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PocketPC MPD Client -- Control your music server (Updated July 23)

Here's my first attempt at pocketpc development -- an MPD client. It's a fairly niche application, but maybe someone else out there will enjoy it.
First off, you'll need an MPD server. MPD is a small simple daemon that plays music. It has no UI of its own-- it relies on various clients to connect to it for control.
My application does not actually play music. It's more like a remote control. It connects to your MPD server and tells it what to play. But if you combine this with icecast on the server and TCPMP on your phone, you CAN actually stream the music to your phone. The effect for me is having my entire 80G+ music collection available to my phone anywhere I have EVDO access.
If you've made it that far, here's a few features my client offers:
Automatic album art from Amazon
A today screen plugin showing the current song
Gestures for easy control
Kinetic scrolling lists
Here's a short youtube demonstration of some of the UI elements.
The application requires Windows Mobile Professional with the .NET 2.0 framework. It's available from http://code.google.com/p/pocketpcmpdclient/.
Special thanks to dosfan and gingercat from this thread. I used a lot of their code for kinetic scrolling in my lists.
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THis looks incredibly intruiging...of course now I have to go fiddle with my server and set up the MPD/Icecast bit, but it seems worth it to have something like this working...I will get back to you this weekend after i figure all this stuff out. Also this is quite cool for a first program!

That looks great! I particularly love the gestures! Any chance of implementing them in a non MPD dependant music player?

Thanks for the encouragement. This has just been a "hobby" project for me to work on over the weekends for a while now. I usually write boring framework code without any GUI for my day job, so this has been a lot of fun.
As for the gestures, it's written in c# and I wrote it to be easy to add to other projects. Just declare an instance of the class within your form (or usercontrol) and tell the class what it's parent is. Then the class will raise events whenever a gesture is recognized.
So if someone wants to steal my code like I stole dosfan and gingercat's, help themselves! And if they have any improvements, let me know

Dromio said:
Thanks for the encouragement. This has just been a "hobby" project for me to work on over the weekends for a while now.
As for the gestures, it's written in c# and I wrote it to be easy to add to other projects. Just declare an instance of the class within your form (or usercontrol) and tell the class what it's parent is. Then the class will raise events whenever a gesture is recognized.
So if someone wants to steal my code like I stole dosfan and gingercat's, help themselves! And if they have any improvements, let me know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hobby projects are fun!
Not sure if you've implemented something like this, but in dosfan and gingercat's dll, there was no support for hardware buttons. I've added that today, and can give you the code if you want.
Being able to capture gestures would be awesome!
Keep up this project! And lemme set up an MPD!

Oh yeah, using hardware buttons on the lists was on my "To-Do" list. I'd be interested in seeing what you did.

Dromio said:
Oh yeah, using hardware buttons on the lists was on my "To-Do" list. I'd be interested in seeing what you did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically, I added some keypress even handlers, and then made those do the same as moving the mouse. I also had to edit the MaxXOffset and MaxYOffset to allow the list items to get to the top of the page...
Attached is the code for the KListControl dll.
If my lack of comments needs some explaining, do ask!

It seems pretty straightforward. Thanks.

any mpd for windows? *hoping*

flippy said:
any mpd for windows? *hoping*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I don't think there's a good, simple way to run MPD on a windows server. From the MPD wiki, it looks like the only real working option is to run it under coLinux or andLinux.
It's another reason I said it's a bit of a "niche" application

don't know if this is related but, how about a remote control for UPnP clients, like roku, etc.
on Nokian770 and n800, there is a program called media streamer that does just that. wondering if there is the same for ppc.

I've thought a bit about abstracting away the music "engine" and using plugins to allow the UI to interact with different backends like MPD, windows media, or others. But for a guy who's working on this an hour a night after putting the kids to bed, that seems pretty ambitious

Awesome project. I have MPD setup on my desktop, and usually I'd just carry around my IR remote and control it via that, but controlling it with my phone over wifi is so much better!
Just installed it and I must say for a hobby project it's pretty nice! It just crashed on me, but I think that might be due to me not being able to scroll correctly

aqtrans said:
It just crashed on me, but I think that might be due to me not being able to scroll correctly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry about the crash . If it happens again, could you open an issue containing the detailed text from the crash? It would help me to hunt down the issues.
Lately the only crashes I've had is when my data connection cuts out. The MPD library I used doesn't handle that very well. I really need to find an elegant way to tell the user the connection was lost.

