Jump to content

Wonder if Groundspeak knows about this


Recommended Posts

As some of the information has come out many of the questions have been answered. It took a lot of looking and a couple of purchasers to get the information. I know that some of my doubt have been answered and I have become a bit less skeptical of the product. Do I think it is for me? No, not at this time. But I have come to see some limited use for the product. Had a few of the questions been answered in the early pages of the thread some of these concerns could have been eased days ago. Do we have a right to look into the corporate minutes? No. Should we be able to get some answers about the product? Yes. Why was it so hard to get information like what is included in the packaging about geocaching? If I had asked the kid behind the counter at REI I'm sure he would have answered without a problem.

Link to comment

Your welcome for the show. I hope that most of the topics we talk about on the show are note location specific (some like the upcoming events are, but stuff like reduced signal coverage due to loss of satellites should be of interest no matter where you live).

 

Both the GPS satellite story and the info on the upcoming Oregon 500 provided good information for other threads on this forum.

Link to comment
... No. Should we be able to get some answers about the product? Yes. Why was it so hard to get information like what is included in the packaging about geocaching? If I had asked the kid behind the counter at REI I'm sure he would have answered without a problem.

But would the kid behind the counter at REI be qualified to give you correct answers about the product?

 

If you really want to know the specifics about this GPSr, perhaps you should direct your questions to Apisphere, not Groundspeak.

Link to comment
Can the day of 10,000,000 of these being sold at Toys Us be too far off??

 

I'd say the day that these overpriced, quirky gadgets show up on woot! for $5.99 is a bit closer. I can hardly wait to read the ad copy.

 

I've got to be honest, I tend to think that this is a more likely occurrence. Just because someone makes a product, doesn't mean people are going to buy it. I'm a little skeptical that this is going to produce huge numbers of sales, and it'll be interesting to see if in a year from now the company still exists.

 

Ironically of course, the only people we know for sure have been buying these are geocachers already :o.

Link to comment
Can the day of 10,000,000 of these being sold at Toys Us be too far off??

 

I'd say the day that these overpriced, quirky gadgets show up on woot! for $5.99 is a bit closer. I can hardly wait to read the ad copy.

 

I've got to be honest, I tend to think that this is a more likely occurrence. Just because someone makes a product, doesn't mean people are going to buy it. I'm a little skeptical that this is going to produce huge numbers of sales, and it'll be interesting to see if in a year from now the company still exists.

 

Ironically of course, the only people we know for sure have been buying these are geocachers already :o.

I would agree with you, if this GPSr was the only product that the company had. If, on the other hand, the company already had other lines of business and was merely using this as a foot-in-the-door to the GPS hardware business, I suspect that they will still be around regardless of whether this product does poorly, or not.
Link to comment

Should we be able to get some answers about the product? Yes. Why was it so hard to get information like what is included in the packaging about geocaching?

Why would you expect on outside company (Goundspeak) to supply information about a product they didn't design or manufacture? Email the manufacturer, if you want info.

Link to comment

Here are some answers to some of the questions that have been posted thusfar:

 

Regarding the Geomate Database:

 

1. There are no Premium Member only caches included

2. There are no difficulty 5 caches included

3. There are no terrain 5 caches included

4. Only traditional caches are included.

5. Only traditional caches with a designated size (micro, small, regular or large) are included.

 

Our main contact at Apisphere provided the following info to share regarding their additional filtering of the data on the device:

 

"Our focus is to develop a database that is family friendly and that has some staying power. We filter on age of cache (we only include caches that have been around for a certain period of time for staying power), time since last found (if it hasn't been found for awhile then we don't include it and is a good check for the older caches) and also difficulty (we don't include hard to find or difficult terrain to make it a little more family friendly). We only include traditional caches and we don't currently filter on size of cache. For every new build of devices we create and use the latest database."

 

Regarding the Update Kit:

 

From Apisphere: "There will be no service charge, no subscription fee, no restriction on quantity or frequency of updates, and no pairing with devices (i.e. a family only needs one Update Kit for multiple devices). You will be able to refresh the default database, select databases with no filtering for regions, and even select databases for different countries. You will also be able to do things like give your Geomate.jr a name and some other cool things."

 

Keeping the device updated with the latest database is very important to all of us, so we (Groundspeak and Apisphere) working towards having retailers keep an Update Kit accessible for Geomate.jr owners - so they will have something like an "Update Station" that anyone is free to use anytime. Additionally, there is no restriction on how many people/units can share an update cable so they can be shared among families, teams, geocaching organizations, etc.

 

I have asked our Apisphere contact to monitor this discussion and try to participate as well.

 

I hope this helps.

