it today and it was within 3 feet of the Garmin, so pretty accurate.

There are several geocaching apps in the Android Market. I use Geooh and do very well with it. I don't understand why people are waiting for an "official" app... kinda like waiting for an official car to drive or an official television to buy... our economy benefits from variety and competition.

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Could anyone tell me what is worng with the one we don't speak of??

See post 258 on this very page.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...t&p=4296202

 

Huh? Not sure if that's a typo or my web browser is not following the link correctly.

 

In any case, the answer to the question is simple: Groundspeak doesn't want the unmamed app to do what it's doing. We can opine all day about why Groundspeak doesn't want the unnamed app to do what it's doing, but that's pointless.

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I'm getting my new android Incredible this week - my first smart-phone. Do any of the current android geocaching apps record your track? I currently use BeeLineGPS on a Dell Axim X50V, and since it doesn't have any maps, that's the only way I can find my way back out of the woods. How do normal people (those using real GPSrs instead of ancient windows mobile devices) find their way back to the car?

 

I see that MyTracks will record a track, but will it show up on the same google map that caches show up on? Can I save the track file and reload it to use again on another trip?

 

I'm excited to be getting a new toy to play with, but getting worried that all my techniques for geocaching will have to radically change. HELP!!!

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I see that MyTracks will record a track, but will it show up on the same google map that caches show up on? Can I save the track file and reload it to use again on another trip?

 

I haven't seen a geocaching app that leaves a rabbit trail but MyTracks works great for that purpose. You can run it in the background while using your favorite geocaching app. You can then save your track as a "My Map" in Google Maps to be viewed later. I'm thinking you can have it as a layer with geocaches in Google Maps but haven't attempted to do it.

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I see that MyTracks will record a track, but will it show up on the same google map that caches show up on? Can I save the track file and reload it to use again on another trip?

 

I haven't seen a geocaching app that leaves a rabbit trail but MyTracks works great for that purpose. You can run it in the background while using your favorite geocaching app. You can then save your track as a "My Map" in Google Maps to be viewed later. I'm thinking you can have it as a layer with geocaches in Google Maps but haven't attempted to do it.

So, if I record a track to My Maps, then go back a few days later, I can have the saved map displayed while running Mytracks with new rabbit trails being created? I guess I'm not understanding if the saved map is a "live" map or just a saved image.

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I see that MyTracks will record a track, but will it show up on the same google map that caches show up on? Can I save the track file and reload it to use again on another trip?

 

I haven't seen a geocaching app that leaves a rabbit trail but MyTracks works great for that purpose. You can run it in the background while using your favorite geocaching app. You can then save your track as a "My Map" in Google Maps to be viewed later. I'm thinking you can have it as a layer with geocaches in Google Maps but haven't attempted to do it.

So, if I record a track to My Maps, then go back a few days later, I can have the saved map displayed while running Mytracks with new rabbit trails being created? I guess I'm not understanding if the saved map is a "live" map or just a saved image.

Its a live map that you can later edit in Google Maps or add additional tracks to.

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Could anyone tell me what is worng with the one we don't speak of??

See post 258 on this very page.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...t&p=4296202

 

258 post refers to the original question. Was there another post you meant to reference?

 

the link takes you back to the question with no answer. So what is the beef with the un-named prg. I like it far better than geobeagle and cachemate. Is it because non-premium members can access it without pocket queries? I still pay the membership here to support the work Groundspeak does. But i'd really like to know what the problem is.

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Well, I got my android phone and I've been trying all the free caching apps I can find. Haven't tried any of the paid ones yet because none of them have very detailed info and I don't want to pay for something I don't like. Anyway, I haven't found a single app that I really like so far.

 

I did get MyTracks and record a track to My Maps. The layers in google maps work great, but the geocaching apps I've tried won't display them. I sure hope the official app comes out soon and does everything I want. This is becoming very annoying.

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Well, I got my android phone and I've been trying all the free caching apps I can find. Haven't tried any of the paid ones yet because none of them have very detailed info and I don't want to pay for something I don't like. Anyway, I haven't found a single app that I really like so far.

 

Some of the applications have trial versions. If I remember right, if you download Cachemate from Smittyware.com (not from the market place), but don't register it, you can hold up to 10 or 15 caches to test it out. The owner of Cachemate is very responsive to questions, so you can double check with him if you'd like. Geooh has a free lite version (available on the market place) which holds up to 10 gpx records. There may be others as well, but these are the only two I know of.

