blankblank blank

Archive for November, 2010

Turn Your Android Into A True Handheld GPS With OruxMaps – Part II: GPS Functionality

Published in Bluetooth, GPS, offline maps, online maps, tracks and waypoints. 0 Comments

Continuing on from Part I yesterday …

GPS Functionality

bluetooth

Figure 1: One feature I was excited to see OruxMaps had was integrated support for an external Bluetooth GPS unit; as I’ve posted about before, this has significant advantages for extending battery life and improving position accuracy. Unfortunately, I was unable to get it to work with my Bluetooth GPS unit; YMMV. The program really needs a special screen to help establish and confirm a good connection with the Bluetooth GPS. Fortunately, the excellent Bluetooth GPS app works fine with OruxMaps, so you can still use your external Bluetooth GPS unit even if OruxMaps built-in Bluetooth functionality doesn’t work. Hopefully, this will be addressed in future versions.

calibration

Figure 2: Online maps can sometimes have positions that are offset from their true positions, by anywhere from tens to hundreds of meters. OruxMaps has a killer built-in calibration function, accessible from the Tweaks menu, that lets you correct for such an offset, improving the accuracy of your position as displayed on the map. You’ll have to reset this every time you start up the app, as it appears to only be good for your current session.

waypoints

Figure 3: To create a waypoint, just tap on the Create waypoint button on a button bar (the pushpin with a “+” next to it). You have the following options for input variables:

  • Waypoint name
  • Waypoint dropdown: lets you choose the waypoint icon from a preset list. No option yet for your own custom icons; I hope this comes eventually.
  • Description
  • Coordinates; default is your current position, but you can enter custom coordinates here (WGS84 datum only)
  • Projection: create a waypoint displaced from your current position by a certain distance and direction
  • Geocoding: supposedly does an online lookup of your current location, and then enters a corresponding geographic name. I couldn’t get this to work.
  • Extensions: lets you associate an already existing photo or video with the waypoint; you can also record an audio note, or enter additional text.

waypoint_list

Figure 4: Saved waypoints are accessible from the map view with Menu => Waypoints. Waypoints displayed in the list can be loaded into the map view with the Menu  => To map option.

Filter

Figure 5: You can filter waypoints by type, distance from your current location (in km or mi., depending on the set unit system), date, or associated tracks. Only the filtered waypoints will then be loaded using the To map option. I do wish there was an option to select a single waypoint, or multiple waypoints, by checking them off on a list.

track

Figure 6: To log a track, tap the Record track button (the icon with multiple green flags and a red record button); to stop recording the track, tap the button again, and it will automatically be saved in the track database with the date and time as the name. You can set the track color and thickness in the Settings section.

tracks_base

Figure 7: You can access the tracks database list with the Menu => Tracks option, which shows when they were created, and their length. As with waypoints, you can filter this list to only display tracks within a certain date range or type. Unlike waypoints, though, you can choose a single track to load. In fact, you have to – one of OruxMap’s biggest drawbacks is that it can display only one track at a time. And if you’re recording a track, you can’t view a previously-saved track at the same time. Hopefully, this will be fixed in the future, so that you can display multiple tracks at the same time (and have them appear in different colors). On the plus side, if you load a track into a map, you can calculate the area enclosed by the track using the Menu => Tools option.

stats

Figure 8: One very cool feature for tracks is the ability to display statistics for that track …

graph

Figure 9: And plot parameters like altitude, speed and slope against either distance or time. If you have a compatible Bluetooth heartbeat monitor, it can plot that as well. Use the coupon code ORUXMAPS to save $5, and get the app’s author some affiliate revenue.

import

Figure 10: Tracks and waypoints can be imported in either the GPX or KML formats. OruxMaps will use the OI File Manager if installed to select the import file, so it doesn’t have to be in a program-specific directory. This makes Dropbox a very convenient way to import data; just drop the files into your computer’s Dropbox folder, download them to your Android unit using the Dropbox app, then use the OI File Manager to navigate to the “dropbox” folder to select them for import. Similarly, lists of waypoints/tracks, or individual tracks, can be exported into either GPX or KML format; in this case, though, the default folder will always be the “tracklogs” subfolder of the main “oruxmaps” folder, and the filename will be automatically generated.

These are just some of the features; a look through all the menus (plus a look on the website’s help manual page) will reveal many more. The app is also actively being developed, and more features are added/modified all the time.