Edited by Bryan
Link to comment

Should we be able to get some answers about the product? Yes. Why was it so hard to get information like what is included in the packaging about geocaching?

Why would you expect on outside company (Goundspeak) to supply information about a product they didn't design or manufacture? Email the manufacturer, if you want info.

 

I expect the guy at Sears to have the basic information about the TV they have on sale this week. I don't expect him to be able to tell me how a TV works.

Link to comment

Here are some answers to some of the questions that have been posted thusfar:

 

Regarding the Geomate Database:

 

1. There are no Premium Member only caches included

2. There are no difficulty 5 caches included

3. There are no terrain 5 caches included

4. Only traditional caches are included.

5. Only traditional caches with a designated size (micro, small, regular or large) are included.

 

Our main contact at Apisphere provided the following info to share regarding their additional filtering of the data on the device:

 

"Our focus is to develop a database that is family friendly and that has some staying power. We filter on age of cache (we only include caches that have been around for a certain period of time for staying power), time since last found (if it hasn't been found for awhile then we don't include it and is a good check for the older caches) and also difficulty (we don't include hard to find or difficult terrain to make it a little more family friendly). We only include traditional caches and we don't currently filter on size of cache. For every new build of devices we create and use the latest database."

 

Regarding the Update Kit:

 

From Apisphere: "There will be no service charge, no subscription fee, no restriction on quantity or frequency of updates, and no pairing with devices (i.e. a family only needs one Update Kit for multiple devices). You will be able to refresh the default database, select databases with no filtering for regions, and even select databases for different countries. You will also be able to do things like give your Geomate.jr a name and some other cool things."

 

Keeping the device updated with the latest database is very important to all of us, so we (Groundspeak and Apisphere) working towards having retailers keep an Update Kit accessible for Geomate.jr owners - so they will have something like an "Update Station" that anyone is free to use anytime. Additionally, there is no restriction on how many people/units can share an update cable so they can be shared among families, teams, geocaching organizations, etc.

 

I have asked our Apisphere contact to monitor this discussion and try to participate as well.

 

I hope this helps.

 

I think it helps very much. Thank you for taking the time to research this and provide these answers.

Link to comment

Many interesting points have been made in this thread. The thing that interests me (and somewhat concerns me) is that it changes the role of the website and logging etc for owners of this device. Before this device, cachers pretty much needed to have an account, and thus encouraged to log their finds, read about etiquette, trackables etc. Part of the advertised value of this device is that you don’t need to go online, ever, to cache with the Geomate.jr.

 

I’m most concerned about trackables, only because I (and my children) find them fun. We like finding them and hiding them, and seeing where they have been. Even now, not everyone correctly logs trackables when they find them, so they often show as being in a cache where they are not, but generally the system works. The documentation with the Geomate.jr makes no mention of trackables and how to handle them. So it is reasonable to expect that many Geomate.jr users may take them without logging them.

 

How much of a problem this turns out to be will depend on the sales success. If the sales are small, then overall I would expect little impact. A few more trackables go missing, etc. But if they sell loads of these, it could really hurt the whole concept of trackables.

 

The other factor will be what percentage of Geomate.jr users will register online with geocaching.com? If most of them do, then I don’t see a big problem.

 

The worst case scenario is they sell “millions” of these things, and very few of the users create accounts to log their visits or trackable finds. That could have a very negative impact.

 

So I’m hoping sales of this are not too successful, and/or that the majority of Geomate.jr owners still manage to discover the value of being a member and logging their finds/trackables online.

 

I think Groundspeak is taking a risk here in allowing a device which by design bypasses the need to use their website.

Edited by redsox_mark
Link to comment

I wrote an email to Apisphere asking, among other things, about the documentation included with the Geomate Jr. and suggesting they include information about travelers.

 

Warren Hewerdine of Apisphere responded with an informative email that included this quote regarding the included documentation.

 

Additional Information

 

 

We are currently working on a number of documents designed to give newbies a much better idea of what geocaching is about, information about different aspects of the game, as well as to help enforce the ethics and expectations of participants.

Link to comment

I can only imagine how "cool" Geomateys will think geocoins are! I think those will suffer even more than TB's from the lack of understanding as to what is expected in regard to their "move me along but don't keep me" nature. I guess the solution for coin owners is to (fully aware of the can o' worms being opened with this comment!) release laminated copies of coins and keep the original safe and sound at home. Geomateys probably won't take any interest in a laminated card or even a wooden nickel with a photocopy glued to it, but "real" geocachers will know what to do with them.

Link to comment

I wrote an email to Apisphere asking, among other things, about the documentation included with the Geomate Jr. and suggesting they include information about travelers.

 

Warren Hewerdine of Apisphere responded with an informative email that included this quote regarding the included documentation.

