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Discussions pertaining to Groundspeak's new Windows Phone app


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Dear Geocaching for Windows Phone 7 Application user,

 

We have some important and exciting news for you. In the coming weeks, we will be releasing a new Windows Phone 7 application called Geocaching Live. This application takes advantage of Microsoft’s new operating system, Mango, and will include some terrific new features. Geocaching Live will be free to download, and as a Premium Member of Geocaching.com you will have access to additional features within the application.

 

Premium Member features include:

• Access to all cache types, including Premium Member-only caches

• Detailed descriptions on all cache pages

• Reasonably unlimited cache downloads/day

• Ability to pin a live tile to the Start Screen that shows the nearest geocache at any given time (this updates every 20 minutes)

 

In addition, you will be able to take advantage of the following new features, which will be available to all members:

• A hardware compass

• The ability to pin saved “Advanced Search” results to the start screen

• Open Street Map Support

 

The current Geocaching for Windows Phone 7 application will be supported until 3/31/2013, at which time we will be turning off the API on which the application runs; this means the current Geocaching for WP7 application will not work after that date.

 

We encourage you to look for the Geocaching Live application in the Marketplace in coming weeks and we hope you enjoy it.

 

Happy geocaching!

 

The Groundspeak Team

 

Looks like they are making it free.

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I just got an email stating that there will be a new Geocaching app? What? Why not just update the current with an overhaul? What's in it for those of us who paid $10 freakin dollars for this app!?

 

From what I understand, if I choose to not go for a premium membership, I lose access to anything but traditional caches once the current app goes offline, as well as the logs of caches I'm searching for after the first 3 I look at in the month?

 

Does this seem a little crazy or am I horribly misunderstanding something here?

Edited by Entegy
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Dear Geocaching for Windows Phone 7 Application user,

 

We have some important and exciting news for you. In the coming weeks, we will be releasing a new Windows Phone 7 application called Geocaching Live. This application takes advantage of Microsoft’s new operating system, Mango, and will include some terrific new features. Geocaching Live will be free to download, and as a Premium Member of Geocaching.com you will have access to additional features within the application.

 

Premium Member features include:

• Access to all cache types, including Premium Member-only caches

• Detailed descriptions on all cache pages

• Reasonably unlimited cache downloads/day

• Ability to pin a live tile to the Start Screen that shows the nearest geocache at any given time (this updates every 20 minutes)

 

In addition, you will be able to take advantage of the following new features, which will be available to all members:

• A hardware compass

• The ability to pin saved “Advanced Search” results to the start screen

• Open Street Map Support

 

The current Geocaching for Windows Phone 7 application will be supported until 3/31/2013, at which time we will be turning off the API on which the application runs; this means the current Geocaching for WP7 application will not work after that date.

 

We encourage you to look for the Geocaching Live application in the Marketplace in coming weeks and we hope you enjoy it.

 

Happy geocaching!

 

The Groundspeak Team

 

Looks like they are making it free.

 

So that's going to impact both geocachers that own Windows 7 phones?

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Dear Geocaching for Windows Phone 7 Application user,

 

We have some important and exciting news for you. In the coming weeks, we will be releasing a new Windows Phone 7 application called Geocaching Live. This application takes advantage of Microsoft’s new operating system, Mango, and will include some terrific new features. Geocaching Live will be free to download, and as a Premium Member of Geocaching.com you will have access to additional features within the application.

 

Premium Member features include:

• Access to all cache types, including Premium Member-only caches

• Detailed descriptions on all cache pages

• Reasonably unlimited cache downloads/day

• Ability to pin a live tile to the Start Screen that shows the nearest geocache at any given time (this updates every 20 minutes)

 

In addition, you will be able to take advantage of the following new features, which will be available to all members:

• A hardware compass

• The ability to pin saved “Advanced Search” results to the start screen

• Open Street Map Support

 

The current Geocaching for Windows Phone 7 application will be supported until 3/31/2013, at which time we will be turning off the API on which the application runs; this means the current Geocaching for WP7 application will not work after that date.

 

We encourage you to look for the Geocaching Live application in the Marketplace in coming weeks and we hope you enjoy it.

 

Happy geocaching!

 

The Groundspeak Team

 

Looks like they are making it free.

 

So that's going to impact both geocachers that own Windows 7 phones?

:laughing:

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Dear Geocaching for Windows Phone 7 Application user,

 

We have some important and exciting news for you. In the coming weeks, we will be releasing a new Windows Phone 7 application called Geocaching Live. This application takes advantage of Microsoft’s new operating system, Mango, and will include some terrific new features. Geocaching Live will be free to download, and as a Premium Member of Geocaching.com you will have access to additional features within the application.

