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I'm a bit new at these things, so forgive my niavity. I understand what GPS is, but I don't understand what I'm able to do on my phone with GPS - does the quickGPS app somehow link into other apps that can make use of GPS? What are these other apps and where do I find them? Does googlemaps make use of GPS?
First and most importantly (imho) is gps navigation.
Think TomTom, Garmin, etc. Being able to use your phone for navigation is nice..and yes, google maps uses your gps, which is awesome. It is slightly off though, like a couple of meters. (So you can't use it as a golf-buddy)
Also, for those who drive their cars on tracks, the possibility of being able to time yourself on the track is nice, not to mention potentially having a map of the track, with logging capability. I would love to be able to analyze results and find out which line was truly faster on which corner. Yeah there are already products that do this, possibly superior to anything the Diamond could do, but since I already have the phone...even if it was .005 seconds off I'd be happy.
Also, geotagging photos. (like..take a photo and it would automatically add the location.)
There are many other reasons...but gps navigation I think is the best.
Geotagging photos would be very interesting, any software for this? Similarly, any free GPS navigation software? (or any non-free software)?
You can geotag Diamond-made photos by its internal software (they actually get geotagged in the moment you make them) with a tweak. To geotag photos made by another camera, you need software which saves GPS data on PPC (aka trace, track, NMEA data) and a program which matches photos to location saved by Diamond.
And GPS nav software you got in 1st reply. TomTom, Garmin, AutoMapa etc. are commercial GPS programs. Google Maps can be free (not sure of that), but since they get maps via Net, they make you pay for data transmission. Most commercial programs work offline.
Hi,
Have anybody tried google navigator on the HD. I heard it's supposed to work with the hd. Anybody know if a dataconnection is needed, or can we download the maps and use it "offline" with the built in GPS reciever ??
anybody know where we can find a trial ?
oldings said:
Hi,
Have anybody tried google navigator on the HD. I heard it's supposed to work with the hd. Anybody know if a dataconnection is needed, or can we download the maps and use it "offline" with the built in GPS reciever ??
anybody know where we can find a trial ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Attached Google.
This is freeware
thx for reply. But isn't this the same that came pre-installed with the HD.
I tried Google Maps but that uses the data connection. I heard on google navigation you can save maps on storage and the use it "offline", so no need of data-connection, only GPS reciever.
Sorry, I should have read your thread properly, been a long day.
Google Navigator attached
I haven't used this application to be honest, but just installed it and a data connection appears to be required. I'll play with it and let you know if this can be disabled.
I have also downloaded the trial from http://www.pdafun.net/
and first time I started it I saw it downloded dato. I then used HD tweak to stop all data connection, and went in to Google navigator and changed som settings.
I can still start the prorgam wihtout any problems and activated GPS. It find my postition(still noe data connection used, yet). But don't know how to get a map. I only see a "world" map.
SO would be nice to know how we can download offlien maps so we can use with GPS and not need to use dataconnection, since it says it's possible
Without sounding flipant, the CAB is 1.73Mbs so I would expect it does not contain map data, bearing in mind that TomTom Maps are in the region of 1Gbs.
Maybe you have to download from somewhere else though.
<double post>
The map are downloaded using Data connection, they are download on demand by the software.
Google Navigator
the meaning of offline Navigation in this Software is that you can specify an interested area and tell the program to download the related topo, road maps, etc to the device over a data connection at a a given Zoom level. (wifi or gsm)
once the download is complete you can switch off the data connection or remove the sim and use the application to locate/Navigate your self in the downloaded area. The purpose is to enable you to use the phone to navigate yourself in a area without network coverage and/or to cutdown on the data download cost over GSM.
FYI
Google Navigator works fine on the HD except for the 3D view. it creates some areas of the map to disappear. I wrote to the developers on this bug and they said they will correct that error in their 4.9V but till the latest version the problem is still there.
is it just me or is the trial version of this completely useless? what is the point in disabling the only features that actually make this different to google maps? surely a time-limited version rather than feature-limitedwould make more sense?
I for one will certainly not be shelling out for this unless I know it works (and on my phone too).
this is most unlike google, who's software (until now)I have always been most impressed with. google maps is simply phenomenal, but does lack the turn-by-turn voice commands necessary to operate it whilst driving.
the data, for me (and many who own this type of device - why on earth would you have a device this capable without some data included?!) is not an issue. but i need to see it in action before I can abandon Tomtom properly...
is this software actually from google or just based on google maps? I still can't work out why I have to pay for this when everything else google is free (and this looks decidedly shoddier)?!
kindregards
dr_nick
Apparently Google Navigator has nothing to do with Google. The developers are just using the name "Google" because it taps into the Maps database. Caveat emptor.