Dromio said:
I'm sorry about the crash . If it happens again, could you open an issue containing the detailed text from the crash? It would help me to hunt down the issues.
Lately the only crashes I've had is when my data connection cuts out. The MPD library I used doesn't handle that very well. I really need to find an elegant way to tell the user the connection was lost.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"MessageBox.Show("HaHa ")"
Crude but functional!

I used to do the same using Shoutcast in combination with Jetcast to stream WMA. Then control the server using Cygnus.
also very niche, but it proves there's people that might like this.

Your program has inspired me to take an old computer outta the closet, put ubuntu on it, mirror my music collection, and install the icecast, mpd, and gimmix packages. I'm pretty new at this, so I was wondering... if you have the time, do you think you could write up a quick guide where to go next? I'm kind of at a loss...

I'd start just getting mpd to recognize your music and output to the soundcard or something. Setting up icecast is another layer of complexity to tackle next.
The best resource seems to be the wiki . If you have any specific problems I'll try to help.

Great project...
I submitted it to Digg, maybe it will get some love. It's time to rectify the overblown iPhone hype machine and show people what WinMo can do.

Very nice work!
I was thinking, why not doing it compatible also with uPnP (very similar to bonjour protocol), which is compatible with Windows (see www.tversity.com).
Thanks and keep up the good work

GL Maps - View your world in 3D - GSensor Enabled - Open Source!

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Well, Klaxon is pretty much complete except for a few bug fixes.
So, I'd been toying around with a new idea, a 3D Map viewer that is accelerometer enabled. That means you can turn your device and see other parts of the map. You need to try it to understand, it's very cool.
I got that done and started adding a couple things just to test it out. The Red "bubble" in the screenshot is where I live, and the buses are the real time locations of buses in Seattle.
I'll eventually be adding driving directions and search to this too.
Head over to my website for the CAB download.
I'll make a video shortly of this application, but you gotta try it out yourself for fun.
Upcoming VERY SOON
More Map types (traffic, satellite, terrain)
Directions Plugin
Search Plugin
Early Beta 10/12/2008
Fixed random crash bug.
Created GL Maps Plugin SDK
Created open source "standard" plugins
Source Code:
http://www.koushikdutta.com/2008/12/gl-maps-goes-open-source.html

WOAH DUDE! JUST WOAH! This was an awesome idea... i'm gunna try it out now... keep it up!!!!!
EDIT: Just tried it and it is looking GREAT! The panning is super smooth... it closed after a couple minutes of playin and zooming, but this is just a concept i understand.
can't wait for the real deal with all streets and options!!!!

itsallsubliminal said:
WOAH DUDE! JUST WOAH! This was an awesome idea... i'm gunna try it out now... keep it up!!!!!
EDIT: Just tried it and it is looking GREAT! The panning is super smooth... it closed after a couple minutes of playin and zooming, but this is just a concept i understand.
can't wait for the real deal with all streets and options!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just found that bug
I'm pretty excited about this application, so stay tuned for a lot of updates this weekend!
I'll probably be releasing an API to this as well, so developers can make add their own map overlays. For example, someone could implement search, or GPS, weather, or bus schedules etc through this API.

Koush said:
I just found that bug
I'm pretty excited about this application, so stay tuned for a lot of updates this weekend!
I'll probably be releasing an API to this as well, so developers can make add their own map overlays. For example, someone could implement search, or GPS, weather, or bus schedules etc through this API.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is wicked man! I just wish i knew how to develop... really, i'm in the quicksand when it comes to it
but keep this up, this will definitely be my #1 and ONLY map prog!!!
Thanks a bunch

oo, an idea i just had:
The black area on top of the map, if you could make it look more blue, or even have like clouds...??? maybe?