 

If you download a paid app from the marketplace you have up to 24 hours to return it with no charge. The disadvantage of doing it this way is that if you download it again (e.g. a new version comes out that you want to try) you can no longer return it. So you'd only want to down load it when you are ready to give it a good workout immediately.

 

Hope this helps.

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Well, I got my android phone and I've been trying all the free caching apps I can find. Haven't tried any of the paid ones yet because none of them have very detailed info and I don't want to pay for something I don't like. Anyway, I haven't found a single app that I really like so far.

 

I did get MyTracks and record a track to My Maps. The layers in google maps work great, but the geocaching apps I've tried won't display them. I sure hope the official app comes out soon and does everything I want. This is becoming very annoying.

You will have the same problem with the "official" app as it will be a paid one with the same limited trial and little detail info on the Android Market. Most paid apps have web sites to describe their features.

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Could anyone tell me what is worng with the one we don't speak of??

See post 258 on this very page.

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...t&p=4296202

 

258 post refers to the original question. Was there another post you meant to reference?

 

the link takes you back to the question with no answer. So what is the beef with the un-named prg. I like it far better than geobeagle and cachemate. Is it because non-premium members can access it without pocket queries? I still pay the membership here to support the work Groundspeak does. But i'd really like to know what the problem is.

Post 258 seems clear. "Groundspeak thinks that app violates their rules " If you look at the Terms Of Use that you agreed to when using the site, automated access to scrape pages is disallowed.

 

That post also says this thread should remain about the 'best app' and not a rehash of why either Groundpeak or the developer of that program are wrong or just misunderstood.

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Well, I got my android phone and I've been trying all the free caching apps I can find. Haven't tried any of the paid ones yet because none of them have very detailed info and I don't want to pay for something I don't like. Anyway, I haven't found a single app that I really like so far.

In the Android Market you have 24 hours to return an app and get your money back if you don't like it - that should give enough time to see if it works for you...

 

My vote goes to Cachemate (with Geobeagle as a second)

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Well, I got my android phone and I've been trying all the free caching apps I can find. Haven't tried any of the paid ones yet because none of them have very detailed info and I don't want to pay for something I don't like. Anyway, I haven't found a single app that I really like so far.

In the Android Market you have 24 hours to return an app and get your money back if you don't like it - that should give enough time to see if it works for you...

 

My vote goes to Cachemate (with Geobeagle as a second)

 

24 hours may not be enough to test a geocaching app. Geooh seems to be the only paid app that has a free lite version with all the functionality of the full version, but limits the number of caches in a file to 10 records. Groundspeak also has a free iPhone version that is very very basic, mostly for geocacher newbies... they may do the same for their Android app.

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Post 258 seems clear. "Groundspeak thinks that app violates their rules " If you look at the Terms Of Use that you agreed to when using the site, automated access to scrape pages is disallowed.

 

To firmly beat this dead horse, 'automated access to scrape pages' could be any web browser. 'Automated access' implies that someone is not manually issuing an instruction. (click a link, etc). The app in question retrieves cache data as a result of a manual request. It's obviously not a bot, something specifically mentioned in the TOU as something that is not allowed. It's hard to see that the app in question, or any other app that retrieves and displays html, is significantly different from a web browser in terms of automated access. 'Page scraping'.... is there a definitive definition for page scraping? Displaying some, but not all, of a web page? I think page scraping means collecting large amounts of data by picking out data from web pages. One could, for example, write a bot that would eventually retrieve the entire geocaching.com data base. I honestly believe that is what Groundspeak is, wisely, trying to avoid. But the app in question doesn't do this so it's hard to understand the problem.

 

And, just to mention the obvious: the Groundspeak mobile app violates the TOU since it is automated and displays a portion, rather than all, of the web page data. But, hey, the emperor can wear whatever clothes he likes.

 

Is this all pointless and insane yet? At some point, Groundspeak will need to change it's TOU and/or web interface to reflect the widespread adoption of mobile devices and the display limitations that come with those devices. Just insisting that no one use the app that works nicely on mobile devices when there is no apparent detrimental affect to the web site or the game/sport is not an effective approach.

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Well, I got my android phone and I've been trying all the free caching apps I can find. Haven't tried any of the paid ones yet because none of them have very detailed info and I don't want to pay for something I don't like. Anyway, I haven't found a single app that I really like so far.