Google Navigator is one of the worst PDA Apps I've ever seen.
Not only do they #1 -- Use the FREE google maps service, and charge you for their crappy front end, but #2 -- Put the name "Google" in the title of their product, so you think it's actually from a reputable source.
Google really needs to put a stop to this company because they are basically ripping people off.
For a dedicated GPS unit, whether you have a destination set or not, you can always see a 3D view of your current position. It doesn't seem to be the case for Nexus One. You can only see 3D view under Google Navigation when you are in navigation mode.
Is there anyway to trick Nexus One to run Google Navigation even though you don't have specific destination set?
Maps is also pretty nice, but it's always north-up so it's confusing sometime.
I wanted to see this too, so I made a feature request ticket: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=6839
Please star this issue if you want to see it implemented!
Done. Thanks for creating it
Oops, I searched and found out my ticket was a duplicate.
Here's the original: http://code.google.com/p/android/is...on&colspec=ID Type Status Owner Summary Stars
I think the problem is the lack of pre-loaded maps. Since it doesn't have the maps on SD card it downloads your route when you set it. They are probably trying to avoid the need for a constant and reasonably good data connection which would come with downloading map data on the fly.
It puzzles me why some ROMs have better GPS performance than others. I was on JPJPA earlier and had usable GPS navigation experiences in town, I flash JP8 and all hell breaks lose So to me, this ruled out that my phone has a hardware problem.
You can say that I live in a densely populated area in Boston, and after going through a lot of forum literature , today I carried out a little experiment.
I made a round trip to some place here in Boston, selected Copilot on my way to go, and Google Nav on my way back and here are the results:
Google Nav with "Use Wireless Networks" under location settings:
HERE
Google Nav without "Use Wireless Networks":
HERE
CoPilot:
HERE
In both trips, I took Beacon St and Longwood Ave (notice the difference).
Now while CoPilot is not exactly perfect, it performs way better than Google Nav! It didn't have to reroute or recalculate. (The circle you see in the beginning is me stopping by a gas station, yes, it was that accurate, it messes up only at the rail intersection of st paul & beacon)
I noticed a difference in the lock pattern and speed when using different programs. For example, GPS Status seems to take the longest to get a lock from a Cold Start, but once it locks, programs like CoPilot lock quickly using a Hot Start (reusing data from GPS Status)
Google Navigation, and several other programs however, seem to be using something entirely different. It seems Google Nav (and Maps btw) take the same amount of time to get initial lock whether (a) I used GPS Status prior or (b) did not use it at all.
I can only speculate at this point, but I think that Android provides more than one API to obtain GPS accuracy. I suspect that CoPilot and GPS Status (among others) use their own calculations to determine GPS position using raw satellite data, whereas Google Nav uses some built-in APIs in Android that give positioning data that are false. I believe that Google Maps uses some AGPS settings regardless of what you set in "Location and settings", and that, messes everything up. (You can see in my tracks above how google maps have bigger arcs when I made a u-turn, instead of showing a sharp turn).
A nice test would be to disable radio completely; that way Google Nav can't access AGPS data. But of course you run into the problem that Google can't operate without a valid data connection.
I just wanted to share my observations, if you guys have more ideas, lets share
Google Navigator is overrated. Co-Pilot, Navigon, NDrive are far better applications. If Trapster became an integrated layer in Google Nav, I'd use it.
Well written article btw.
Billus said:
Google Navigator is overrated. Co-Pilot, Navigon, NDrive are far better applications. If Trapster became an integrated layer in Google Nav, I'd use it.
Well written article btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks,
thing is, Google Nav did work fine in JPJPA. I'd like to use it instead because it has the latest listings and some pretty accurate traffic conditions. If we can find the problem, or find out what data or files Google Nav accesses, then we could possibly fix this problem on multiple ROMs.
Gmaps is perfect for finding and typing locations to go to, co-pilot more for the actual navigating, .. while you're driving; gmaps is way easier to use then co-pilot. But yea, less inaccuracy probs with co-pilot besides having a slower fix.
madmack said:
I suspect that CoPilot and GPS Status (among others) use their own calculations to determine GPS position using raw satellite data, whereas Google Nav uses some built-in APIs in Android that give positioning data that are false. I believe that Google Maps uses some AGPS settings regardless of what you set in "Location and settings", and that, messes everything up. (You can see in my tracks above how google maps have bigger arcs when I made a u-turn, instead of showing a sharp turn).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
coPilot and other nav apps force lock on roads besides real position until they can't do it.