 

Additional Information

 

 

We are currently working on a number of documents designed to give newbies a much better idea of what geocaching is about, information about different aspects of the game, as well as to help enforce the ethics and expectations of participants.

 

Nice, Mr. Hewerdine. A little late for that, isn't it?

 

Hmmmm... I wonder if he or the company has an account here? Surely they do.

 

(Helloooooo, Apisphere people!!)

 

(Edited to add, yes, I guess they do indeedy have an account here):

I have asked our Apisphere contact to monitor this discussion and try to participate as well.

Edited by knowschad
Link to comment

Regarding the fear that these people won't log online and therefore will cause some amount of drama, I'm reminded of a comment that I believe Jeremy made back in 2001 or 2002 (I'd try to find the thread, but I really don't care enough).

 

As I recall, he stated that part of the success of geocaching was the community aspect developed through the online cache logs. He believed that the game was able to become self-sustaining because cachers were motivated to log their stories (& build their numbers) and because cache owners were interested in reading them. The belief was that a website that did not allow for online logging would not be able to sustain growth.

 

If this hypothesis is to be believed, GeoJr users will be more likely to stay involved in the game if they decide to create an account and record their adventures. Individuals who chose only to find caches and not participate online will be more likely to lose interest.

 

(If I have misattributed these remarks or misremembered their substance, I apologize.)

Edited by sbell111
Link to comment

I wrote an email to Apisphere asking, among other things, about the documentation included with the Geomate Jr. and suggesting they include information about travelers.

 

Warren Hewerdine of Apisphere responded with an informative email that included this quote regarding the included documentation.

 

Additional Information

 

 

We are currently working on a number of documents designed to give newbies a much better idea of what geocaching is about, information about different aspects of the game, as well as to help enforce the ethics and expectations of participants.

 

Nice, Mr. Hewerdine. A little late for that, isn't it?

 

Hmmmm... I wonder if he or the company has an account here? Surely they do.

 

(Helloooooo, Apisphere people!!)

 

(Edited to add, yes, I guess they do indeedy have an account here):

I have asked our Apisphere contact to monitor this discussion and try to participate as well.

 

I should point out that as far as I know Apisphere was not made aware of this thread before yesterday when Bryan posted. The email that I sent yesterday morning did not mention this thread.

 

There are some questions and answers that I was able to put together yesterday at GITBUFF.com. They are bits of info I gathered from here, the Geomatejr. site, the podcast referenced earlier in this thread, and now via email with the manufacturer. It is all best of my knowledge stuff. Link

Link to comment

I wrote an email to Apisphere asking, among other things, about the documentation included with the Geomate Jr. and suggesting they include information about travelers.

 

Warren Hewerdine of Apisphere responded with an informative email that included this quote regarding the included documentation.

 

Additional Information

 

 

We are currently working on a number of documents designed to give newbies a much better idea of what geocaching is about, information about different aspects of the game, as well as to help enforce the ethics and expectations of participants.

 

Was it really 12 years ago that web-tv users were unleashed en masse on usenet? Yes, I think it was. Well, at least I have a little advance warning this time. :anibad:

Link to comment

Regarding the fear that these people won't log online and therefore will cause some amount of drama, I'm reminded of a comment that I believe Jeremy made back in 2001 or 2002 (I'd try to find the thread, but I really don't care enough).

 

As I recall, he stated that part of the success of geocaching was the community aspect developed through the online cache logs. He believed that the game was able to become self-sustaining because cachers were motivated to log their stories (& build their numbers) and because cache owners were interested in reading them. The belief was that a website that did not allow for online logging would not be able to sustain growth.

 

If this hypothesis is to be believed, GeoJr users will be more likely to stay involved in the game if they decide to create an account and record their adventures. Individuals who chose only to find caches and not participate online will be more likely to lose interest.

 

(If I have misattributed these remarks or misremembered their substance, I apologize.)

 

This is a good point, and maybe this will limit the amount of "drama" caused by offline only users of the GeoJr.

Link to comment

The GeoMate Jr. account was set up yesterday. Welcome to our discussion.

 

(PS: The PlaySkool GPS on page #1 is my design, but you can use it if you want to) :anibad:

 

This can't be Apisphere. He/she/they haven't posted anything in the forums yet... but then regular members have to wait the mandatory 24 hours to access the forums. Immediate access is a privilege reserved for Premium Members.

Edited by Jollylolly
Link to comment
The GeoMate Jr. account was set up yesterday. Welcome to our discussion.

 

(PS: The PlaySkool GPS on page #1 is my design, but you can use it if you want to) :anibad:

This can't be Apisphere. He/she/they haven't posted anything in the forums yet... but then regular members have to wait the mandatory 24 hours to access the forums. Immediate access is a privilege reserved for Premium Members.
That is no doubt a very useful sock repellant.
Link to comment

The GeoMate Jr. account was set up yesterday. Welcome to our discussion.