 

I did get MyTracks and record a track to My Maps. The layers in google maps work great, but the geocaching apps I've tried won't display them. I sure hope the official app comes out soon and does everything I want. This is becoming very annoying.

A little off topic, but I just had to bragg. You should have got a Windows Mobile phone. Lots of good apps, and one killer app for Windows Mobile.

 

Edit: Maybe you can run Windows Mobile as a app on Android like we do with Android on Windows Mobile...

Edited by Andronicus
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Well, I got my android phone and I've been trying all the free caching apps I can find. Haven't tried any of the paid ones yet because none of them have very detailed info and I don't want to pay for something I don't like. Anyway, I haven't found a single app that I really like so far.

 

I did get MyTracks and record a track to My Maps. The layers in google maps work great, but the geocaching apps I've tried won't display them. I sure hope the official app comes out soon and does everything I want. This is becoming very annoying.

A little off topic, but I just had to bragg. You should have got a Windows Mobile phone. Lots of good apps, and one killer app for Windows Mobile.

 

Edit: Maybe you can run Windows Mobile as a app on Android like we do with Android on Windows Mobile...

No, you cannot run Windows Mobile as an Android app... nor can Windows Mobile run Android apps... it can run older J2ME Java, but not the new Android Java apps. Windows Mobile continues to lose market share while Android's growth rate is exceeding all other phone platforms so I think someone's decision to get an Android phone is the safest bet... especially compared to Windows Mobile.

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Post 258 seems clear. "Groundspeak thinks that app violates their rules " If you look at the Terms Of Use that you agreed to when using the site, automated access to scrape pages is disallowed.

 

To firmly beat this dead horse, 'automated access to scrape pages' could be any web browser. 'Automated access' implies that someone is not manually issuing an instruction. (click a link, etc). The app in question retrieves cache data as a result of a manual request. It's obviously not a bot, something specifically mentioned in the TOU as something that is not allowed. It's hard to see that the app in question, or any other app that retrieves and displays html, is significantly different from a web browser in terms of automated access. 'Page scraping'.... is there a definitive definition for page scraping? Displaying some, but not all, of a web page? I think page scraping means collecting large amounts of data by picking out data from web pages. One could, for example, write a bot that would eventually retrieve the entire geocaching.com data base. I honestly believe that is what Groundspeak is, wisely, trying to avoid. But the app in question doesn't do this so it's hard to understand the problem.

 

And, just to mention the obvious: the Groundspeak mobile app violates the TOU since it is automated and displays a portion, rather than all, of the web page data. But, hey, the emperor can wear whatever clothes he likes.

 

Is this all pointless and insane yet? At some point, Groundspeak will need to change it's TOU and/or web interface to reflect the widespread adoption of mobile devices and the display limitations that come with those devices. Just insisting that no one use the app that works nicely on mobile devices when there is no apparent detrimental affect to the web site or the game/sport is not an effective approach.

Yeah, that horse just won't stay down.

 

Groundspeak's app doesn't violate the TOU because it isn't screen scrapping like banned apps... it is using their secret API to directly access their database. Screen scraping is cumbersome and slow (just use the banned app to discover that), but direct access via an API designed for such will be infinitely better. While most major web sites like Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter, etc. open their APIs to 3rd party developers, Groundspeak has a closed view policy... possibly to protect their app revenue stream.

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Ive started using Geohunter, Its a modified Geobeagle and its really great!

 

Wonder if the author of 'Find Geocaches' could be persuaded to make his app work with GeoHunter in addition to GeoBeagle.

 

In any case, care to summarize how GeoHunter is better than GeoBeagle?

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Groundspeak's app doesn't violate the TOU because it isn't screen scrapping like banned apps... it is using their secret API to directly access their database. Screen scraping is cumbersome and slow (just use the banned app to discover that), but direct access via an API designed for such will be infinitely better. While most major web sites like Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter, etc. open their APIs to 3rd party developers, Groundspeak has a closed view policy... possibly to protect their app revenue stream.

Screen scraping is a very old term that hasn't been used for years, including banned apps. You used to be able to run a program that would display something on your screen and then kill the program and read the data from the unprotected video screen memory. In the modern era(the last 10 years) you get the raw data from the site and use a browser to format and display the data. Using the raw data for things other than just display is so common now with web apps the Groundspeak TOU makes little sense to me. If they want to restrict trade they should just trademark "geocaching" and stop trying to restrict web apps, in my opinion.
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A new app just hit the market today. It's called "Columbus" if anyone tries it out, please let us know what you think about it.