Another great app!
Still working on Omnipresence?

koven said:
Another great app!
Still working on Omnipresence?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, I got kind of bored with it, so I quit working on it for now. I'll probably start working again on it someday!

Posted this up at ppcgeeks so people will swarm you with dropping jaws lol...
this is great man... here's the thread over there http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?p=454611#post454611
Thanks!

Is it feasible to consider integrating google street view? I saw a nice video of something like that running on android.

uniqueboy said:
Is it feasible to consider integrating google street view? I saw a nice video of something like that running on android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm working on a Plugin architecture right now so people can overlay whatever images they want on the map. But, yes, this is one of the first ones I'm going to try to implement.

real time bus locations
...I wonder if that could work for London?

merrica said:
real time bus locations
...I wonder if that could work for London?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there would be a delay!

...so does this get the tiles from some source or still it is a "concept" where you have some preloaded tiles?
Edit: I see it DOES load from a source (is thie google or microsoft?)
I see it is just a concept yet at is preset to load that bus thing. I trust you plan to make those options on/off (and add others)?
Also why QVGA?
(btw, please man don't forget Klaxon yet... it has some way to go, not just bug fixing)

uniqueboy said:
I think there would be a delay!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are you intimating that buses in London are less than prompt?
....and I just thought it was some weird space-time continuum thingy that made a 'bus due in 2 minutes' sign on a bus stop in London actually mean a 10 to 15 minute wait

so where are those updates??? were still tuned

This is a really cool app.... i hope you will make a GController-like app (send keystrokes to active windows, games included, through g-sen)
However, have you ever seen the Microsoft live maps?? they have also a 3D view, i think VERY GOOD to give a gear to your new app
You can also switch to ibrid mode, and channge all the 4 angles of view; btw choose the map to use would be the right solution
...remember to add a quick way to activate/deactivate the g-gestures

Yes, currently it is pulling from Google maps. But I can make it pull from any tile server source, such as Live Maps, Yahoo, Mapquest, etc.
kultus said:
so where are those updates??? were still tuned
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm very close to releasing the API! Don't worry!
The first release of the open source plugins I'll be releasing (so other developers can learn how to make them too) are:
GPS
Geolocation (from WiFi and Celltower)
G-Sensor control
Nav Sensor zoom
I'm hoping that other developers help drive this project, and not just me.

I've been spending the past few days fleshing out the GL Maps API: my goal is to allow any developer to view, modify, or add content into the map. That's the approach Microsoft and Google have taken with their JavaScript/web clients, but neither of those run particularly well on a phone. And they're not 3D and accelerometer savvy either! So, I'm hoping that other bored engineers at XDA-Developers decide to write their own plug-ins and help make this a great application.
So, to foster that, I'm open sourcing the "standard" plug-ins I've written so far:
GPS and Google Gears Geolocation Plug-In:
This requires that Google Gears be installed on your phone. Download the CAB from http://dl.google.com/gears/current/gears-wince-opt.cab
Nav Sensor Plug-in
Seattle Metro Bus Tracker
Head over to my website for the download for both GL Maps and the SDK (including source code to the standard plugins).

this progress is great already! got a quick gps lock and absolutely love the accelerometer lock!

Anyone know how this can be done for Toronto Subways in Canada?

Plase Move This to the Dev Section---Willing to make a new shell interface for Omnia

