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Best Android geocaching app?


Patuxent

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I am amongst the group currently beta-testing the Groundspeak Android app.

Most of the issues so far have been server-side problems, but a lot of good suggestions have been flying.

 

Be patient people...it's on the way.

 

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.

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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.

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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.

I am using my Droid, Gmail and Cachemate. All work very well together. Open the Gmail email, preview the attachment and it auto loads into Cachemate.

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I am using Geooh and find it really valuable for planned caching trips where I can organize my caches into multiple GPX files, track the finds and DNF's for each group, map the caches, and use Google navigation to get me to a particular cache location before using the built-in compass. The user interface is much nicer than Geobeagle or Cachemate in my opinion.

 

At times, I will use the on-the-fly unnamed app for ad-hoc caching, but I just don't understand how anyone would use it for a planned outing. I like to pre-select my caches from geocaching.com based on logs, type, or difficulty... and don't want to do that in the field. Besides, I feel it somewhat unethical to use a product that is violating a TOS (even though I also feel Groundspeak is wrong in not opening up their API's in the first place).

 

It's confusing for me why everyone is enamored with free apps. Why in the world would someone not want to spend a few dollars for a quality app and support the software developers? I enjoy free too, but for those who easily spend $10 on a one-time meal while not paying for something you use multiple times is odd. There is no other industry other than software where "free" is an expectation.

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Android apps that I've tried:

 

CacheMate -- I've used this one for years on a Palm. The Android version feels quite similar and does make use of some Android features like off-road routing and Google maps. I don't believe there's a way to do a live search nor does CacheMate provide a clean way to do turn-by-turn routing. $7, or was it $10?

 

GeoBeagle -- Handles loading GPX data easily. With the addition of 'Find Geocaches' can do live searches. Can display google maps, but cannot do turn-by-turn navigation. Free/Open Source. Find Geocaches is $2.

 

GeOrg -- Handles GPX files well, but does not handle live searches due to a failure to workaround the well-known Android browser bug. GeOrg does do both off-road and turn-by-turn navigation. $10?

 

The app we cannot promote/mention -- Since I cannot outline it's feature set, perhaps it's safe to say that it's feature set is competitive with other apps.

 

Groundspeak's app -- I don't believe beta testers are allowed to discuss this one either.

 

In general, it seems to me that a good Android geocaching app needs to 1) Conveniently handle GPX files, 2) do live searches, 3) do off-road navigation, 4) do turn-by-turn, on-road navigation, 5) provide access to geocaching.com (and perhaps the other caching sites), and 6) have a clean Android look 'n feel interface. None of the existing apps hit all these points yet, although the combination of a couple gets one there. Ok, back to work.

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In general, it seems to me that a good Android geocaching app needs to 1) Conveniently handle GPX files, 2) do live searches, 3) do off-road navigation, 4) do turn-by-turn, on-road navigation, 5) provide access to geocaching.com (and perhaps the other caching sites), and 6) have a clean Android look 'n feel interface. None of the existing apps hit all these points yet, although the combination of a couple gets one there. Ok, back to work.

 

If "live searches" is needed for a good app, then you've leveled the playing field to just one... Groundspeak's when it comes out. Since there are no open API's that would allow other apps to not violate TOS, every other app doesn't fit the criteria above unless they go through a convoluted set of steps to get live data. I suspect that is Groundspeak's marketing strategy.

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I am using Geooh and find it really valuable for planned caching trips where I can organize my caches into multiple GPX files, track the finds and DNF's for each group, map the caches, and use Google navigation to get me to a particular cache location before using the built-in compass. The user interface is much nicer than Geobeagle or Cachemate in my opinion.

 

At times, I will use the on-the-fly unnamed app for ad-hoc caching, but I just don't understand how anyone would use it for a planned outing. I like to pre-select my caches from geocaching.com based on logs, type, or difficulty... and don't want to do that in the field. Besides, I feel it somewhat unethical to use a product that is violating a TOS (even though I also feel Groundspeak is wrong in not opening up their API's in the first place).