Tomorrow, a more detailed look at using online and offline maps with OruxMaps.




Turn Your Android Into A True Handheld GPS With OruxMaps – Part I: Interface

Published in Bluetooth, geocaching, GPS, offline maps, online maps, tracks and waypoints. 2 Comments

Application Name: OruxMaps

Description: Provides most of the functionality of a dedicated handheld GPS unit.

Publisher’s website: OruxMaps

Cost: Free (donationware)

Version/date reviewed: v.3.27  /  11-27-10

Phone/OS: Droid X / Android 2.2

om_qr

Android Market link (mobile app only)
Android Market link (browser)

In the very first post on this website, almost four months ago, I argued that Android had the potential to displace dedicated handheld GPS units, like those from Garmin, Magellan, and DeLorme. Thing is, while I’ve posted many times on apps that perform a few of the the functions of a dedicated handheld, I haven’t yet written about a decent app that turns an Android unit into a full replacement for one of those; some come close, but the feature sets tend to be a bit slim. Now that’s going to change – this week will be devoted mostly to a review of Orux Maps, plus a few additional posts about how to take advantage of some of its advanced features.

Orux Maps is the first app I’ve reviewed that turns an Android phone into a serious functional challenger for dedicated GPS units. It’s not perfect, but if you forced me to choose between my current handheld GPS and an Android phone with Orux Maps, I’d pick the latter (but I’m glad I don’t have to choose). I’m not going to even have a “Final thoughts” section with recommendations; if you’re serious about using your Android’s GPS capabilities, this is a must-have app, period. But I will review some of its basic capabilities.

Because OruxMaps has a huge number of features, the review will be broken down into sections. Today, I’ll talk about the interface; tomorrow, external Bluetooth GPS, waypoints and tracks; and the rest of the week will talk about the online and offline map capabilities of the program. Yes, you can use maps on the app with and without an active Internet connection.

Interface

om_interface

Figure 1: Starting up the program brings you to this basic startup page. Browse maps brings up a list of pre-loaded offline maps (more on this later); selecting one of those loads the map, and centers the view on the center of the map. Actual location starts up the GPS, and if an offline map is available for that area, loads it in automatically. Online Maps starts up the map view with the last selected online map type. OruxMaps comes with a preset list of online map sources, including both the usual suspects (Google, Bing, Open Street Map), and some less-common ones (aviation maps, foreign topo maps). According to the website manual, you can add WMS servers to your list of online maps, but I had problems with that.

Settings lets you configure a huge number of options for the interface, units, mapping settings and the like. You can also access settings from the map screen, plus you have quick access to some of the more important settings from any map screen by using the menu button to select the Tweaks option.

om1

Figure 2: Here I’ve have selected Online maps, which defaults to the last online map service used (Bing Maps). The GPS is on, as indicated by the small GPS icon in the upper right part of the map view, as well as the altitude/speed/accuracy data in the dashboard at bottom. If the GPS were off, the dashboard would only show the coordinates for the center of the display and the map zoom level. Clicking on the satellite icon at upper-left turns GPS tracking on and off.

The first thing I tried to do with the program was create a waypoint, but I was stumped initially. There was no menu item for creating waypoints, and the icons at top, from left to right, are:

  • Turn GPS on/off
  • Change GPS acquisition mode (time/distance) to Default defined in settings), Fast (continuous time, 5 meter distance), or Power save (every 30 seconds / 80 meters).
  • Turn track acquisition on/off
  • Zoom map in
  • Zoom map to 100% (one map pixel = one screen pixel)
  • Zoom map out

But no waypoint creation icon – wha?! Turns out, though, that if you tap and drag the icons at top from right to left, additional icons will appear …

om2_interface

Figure 3: These icons are (left to right):

  • Add a waypoint
  • Delete all waypoints and tracks from screen (does not delete them from storage)
  • View track/route waypoints (sometimes individual waypoints as well; this is a bit inconsistent)
  • Follow a route, unload it, or stop all navigation (including waypoints)
  • Go to a point, start of track/route, center of the map, or last GPS position
  • View track statistics (more on this tomorrow)

Three additional icons further off the screen let you select a map layer, go to the settings section, or start up the GPS Status app. OruxMaps doesn’t come with a satellite status/strength screen, but uses the GPS status app to display this info. You’ll need to have that app installed on your Android unit to use this function; if not installed, you’ll be sent to the Android market page for GPS Status to let you install it (it’s free). I’d prefer an integrated view in OruxMaps for this, especially one that displays coordinates in large font (so I won’t need my reading glasses).

