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This program is awesome.
It is a navigation progam the uses cell towers, wifi AP's, or GPS.
Maps load faster than google maps in my opinion.
BUT the coolest thing is that they will pay you to collect data for them. As your driving around it searches for AP's and cell towers and stores that info along with the GPS locations. Then you send that info to their servers and they give you points. 2 per wifi AP and 10 per cell tower. When you get 10,000 points they give you $20. I know 10,000 sounds like a lot, but I've used this a few hours while driving around town to the store and stuff like that and I already have over 2000 points.
Check it out, it's free
First goto:
http://my.navizon.com/Webapps/UserAdmin/register.aspx?referral_code=5D56565E5A56
and sign up for an account, then you can either download the free version from their site, or I've included a link to the .cab file here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/83451235/NavizonCab.cab.html
mbritten said:
This program is awesome.
It is a navigation progam the uses cell towers, wifi AP's, or GPS.
Maps load faster than google maps in my opinion.
BUT the coolest thing is that they will pay you to collect data for them. As your driving around it searches for AP's and cell towers and stores that info along with the GPS locations. Then you send that info to their servers and they give you points. 2 per wifi AP and 10 per cell tower. When you get 10,000 points they give you $20. I know 10,000 sounds like a lot, but I've used this a few hours while driving around town to the store and stuff like that and I already have over 2000 points.
Check it out, it's free
First goto:
http://my.navizon.com/Webapps/UserAdmin/register.aspx?referral_code=5D56565E5A56
and sign up for an account, then you can either download the free version from their site, or I've included a link to the .cab file here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/83451235/NavizonCab.cab.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then again, this capability is built into Google Maps locator feature, at least to some degree, without having to download, sign up, etc., etc. Maybe Navizon has improved since last I tried it, but I have found Google Maps' feature useful for a "quick fix" to do a local search. If I need a better fix for actual navigation, well the Athena does have built-in GPS, yeah? What am I missing?
wgary said:
Then again, this capability is built into Google Maps locator feature, at least to some degree, without having to download, sign up, etc., etc. Maybe Navizon has improved since last I tried it, but I have found Google Maps' feature useful for a "quick fix" to do a local search. If I need a better fix for actual navigation, well the Athena does have built-in GPS, yeah? What am I missing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The fact that you have GPS is why this program in usefull. While you are driving about you can have this program running and it will search for cell towers and wifi ap's, then it will upload that info along with the GPS location of all of these items. You get points for each and can get money. I've used it for 3 days and just got $20. it really doesn't take that long to earn enough points, and thats with regular driving around. It wouldn't make sense to go drive around for this purpose along, but hey, if your going somewhere anyway, why not.
How to turn on GPS?
mbritten said:
The fact that you have GPS is why this program in usefull. While you are driving about you can have this program running and it will search for cell towers and wifi ap's, then it will upload that info along with the GPS location of all of these items. You get points for each and can get money. I've used it for 3 days and just got $20. it really doesn't take that long to earn enough points, and thats with regular driving around. It wouldn't make sense to go drive around for this purpose along, but hey, if your going somewhere anyway, why not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. Forgive me for being un-hightech (brain a bit fried today). But I hope u can enlighten me:
1) How do u turn on GPS function on the phone? Just go to mobile provider to activate service and it will be on 4ever??
2) So for navison to detect the towers etc, all I have to do is just start the program and it will do the rest right?
3) I managed to get some points whilst I was running the navizon programme. But I am unsure whether it was through the update of my gps position... or edge or 3g...
Well i just tried installing navizon from the ppc msi install file on their web site and i get an error when starting the program and it wants to debug, and then the program crashs. I installed it to the microdrive....ill try the phones memory this time and see how it works....if it works at all
well i tried reinstalling navizon to the phones internal memory with the same problem, installs fine, go to start program and i get "a native exception occurred:
Exception code: 0x80000002
Exception address:0x00ec8328
ok to terminate
cancel to debug
any help?