 

It's confusing for me why everyone is enamored with free apps. Why in the world would someone not want to spend a few dollars for a quality app and support the software developers? I enjoy free too, but for those who easily spend $10 on a one-time meal while not paying for something you use multiple times is odd. There is no other industry other than software where "free" is an expectation.

 

Hey, Spiritguide, Geooh looks like a good one. I just played with the demo and will purchase the full version to give it a spin. I can see it does turn-by-turn navigation -- cool. Looks like it cannot do live searches, but does handle gpx data nicely. Not sure if it can handle zipped pocket queries as I tried to get it to load one and it puked. Does seem to have a nicer user interface than some of other apps.

 

Like you, I don't see the cost of these various apps as an issue. In fact, I've donated to the free apps.

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In general, it seems to me that a good Android geocaching app needs to 1) Conveniently handle GPX files, 2) do live searches, 3) do off-road navigation, 4) do turn-by-turn, on-road navigation, 5) provide access to geocaching.com (and perhaps the other caching sites), and 6) have a clean Android look 'n feel interface. None of the existing apps hit all these points yet, although the combination of a couple gets one there. Ok, back to work.

 

If "live searches" is needed for a good app, then you've leveled the playing field to just one... Groundspeak's when it comes out. Since there are no open API's that would allow other apps to not violate TOS, every other app doesn't fit the criteria above unless they go through a convoluted set of steps to get live data. I suspect that is Groundspeak's marketing strategy.

 

You are assuming that Groundspeak's app will meet my list of requirements.

 

And, yes, I think live searches are a requirement for a good mobile geocaching app. It seems obvious to me, but, hey, the market will decide which apps are useful. My requirements list is just that. Others undoubtedly have different lists.

 

As for the 'convoluted set of steps' needed to get live data, as a user I'm not sure I care as long as I get live data. Right? If the desired data is available in a timely manner, is presented in a usable format and does not place excessive load/etc on the network/servers does it really matter what underlying protocol was used?

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Why is "Find Geocaches" authorized to scrape gc.com? Is some of the cost passed on to Groundspeak? Is it all about money?

 

What is the reason for all the rapt anticipation of an official Android app. The last time I worried about having something official was when I was 12 years old and had an official Major League Baseball. Worrying about being official seems like an Apple iPhone thing, too me. Android is open community based and an official Android app makes no sense in my opinion.

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What is the reason for all the rapt anticipation of an official Android app. The last time I worried about having something official was when I was 12 years old and had an official Major League Baseball. Worrying about being official seems like an Apple iPhone thing, too me. Android is open community based and an official Android app makes no sense in my opinion.

 

Yeah.... and we don't even get bubble gum with the app! :blink:

 

There are many Android apps that are licensed/etc by a specific content owner. The content in our case is the geocache data base owned by Groundspeak so they control how the content can be accessed. The only official/licensed/legal access to that data is 1) via a web browser, 2) via a pocket query or 3) via the Groundspeak app. So if you want a mobile app that performs live searches/etc and want to avoid violating Groundspeak's TOU you must use the official app. Hence, people are looking forward to the release of the Groundspeak app.

 

I hope that someday Groundspeak will create and license an open network API so we will have many mobile applications to choose from. Regardless, I expect that the app from Groundspeak will be a useful tool and be widely used. I plan to buy a coy, not because it's the only official app, but for the utility of it.

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Hi,

I am a new android user, currently using the new Motorola Devour. I have Geobeagle and Find Geocaches downloaded, as well as the cachepoint app. I really like how Geobeagle will import the .loc files so that I don't have to individually click on each cache and save it to my phone, however, I had a question. Cachepoint has options to view the hint and description of the cache without using the web to load it up, is there anyway that Geobeagle might be able to do this? Also, if anyone has used Cachepoint, is there a way to get caches to that app withotu individually saving every .gpx file? That is so time consuming and really takes away from the app. I like Geobeagle, and havent had any problems with it, but I had a question - is there a way to get it to show feet instead of yards? Thanks in advance for any help!!!