 

(PS: The PlaySkool GPS on page #1 is my design, but you can use it if you want to) :)

 

This can't be Apisphere. He/she/they haven't posted anything in the forums yet...

 

I don't understand. Why does that mean that it can't be Apisphere?

 

Hey, anybody want to give them a Gift Membership? :anibad:

Link to comment
I don't understand. Why does that mean that it can't be Apisphere?

 

Hey, anybody want to give them a Gift Membership? laugh.gif

 

That's the point, if they can't spring 30 bucks for a Premium Membership in order to answer the questions which will put an end to this thread so I can go caching, how did they get a 250K PQ as a regular member? :anibad:

 

Hey, sun's shining

 

GONE CACHING !!!!

Link to comment
I don't understand. Why does that mean that it can't be Apisphere?

 

Hey, anybody want to give them a Gift Membership? laugh.gif

That's the point, if they can't spring 30 bucks for a Premium Membership in order to answer the questions which will put an end to this thread so I can go caching, how did they get a 250K PQ as a regular member? :anibad:
I fail to see how one has anything to do with the other.
Link to comment
I don't understand. Why does that mean that it can't be Apisphere?

 

Hey, anybody want to give them a Gift Membership? laugh.gif

 

That's the point, if they can't spring 30 bucks for a Premium Membership in order to answer the questions which will put an end to this thread so I can go caching, how did they get a 250K PQ as a regular member? :anibad:

 

Hey, sun's shining

 

GONE CACHING !!!!

 

Riiight...an end to this thread......LOL....... Just answer a couple of simple questions and everyone will me satisfied, right?

 

And they paid for the use of a database....much more than $30 I am sure.

Edited by PhxChem
Link to comment

Hello all

 

My name is Warren and I am the product lead for the Geomate.jr. I'm sure there are a heap of questions that everyone has about the product, the company, and our intentions. I would be delighted to field any questions people may have and provide as much information as possible.

 

Looking forward to chatting!

 

Cheers

 

Warren

Link to comment

That's the point, if they can't spring 30 bucks for a Premium Membership in order to answer the questions which will put an end to this thread

 

Think that would do it???

So, your list of Questions or anyone elses would be???

 

Who knows, if someone would make a post asking clear questions, not trying to Stir the pot someone ""in the know"" may answer...

 

I can't beleive at least a few people from Groundspeak and or Apisphere aren't reading this...

 

so I can go caching,

 

:anibad:

Link to comment

That's the point, if they can't spring 30 bucks for a Premium Membership in order to answer the questions which will put an end to this thread

 

Think that would do it???

So, your list of Questions or anyone elses would be???

 

Who knows, if someone would make a post asking clear questions, not trying to Stir the pot someone ""in the know"" may answer...

 

I can't beleive at least a few people from Groundspeak and or Apisphere aren't reading this...

 

so I can go caching,

 

:anibad:

 

My name's Warren, I'm a Pisces and I like hiking, camping, scuba diving, sailing, and geocaching. :) I'm also from Apisphere and I'm happy to answer any questions anyone may have.

Link to comment

Hello all

 

My name is Warren and I am the product lead for the Geomate.jr. I'm sure there are a heap of questions that everyone has about the product, the company, and our intentions. I would be delighted to field any questions people may have and provide as much information as possible.

 

Looking forward to chatting!

 

Cheers

 

Warren

 

Hello Warren,

 

Nice to have you join in here and perhaps answer some of the questions. I'm sure it will go a long way to alleviating some of the concerns that have been expressed here.

 

One of those concerns has been about people purchasing the Geomate.jr. and heading out with no real understanding of what they are doing. We have seen the PDF of the quick start card and the info on it regarding geocaching seems a bit lacking in detail. Particularly with regards to travel bugs and geocoins. Are there now, or are there plans for, more details about geocaching in the packaging?

 

Thanks.

Link to comment

Hello all

 

My name is Warren and I am the product lead for the Geomate.jr. I'm sure there are a heap of questions that everyone has about the product, the company, and our intentions. I would be delighted to field any questions people may have and provide as much information as possible.

 

Looking forward to chatting!

 

Cheers

 

Warren

 

Hi Warren,

 

It's been asked by a few folk. So to put it in my own words....

 

When I got my GPSr as a gift, I Googled what to do with it, and happened on Geocaching.com. While I could read the logs for the cache, the coordinates and details were a bunch of question marks. I had to open an account, by agreeing to the Groundspeak terms etc, in order to gain access to this information.