Has anyone sucessfully installed navizon on an advantage? Just curious if my error is due to something specific on my phone, or if its all advantages. If anyone can shed some light on my error message that would be great....im totally clueless
had same error
on my ameo
Cameraware (from Modaco) has this built in - not actuelly tried it yetr as have just installed WM6.1 so am trying apps gradually
I'd really like to get this Navizon program working....anyone else want to try it on their advantage? I'm talking with their support team on their forums and supposebly they had it working on an advantage before
Although I own a mogul and a bluetooth GPS, i don't own a car and still take the bus/train/taxi/ferry to and from work. Does anyone know of a program that can sound a customizable alarm/command based on GPS location?
I was hoping for something like rk-Sleep or rk-Location -- both of these programs can run intricate sets of commands based on location, but this only uses cell towers and not gps.
Code:
rk-LocSwitch: Phone Tower based app/commandline trigger
>> [url]http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=328114[/url]
rk-Sleep: Location based auto Phone Switch
>> [url]http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...76#post1428076[/url]
Maybe I might find a mort script that can help.
That would be so cool!
(Yes, pointless post, but I'd love a program like that.)
isn't that a navigation software exactly what you want? enter your destination and done.
I think this would be a great feature for Google Maps, especially with the My Location thing. I feel like it's a bit out of the scope of their program, but I think I'll recommend it.
you could enter a range of coordinates and execute a file when you are there,
it shouldnt be that difficult to make, is it? you dont need any map software. you could locate the coordinates on google maps and then put them in the program or something liek that
Couldn't you just replace the sound file in the sat nav software thats says "You have arrived" with a bell/ring sound file.
The idea of changing the "you have arrived" or the sound files in general would be a great idea, except it would still make an extremely battery intensive program with the screen on, running a full mapping program and all.
I like the idea of using the coordinates, because really that is all I would need (and most mapping programs can tell me that in advance anyways.
Now, just need to find some source code to mash together!
This would be so helpful.
Anybody who claims there is no point in programming such an application has never fallen asleep in a train/bus because of alcohol and slept through the whole ride missing their stop.
E_Shinobi said:
This would be so helpful.
Anybody who claims there is no point in programming such an application has never fallen asleep in a train/bus because of alcohol and slept through the whole ride missing their stop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.trackr.eu/ has promised a tool like this. When you enter a specific location or when you leave a predefined line you can send a email or sms.
When you send it to yourself and make a rule in Phonealarm for example, voila you have what the topicstarter wanted
you could check out:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=340667
there is a geo fence feature that you could set up, so when you get within "x" distance of where you are going it will send you a text message or email, the notification could wake you up.
Make some money as well while you are traveling, check out www.navizon.com
its a pretty cool free program that gives you credit for every cell tower and wifi ap you see, you earn money for helping the company build up its database. if you sign up you can use my referral link so I get extra points, otherwise just sign up normally if your not into the whole referral thing, it really is a kick as program if you have GPS, its maps are similar to google maps as well.
here is my referral link if you are so inclined:
http://my.navizon.com/Webapps/UserAdmin/register.aspx?referral_code=5D56565E5A56
Finally found a program that does this!
BeelineGPS http://www.visualgps.net/BeeLineGPS/ Has the option to sec "Active" POIs - when you set one up you give it the lat and lon and you can tell it how far away you want it to play the associated sound file. So I set it up with a bus stop and told it to play some Offspring when I am within a mile of my stop, worked like a charm!
They list the feature as being useful for doing an audio tour, I guess something like "you are currently in front of the south entrance, this is where we buried all the dead bodies"
Now, Beeline will keep the device awake but that keeps the screen on and touchscreen active, If you turn off the device it turns off the GPS and Beeline loses the lock. The solution is to have an audio player (I'm using Pocket Tunes) running in the foreground, then you can turn off the device, the GPS stays active and the alarm sounds come through your headphones. If you want silence you could run TrackMe or another program that has the ability to turn off the screen and keep the OS working.
I also created a bunch of crossroad POIs and associated the street names spoken by AT&T's text to wav site http://www.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php so I can know where I am without even opening my eyes.
E_Shinobi said:
This would be so helpful.