 

Deanna aka arabstar1982

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I really like how Geobeagle will import the .loc files so that I don't have to individually click on each cache and save it to my phone, however, I had a question. Cachepoint has options to view the hint and description of the cache without using the web to load it up, is there anyway that Geobeagle might be able to do this? Also, if anyone has used Cachepoint, is there a way to get caches to that app withotu individually saving every .gpx file? That is so time consuming and really takes away from the app.

 

The reason you're getting the hint and description in Cachepoint and not Geobeagle is because the .gpx files have that info, and the .loc don't. Geobeagle will work with either file type, so use the gpx files there too, and you've got all the info...

 

As for not saving individual gpx files, look into "Pocket Queries" (http://www.geocaching.com/pocket/default.aspx) which will let you put in search and will generate a single gpx file that contains everything from that search. (Up to 500 caches per search for now) You do have to be a paying member to use the PQ feature, but I got the 3 month membership specifically to try it out, and I was instantly hooked! You can even have it rerun the queries weekly and it will email you the updated file each week.

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For those of you that like GeOrg (Geocaching Organizer) and/or bcaching.com, there is now a free add-on in the android market named "GeOrg Bcaching Connector" that allows you to view caches in the GeOrg map view from your bcaching.com account and download full details to the local GeOrg database.

 

The nice thing about this combination is that you can set up multiple pocket queries to email directly to your bcaching.com account on a daily basis for your most-cached-in areas, and as soon as they are loaded at bcaching.com they will also show up in your GeOrg map view.

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nm

 

This is another reason I like third party apps rather then the ones created by the original company. Many of the third party ones will take the time to implement stuff that is a bit off the wall, but a great addition to the application.

 

The one you are talking about has had many updates, and some great additions to the program just over the past 3 months. Many apps, possibly the Groundspeak one (although I have not used it or heard much about it) will probably come out with a set group of features, and then that will not change much. They will try and implement all their own parts rather then using known good apps or features (basically reinventing the wheel).

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I just got a samsung moment with sprint, tried geobeagle for a while, for some reason though I can't get better than +/- 98 ft on the satellite, I tried going to airplane mode to see if it could just go off the satellite but it didn't change anything. Is anyone else having this problem?

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I just got a samsung moment with sprint, tried geobeagle for a while, for some reason though I can't get better than +/- 98 ft on the satellite, I tried going to airplane mode to see if it could just go off the satellite but it didn't change anything. Is anyone else having this problem?

 

These are the types of issues you have with cell phone GPS. Sometimes you will get down to about 6-10ft. Other times about 90 ft is as close as you can get.

 

Part of it is hardware, and part is software. The idea is the more sats you can get locked in to, the better you accuracy. Download GPS Status, and you can see if you are able to lock into more then 3-4 sats at once.

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I just got a samsung moment with sprint, tried geobeagle for a while, for some reason though I can't get better than +/- 98 ft on the satellite, I tried going to airplane mode to see if it could just go off the satellite but it didn't change anything. Is anyone else having this problem?

 

These are the types of issues you have with cell phone GPS. Sometimes you will get down to about 6-10ft. Other times about 90 ft is as close as you can get.

 

Part of it is hardware, and part is software. The idea is the more sats you can get locked in to, the better you accuracy. Download GPS Status, and you can see if you are able to lock into more then 3-4 sats at once.

 

Will do, I was using my sanyo katana with the trimble geocacher and it was right on all the time, so far the moment has not gone below 90ft, might just be time to get a real gps I guess :lol:.

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I just got a samsung moment with sprint, tried geobeagle for a while, for some reason though I can't get better than +/- 98 ft on the satellite, I tried going to airplane mode to see if it could just go off the satellite but it didn't change anything. Is anyone else having this problem?