A problem with this setup is that you may not need some of the functions defined by the icons, and having to scroll the icons in the button bar to reach one that you actually do use on a regular basis can be a pain. This bothered me until I discovered in Settings => User Interface …

button_editor

Figure 4: … that you can customize the button bar to include only the functions you want, and create  up to four of them on-screen, each with its own set of buttons (duplicates if you like). To add a button, just tap on the icon in the center control screen, then tap the arrow button to add it to the corresponding button bar (left, top, bottom, right). You can remove individual buttons from a bar by tapping on them, or press “Reset” to remove all of them from every bar. You’ll need to exit the map screen and then restart it to see the new button configuration.

Elsewhere in the Settings => User Interface section, you’ll find options to set other map screen options, like customizing the GPS dashboard to show additional info, turning the scale on/off, making the butttons larger, etc.

button_map

Figure 5: With multiple button bars and the dashboard, though, much of the map screen will be obscured.

clean_screen

Figure 6: But OruxMaps has additional options in settings that will cause the button bars and/or dashboard to disappear after a few seconds, leaving the map view fully unobscured. You can also turn off the Android status bar at top to free up even more display space for the map. Tapping briefly on the map screen at the position of the button bar or dashboard will make it appear again. I do wish there was the option to have a specific button bar always visible, and others disappear, but for now it’s all of them or none of them.

zoom

Figure 7: Unlike some map apps that only show maps in 1:1 pixel mode, OruxMaps lets you overzoom, making some of the finer details easier to see. For my area, Bing Maps has exceptionally high-quality aerial maps, at least 1-ft. per pixel or better, making it possible to spot very fine details.

point

Figure 8: You should definitely check out the Tweaks section, available from the menu. This is a shortcut to a number of options also available in settings, but easier to access this way. Perhaps my favorite is turning Compass and View Angle on. Compass puts a small compass view at the top, showing which direction is true north (magnetic declination is automatically corrected for), while View Angle shows a small yellow wedge overlay indicating which direction the phone is pointed. You can also set the map display mode so that it rotates either in the direction the phone is pointed, or in the direction you’re moving. Additional tweaks include the option to change the position cursor color, and dim the display for use at night.

That’s it for Part I; Part II tomorrow will look at GPS functionality and recording waypoints and tracks.




Map GPS Satellite Positions With GPS Finder

Published in GPS. 0 Comments

Application Name: GPS Finder

Description: Maps GPS satellite positions in the sky, and above a map of the Earth.

Publisher’s website: Cynoxure

Cost: Free

Version/date reviewed: v.1.1.3  /  11-14-10

Phone/OS: Droid X / Android 2.2

cygps_qr

Android Market link (mobile app only)
Android Market link (browser)

Note: This app is also listed as CyGPSFinder, but the app’s name on the Android unit is GPS Finder.

Many GPS apps, like GPS Status and GPS Test, offer a map of GPS satellite positions in the sky; GPS Finder offers a similar map, but with some enhancements and additions.

The first time you run the app, it will likely tell you that the satellite orbit data is out of date, and recommend that you download updated data; it will also recommend the same procedure at future times. You should definitely do this, but the process will slow the app down significantly, and possibly even give you an “app not responding” error message; give it a minute or two to perform this process before using it.

gpsf1

Figure 1: The main “Ground Track” screen will show the position of all active GPS satellites plotted on a world map. You can tap and drag the map to scroll it, but only tap on an empty area to scroll it. Tapping on a satellite will select it (yellow ring), and display the satellite’s orbital path. The satellite closest to the central meridian of the display is highlighted with the larger red ring. Your current location is indicated by the black rings.

gpsf2

Figure 2: Select the “Sky Track” tab, and you’ll get a GPS satellite sky map similar to that in other GPS apps. The satellite you selected from the Ground Track Map will also be highlighted in this view, if it’s currently visible from your location. The bar at the bottom shows the time span when the satellite is visible from your location. If it’s currently visible, it will show a red bar indicating how much of the satellite’s visibility time has already elapsed. If the satellite isn’t currently visible, the bar will be entirely gray, and the time at left will indicate when it will next rise above the horizon. This doesn’t take into account blocking by your local terrain, or obstacles like buildings and trees.

gpsf3

Figure 3: You can’t tap another satellite in the “Sky Track” view to select it, as you could in “Ground Track”. However, you can select any satellite at any time using the “Select Satellite” function in the program menu.

gpsf4

Figure 4: In “Sat Finder” view, you can use your Android phone as a virtual “finderscope” to locate the position of a selected satellite in the sky. The arrow will point you towards the satellite’s position; tilt your Android unit until it shows up on the screen …

gpsf5

Figure 5: … in the virtual viewfinder crosshairs. Other satellite positions will be displayed if your view crosses their current location. Don’t expect to be able to see any sign of the satellite, even at night; at about 12,000 miles above the earth, it’s too far away to see with the naked eye.