 

Premium Member features include:

• Access to all cache types, including Premium Member-only caches

• Detailed descriptions on all cache pages

• Reasonably unlimited cache downloads/day

• Ability to pin a live tile to the Start Screen that shows the nearest geocache at any given time (this updates every 20 minutes)

 

In addition, you will be able to take advantage of the following new features, which will be available to all members:

• A hardware compass

• The ability to pin saved “Advanced Search” results to the start screen

• Open Street Map Support

 

The current Geocaching for Windows Phone 7 application will be supported until 3/31/2013, at which time we will be turning off the API on which the application runs; this means the current Geocaching for WP7 application will not work after that date.

 

We encourage you to look for the Geocaching Live application in the Marketplace in coming weeks and we hope you enjoy it.

 

Happy geocaching!

 

The Groundspeak Team

 

Looks like they are making it free.

 

So that's going to impact both geocachers that own Windows 7 phones?

I heard one of them got an iPhone.

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So that's going to impact both geocachers that own Windows 7 phones?

That is unreasonably uncivil and uncalled for, Sir. :mad:

You know there are at least half a dozen cachers using the Windows 7 phones. :ph34r:

Please consider the forum guidelines prior to posting such derogatory and inflammatory statements. :huh:

 

(Three "un"s in a row! Is that a record?)

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I just got an email stating that there will be a new Geocaching app? What? Why not just update the current with an overhaul? What's in it for those of us who paid $10 freakin dollars for this app!?

 

From what I understand, if I choose to not go for a premium membership, I lose access to anything but traditional caches once the current app goes offline, as well as the logs of caches I'm searching for after the first 3 I look at in the month?

 

Does this seem a little crazy or am I horribly misunderstanding something here?

 

The text from Cold Gears post:

Dear Geocaching for Windows Phone 7 Application user,

 

We have some important and exciting news for you. In the coming weeks, we will be releasing a new Windows Phone 7 application called Geocaching Live. This application takes advantage of Microsofts new operating system, Mango, and will include some terrific new features. Geocaching Live will be free to download, and as a Premium Member of Geocaching.com you will have access to additional features within the application.

 

Premium Member features include:

Access to all cache types, including Premium Member-only caches

Detailed descriptions on all cache pages

Reasonably unlimited cache downloads/day

Ability to pin a live tile to the Start Screen that shows the nearest geocache at any given time (this updates every 20 minutes)

 

In addition, you will be able to take advantage of the following new features, which will be available to all members:

A hardware compass

The ability to pin saved Advanced Search results to the start screen

Open Street Map Support

 

The current Geocaching for Windows Phone 7 application will be supported until 3/31/2013, at which time we will be turning off the API on which the application runs; this means the current Geocaching for WP7 application will not work after that date.

 

We encourage you to look for the Geocaching Live application in the Marketplace in coming weeks and we hope you enjoy it.

 

Happy geocaching!

 

The Groundspeak Team

 

What's the problem? You've paid a miserly ten bucks for a programme that will run for another year.

 

At any time within that year you can download a new, better programme that is free.

 

If you want the benefits of Premium membership you should fork out the dollars to gain those benefits.

Edited by Huntleigh
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Being a premium member and also someone who has just forked out £7.99 (in the last 2 weeks) for the app this is something I am highly upset about! The fact premium members have to pay for the app in the first place is not right at all!

 

Now its being made free... with all the features of the current app, well that's £7.99 down the drain!

 

I guess all I can do is moan at the admin team!

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It might be a better program, but you forgot the last paragraph of the e-mail:

If after the trial, you decide Premium membership is not for you, you’ll still be able to take advantage of these features in the new Geocaching Live application:

• 3 complete traditional geocache downloads per day (with detailed descriptions)

• After the first 3 downloads, “light” geocache data that includes coordinates, cache name, difficulty/terrain information

• Unrestricted logging of caches and Trackables

• A hardware compass

• The ability to pin saved “Advanced Search” results to the start screen

• Open Street Map Support

 

Does this mean, that with this new app, I can not even view multi caches on my mobile anymore if I'm not a premium user?

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It might be a better program, but you forgot the last paragraph of the e-mail:

If after the trial, you decide Premium membership is not for you, you’ll still be able to take advantage of these features in the new Geocaching Live application:

• 3 complete traditional geocache downloads per day (with detailed descriptions)

• After the first 3 downloads, “light” geocache data that includes coordinates, cache name, difficulty/terrain information

• Unrestricted logging of caches and Trackables

• A hardware compass

• The ability to pin saved “Advanced Search” results to the start screen

• Open Street Map Support

 

Does this mean, that with this new app, I can not even view multi caches on my mobile anymore if I'm not a premium user?