Anybody who claims there is no point in programming such an application has never fallen asleep in a train/bus because of alcohol and slept through the whole ride missing their stop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's the problem then......don't drink and you won't fall asleep..hahaha!!!
just as the topic states, I am going to be taking a trip back to alaska in about a month. I wanted to Pre-Cache maps for pretty much any gps program ( im willing to buy it if it works ) that would work on my advantage. on my nokia N800 there was a program called Maemo Mapper and it was amazing as far as pre-fetching maps for a selected area at a selected zoom level....With it I could pre-fetch the whole island im visiting and have it stored on my mem card...but thats linux heh. I'm not lookin for road maps either,only sattelite images such as googlemaps. Any input as far as what your using, and if its capable of caching maps and then pulling them up later with NO internet or cellular coverage whatsoever...thanks!
Im trying Virtual Earth Mobile right now, and the map cache feature is there, however you would have to navigate the entire path i was to travel in order to prefetch the area...no select specified area. and secondly but most importantly, the zoom level for virtual earth mobile is crap compared to say google earth, VEM wont let me get close enuf with satellite to do any good.
I would be very much interested in this if you ever find an answer. I know that you if you download the images manually which is a very pain staking process then you can use a number of programs. Like I said it very long process and for a small area it works.
Let me know how it works out for you
I know under linux using maemo mapper, it was a very valuable option, and it was widely used. I tried downloading a program called tracky, which supposebly pulls googlemaps images and then will cache them for later viewing, but I am struggling with getting it to download the maps properly. ....we cant be the first people that have needed to cache an area of googlemaps at a certain zoom level....
on a totally different note...i was trying to install a game called "the mark" a sniper game...installed fine, loaded game and graphics glitched, had to manually reset via the reset hole on the back. rebooted ameo and it was like I had just hard reset....no programs, had to retap stylus and reset time/date. Now the microdrive and the storage card have ALL the files on them, just none of the associations for the programs installed on the microdrive are there...and all my settings/home screen are back to stock! WTF happened when i just simply reset the phone?did something with the game I intalled corrupt the phone? I was hopeing that AP4.0 would be out before something like this happened....If there isnt a way to restore the file associations, I will just backup the files I need off the drive and storage card, and then actually do a hard reset and format the microdrive
backup, backup and backup. I had something similar happen too... just use spb backup.
heh, I used to have spb backup on my phone, then i realized...that most of the time I did a hard reset was to wipe clean alot of the scummy programs...which was what I was including in my full backup. do i decided to go without it...now I wish i still had it anyways im not really that mad..only takes me a couple hours to get everything back the way it was manually. soooo....anyone else out there care to comment on their gps software?
I don't know man. I wuld love to have the same thing. I have a wireless router at home, and am probably going to cancel my unlimited data plan for awhile. There must be a way, free hopefully.
Before you cancel your unlimited AT&T plan, you should check out the currently available data plans. Last time I checked the unlimited plan was GONE, replaced by a plan that has a monthly data cap. (5 GB?)
Unlimited data ? In the great white north there is no such thing as unlimited data. $80US buys about 100MB a month!
well i've got a little more than a month before I'm heading off for a much needed vacation. Someone out there hopefully knows of a gps program where i can cache the maps to either the microdrive or storage card for viewing with my gps when I have NO data connection. As far as data plans go...I have tmobile's unlimited data plan...and with my minutes and unlimited texting, its less than 75 a month....now I'm not sure if thats truly an "unlimited" amount of data, but I have downloaded several 1-2 gig movies thru windows mobile torrent without any trouble....(and thats thru the GPRS connection cause tmobile dont have 3g in the US...at least not that im aware of yet.
Did i actually find something new that our advantages cant do? ( not due to hardware lacking, just no software to support it) I may end up digging out my N800 and charging up my solar bluetooth gps receiver...it just sucks to bring multiple devices..was hopeing to show off all the advantages power
I use Ozi Explorer, and generate large google earth maps using MAPV Ozi .. it's not the easiest to use (not native english program), and the calibration of the maps is wrong (must be manually calibrated).. but it's much easier than a series of stitched screen captures.
Since I cant rely on the local cell network where I live (and thus Google Maps), I just went ahead and bought Street Atlas 2008 since it was cvheap and included all North American maps. But while the maps are accurate the driections and voice prompts suck.