 

my moment gives me the same +/- but i don't think that # is very accurate as i've found several caches with it and it seems pretty much as accurate as my vista hcx.

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Observations about the location accuracy of various Android-based phones do point out a fundamental limitation to any Android geocaching app -- they are great for managing data (web lookups, in-device cache lists, etc), but as a replacement for a good-quality hand-held GPS they are limited. I find the various geocaching apps on my Droid to be great for looking up data about a cache, but prefer using a Garmin 60 for actually searching. The Garmin doesn't behave like a whiny school girl every time it gets splashed and is normally more accurate.

 

So..... given this fundamental limitation of smart phones in general, what should the ideal mobile geocaching app do? I'd love to have gsak on my Droid and be able to download cache data into my Garmin directly from the Droid. Anyone else have a wish list?

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Observations about the location accuracy of various Android-based phones do point out a fundamental limitation to any Android geocaching app -- they are great for managing data (web lookups, in-device cache lists, etc), but as a replacement for a good-quality hand-held GPS they are limited. I find the various geocaching apps on my Droid to be great for looking up data about a cache, but prefer using a Garmin 60 for actually searching. The Garmin doesn't behave like a whiny school girl every time it gets splashed and is normally more accurate.

 

So..... given this fundamental limitation of smart phones in general, what should the ideal mobile geocaching app do? I'd love to have gsak on my Droid and be able to download cache data into my Garmin directly from the Droid. Anyone else have a wish list?

 

Odd, I've experienced almost the opposite. My Android phone (G1 and now replaced with a Nexus One) does as good or better than my dedicated Garmin. For awhile, I geocached with both to see how distance/bearing compared on each... both got me there and generally gave similar results. Lately when I have cached with a friend who has a Garmin Colorado I've noticed he gets sidetracked while I head directly for the cache before his GPS finally agrees with me. I think the accuracy of newer phones are just as good as dedicated GPSs (with the exception of my iPhone). Most cell phones have A-GPS technology which does have an advantage over the dedicated GPS devices in areas with tall buildings or outdoor reflecting structures.

 

It could also be the geocaching app. I use Geooh and have had very good results with it... seems to zero in to +/- 20ft regularly. Not sure about all geocaching apps, but I do know each may configure their location listeners differently and hence not be as accurate as a another app. For example, you can control how often the location is updated or what distance you have to move before it registers a change. So the apps each may be doing something different.

 

I totally agree with the whiny school girl. Smart phones are not as tough as dedicated GPSs when it comes to rain or dropping. But then my phone and geocaching app shows real-time maps, uses Google's car Navigation to get me to the location, has decoding tools, shows the full HTML in cache descriptions, can search the Internet while at the cache, etc... So I tell the whiny girl to keep quiet because I like having an all-in-one instead of carrying multiple gadgets around with me.

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Odd, I've experienced almost the opposite. My Android phone (G1 and now replaced with a Nexus One) does as good or better than my dedicated Garmin. For awhile, I geocached with both to see how distance/bearing compared on each... both got me there and generally gave similar results. Lately when I have cached with a friend who has a Garmin Colorado I've noticed he gets sidetracked while I head directly for the cache before his GPS finally agrees with me. I think the accuracy of newer phones are just as good as dedicated GPSs (with the exception of my iPhone). Most cell phones have A-GPS technology which does have an advantage over the dedicated GPS devices in areas with tall buildings or outdoor reflecting structures.

 

Good point. Not all hand help GPS units are the same. I've used quite a few, including a Garmin Colorado (didn't like it). I use a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and have found it more accurate than my Droid. That's just my perception rather than clear, repeatable test results, however. And..... my observations are based on geocaching away from urban areas. In urban areas my experience has been mixed, with the Droid seeming to do better at times. I've assumed that was due to getting location data from the cellular network in addition to GPS (perhaps that is A-GPS technology?). So, perhaps for urban caching a smart phone is better.