 

In so doing, I had to acknowledge an understanding of the rules and ethos associated with the community. Caches which others had placed at their own expense, with the understanding it would be hunted by others involved in the sport were then made available to me.

 

My concerns are not about Apisphere, or the Geomate Jr per se, but about the product which may/will be given by unknowing family members to folk (because of the excellent marketing) who have no understanding of how this community grew, and what the existing members do to make those tupperware boxes available for others.

 

Trades, coins, travelbugs, the cache itself, how are these concepts being relayed to the end user when it's being given by well meaning family members.

Link to comment

Hello all

 

My name is Warren and I am the product lead for the Geomate.jr. I'm sure there are a heap of questions that everyone has about the product, the company, and our intentions. I would be delighted to field any questions people may have and provide as much information as possible.

 

Looking forward to chatting!

 

Cheers

 

Warren

 

Hi Warren,

 

It's been asked by a few folk. So to put it in my own words....

 

When I got my GPSr as a gift, I Googled what to do with it, and happened on Geocaching.com. While I could read the logs for the cache, the coordinates and details were a bunch of question marks. I had to open an account, by agreeing to the Groundspeak terms etc, in order to gain access to this information.

 

In so doing, I had to acknowledge an understanding of the rules and ethos associated with the community. Caches which others had placed at their own expense, with the understanding it would be hunted by others involved in the sport were then made available to me.

 

My concerns are not about Apisphere, or the Geomate Jr per se, but about the product which may/will be given by unknowing family members to folk (because of the excellent marketing) who have no understanding of how this community grew, and what the existing members do to make those tupperware boxes available for others.

 

Trades, coins, travelbugs, the cache itself, how are these concepts being relayed to the end user when it's being given by well meaning family members.

 

Your concern about the integrity of the activity and the community is very valid and it is something that is very important to us as well. We are currently developing more material to address ethics, set expectations, and to educate.

 

However, our intent is to also work directly with groups and organizations, to act as ambassadors for the activity, and nurture good ethics. For example, we (in conjunction with REI Outdoor School instructors) took a local school geocaching this morning as part of a 'leadership' themed camp. We didn't just go geocaching, but spent a lot of time talking about navigation, problem solving, environmental awareness as well as geocaching ethics and expectations.

 

Ultimately, we hope to drive anyone who is interested in geocaching to geocaching.com and the community.

Link to comment

Hello all

 

My name is Warren and I am the product lead for the Geomate.jr. I'm sure there are a heap of questions that everyone has about the product, the company, and our intentions. I would be delighted to field any questions people may have and provide as much information as possible.

 

Looking forward to chatting!

 

Cheers

 

Warren

 

Hello Warren,

 

Nice to have you join in here and perhaps answer some of the questions. I'm sure it will go a long way to alleviating some of the concerns that have been expressed here.

 

One of those concerns has been about people purchasing the Geomate.jr. and heading out with no real understanding of what they are doing. We have seen the PDF of the quick start card and the info on it regarding geocaching seems a bit lacking in detail. Particularly with regards to travel bugs and geocoins. Are there now, or are there plans for, more details about geocaching in the packaging?

 

Thanks.

 

Thanks! And it's good to be here! I think for the most part, this question has been answered in my last posting. That said, I would love to hear some suggestions of what you would like to see. From experience, long text-based manuals are used as bird cage liner at best. Perhaps we could do something more enticing like a "Trackable Identification Card"?? Show what a trackable looks like, what it is, and what to do with it??

Link to comment

My name's Warren, I'm a Pisces and I like hiking, camping, scuba diving, sailing, and geocaching. :anibad: I'm also from Apisphere and I'm happy to answer any questions anyone may have.

 

Glad to see you here. I'm been testing out my 'Mate for the past week and there's a lot I like about it. My question is regarding the name itself.

 

In my aging mind, Geomate jr. presupposes there is a Geomate Sr. Does Apisphere have a full featured (mapping, more cache data etc) Geocaching specific gps in development?

 

Also, when should we start looking for the update kit at REI or Groundspeak.com?

Link to comment

Hello all

 

My name is Warren and I am the product lead for the Geomate.jr. I'm sure there are a heap of questions that everyone has about the product, the company, and our intentions. I would be delighted to field any questions people may have and provide as much information as possible.

 

Looking forward to chatting!

 

Cheers

 

Warren

 

Hello Warren,

 

Nice to have you join in here and perhaps answer some of the questions. I'm sure it will go a long way to alleviating some of the concerns that have been expressed here.

 

One of those concerns has been about people purchasing the Geomate.jr. and heading out with no real understanding of what they are doing. We have seen the PDF of the quick start card and the info on it regarding geocaching seems a bit lacking in detail. Particularly with regards to travel bugs and geocoins. Are there now, or are there plans for, more details about geocaching in the packaging?