Google Maps doesn't do it
And no, they can't access raw gps data, the only way is through google api
Oletros said:
coPilot and other nav apps force lock on roads besides real position until they can't do it.
Google Maps doesn't do it
And no, they can't access raw gps data, the only way is through google api
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
see above tracks. While GoogNav might "lock" you on a road, I'm posting the actual GPS coordinates that were received. It may have looked like I was on a road on my screen, but you can see the google nav tracks above that show the points the program received. The pointer hovers all over the place.
madmack said:
see above tracks. While GoogNav might "lock" you on a road, I'm posting the actual GPS coordinates that were received. It may have looked like I was on a road on my screen, but you can see the google nav tracks above that show the points the program received. The pointer hovers all over the place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the tracks where recorded with the same program?
Oletros said:
All the tracks where recorded with the same program?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. my tracks
madmack said:
Yup. my tracks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, all the GPS data has nothing to do with the program used (Google Navigation, coPilot), it's collected from the same source, Android GPS API
Oletros said:
So, all the GPS data has nothing to do with the program used (Google Navigation, coPilot), it's collected from the same source, Android GPS API
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, my tracks *listens* to whatever the GPS is receiving when other programs are using it.
So the main program that was running was either CoPilot or Google Nav. They're the ones invoking the GPS location commands (we know that because my two tracks are so different than each others).
My Tracks, in both cases, sits in the back seats and writes notes.
madmack said:
Dude, my tracks *listens* to whatever the GPS is receiving when other programs are using it.
So the main program that was running was either CoPilot or Google Nav. They're the ones invoking the GPS location commands (we know that because my two tracks are so different than each others).
My Tracks, in both cases, sits in the back seats and writes notes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What? My tracks uses GPS API to collect data, it doesn't sniff anything from other programs
Oletros said:
What? My tracks uses GPS API to collect data, it doesn't sniff anything from other programs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be right, but then how do you explain the two different tracks posted above ?
regardless of who is right or who is wrong, using any dedicated offline GPS software is way better than google maps/nav
of all the fews currently available for Android, i find Copilot to be the most accurate one, it shows the speed/stops exactly as when a police have a speed gun tracking me.
It is always in the correct lane of the road.
using the other GPS software have some sort of lags, or performance is poor, or the display is lousy, etc.
I agree with using Copilot
On my AT&T Captivate, my gps lock is hit or miss. I was having some major issues getting a gps lock using Google Nav but when I closed Google and opened Copilot the gps locked in after about 8 seconds and held. Google Nav kept kicking on and off. Google Maps had me doing a U-Turn on my way home taking me away from my destination, Copilot was right on track.
With it's just-right display size, the SGTab is particularly well-suited for navigation on the road. Setup is straightforward:
Either install Navit from the market or get the latest nightly build from http{:}//download.navit-project.org/navit/android_armv5te/svn/ (sorry, can't post links yet)
Download maps for desired area
Edit config file for map and preference data
Download voice for turn-by-turn audible instructions
Works amazingly well, no data connection required while driving, and even snaps to nearest mapped location when on roads that are not on the map.
After using for awhile, its greatest need becomes clear:
The ability to set route waypoints. Fortunately, there's a patch that adds this feature - http{:}//trac.navit-project.org/ticket/46 - but it's not committed to trunk yet so the only way to get such a version is to download the source, apply the patch, and compile.
Here's where it gets wonky. As mentioned in the documentation (http{:}//wiki.navit-project.org/index.php/Navit_on_Android), cross-compiling for Android is sketchy. After trying unsuccessfully to build on an x86_64 machine, I've given up.
So the burning question: Any gurus out there want to give this a go and post the resulting .apk for 'testing'?
That is a nice app.
I and several others a work use WAZE.
It is free on the market.
Lets us know where the cops are hidding, and a plus it has navigation.
I was surprised when it was connected via bluetooth to my car radio, and a female voice announced. Police ahead 500 feet.
So dodge that ticket.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using xda premium
@StarLog, thanks for the tip, which made me take a better look at Waze. It IS totally cool. BUT, like Google Maps, it requires a data connection to grab map tiles and calculate routes. This is fine for those who only drive in areas with signal coverage and who have good data plan$. For them, Waze could eventually be superior to GMaps. (Might even be now, don't know.)
Navit, on the other hand, is completely self-contained (no data connection required). When started, it turns the device into a configurable navigator with full access to all onboard maps. Under battery power, no connections of any kind are needed. And I especially appreciate the "configurable" part, which lets me choose data and controls displayed, sizes and colors, and where shown on screen.
Of course, this less dynamic map model makes updates more cumbersome, and there's no provision for real-time input to the database. Two different approaches, two different products.