Next Im going to try Tom Tom Navigator, but its a lot more expensive.
Just suggestions if you cant find a way to cache Google's maps...
touchlasvegas said:
Did i actually find something new that our advantages cant do? ( not due to hardware lacking, just no software to support it) I may end up digging out my N800 and charging up my solar bluetooth gps receiver...it just sucks to bring multiple devices..was hopeing to show off all the advantages power
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries. I FOUND IT!!
Not only can you store the maps, even sat view, google maps is built into it, among several other useful utilities. This is awesome. It also caches map images automatically, and you can change the destination folders. I'll attach pics of automatically cached images.
Features include speed alert, trip computer, geocoder, dashboard view with speed, altitude, percentage of slope, and g force. Much more.
So what's the catch?........That's right, its not free. Trial automatically quits after 15 minutes, but you can start the program over. You cannot save the maps with trial version. However, it says you can download street and sat maps on the desktop then transfer.
Why was this so hard to find? This should be for sale all over the net.
http://www.aximsite.com/boards/gps-...le-directions-address-address-navigation.html
Enjoy.
Edit: Wouldn't let me attach the other pics.
hi im a little late but better than never...
1. (the above postet) Tracky
its very useful for your plans, you even can tell the programm the amount of space it should use on the staorage card to store your 'offlinemaps'. has a lot other more or less usefull functions too. in the momemt i try out if this is stable and reliable like gpstuner.
2. GPSTuner
is another one that does the job. i think its a bit longer on the market than tracky. it support some more map sources like topographic maps, not only googlemaps. i have used this for all my (offroad) outdoortrips like inlineskating the last few years. it has lovely statistic functions also. even a (survival ) trip by car across west africa (16 hours for 600km driving, wich means a hole lot of data to capture) was correctly handled by the program without any problems. in the moment it is my prefered app for the job.
3. GPSMeter
this is very close to gpstuner, but i dont know if it's capable to precache maps. i stop monitoring this one because the other 2 programs are already serving all my needs.
the are a dozend or more programs out there but they are more specific to things like gecaching, and (in my view) to complex to be used as 'every day all prupose gps tool'.
i hope this helps mad
Hello all!
I'm happy to report I've just ordered an HTC Vogue, and I've got two quick questions. I will not have a data plan with this phone, so my first question is this: does the weather screen require a data connection to update? If the data connection is disabled, what appears on that screen?
Secondly, I plan to use the GPS function of the phone with Tomtom. Will I be able to transfer files to the MicroSD card via the USB connection using ActiveSync, or will I need to get an adapter for the MicroSD card and write the files to it from my desktop PC first?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Bogus
yes it does.........without data plan, you will be paying more than what you should be paying for just simple weather report.
Why don't you get an Opal or Diamond. I think they both have wifi, and you can update when you are at home or where there is internet connection.
It's a bit too late to change my mind at this point. I plan on completely disabling the data transfer on this phone, so I won't be paying anything for that aspect actually. The short version of the story was my old phone died and I was able to get a Vogue for a reasonable price without extending my contract. Unfortunately adding a data plan is not an option for me currently. I don't really need the weather screen, just wondering if it'd function. Guess not. Can it be disabled or not shown? My primary reasons for getting this phone were really its hackability and being able to use GPS without a data plan (using Tomtom and a memory card). I'm not sure about the Opal, but an unlocked Diamond will surely cost three times what I paid for my Vogue.
In any case, do you know the answer to the ActiveSync part of my previous question? I did order an 8GB Sandisk with a USB adapter/reader, so if I have to I can transfer files directly from my PC, but it'd be easier to do it directly through an interface to the phone.
bogus83 said:
It's a bit too late to change my mind at this point. I plan on completely disabling the data transfer on this phone, so I won't be paying anything for that aspect actually. The short version of the story was my old phone died and I was able to get a Vogue for a reasonable price without extending my contract. Unfortunately adding a data plan is not an option for me currently. I don't really need the weather screen, just wondering if it'd function. Guess not. Can it be disabled or not shown? My primary reasons for getting this phone were really its hackability and being able to use GPS without a data plan (using Tomtom and a memory card). I'm not sure about the Opal, but an unlocked Diamond will surely cost three times what I paid for my Vogue.