Hi Guys,
Ok, i've thrown the lure on Modaco and now i try here, I'm basically looking for someone to code this idea.
I'm an Omnia lucky owner and i really love it, particularly it's versatility.
I just regret the lack of cool interfaces (put Manilla 2d aside, it's awesome, but it's like having an htc device on out phones, not very exclusive). here are two quick layouts of an idea i had today, it's practically just eyecandy stuff, maybe not the top usability around but, you know, in our life we must satisfy ourselves...
Basically i'm looking for someone to code this, if it's mildly possible, 'cause i'm a poor lazy designer, and i don't chew any "if" or any "else"...
So here they are, a portrait and a landscape view of what's laying in my mind:
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the idea is to have a spinning wheel of icons, transparent if possible (png with alpha?) that can grant access to the corrisponding main ambients of a mobile shell when tapped, just like SPB mobile shell or manilla, only more "graphic". The thing is conceived to be touch driven, with hrizontal sliding to spin the icons wheel and a vertical slide to access a second menu, just in case smile.gif The background (plane + rings) should be still, just a plain image.
I plan to design the "inside" of any section if i find someone crazy enough to follow my babblings, things like a photo gallery, a media player, a weather panel, etc.... (ye ye, like manilla) ando oh yes, no windows bars for now.
If there's someone who own the knowledge to understand the feasibility of this thing, my first question is "Flash lite?" cause i like very much the idea of having something very kinetic and possibly quick, and i'm not completely new to flash to keep me from helping.
Any Thoughts ?
P.S.: i'm sorry if some phrases in my post aren't clear enough, but i'm italian and i'm not so sure about my english.
Cheers.
Hellbender.
PPS: Frak, wrong section, please can a mod move it in the appropriate one ? I'm so lame.

I'm not an Omnia owner, nor can I help you, but I think it's a pretty cool looking idea. As for the language, I wouldn't have guessed until you said it that you weren't a native English speaker... No worries. I hope someone can help you get this idea off the ground, maybe having a few levels of wheels (i.e. flicking up and down gets to an inner or outer wheel from the one it's at) would make it more fun to navigate. Wheel 1 is your basics, and when you select something (like programs) wheel 2 lists the programs... Quick to get back and forth and easy to sort through. Good luck!

it will be difficult to remove the window bars and softkeys while keeping the touchflo.
This will have to be done in C++ (basically rework the whole frontend.) -meaning we need to know alot about each API to be able to create a flawless frontend that works with WM6.0+ backend
This will be quite a project.
I like how it looks

@Black93300ZX: thank you for your kindness
@zeezee: so i assume that products like SPB Mobile Shell are written in C++. I would be happy with just a fullscreen app that overlays on the today screen (SPB like), non necessarily a total integration like Manilla 2D. I haven't any idea about the performance.
"...meaning we need to know alot about each API.." you mean each single app i would add to that interface ? Because i was thinking that could be initially just some sort of launcher with graphical navigation, and adding features with time.
Obviously the BEST should be to intregrate every single function inside the same graphical environment, but for starters this is far from my expectations.
For now it's a spare time project, i'll take everything community can give to help.
Hellbender.

I really like the idea, especially the concept mock up interface you have developed. However I think you might get a better reception if you try and aim to make the application available for all HTC users, aka a universal front end to the essentials much like what SPB Mobile Shell does. Sadly my programming expertise is not that great to help out, sorry.
Best of luck getting others onboard to help you out with it!

psychoben87 said:
I really like the idea, especially the concept mock up interface you have developed. However I think you might get a better reception if you try and aim to make the application available for all HTC users, aka a universal front end to the essentials much like what SPB Mobile Shell does. Sadly my programming expertise is not that great to help out, sorry.
Best of luck getting others onboard to help you out with it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true, if you made it generic for Windows Mobile I'm sure you could find plenty of developers here who would help you out. Unfortunately, asking for help with software for a Samsung on an HTC forum may present problems. :|

Black93300ZX said:
That's true, if you made it generic for Windows Mobile I'm sure you could find plenty of developers here who would help you out. Unfortunately, asking for help with software for a Samsung on an HTC forum may present problems. :|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could be wrong but I'm under the impression the Omnia runs windows mobile 6.1 which iirc is the first samsung phone to use windows mobile.

psychoben87 said:
I could be wrong but I'm under the impression the Omnia runs windows mobile 6.1 which iirc is the first samsung phone to use windows mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does, but I'm saying I think originally he was asking for this to be made specifically for the Omnia, wouldn't work with HTC devices... Just like a lot of the customizations on the Tilt won't work on the Touch Pro. If he asked for it to be a generic program for Windows Mobile, however, he might have better luck as developers will have their phones to test it on.