Those restrictions are exactly what is already in place for Basic Members using the API. That applies to iPhone, Android, and PC software. Do Basic Members using WP7 get something different at the moment?

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• Reasonably unlimited cache downloads/day

 

what does that mean?

If it's like the limits to GSAK API useage, it's 6000 caches per day (10,000 lite caches, a little more data than a LOC file). There are limits on how many API calls per minute and a limit on downloading logs per hour (minute?).

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Those restrictions are exactly what is already in place for Basic Members using the API. That applies to iPhone, Android, and PC software. Do Basic Members using WP7 get something different at the moment?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I did not recognize any restrictions on the WP7 app yet; except the restrictions which apply to free users anyways (e.g. no night caches).

Apart from that, I was always able to view as many caches (and their full details) as I wanted, no mather if traditional or multi.

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It might be a better program, but you forgot the last paragraph of the e-mail:

If after the trial, you decide Premium membership is not for you, you’ll still be able to take advantage of these features in the new Geocaching Live application:

• 3 complete traditional geocache downloads per day (with detailed descriptions)

• After the first 3 downloads, “light” geocache data that includes coordinates, cache name, difficulty/terrain information

• Unrestricted logging of caches and Trackables

• A hardware compass

• The ability to pin saved “Advanced Search” results to the start screen

• Open Street Map Support

 

Does this mean, that with this new app, I can not even view multi caches on my mobile anymore if I'm not a premium user?

Those restrictions are exactly what is already in place for Basic Members using the API. That applies to iPhone, Android, and PC software. Do Basic Members using WP7 get something different at the moment?

 

We can view mutli caches and puzzle caches. This new "geocaching live" application has a lot more restrictions than the old one. A lot more.

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Those restrictions are exactly what is already in place for Basic Members using the API. That applies to iPhone, Android, and PC software. Do Basic Members using WP7 get something different at the moment?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I did not recognize any restrictions on the WP7 app yet; except the restrictions which apply to free users anyways (e.g. no night caches).

Apart from that, I was always able to view as many caches (and their full details) as I wanted, no mather if traditional or multi.

I don't use WP7, so you'll know more about that side than me.

It's pretty strange that Groundspeak has made the current WP7 app so different from all the other implementations of the API.

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Being a premium member and also someone who has just forked out £7.99 (in the last 2 weeks) for the app this is something I am highly upset about! The fact premium members have to pay for the app in the first place is not right at all!

 

Now its being made free... with all the features of the current app, well that's £7.99 down the drain!

 

I guess all I can do is moan at the admin team!

 

You have a windows phone?

 

Most of us have iphone or Android. Not sure if they will eventually be made free too.

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I paid $10 for a service (an app) that they are going to take away? Do I get my money back? And then the new app isn't going to give me all the cache information? Is this yet another step back?? I've already paid for the service and then I'm only going to be allowed 3 caches (traditional) a day?? What's the point of having the app in the first place? Geocaching was one of my main deciding factors for getting a smart phone in the first place. I like the app the way it is, with the exception of some malfunctions that need to be fixed within the app itself. I don't need the compass as most the time the GPS on the app has me anywhere from 50 feet away to a mile away. Is this all a misunderstanding? Basically we're being told that if you want to geocache you have to be a premium member.

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I paid $10 for a service (an app) that they are going to take away? Do I get my money back? And then the new app isn't going to give me all the cache information? Is this yet another step back?? I've already paid for the service and then I'm only going to be allowed 3 caches (traditional) a day?? What's the point of having the app in the first place? Geocaching was one of my main deciding factors for getting a smart phone in the first place. I like the app the way it is, with the exception of some malfunctions that need to be fixed within the app itself. I don't need the compass as most the time the GPS on the app has me anywhere from 50 feet away to a mile away. Is this all a misunderstanding? Basically we're being told that if you want to geocache you have to be a premium member.
The OP is not talking about the geocaching app for iphone or Android. This is "Geocaching Live" for Windows phones.

 

IIRC, it shows where other cachers are in real time in addition to the features you might expect a GC app to have. All those out there who are worried about their activities being tracked by souvenirs are gonna have a field day...

