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[REQ] Geocaching app extension for Pebble e-paper watch


esandman

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The Pebble e-paper watch could be an awesome GPS navigation & geocaching aid for smart-phone users.

 

Just imagine you've setup a waypoint (or you're heading to the closest geocache), and you've stashed the phone in the top pocket of your rucksack (probably connected to an extended battery). The Pebble on your wrist would then be able to show a compass (based on GPS movement not magnetic), with direction arrow and distance to waypoint (or geocache).

 

Of course this would require someone like Geocaching.com to update their app to push data to the watch as a custom-watch-app via the SDK.

 

Idea first posted on my G+ profile but I thought I'd bring the discussion over here.

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The Pebble e-paper watch could be an awesome GPS navigation & geocaching aid for smart-phone users.

 

Just imagine you've setup a waypoint (or you're heading to the closest geocache), and you've stashed the phone in the top pocket of your rucksack (probably connected to an extended battery). The Pebble on your wrist would then be able to show a compass (based on GPS movement not magnetic), with direction arrow and distance to waypoint (or geocache).

 

Of course this would require someone like Geocaching.com to update their app to push data to the watch as a custom-watch-app via the SDK.

 

Idea first posted on my G+ profile but I thought I'd bring the discussion over here.

 

Thanks for introducing this to me.

 

Its a product from the same people who released the inPulse for Blackberry & Android

 

Looks similar to the:

Sony LiveView http://www.sonymobil...ories/liveview/ and SmartWatch http://www.sonymobil...ies/smartwatch/

Motorola's MOTOACTV http://www.motorola..../MOTOACTV-US-EN

WIMM's WIMM One http://www.wimm.com/wimm_preview.html

Edited by UMainah
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I have a pebble coming too. I was thinking I want an app that will vibrate the watch once you get within so many feet of a cache. I tend to bike around for caches so this would be awesome. The real question is, is it possible?

 

The Pebble e-paper watch could be an awesome GPS navigation & geocaching aid for smart-phone users.

 

Just imagine you've setup a waypoint (or you're heading to the closest geocache), and you've stashed the phone in the top pocket of your rucksack (probably connected to an extended battery). The Pebble on your wrist would then be able to show a compass (based on GPS movement not magnetic), with direction arrow and distance to waypoint (or geocache).

 

Of course this would require someone like Geocaching.com to update their app to push data to the watch as a custom-watch-app via the SDK.

 

Idea first posted on my G+ profile but I thought I'd bring the discussion over here.

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I've got one of these on order too. So far, they don't seem to have made the Pebble SDK public, but when they do, I'll have a look and see how complicated it would be to whip an app together.

 

How would people see it working, bearing in mind the limited capabilities of the watch?

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I'm an active geocacher with a Pebble too, and would love to see something like this. But I recognize the problem that the Pebble has a 3-axis accelerometer, but doesn't have a gyro or GPS. Bottom line is that you can't tell which way the watch is pointing, so you can't do a compass. The best you could do is displaying "the cache is 253 feet NNE" or "The cache is 74 feet away at a heading of 283 degrees". Maybe a north-is-up compass with the distance underneath that vibrates once when you get within 100 feet and twice when you get within 50 feet. You'd have to refer to the watch for direction and distance and you'd have to know which way was north, either by referring to your smartphone, a compass, or your own sense of direction.

 

Ron

Edited by GeekinTX
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I've had my Pebble a little while now, and have just got round to getting the development kit installed to be able to write apps for it. It's early days yet (and I don't have much spare time :() but I've managed to hack together a watchapp that displays your GPS position on your wrist (sorry - it's not yet fit for public consumption!) However, I want to turn it into a proper geocaching/navigation app, and was wondering how people thought it might work. I'm going to be using the Pebble Javascript API, which is supposed to let you write one program that will work with both Android and iPhone, without needing a helper app on the phone.

 

To get the caches onto the watch, you would paste the address of a GPX file into the phone (e.g. from your Dropbox account). This could be from anywhere, so the app could be used for any sort of waypoint, not just geocaches. Perversely, the permissions for the Pebble app probably mean you won't be able to use local files, but can get them from the web.

 

The phone would figure out which were the ten closest points from the file, and send the shortlist to the watch. I think that if you tried sending the whole list to the watch, it would be unmanageable to use (and probably run out of memory).

 

The watch would show an updated list of the 10 closest waypoints, with a range and heading.

 

If you got within a set distance of a waypoint, the watch would vibrate.

 

If you selected a waypoint, you would get an easier-to-read screen with range and heading. I thought of combining this with a north-up compass ring that shows the direction of the waypoint, the direction of the sun, and the GPS heading reported by the phone. Using a solar compass would help get you started in the right direction without needing to know what direction the phone and watch were pointing in.

 

Any thoughts?

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Hey guys!

 

I've been also writing similar application in the past weeks.

 

It works in connection with c:geo app. You select the geocache, click navigate and select Pebble and that's it.

 

It should be published on Google Play in couple of hours: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.webmajstr.pebble_gc

 

Let me know what you think :)

 

jri: your idea is also good so I hope you manage to do it too! (mine supports only android, sorry :( )

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Hey guys!

 

I've been also writing similar application in the past weeks.

 

It works in connection with c:geo app. You select the geocache, click navigate and select Pebble and that's it.

 

It should be published on Google Play in couple of hours: https://play.google....ajstr.pebble_gc

 

Let me know what you think :)

 

jri: your idea is also good so I hope you manage to do it too! (mine supports only android, sorry :( )

 

I've just tried the Pebble Geocaching app and unfortunately couldn't get it to work (I'll PM the details). However, I think there's room for both apps. I use c:geo too, and it would be great if that integrated with the Pebble. But also, I'd like an app that will alert me when I happen to walk near a geocache, without having to choose it specifically. Spare time permitting, I'll see what I can do!

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I just got a Pebble for Christmas. I've been looking for a way to turn it into a functional caching tool since day one. At this point I'd be content with an app that just shows coordinates in the appropriate format. I've tried the Coords app but functionality and formatting are limited.

 

Anyone know of an existing app that would get me what I want? This would be a great help to me, especially for multi-caches, until a more complete or functional app is available.

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Yes please, do forward me the details! From what I've tested it works, but surely I don't know anyone else that has the watch so I could not test it extensively! :)

 

After updating to v0.9.2, your app now seems to be working for me. Hopefully I'all get some time to try it in the field soon!

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Sorry for my English :)

 

I found something for the Pebble

 

https://apps.getpebble.com/applications/540ca9ef1120350bc20001e0

 

A first try showed a Cache in 1,6 km distance at 29 km distance at the Pebble :blink:

 

The concept looks good, but there is no way "bypassing" the coordinates from the GC App to this App - you have manually put in the coordinates :(

 

@ GC Admins: Maybe there is a way to "open" a port to connect this an other apps?!

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Have any of you tried out my pebble app that I released about a week ago?

 

https://apps.getpebb...fdfeab1cf000004

 

iOS and Android compatible, no companion app required: Geocaching using just your watch*

 

*pebble must be connected to your phone via Bluetooth of course

 

Hi Graeme,

I have a Pebble 2 and it's finding my location and correctly loading the nearest caches, but when I click on the middle button to navigate it goes back the menu. If I click on Watch Caching it repeats this. How do I get it to load a cache?

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