For a start, Flash Lite is probably easier, but using C++ may end up with a better finished product that's more compatible.
I love the idea, and think the graphics look great!
I can help code it, but I'm certain there are better people with more time than me.
If the whole interface were 2D rather than 3D (using scaling to produce a 3D like effect) it'll run faster and probably better. And it'll be far less reliant on hardware.
I don't own an Omnia, but I'm sure there's an emulator available for the resolution, and it would be cool to have it on other screens as well.
Oh, and since I seem to be the first mod here, I'll move the thread.

Black93300ZX said:
It does, but I'm saying I think originally he was asking for this to be made specifically for the Omnia, wouldn't work with HTC devices... Just like a lot of the customizations on the Tilt won't work on the Touch Pro. If he asked for it to be a generic program for Windows Mobile, however, he might have better luck as developers will have their phones to test it on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh opps, thanks for pointing that out.

pRSSreader : Dev stopped : This jewel simply CAN'T deseappear !

Sad new from the Code Google page of pRSSreader...
http://code.google.com/p/prssr/
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David Ands have stopped the dev of pRSSreader...
5.2.2009: Project discontinued.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For those who don't know pRSSreader, it's a very handy RSS reader, witch can cache poscast or webpages for offline reading... Typical use is to plug the device onto the craddle via ActiveSync, sync all feeds and cache, then read it offline in the subway (or in the plane, in fact every place without an internet connect...) : Very handy for those with tube restrictions... or very small data plan !
Why do i post this here ?
Because i know there is a good community of DEV here, maybe the best one in the Freeware's World
Is there any willing guy to continue the DEV ?
(But i don't know how is the license for pRSSreader... It is only a reaction from a freeware's lover and a pRSSreader addict )
Thanks for having read this one !

Agree, one of the best PPC tools! Best RSS-Reader by terms of usability and flxibility!! Read this message a couple of days ago and did not like it as well. But from my understanding the Author did quit (his other projects as well) for family-related reasons... Sad (what ever reasons that may be) but lets whish him the best and maybe donate...

I was pretty disappointed with the news as well. Great reader. I really liked it because it synced up with my Google Reader account, so I wasn't sorting through articles I had already read on my PC. It would be amazing if someone could pick it up again.

It was a pretty good reader, but I found BeyondPod which I like a lot better. Check it out at http://beyondpod.mobi/. It's also an open source project.

another good rss reader - http://www.google.com/reader/i
(should be accessed from mobile)

Update frequency for individual feeds in pRSSreader 1.4.4
Has anyone had success in using the registry tweak with 1.4.4 to alter
the update frequency for individual feeds?
Update Minutes [DWORD], interval (in minutes) the feed is updated,
0xFFFFFFFF (= use global update interval)
Although this key was documented to be here (HKCU\Software\DaProfik
\pRSSreader\Site\) around the 1.3.3 time period a couple years ago,
I'm actually finding it here (HKCU\Software\DaProfik\pRSSreader
\Subscriptions\nn). I'm new to using pRSSreader and am wondering if
this feature was either removed or never fully implemented. Updates
are occuring as desired at the globally configured auto update
frequency, but I am unable to influence individual feeds to either
update more or less frequently.
I'm finding pRSSreader consuming a lot of battery. I'd like to update
a number of feeds at 30 minute intervals but override a number of
others to 360 minutes to conserve energy. Any suggestions would be
helpful. thanks!

+1 for me for pRSSreader !
what is great is the Google reader synchronization, as you explained it.
it just missed a quick "togle read/unread" keyboard shorcut...

1+ from me for the best Reader.

It's open source, no?

criosray said:
It's open source, no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
right...
anyone to continue with the sources ?