 

Hmmm..... an Android-based smart phone that was as rugged as a Garmin 60.... Hm..... :)

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"Observations about the location accuracy of various Android-based phones do point out a fundamental limitation to any Android geocaching app -- they are great for managing data (web lookups, in-device cache lists, etc), but as a replacement for a good-quality hand-held GPS they are limited. I find the various geocaching apps on my Droid to be great for looking up data about a cache, but prefer using a Garmin 60 for actually searching. The Garmin doesn't behave like a whiny school girl every time it gets splashed and is normally more accurate.

 

So..... given this fundamental limitation of smart phones in general, what should the ideal mobile geocaching app do? I'd love to have gsak on my Droid and be able to download cache data into my Garmin directly from the Droid. Anyone else have a wish list? "

 

Augmented reality and an Android forum.

Edited by JohnE5
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I hope that soon really means soon. I sell phones for a living, and Android phones fly out the doors every single day, and each and every one of those is a potential Geocacher waiting to happen, and a potential customer that GS could make some $$ off of, so a win-win for everyone.

 

Like someone said already, the best way to get it out would be to release it as it is now and update it as bugs pop up. A few beta testers won't be able to find nearly as many bugs as thousands of actual users.

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Hmmm..... an Android-based smart phone that was as rugged as a Garmin 60.... Hm..... :laughing:

 

They are out there... Motorola i1. Military grade phone that can make your Garmin 60 cry like a little girl. I heard that during a conference showing of the phone, the sales guys were letting attendees play shuffle board with the phones.

My first 60csx had a common problem with the power switch and I had to exchange it. They is no way any cell phone would have had a common problem like that. When you plan on selling millions of cell phones of a model, I am sure you test that model much more thoroughly that if you are only selling smaller quantities. My guess is that the failure rate for cell phones is less than any GPS. And in my case, my G1 android phone is more responsive and just as accurate as my 60csx.
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Personally I think Groundspeak has put together a great website that provides a avenue for us all to enjoy hours upon hours of outdoor enjoyment. Many enjoy this for free. For this I believe they should maintain the right to enforce trademark protection and to require the TOU are followed.

 

I pay for a yearly membership to geocaching.com for no other reason then to say thank you.

 

I do not have a android phone yet, but am watching this thread very closely for news of the release of their version of the app for android. I am thinking of making the move from iPhone to Android and this being one of my favorite apps on it I am hoping the translation allows me to move to Android soon. :wub:

 

I do have a question about android and how we should "expect" it to perform. How does the GPS on most android phones stack up in comparison to the iPhone. Should I expect equal performance in a official app on android or possibly better?

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I do have a question about android and how we should "expect" it to perform. How does the GPS on most android phones stack up in comparison to the iPhone. Should I expect equal performance in a official app on android or possibly better?

 

I have a Nexus One and used a G1 before that. I also have an iPhone 3Gs. The iPhone's GPS is really bad... I have no idea how anyone geocaches with it. On my Android phones I have compared it with my dedicated Garmin GPS side-by-side and both were comparable. Now I cache with just the phone and it does great. In fact, when caching with a buddy and his Colorado it seems my N1 heads me to the cache quicker and more reliably than the Colorado. So don't worry about performance.... a good Android phone can do better than hand-held GPSs and definitely MUCH better than an iPhone.

 

Also, I just don't understand the interest in an "official" app. Besides using APIs that other developers are not allowed access to, an official app doesn't mean it will perform better than 3rd party apps on the market. I use Geooh and it works great for me... don't be afraid to step outside the "official" boundary.