 

Thanks.

 

Thanks! And it's good to be here! I think for the most part, this question has been answered in my last posting. That said, I would love to hear some suggestions of what you would like to see. From experience, long text-based manuals are used as bird cage liner at best. Perhaps we could do something more enticing like a "Trackable Identification Card"?? Show what a trackable looks like, what it is, and what to do with it??

 

There is a brochure at Geocacher University that has been long regarded by many as a standard piece of equipment to be carried with when caching. It is a basic explanation of geocaching printed on both sides of a standard sheet of paper. Something like it could be used. A glossy fold out in eye catching colors that gives a basic description of caching and the ethics of the pastime on one side and split the other side between trackables and cito.

Link to comment

Hello all

 

My name is Warren and I am the product lead for the Geomate.jr. I'm sure there are a heap of questions that everyone has about the product, the company, and our intentions. I would be delighted to field any questions people may have and provide as much information as possible.

 

Looking forward to chatting!

 

Cheers

 

Warren

 

Hello Warren,

 

Nice to have you join in here and perhaps answer some of the questions. I'm sure it will go a long way to alleviating some of the concerns that have been expressed here.

 

One of those concerns has been about people purchasing the Geomate.jr. and heading out with no real understanding of what they are doing. We have seen the PDF of the quick start card and the info on it regarding geocaching seems a bit lacking in detail. Particularly with regards to travel bugs and geocoins. Are there now, or are there plans for, more details about geocaching in the packaging?

 

Thanks.

 

Thanks! And it's good to be here! I think for the most part, this question has been answered in my last posting. That said, I would love to hear some suggestions of what you would like to see. From experience, long text-based manuals are used as bird cage liner at best. Perhaps we could do something more enticing like a "Trackable Identification Card"?? Show what a trackable looks like, what it is, and what to do with it??

 

There is a brochure at Geocacher University that has been long regarded by many as a standard piece of equipment to be carried with when caching. It is a basic explanation of geocaching printed on both sides of a standard sheet of paper. Something like it could be used. A glossy fold out in eye catching colors that gives a basic description of caching and the ethics of the pastime on one side and split the other side between trackables and cito.

 

Thanks for the tip. Yep, I know this brochure well.

Link to comment

My name's Warren, I'm a Pisces and I like hiking, camping, scuba diving, sailing, and geocaching. :anibad: I'm also from Apisphere and I'm happy to answer any questions anyone may have.

 

Glad to see you here. I'm been testing out my 'Mate for the past week and there's a lot I like about it. My question is regarding the name itself.

 

In my aging mind, Geomate jr. presupposes there is a Geomate Sr. Does Apisphere have a full featured (mapping, more cache data etc) Geocaching specific gps in development?

 

Also, when should we start looking for the update kit at REI or Groundspeak.com?

 

I'm happy to hear that you are out and about with a Geomate.jr! As for the name and whether there will be a "Sr", well that would be just telling. That said, why stop at just one product?? Now, the Update Kit, you should start seeing that appear and available in June.

Link to comment

Thanks! And it's good to be here! I think for the most part, this question has been answered in my last posting. That said, I would love to hear some suggestions of what you would like to see. From experience, long text-based manuals are used as bird cage liner at best. Perhaps we could do something more enticing like a "Trackable Identification Card"?? Show what a trackable looks like, what it is, and what to do with it??

Thank you for coming in to talk about your product.

 

My suggestion - a clear and concise bullet list on the packaging (maybe in the documentation as well, but clearly visible on the outer package) that reads something like:

 

Find it

Trade stuff

Sign it

Rehide it

Leave it

Log it online

 

or something along those lines.

 

You mentioned in an earlier post that you could enter a name for the unit, which makes me think that there is some sort of splash screen that appears when the unit it powered up. If so wouldn't that be a great location to list a few concise guidelines about how to play the game?

Link to comment

Hello all

 

My name is Warren and I am the product lead for the Geomate.jr. I'm sure there are a heap of questions that everyone has about the product, the company, and our intentions. I would be delighted to field any questions people may have and provide as much information as possible.

 

Looking forward to chatting!

 

Cheers

 

Warren

 

Hello, Warren. My name is Dan, I'm a Libra, and I like hiking, camping, scuba diving, sailing, and geocaching.

 

Glad you dared to come onboard and face the masses with the flaming torches. I try very hard to avoid mob mentality, but I'm sure that you spend much of the day reading past posts and know that I am one that wasn't exactly thrilled by the rollout of your product.

 

Now, before I begin... let me say that I understand, from your media rollout, that the basic concept was to give parents, that most likely already have, or will get, a geocaching.com account, with a relatively inexpense route to let their kids play along. I "get" that. But there is obivously no promise that will be the case.