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I paid $10 for a service (an app) that they are going to take away? Do I get my money back? And then the new app isn't going to give me all the cache information? Is this yet another step back?? I've already paid for the service and then I'm only going to be allowed 3 caches (traditional) a day?? What's the point of having the app in the first place? Geocaching was one of my main deciding factors for getting a smart phone in the first place. I like the app the way it is, with the exception of some malfunctions that need to be fixed within the app itself. I don't need the compass as most the time the GPS on the app has me anywhere from 50 feet away to a mile away. Is this all a misunderstanding? Basically we're being told that if you want to geocache you have to be a premium member.

 

Something else I thought of... Something I already paid $10 for is now going to cost me $30 dollars yearly. For an app, $30 a year.

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I paid $10 for a service (an app) that they are going to take away? Do I get my money back? And then the new app isn't going to give me all the cache information? Is this yet another step back?? I've already paid for the service and then I'm only going to be allowed 3 caches (traditional) a day?? What's the point of having the app in the first place? Geocaching was one of my main deciding factors for getting a smart phone in the first place. I like the app the way it is, with the exception of some malfunctions that need to be fixed within the app itself. I don't need the compass as most the time the GPS on the app has me anywhere from 50 feet away to a mile away. Is this all a misunderstanding? Basically we're being told that if you want to geocache you have to be a premium member.
The OP is not talking about the geocaching app for iphone or Android. This is "Geocaching Live" for Windows phones.

 

IIRC, it shows where other cachers are in real time in addition to the features you might expect a GC app to have. All those out there who are worried about their activities being tracked by souvenirs are gonna have a field day...

 

And that is what I am talking about too... Windows phone.

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I paid $10 for a service (an app) that they are going to take away? Do I get my money back? And then the new app isn't going to give me all the cache information? Is this yet another step back?? I've already paid for the service and then I'm only going to be allowed 3 caches (traditional) a day?? What's the point of having the app in the first place? Geocaching was one of my main deciding factors for getting a smart phone in the first place. I like the app the way it is, with the exception of some malfunctions that need to be fixed within the app itself. I don't need the compass as most the time the GPS on the app has me anywhere from 50 feet away to a mile away. Is this all a misunderstanding? Basically we're being told that if you want to geocache you have to be a premium member.

 

Something else I thought of... Something I already paid $10 for is now going to cost me $30 dollars yearly. For an app, $30 a year.

Well no, you will be paying $30 per year for the provision of information that everyone else pays $30 per year for. The new app is free.

 

If there was some quirk that gave Win7 app users a free ride that is now to be stopped (in a years time) then enjoy the free ride while it lasts.

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So at least we're hitting multiple times. Because I'd really like some clarifications on the situation.

Yeah, me too cause I'm not real happy with what I'm hearing and what I think I am understanding. If it's what I think I'm understanding then it's not quite a hobby any longer.

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I paid $10 for a service (an app) that they are going to take away? Do I get my money back? And then the new app isn't going to give me all the cache information? Is this yet another step back?? I've already paid for the service and then I'm only going to be allowed 3 caches (traditional) a day?? What's the point of having the app in the first place? Geocaching was one of my main deciding factors for getting a smart phone in the first place. I like the app the way it is, with the exception of some malfunctions that need to be fixed within the app itself. I don't need the compass as most the time the GPS on the app has me anywhere from 50 feet away to a mile away. Is this all a misunderstanding? Basically we're being told that if you want to geocache you have to be a premium member.

 

Something else I thought of... Something I already paid $10 for is now going to cost me $30 dollars yearly. For an app, $30 a year.

Well no, you will be paying $30 per year for the provision of information that everyone else pays $30 per year for. The new app is free.

 

If there was some quirk that gave Win7 app users a free ride that is now to be stopped (in a years time) then enjoy the free ride while it lasts.

 

No. I'd be paying $30 dollars to get the information that I ALREADY get on my home computer. The new app is free and I've already paid for an app. Everybody else does NOT already pay $30 dollars for the information I already get. What free ride? I've already paid for the app.

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What's the problem? You've paid a miserly ten bucks for a programme that will run for another year.

 

At any time within that year you can download a new, better programme that is free.

 

If you want the benefits of Premium membership you should fork out the dollars to gain those benefits.

 

You cannot download a new, better program for free. It's a 'lite' program, it's worse than what we already have. And 10 bucks is 10 bucks. This isn't 'benefits of Premium membership', we aren't getting Premium caches or PQs or all the other benefits of Premium benefits as the app is now. The app has nothing to do with benefits it has to do with the app itself.

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Apparently Groundspeak has been enlisted to help sell more WIN 7 phones. <_<

 

Won't work on me. I'm trying to minimize my exposure and dependence upon Microsoft products. Darned if I'll replace my idiotic phone for one running Windows.