In any case, do you know the answer to the ActiveSync part of my previous question? I did order an 8GB Sandisk with a USB adapter/reader, so if I have to I can transfer files directly from my PC, but it'd be easier to do it directly through an interface to the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your tranferring a lot of data, sync the card directly through the PC, it will literally be about 10x faster. But, sync all your music files through the device with WMP. Syncing this way will add all the album covers and info, as long as it's on your PC, for use with an app like S2P.
Thanks for the advice. Ironically, music is what will be filling most of the card. When you say sync the music through WMP, how exactly is that done? If there's a faq or sticky on that I'd be glad to hit the books and stop asking questions. Would I need to have the music files in my Windows Media Player library on my PC and somehow synchronize my library on the Touch? I'm really not familiar with the concept of ActiveSync at all.
Edit: Oh, and one last question.. what is S2P?
bogus83 said:
Thanks for the advice. Ironically, music is what will be filling most of the card. When you say sync the music through WMP, how exactly is that done? If there's a faq or sticky on that I'd be glad to hit the books and stop asking questions. Would I need to have the music files in my Windows Media Player library on my PC and somehow synchronize my library on the Touch? I'm really not familiar with the concept of ActiveSync at all.
Edit: Oh, and one last question.. what is S2P?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Search for S2P, you're in for a REAL treat. It's part of A_C's slide suite, S2U2 - Slide to Unlock screen locker, like the iP***e, S2V - Slide to View, nice photo browser, and S2P - Slide to Play, just a real kick ass music player ! Unfortunately, there are some sites out there selling his work, so all development has come to a stop. But, be sure to check them out.
Anyways, ActiveSync (XP) , or Windows Mobile Device Center (Vista), primarily is the tool to sync your PIM data, like calendar and contacts, with Outlook. Once your setup with AS or WMDC, open WMP, and open the sync tab. Make sure you only setup the SD card, otherwise when you open your library, only in WMP on the device, it will default to the device memory, kind of a pain.
I personally setup Auto Playlists, so my lists are always updated, something like, "Recently Added", or "Top Rated." When you setup the device, I suggest setting it to auto sync on connect, then all your ratings and play counts are always updated. Then choose your personal playlists, otherwise all your pics and vids will be converted and synced.
Also, if your like me, organize everything neatly. All my track names, artisit, album names, etc are filled in so searching for music is easy. If you use S2P, you may want to make sure the file names make some sort of sense, because in S2P you browse by file name.
Bottom line, if your PC's library is organized well, it will be transferred that way, making listening to music much more enjoyable.
bogus83 said:
My primary reasons for getting this phone were really its hackability and being able to use GPS without a data plan (using Tomtom and a memory card).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not to thread jack, but i thought that you still would need a data plan for the gps to work? or is the gps antenna still in the phone unlike the wifi antenna?
Awesome, that'll work perfectly. And, I just did a bit of reading on WMDC, looks like it allows data connections to be shared with the mobile device too, which means I could dock my phone in the morning at home and download things like Email and weather, and again when I get to work. Can you save email replies while the phone is "offline" (not connected to data) and have them send when the phone is sync'd again? If so it sounds like the only thing I'd be missing on the phone would be the ability to surf the net or email when I'm not at home or at the office... which is OK with me.
I promise that's my last question for now, at least until I get my phone and start working on it. I wish there was some kind of "rep" system on this board- you've been extremely helpful tonight. Thanks!
hockeyizlife94 said:
not to thread jack, but i thought that you still would need a data plan for the gps to work? or is the gps antenna still in the phone unlike the wifi antenna?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I understand you can use GPS with a navigation application such as Tomtom Navigator, which stores all of its maps on your memory card. It simply uses the GPS to update your present location. At least I certainly hope that's the case. TheChamp or anyone else watching this thread, please feel free to confirm or deny what I've suggested.
Update: This is the thread that gave me that impression. I may try the "offline Google Map" bit too, although I prefer the 3D navigation view. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=402069&highlight=GPS+data
that sounds like it could be right, but im wondering how big of a file the gps maps would be now.