Well, to get someone interested in development its best to start off with ideas on how to improve it...
And of course it will be a good idea to contact author and get permission.

thisguyinoc said:
It was a pretty good reader, but I found BeyondPod which I like a lot better. Check it out at http://beyondpod.mobi/. It's also an open source project.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only regret that I have with this program is the way to import feeds from opml files.
I have all my feeds structured in various sub folders that are part of a main folder. I cannot manage to import the main folder or for example only one of the sub folders. It only allows to import an rss at a time. I have more that 50 rss !!! To much time to import and organize...

just import your opml to google and sync prssreader with google

jpmatrix972 said:
just import your opml to google and sync prssreader with google
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You just didn't read it, right??
It's not with prssreader that this happens, but with Beyondpod.
pRssreader can do that fine, that's why I love it. But prssreader is not so go in other areas that Beyondpod is superior, like podcasts for ex.

my favorite so far as well. rss hub is all that comes close.
what is the code written in? if we can get some feature/enhancement/bugs together, i can take a crack at working on it...

erichodge said:
my favorite so far as well. rss hub is all that comes close.
what is the code written in? if we can get some feature/enhancement/bugs together, i can take a crack at working on it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is the smiley who clap his hands ?
I think you'd better contact David onto his website...
Let us know how the things are going on...

criosray said:
And of course it will be a good idea to contact author and get permission.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why? It is opensource and the project is discontinued. This is what opensource is for, someone stop working on a project and someone else takes care of the development
erichodge said:
what is the code written in? if we can get some feature/enhancement/bugs together, i can take a crack at working on it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is MFC - at least no .NET framework

I've only used ViiGo, has anyone compared it to pRSSreader? ViiGo seems to work well for me, but I really want a way to increase the font size (zoom) etc. Any reader that does that? Thanks.
I may give pRSS a try.

onesolo said:
You just didn't read it, right??
It's not with prssreader that this happens, but with Beyondpod.
pRssreader can do that fine, that's why I love it. But prssreader is not so go in other areas that Beyondpod is superior, like podcasts for ex.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oups! sorry
anyway, my favourite for podcast is still HubDog, which i find better than BeyondPod in dealing with offline downloads. moreover you have www and mobile synced access which enables you to manage your rss either on www or mobile.
great great winmo podcast database here:
http://www.winmobiletech.com/082008Podcasting/t.html

noellenchris said:
I've only used ViiGo, has anyone compared it to pRSSreader? ViiGo seems to work well for me, but I really want a way to increase the font size (zoom) etc. Any reader that does that? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I got interested in RSS feeds with Viigo on a BlackBerry for about 15 months and then got my first Window Mobile phone about 3 months ago. I thought Viigo was great, but the past six weeks or so I have become increasingly less happy with it because most all of my local newspaper RSS feeds end up taking literally 6-12 hours or more to appear in Viigo unless I manually update each channel. I noticed the longer delay starting in early February. I think I know why ... they explained it well here but I find it frustrating nevertheless that their server infrastructure gets that far behind.
http://team.viigo.com/2009/02/10/automatic-and-manual-updates-on-viigo/
It seems Viigo is focused largely on providing a list of content providers and probably has a lot faster updates with those than lesser subscribed to feeds like I'm more interested in - like local newspapers, local colleges, local sports features, etc. Their new Windows Mobile client released last week also has advertising banners which turns me off. pRSSreader does have an option to change font sizes - it seems to work on some content, but I haven't really done much with it yet.
I've only been using pRSSreader about a week. Viigo uses about 2-2.5 the amount of memory that pRSSreader does, but pRSSreader uses a lot more battery because it's going out and downloading all of my feeds every 30 minutes (vs. Viigo's *slow* servers doing that for me). I'd like to be able to set some feeds for a longer download interval, but so far I haven't received any response on this question, so it may not be possible. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3458281&postcount=6