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Looks like we need research dollars to study how the various Android phones compare to the various hand-held GPS for navigation. I volunteer to accept the funding and perform the research. :blink:

 

Personally, I have found my Droid works nicely as a spur-of-the-moment, urban geocaching tool. Very accurate and convenient. For the type of caching that I really love -- back country hikes, mountain biking, etc -- I'll stick with the Garmin 60. This choice is driven mostly by the fact that the Garmin handles water and mud while the Droid behaves like a little girl if it gets splashed.

 

And comparing any functioning gps to a Garmin Colorado is guaranteed to make the device look good. :wub:

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My Eriis is faaaaaar more accurate than my Legend and GPS80MIL. Though I agree with other posters that it's not what I'd want in my hand for anything where Mud and/or Water may be involved. Though if you gt a clear watertight container on a leash, you may just as well toss the rest of you GPS's to the curb.

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Apparently I'm using the four letter word of geocaching apps that we're not allowed to mention, since I haven't seen it named in this thread. I'm just curious, if it violates the TOS, then why is it available in the market? I'll be trying out Geobeagle until Groundspeak has an Android app available.

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There are many Android apps that are licensed/etc by a specific content owner. The content in our case is the geocache data base owned by Groundspeak so they control how the content can be accessed. The only official/licensed/legal access to that data is 1) via a web browser, 2) via a pocket query or 3) via the Groundspeak app.

It can easily be argued that, uhh, "certain third-party apps" do not violate the TOU because they are not automated. They are nothing more than glorified "browsers." None of the apps I have looked at do any "automatic" accessing of the website. Rather, you push a button and they load a page and display the information to you. You push another button and they load another page and display that information. Exactly the way a web browser works.

 

I think Groundspeak would be better off embracing these apps, instead of trying to hinder them.

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Apparently I'm using the four letter word of geocaching apps that we're not allowed to mention, since I haven't seen it named in this thread. I'm just curious, if it violates the TOS, then why is it available in the market? I'll be trying out Geobeagle until Groundspeak has an Android app available.

 

The Terms of Use is a contract between USERS and Groundspeak. That would be us, not the unnamed developer of the unnamed app. So, really, wouldn't Groundspeak need to take action against the users of the unnamed app rather than the developer of the app? Can you imagine that public relations nightmare?

 

Also, I would guess that Groundspeak would need to get the court to issue an order blocking said app from being given away THEN google would remove it from the market. Until then, it seems unlikely that google would remove an app from the marketplace. And is there a law, let alone an international law, against writing a computer application that renders html differently than what the html owner likes?

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Apparently I'm using the four letter word of geocaching apps that we're not allowed to mention, since I haven't seen it named in this thread. I'm just curious, if it violates the TOS, then why is it available in the market? I'll be trying out Geobeagle until Groundspeak has an Android app available.

 

The Terms of Use is a contract between USERS and Groundspeak. That would be us, not the unnamed developer of the unnamed app. So, really, wouldn't Groundspeak need to take action against the users of the unnamed app rather than the developer of the app? Can you imagine that public relations nightmare?

 

Also, I would guess that Groundspeak would need to get the court to issue an order blocking said app from being given away THEN google would remove it from the market. Until then, it seems unlikely that google would remove an app from the marketplace. And is there a law, let alone an international law, against writing a computer application that renders html differently than what the html owner likes?

You are very observant... I have thought the same that actually the users of screen scraping apps are also in violation of the TOS. But you are right what can Groundspeak do about it? The developer is from the Czech Republic so legally pursuing him is likely not possible too. There probably is copyright law that could be used when someone takes web pages and extracts information off of it for their own purpose. Groundspeak could regularly change some HTML tags to force the screen scraping code to also regularly be changed to match so it knows the new format to scrape... hey, maybe that is why there is a new release every week it seems, LOL.