Approximately 847MB for the United States and Canada. I don't plan on going to Mexico anytime soon, so I think that'll do. And while it's not exactly a tiny amount, it's certainly an acceptable size considering I'll be working with an 8GB memory card.
nice, i dunno if you got started on it yet but heres a link i found and from what everyone is saying it works great...let me know how it goes..
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=24925
Well, I lied. I do have one more question for TheChamp or someone else "in the know." In a related guide to installing Rev.A/GPS, it mentions that "you cannot take calls while connected to GPS."
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=24979
Keep in mind, you will NOT be able to receive calls or text messages while GPS is active. This is a known bug and to date there is not known fix. It is just something we all have to deal with until someone figures out the missing link.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(From the GPS How To section)
Is this true? That sounds like a severe limitation. If I'm going on a four hour road trip (which I frequently do for work) I don't want to have to pick between GPS and being able to speak with people. Ouch.
Where to begin !
hockeyizlife94 said:
not to thread jack, but i thought that you still would need a data plan for the gps to work? or is the gps antenna still in the phone unlike the wifi antenna?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bogus83 said:
From what I understand you can use GPS with a navigation application such as Tomtom Navigator, which stores all of its maps on your memory card. It simply uses the GPS to update your present location. At least I certainly hope that's the case. TheChamp or anyone else watching this thread, please feel free to confirm or deny what I've suggested.
Update: This is the thread that gave me that impression. I may try the "offline Google Map" bit too, although I prefer the 3D navigation view. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=402069&highlight=GPS+data
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the unlimited plan, so personally I pay no attention to this matter. But, the GPS and data connection are two different aspects. The GPS is like Wi-Fi, in the sense that it operates seperately. The GPS antenna will pick up the sat signals, and the only time I've seen a data connection initiated is when the map images were refreshed. So an app like TomTom with predefined maps should work, since it's simply pin-pointing coordinates to the map.
bogus83 said:
Awesome, that'll work perfectly. And, I just did a bit of reading on WMDC, looks like it allows data connections to be shared with the mobile device too, which means I could dock my phone in the morning at home and download things like Email and weather, and again when I get to work. Can you save email replies while the phone is "offline" (not connected to data) and have them send when the phone is sync'd again? If so it sounds like the only thing I'd be missing on the phone would be the ability to surf the net or email when I'm not at home or at the office... which is OK with me.
I promise that's my last question for now, at least until I get my phone and start working on it. I wish there was some kind of "rep" system on this board- you've been extremely helpful tonight. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, this will work for everything! If you use Outlook, then you can sync your emails through WMDC and it will exchange the emails upon sync. The only downside, when you type up an email in the morning, it won't be sent until your next sync, but it works. Also, there are some apps, like Spb Insight (RSS reader), that will refresh content on sync/dock, makes good for refreshing headlines for the day.
Don't worry about the question! There is plenty to learn here, just be sure to ask in the right areas.
bogus83 said:
Well, I lied. I do have one more question for TheChamp or someone else "in the know." In a related guide to installing Rev.A/GPS, it mentions that "you cannot take calls while connected to GPS."
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=24979
(From the GPS How To section)
Is this true? That sounds like a severe limitation. If I'm going on a four hour road trip (which I frequently do for work) I don't want to have to pick between GPS and being able to speak with people. Ouch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At first, it seemed logical, since the GPS is enabled on the radio flash, which does affect the phone connection, but I had to test! I never noticed this problem, and from my test, NO problem woooohooooo !
I had six sats connected, called myself from my land line, recieved the call as usual, hung up, and still had all six sats running, not to mention, while obtaining a fix I was recieving email. So, should be good to go with this!
Confirmed: GPS does work on the Sprint Vogue without a data plan, AND can take/make calls at the same time. Interestingly, the first two times I got a lock it took 10-15 minutes. Every time since it's been anywhere from 1-5 minutes, usually closer to two or three. Can't complain about that! I wrote up my entire process, in case anyone has been following this thread. It wasn't very difficult but did involve a fair amount of research before acting, so if you're going to retrace my steps READ THE DIRECTIONS ON EACH PAGE please, so you don't brick your phone.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2670205&postcount=7
You don't need the data plan to use GPS, HOWEVER if you want to use mapping software you'll have to use the standalone apps like TomTom that store maps on a data card.