DIY mapping - perfect for X1

Useful set of freeware software from a Dutch company specialising in navigation software. Primarily used for marine mapping but can easily be used onland as well.
Basic concept is that you scan in your map to a picture file on your PC, then using the calibration app you triangulate three known GPS coords, and then you have a usable map to download to the mobile app running on the X1.
http://www.stentec.com/en/support/downloads
DKW Builder 1.2.4.1 Lite - calibrates the scanned map
DKW Manager 1.3.11.0 - manages map sets, and the loading to the phone
WinGPS 4.0.7.0 Mobile Lite - the app to be loaded on the phone
I have used these for some time, originally with XDA and bluetooth GPS.
Copy satellite images, stitch these in with road maps etc.
Enjoy.
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Efficasoft GPS Utilities is way better for this, since you don't need a PC app to load the map. You can directly load any picture file and it only takes 2 points to calibrate (Which makes sense to me), so you also have the possibility to actually walk to a point you know on the map and use your GPS reading directly. It also comes with compass and stuff - the only disadvantage is that you have to pay for it and there is no keygen (so far - I hope there will be one soon).

Tks Firewall for this pointer to Efficasoft GPS, it looks like a neat tool, with tons of features. As with both apps, I much prefer maps loaded on the phone rather than the continuous online loading from Google or Multimap.
The Stentec set of apps are more elaborate as they are targetted for sailors who need greater level of detail, and are dealing with multiple sets. As freeware I think Stentec give a great level of functionality. Their pro versions are in the 100's of euro.
Whether you walk to a point to get the GPS reading or copy a known ref point from Google Earth it doesnt really matter. Google will allow you to quickly pick distant points on the map which ultimately give you better accuracy. It will also allow you to prepare you map in advance, you dont want to spend time when you hit the ground driving/walking just to calibrate a map, me thinks.
For calibration it is much better to have three ref points, and the further apart the better. A triangle will provide a more accurate dimensioning than a straight line. Any minor error close in, is exploded further out.

There's also GPSvp which is opensource and available via google code..
It does use google or live maps, and openstreetmap, but it caches them so you don't always need a net connection when you're out and about.
It also can use garmin maps, which is good as there are some free ones around in that format.
It also has a desktop version, which means you can download all the "tiles" you need on the pc then transfer them across to the x1 for field use..
It's now being updated pretty regularily as well which is great .
http://code.google.com/p/gpsvp/

pokdub said:
For calibration it is much better to have three ref points, and the further apart the better. A triangle will provide a more accurate dimensioning than a straight line. Any minor error close in, is exploded further out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I use geological/survey mapping for a living. There are a number of specialised, proprietary programs on my device, but a generally available one is PathAway (now version 5). You need a 3-point calibration from Google or more accurately digital topography maps as sold by Govt Departments, but you can then use JPG's or ECW's as a base map to keep the size manageable.
But the z-value (altitude) from PDA's is not really accurate at all. x,y-values are good to about 2m generally.

Of course it depends on you whether it's better to load maps from your PC or from your PDA. If you really are a sailor and you have to set up a big region, the PC is your friend - my reason for using such an application however is different. I don't have a boat, so for street navigation I rely on Garmin XT Mobile. I would use tools like Efficasoft GPS Utilities for example if someone gives me a map of a specific region - offroad. Say for a treasure hunt or something like this. You can take a Snapshot of the map with your camera, then load the picture, walk a few meters to determine two well-known points and you're ready to go.

gpsVP looks to be a fantastic project. I have installed it onto the X1 and will try to get to grips with it over the following days.
First thing is to read a dummy-guide.

pokdub said:
gpsVP looks to be a fantastic project. I have installed it onto the X1 and will try to get to grips with it over the following days.
First thing is to read a dummy-guide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol yeah, but it's pretty logical to play with.

First issue with gpsVP is similar to the one I had with the Wayfinder app.
If the app is active when the phone is turned off, the GPS keeps active and drains the phone battery overnight. And it is not a graceful discharge, it takes every ounce of power and requires some recharging before I can even power up the phone again.
Lesson: dont leave a GPS app active when you turn off.

pokdub said:
First issue with gpsVP is similar to the one I had with the Wayfinder app.
If the app is active when the phone is turned off, the GPS keeps active and drains the phone battery overnight. And it is not a graceful discharge, it takes every ounce of power and requires some recharging before I can even power up the phone again.
Lesson: dont leave a GPS app active when you turn off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL yep, phone is separate to the functions of the PDA..