 

I wonder what a Blue Screen of Death sounds like.

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I just got my wp7 phone last week and the first thing I did was buy the app. Coming from an iPhone i can't notice anything different with the functionality of this application compared to tg iPhone one so why is this only affecting us wp7 users?

 

Personally, as a student i can't afford a premium membership or a decent GPS so this will put a halt to my geocaching for a while

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I'm shocked.. that so many people have windows 7 phones. Truly. I've never met or heard of anyone who owns one. I can imagine the only customers are the non-tech savvy who are sold by the brand name and don't realize they are being suckered into a far inferior, less functional product?

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I'm shocked.. that so many people have windows 7 phones. Truly. I've never met or heard of anyone who owns one. I can imagine the only customers are the non-tech savvy who are sold by the brand name and don't realize they are being suckered into a far inferior, less functional product?

I think it's quite the opposite, I consider myself very tech savvy, I built my own computer and most of my time on the Internet is being spent reading hardware sites. Personally i think that the people buying iPhones are the ones who are being "suckered into a far inferior, less functional product". I've owned an iPhone for 3 years and it's the worst phone I've ever had. I could do more things with my 5 year old phone than I could with my iPhone.

 

However, I hope this thread does not turn in to a flame war between different phone brands.

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I just got my wp7 phone last week and the first thing I did was buy the app. Coming from an iPhone i can't notice anything different with the functionality of this application compared to tg iPhone one so why is this only affecting us wp7 users?

 

Personally, as a student i can't afford a premium membership or a decent GPS so this will put a halt to my geocaching for a while

The current Geocaching for Windows Phone 7 application will be supported until 3/31/2013, at which time we will be turning off the API on which the application runs; this means the current Geocaching for WP7 application will not work after that date.

You have one year to enjoy caching with your current setup.

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I'm shocked.. that so many people have windows 7 phones. Truly. I've never met or heard of anyone who owns one. I can imagine the only customers are the non-tech savvy who are sold by the brand name and don't realize they are being suckered into a far inferior, less functional product?

I think it's quite the opposite, I consider myself very tech savvy, I built my own computer and most of my time on the Internet is being spent reading hardware sites. Personally i think that the people buying iPhones are the ones who are being "suckered into a far inferior, less functional product". I've owned an iPhone for 3 years and it's the worst phone I've ever had. I could do more things with my 5 year old phone than I could with my iPhone.

 

However, I hope this thread does not turn in to a flame war between different phone brands.

I agree with helmius. It has nothing to do with technology, for me Windows is much more comfortable than the iPhone I had. As helmius said, "(P)eople buying iPhones are the ones who are being "suckered into a far inferior, less functional product". <--to which I would also add that the iPhone is a brand name as well.

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I just got my wp7 phone last week and the first thing I did was buy the app. Coming from an iPhone i can't notice anything different with the functionality of this application compared to tg iPhone one so why is this only affecting us wp7 users?

 

Personally, as a student i can't afford a premium membership or a decent GPS so this will put a halt to my geocaching for a while

The current Geocaching for Windows Phone 7 application will be supported until 3/31/2013, at which time we will be turning off the API on which the application runs; this means the current Geocaching for WP7 application will not work after that date.

You have one year to enjoy caching with your current setup.

But why is it only affecting Window Phone users? How is that fair if the other phone apps get to stay the same.

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Hi,

We recieved an email from Geocaching.com regarding the WP7 App we own. If this is not a fake email the WP7 App will be canceled in the next weeks and will be replaced with a free Live App with extremely limited features for GC Basic Members like us. According to the mail you can only download THREE TRADITIONAL caches per day (what a joke!!!) with all informations (descrpition...). After that you can only download traditional caches with coordinates and T/D information.

 

Instead of updating the current app to a well working status Geocaching.com seams to be more intrested in making more and more money by forcing you to be a premium member to use the application. We purchased the app about 8 months ago and it never worked very well in the german version. Over months the app was nearly useless because of bugs in the german version. It was never updated to a version using all mango features (like the compass) and now it gets canceled?

 

Maybe some one can confirm this informations. Is it only the WP7 App, or are the Iphone and Android apps also affected?

 

If the informations are true and WP7 users are the only ones being disadvantaged it is really shocking. Instead of building a satisfied WP7 community GC.com screws us with 9€ for an only moderate working application (and we purchased two). The only way to continue GC seams to become a Premium Member, thats a shame. We were considering a Premium Membership for this year anyway but not to use our GC application appropiate. When we started GC it was about having fun and not about making money...

 

Happy caching anyway, the ClimbingBunnys

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