With the data plan you can use apps like Windows Live Search and Google Maps that download "live" maps as you cruise.
Both have their advantages. I especially like Google Maps satellite view.
Yup. I've been using Tomtom Navigator, which stores the maps on my MicroSDHC card. It doesn't have satellite view, but it does 2D/3D which is good enough for me.
I would like to know how the AR app Layar/junaio works. I want to build a similar app but for indoor guide of a particular building. The building is fixed and the plan inside the building doesn't change.
The crux of the app would be to guide visitors of the building to their destinations.
End Result: Possibly throw a map as output or provide wikitude like drive.
Typical Usage:
Visitor visits the building, scans the QR code posted at the entrance and downloads the app from appstore/market
At the lobby, user opens the downloaded app and scans another huge picture (Can be barcode or any unique picture)
The app shows the different areas of the building just like layar or junaio and then user selects a particular area and requires a navigation map as output from the point.
Will be using different unique pictures/barcodes at different point to locate the users location instead of relying on gps as it would not help indoors for navigation.
Any inputs on how to start would be of great help. I'm an experienced mobile app developer and have developed regular utility apps, api mashups etc. But nothing in AR.
AR apps usually use a combination of GPS, Compass, Altitude, Accelerometer, and gyroscope data to figure out the exact location of a device. They then access the camera view and place graphics on top of it.
The problem with your idea is that most AR apps usually come in one of two forms:
- Outside without pinpoint accuracy to position, (the device knows exactly the heading so the direction is perfect but the distance may be a litte off)
- Based off a target symbol (think 3ds card, barcode, etc) to keep a point of reference in the scene
Unfortunately your application would require you to be indoors so it would be extremely hard to figure out the exact position because of the GPS loss. At best you could have a series of "scanable qrcodes" to then display a map and direct the user to the next point. You could determine the exact position of a user by calculating the change in gyroscope data from the beginning to the current time, but that would hard especially dealing with inaccuracies and interruptions.
I think the safest bet for your app would be to have codes at certain points to help at your users. If anyone else has a better answer please correct me XD
Dsbtwins said:
You could determine the exact position of a user by calculating the change in gyroscope data from the beginning to the current time, but that would hard especially dealing with inaccuracies and interruptions.
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That would be epic... but not all phones have gyros. Soo...
What about having devices setup to emit a distinct directional non audible noise that the phone will listen for and use that to key the user to what room they are in. All phones have a microphone.
Or key off music in a room if there is any
From something awesome
Dsbtwins said:
At best you could have a series of "scanable qrcodes" to then display a map and direct the user to the next point.
I think the safest bet for your app would be to have codes at certain points to help at your users. If anyone else has a better answer please correct me XD
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Well, I have already discounted the use of gps. Series of QR/Scannable Codes
should help me solve the problem. Since I would only be showing a map from the QR/Scannable Code point.
Let me give you an example of how I would like to implement in real life.
User enters walmart, opens the app after scanning the first scannable code, he gets to see the different areas/offers on the camera view (AR)
and then would like to give a map output on how to reach within, when the user selects say "groceries" on the camera view. The app should give a map output on how to reach the groceries area from the scanned location.
I believe lot of people get lost in locating things in a large retail store. Walmart was just an example to explain, there are other stores which have this issue.
Guys, your inputs on the idea itself are welcome.
killersnowman said:
That would be epic... but not all phones have gyros. Soo...
What about having devices setup to emit a distinct directional non audible noise that the phone will listen for and use that to key the user to what room they are in. All phones have a microphone.
From something awesome
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Click to collapse
I dont think it will work in a noisy environment like malls, retail stores etc. But works well in a ambient place like museum. Though ur idea is brilliant, dont know how it will work in reality.
Yes that sounds like it should be possible. An honestly what you could do is have a large "maker" (some sort of distinguishable shape and color or pattern) on a cube in the middle of the store, that way when the user holds up his phone to look at it, the phone will know what he is looking at depending on which face on the cube it is. you can then use that as a reference in the view and map out location icons over the view.