 

What is surprising to me is how often users here defend the practice of a software program taking HTML web pages and scraping it for data to reformat for its display. What if they had their own web site containing information, but some other site was linking to it, extracting the data, then displaying it in a better format so that web users go to it instead. The original owner does all the work of gathering/updating data, then loses viewers and possible ad revenue to the pirating web site when a user there pushes a button. The "automation" is the internal scraping process by software... no matter how you defend it, the app is illegally taking information from a web site for its own use without Groundspeak's approval. The defenders should instead complain to Groundspeak that they need to be more open and provide API's so that developers can access the data legally, easily, and without the overhead of scraping web pages.

 

The Android app market is separate from Groundspeak and I doubt Google could care less that some minor app in the market is in violation of a TOS. Besides, the Czech developer allows you to download the app directly from his web site so removing it from the Android market would only deter those searching for geocaching apps via the Market app.

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Moderator note: Can we please try to keep this topic about the best available geocaching app for Android? If you want to appeal interpretations of the TOU or plea to get them changed, the Web group is a better place for that than this thread.

 

In much the way that a review of cars implies the discussed cars are street-legal (yes, I know that "legal" vs. "licensed" isn't quite the same - work with me) and haven't removed the catalytic converter and other emissions gear, let's keep the discussions to apps that Groundspeak doesn't consider naughty.

 

I've been byting my knuckles about the App Which Shan't Be Named, but Groundspeak thinks that app violates their rules and have asked the moderators (that includes me) to help enforce that Groundspeak's resources (that's this forum) not be used to promote it.

 

Back to discussions (reviews, feedback, etc.) on the "Best Android geocaching app" here, please.

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Does anyone/has anyone used GeOrg?

 

Do any of the android apps access offline maps at all?

i have just downloaded an app called Mapdroyd which uses open streetmap in a micromap format that you can download to your handset.

 

so even without network coverage it can be used with the GPS to give you a good idea of where you are.

 

If that could be combined with Geobeagle then it would be truly offline/paperless caching on the phone whenever/ wherever.

 

Ive seen GeOrg supports openstreetmap, but is it only an active data connection thing?

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I have been using, and am very happy with Cachemate. The database organizes caches very well (you can input your PQ, they are read in directly from your email (at least K-9 email, I believe from the regular email too). You can run various queries to search for specific kinds of caches. I've used features such as sending a tweet while in the field each time I find (or do not find :) ) a cache. The tweets include the cache name, time, and a link to the cache on gc.com. Then when I get home, I just click on the link in my tweets (from oldest to newest) and log them all in. (I don't have SMS on my phone service, so don't use the field notes, although it is available).

 

When you are in an area that you have caches loaded in your Android, you can bring up a map and see where the caches are around you.

 

The GPS has been as accurate as my DeLorme 40. Some days the DeLorme gets me closer, some days my Droid with Cachemate does better. Of course if the terrain is more rugged, or there is rain, the Droid stays covered up and I only use the DeLorme.

 

I emailed a few suggestions to the developer, and he either incorporated them all in followup releases, or explained how it was already possible to do them.

 

I'm sure other applications out there are good as well, but this has been working great for me. About 4 years on Palms (sans GPS, twitter, maps, etc., just the database, which was good in and of itself), and now about 3 months on the Droid.

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Does anyone/has anyone used GeOrg?

 

Do any of the android apps access offline maps at all?

i have just downloaded an app called Mapdroyd which uses open streetmap in a micromap format that you can download to your handset.

 

so even without network coverage it can be used with the GPS to give you a good idea of where you are.

 

If that could be combined with Geobeagle then it would be truly offline/paperless caching on the phone whenever/ wherever.

 

Ive seen GeOrg supports openstreetmap, but is it only an active data connection thing?

 

I've used GeOrg a little. It processes GPX files so, yeah, it's an off-line tool.

 

Just grabbed Mapdroyd. Looks rather handy.

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:)

Wait a few days. :D

 

I'm working on an update that will suck in all the gpx files from a directory.

Any way to get the f dnf and notation to upload directly to geocaching.com and also to create a routable caching trip (ie multi cache run... ) based on a gps run .. example select five or six caches in a route ... from one destination to another...

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