 

I hear you addressing concerns such as the ethics of geocaching now, but why were those not addressed before the product rollout, if they are so important to you? How are we to protect our geocoins and travel bugs, for example, from folks that have zero clue as to what they are all about?

 

I put my caches out so that I can get the feedback from those that found it. That is my one and only repayment for my investment. I also have a reasonable expectation that those that found it will respect it. They will not steal it, they will not toss it aside, they will rehide it as found. And they do this because they are part of the geocaching community. Your customers do not need to be a part of that community... in fact, they don't even need to be aware that the community even exists.

 

There are a few here that have attempted to minimize our concerns, but I hope that do not side with them. Those of us that are concerned about this are not taking those issues lightly or making them without thinking about it. These are very real concerns that have consequences.

 

You released your product without considering those consequences, therefore I, and probably others, are concerned and somewhat skeptical about your promises to take them into consideration in the future. Unfortunately, aside from making our caches inaccessable to your users, we don't have many options but to trust you.

 

All thing aside, thank you for coming her to face our concerns That in itself goes a long ways toward mitigating our doubts.

Edited by knowschad
Link to comment

It is possible that not being familiar with the rules of the game things will start to disappear from caches and even the caches themselves. If this evolves it can spell big trouble for the hobby. We shall see if they haven't shot themselves in the foot on this one.

Link to comment

Should we be able to get some answers about the product? Yes. Why was it so hard to get information like what is included in the packaging about geocaching?

Why would you expect on outside company (Goundspeak) to supply information about a product they didn't design or manufacture? Email the manufacturer, if you want info.

 

I expect the guy at Sears to have the basic information about the TV they have on sale this week. I don't expect him to be able to tell me how a TV works.

I bought my GPS through Amazon. But I'm calling Garmin, not Amazon, when I've got a question.

Link to comment
I bought my GPS through Amazon. But I'm calling Garmin, not Amazon, when I've got a question.

True, but did you get a 250K PQ from Amazon? The point is not about the use and technicalities of the Geomate Jr. Its about the "integritalities" of getting almost 30% of the registered caches, worldwide, included with the purchase... without any "buy in", or education.

 

Hi again, Warren,

I guess you got the short straw.

I appreciate your stepping up to the plate, but your response did not really satisfy my concerns...

Your concern about the integrity of the activity and the community is very valid and it is something that is very important to us as well. We are currently developing more material to address ethics, set expectations, and to educate.
How many have already been sold, (or at least packaged ready for shipment). A little late to be developing the material, I'd say.

 

However, our intent is to also work directly with groups and organizations, to act as ambassadors for the activity, and nurture good ethics.
How about the ethics of working with the group (us, the cachers) who hide and maintain caches which enables the organization (GS) to make the Geomate Jr database possible.

 

For example, we (in conjunction with REI Outdoor School instructors) took a local school geocaching this morning as part of a 'leadership' themed camp. We didn't just go geocaching, but spent a lot of time talking about navigation, problem solving, environmental awareness as well as geocaching ethics and expectations.
Doing it this way, I fear you'll run out of time, long before you run out of GeoMate Jr's to sell. Not forgetting the grannies and grandpas looking to buy that thing they heard about from the cousin that does that geo-sport thing for their techno grandkid with all the other tech toys. Are they going to remember all you told them, so they can pass the information on with the Geogift?

 

Ultimately, we hope to drive anyone who is interested in geocaching to geocaching.com and the community.
Having a GPS, but needing to register with GS so I could use it to geocache, is what drove me to geocaching.com

 

All said and done, I know the GeoMate Jr is here to stay. I just feel concerned about the integrity and longevity of a sport I have really got to enjoy.

 

Thank you once again for your time.

Good Luck

Edited by Jollylolly
Link to comment
I bought my GPS through Amazon. But I'm calling Garmin, not Amazon, when I've got a question.

True, but did you get a 250K PQ from Amazon? The point is not about the use and technicalities of the Geomate Jr. Its about the "integritalities" of getting almost 30% of the registered caches, worldwide, included with the purchase... without any "buy in", or education.

 

Hi again, Warren,

I guess you got the short straw.

I appreciate your stepping up to the plate, but your response did not really satisfy my concerns...

Your concern about the integrity of the activity and the community is very valid and it is something that is very important to us as well. We are currently developing more material to address ethics, set expectations, and to educate.
How many have already been sold, (or at least packaged ready for shipment). A little late to be developing the material, I'd say.

 

However, our intent is to also work directly with groups and organizations, to act as ambassadors for the activity, and nurture good ethics.
How about the ethics of working with the group (us, the cachers) who hide and maintain caches which enables the organization (GS) to make the Geomate Jr database possible.