 

http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applica...umbus_gvst.html

 

3 minute eval: Must use the same access methods that the app-that-cannot-be-named uses. Seems a little clunky compared to that app, but others may like the look 'n feel better. Will have to give it a spin in the field.

 

In any case, great to see another app available. It's good to have choices!

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I sure hope it's soon and that it's compatible with the EVO, the iPhone one looks great!

 

Based on a quick read of Evo specs it's running Android 2.1, which means the Groundspeak app should work you. Not sure when it will be ready for release.

 

Another option is 'Find Geocaches' (FG) coupled with GeoBeagle. GeoBeagle is a good app for managing gpx files and with FG it can do a live search too.

 

There are a number of good gpx-processing apps available so if you don't mind giving up the live search capability there are a handful of good options. GeoBeagle, CacheMate, GeOrg, Goooh to name a few.

Edited by JustMike
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Just a small tip.

 

I installed GeoBeagle after installing a different app for geocaching and I was about to pull my hair out of my head because every time I tried to open the map it would ask if i wanted to open in a browser or the other app, Geobeagle would not appear. I uninstalled the other app and Viola! Geobeagle appeared.

 

=) In case anyone else had that issue.. took almost my whole battery life just to figure it out! LOL :)

 

Oh, and I LOVE GeoBeagle btw=)

Edited by missy210
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Is anyone else concerned about the censorship of the 'not-to-be-named' app. This is one of the few forums on the internet that does not allow free speech. I'm reconsidering if I want to be a member.

 

All the posts expressing concern have been censored or deleted.

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Is anyone else concerned about the censorship of the 'not-to-be-named' app. This is one of the few forums on the internet that does not allow free speech. I'm reconsidering if I want to be a member.

 

Of course. Many people are concerned.

 

Really, it's disappointing that Groundspeak doesn't seem interested in providing a public API for mobile applications. Seems like it would be a great business decision for the company and would be useful to those of us that enjoy the game.

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Is anyone else concerned about the censorship of the 'not-to-be-named' app. This is one of the few forums on the internet that does not allow free speech. I'm reconsidering if I want to be a member.

Mmmmhhmm mdren msdf jre!!! :)

 

This post has been not been edited by Keystone

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Readers are reminded to keep on topic. This is a thread for discussing (legal) Android geocaching applications. The thread veers off topic each time there is a complaint about the single application which Groundspeak asks that the community not discuss, because of the serious nature of that app's TOU violations.

 

If you want to protest how Groundspeak operates its own forums and enforces its own terms of use, or if you want to advocate for an open API, the Geocaching.com Web Site forum is the proper place to do that.

 

With this warning issued, the speed trap is set up and the radar gun is turned on.

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:) Much as I hate to say it it's time to go to Iphone, tired most of the apps in the Market place now and have been massively underwhelmed, I am fed up waiting for any sign of the fabled app. It's time to renew my contract on my G1 and change my mobile so, it's decision time, Android and a vague promise or a working app on Iphone. As Q2 turns to Q3 and not even a whisper or a screen shot I guess it's not going to happen anytime soon, as with most things Apple it's expensive non-refundable and proprietary but it just works and you pay more for the privilege, go figure...... Edited by naturesbyte
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I have to vote for CacheMate hands down. I tried a couple of others but had problems with them - GeoBeagle gave me trouble with the SD card so I tried GC.com and downloaded a .gpx file from a cache page and I got an error. It's a struggle!

 

There is a very smooth macro for GSAK to export to CacheMate on the Android (I am using an LG Eve/GW620). I can create different databases for each group or whatever I want to sort by.

 

I've purchased every version of CacheMate since my old Palm 500 when I first started caching. CacheMate even helped to determine which flavour of phone I was going to buy! :)

 

I don't have a data plan and I turn off all extras out in the field (my battery isn't great) so I need a handy database to reference when we're scratching our heads. I can make notes, voice memos, use google maps or cache map if I need to, take photos, have a bookmark file, sort them... I can go on and on! I don't use 1/2 of what it is capable of.

 

Take a minute to check out : http://www.smittyware.com/droid/cachemate/

 

~Annie

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