 

For example, we (in conjunction with REI Outdoor School instructors) took a local school geocaching this morning as part of a 'leadership' themed camp. We didn't just go geocaching, but spent a lot of time talking about navigation, problem solving, environmental awareness as well as geocaching ethics and expectations.
Doing it this way, I fear you'll run out of time, long before you run out of GeoMate Jr's to sell. Not forgetting the grannies and grandpas looking to buy that thing they heard about from the cousin that does that geo-sport thing for their techno grandkid with all the other tech toys. Are they going to remember all you told them, so they can pass the information on with the Geogift?

 

Ultimately, we hope to drive anyone who is interested in geocaching to geocaching.com and the community.
Having a GPS, but needing to register with GS so I could use it to geocache, is what drove me to geocaching.com

 

All said and done, I know the GeoMate Jr is here to stay. I just feel concerned about the integrity and longevity of a sport I have really got to enjoy.

 

Thank you once again for your time.

Good Luck

 

I'm sorry that my response did not satisfy your concerns. I am more than willing to listen to suggestions on how better we can protect the integrity and longevity of the sport that we all enjoy. I welcome the opportunity to talk with you directly and learn from your experience. Please feel free to contact me at any time. Contact details can be found on www.mygeomate.com

Link to comment

Warren,

 

Yes, welcome to the flames.

 

Could you explain how the update process works? In particular, is it a complete replacement of the database, or is it a smart update?

 

I think you made a major mistake in not consulting a larger body of experienced cachers prior to product launch. Do you have any way of updating the geomate after it's shipped?

 

You should have included the "update kit" in every box. Are you saying it's anything more than a cheap USB cable? Out of date cache information is probably the biggest concern expressed here.

 

And the geomate should have had at least an on-screen warning of the need for updates if the updates haven't been installed in, say, the past two weeks.

 

(To briansnat: yes, AOL is now connected to the Internet. Death of Usenet predicted. Film at 11.)

 

Edward

Link to comment

Hello all

 

My name is Warren and I am the product lead for the Geomate.jr. I'm sure there are a heap of questions that everyone has about the product, the company, and our intentions. I would be delighted to field any questions people may have and provide as much information as possible.

 

Looking forward to chatting!

 

Cheers

 

Warren

 

Hello, Warren. My name is Dan, I'm a Libra, and I like hiking, camping, scuba diving, sailing, and geocaching.

 

Glad you dared to come onboard and face the masses with the flaming torches. I try very hard to avoid mob mentality, but I'm sure that you spend much of the day reading past posts and know that I am one that wasn't exactly thrilled by the rollout of your product.

 

Now, before I begin... let me say that I understand, from your media rollout, that the basic concept was to give parents, that most likely already have, or will get, a geocaching.com account, with a relatively inexpense route to let their kids play along. I "get" that. But there is obivously no promise that will be the case.

 

I hear you addressing concerns such as the ethics of geocaching now, but why were those not addressed before the product rollout, if they are so important to you? How are we to protect our geocoins and travel bugs, for example, from folks that have zero clue as to what they are all about?

 

I put my caches out so that I can get the feedback from those that found it. That is my one and only repayment for my investment. I also have a reasonable expectation that those that found it will respect it. They will not steal it, they will not toss it aside, they will rehide it as found. And they do this because they are part of the geocaching community. Your customers do not need to be a part of that community... in fact, they don't even need to be aware that the community even exists.

 

There are a few here that have attempted to minimize our concerns, but I hope that do not side with them. Those of us that are concerned about this are not taking those issues lightly or making them without thinking about it. These are very real concerns that have consequences.

 

You released your product without considering those consequences, therefore I, and probably others, are concerned and somewhat skeptical about your promises to take them into consideration in the future. Unfortunately, aside from making our caches inaccessable to your users, we don't have many options but to trust you.

 

All thing aside, thank you for coming her to face our concerns That in itself goes a long ways toward mitigating our doubts.

 

Hi Dan

 

Pleased to meet you. I have no problem with 'facing the masses'. In fact, it is vitally important to me that we listen and learn from the geocaching community. While developing the Geomate.jr we have spoken with and worked with many members of the geocaching community (ourselves and our friends being a part of that community) and I welcome any opportunity to meet and work with even more. This forum is an excellent way to achieve that.

 

We are a small company and we still have a lot to do. We have some great ideas on how better to continue developing community and to reward those who take the time to place caches. While we are working on improving our offerings, we have made a conscious decision to work only with distribution channels that understand and respect geocaching and the community - Groundspeak and REI. Now is our chance to learn, refine, and improve. And your help with this is most welcome.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...