Other issues: Apart from the slowdown when updating satellite orbit data, which resulted in an error message indicating that the app was non-responsive, no problems were encountered.

Final thoughts: Not sure how practically useful the app is, especially when other GPS apps show similar sky map data. But it certainly looks cool, and might be useful as an educational tool in showing people how GPS works.




Measure Slopes With How Steep

Published in level. 0 Comments

Application Name: How Steep

Description: Simple slope angle/percentage measuring app.

Publisher’s website: smallbouldering

Cost: Free (ad-supported); $0.79 paid version removes ads

Version/date reviewed: v.2.5  /  11-4-10

Phone/OS: Droid X / Android 2.2

hs_qr

Android market link
Android Market link (browser)

hs1

Figure 1: In its basic mode, How Steep just measures the maximum slope in your choice of degrees or percent (45 degrees = 100%, 90 degrees = infinite percent). You also have the option of red text for night-time viewing. Lay the phone down on the surface you want to measure, or orient the phone as parallel to the surface as you can. Tap the screen to lock the measurement, tap again to unlock it.

You can also set the background and comment type for a number of specific activity types and settings; the comments for some seem more technically grounded than others (i.e. the mountain bike comments don’t sound very official, while the ice climbing ones do) (Figure 2):

mtb
Mountain biking		 ski
Ski/snowboard		 avalanche
Avalanche		 waterice
Water ice		 scottishice
Scottish ice

Other issues: No crashes or force-closes.

Final thoughts: Easy to use, nice big output number display. Limited utility for most people, I would think, but if you need it, it’s there.




Imageotag: Photo Orientation/Geotagging, Annotation And Google Earth Photo Overlay Tour Creator

Published in geotagging, GPS and photos. 2 Comments

Application Name: Imageotag

Description: Photo position and orientation recording; thumbnail mapping; audio/text photo annotation; Google Earth photo overlay tour creator

Publisher’s website: Imageotag

Cost: Free (donationware)

Version/date reviewed: v. 1.1.11  /  11-12-10

Phone/OS: Droid X / Android 2.2
igt_qr

Android Market link (mobile app only)
Android Market link (browser)

Imageotag is a fairly-new geotagging-oriented Android camera app with a number of unique features:

Full geotagging

Most Android units will start up the GPS, and embed coordinate data into the EXIF metadata header of the photo to mark its position; this is usually called “geotagging”. In fact, if you don’t want this information in your photos, you’ll have to turn this function manually, or strip out the data with an app. The EXIF spec allows embedding  the compass direction in which you’re taking the photo into the EXIF header, but even though many Android units include a compass, none that I know of embed the photo direction. That’s too bad, as it would simplify the creation of Google Earth Photo Overlays, a way to display photos in Google Earth overlaying the actual perspective (more on this below). Imageotag doesn’t embed this information directly into a photo either; but what it will do is record this information, and then overlays that information as text on a second version of the photo. Here’s a photo snapped with Imageotag:

sample

And here’s the second image, with information about the coordinates, camera compass bearing, camera roll/pitch orientation, and more; there’s also a compass overlay at upper right, with the arrow pointing the direction of north:

There’s a full rundown on what data is embedded at the Imageotag website, but it basically includes most sensor data, including GPS/network position, accelerometer, light meter, and direction as determined by the compass (corrected for your local magnetic declination, so it’s the true direction). Tip: You can set the photo size to be between 330K pixels and 5 megapixels, but at lower resolutions, the text can be virtually impossible to read. Individual photos can have custom text embedded in them as well, and you can even voice-annotate photos.

Sets of photos can be viewed a number of different ways, including (Figure 1):


roll
A scrollable display of pictures		 contact
Contact sheet		 thumbnails
Thumbnails displayed in a Google Maps view (tap on the bottom to bring up the zoom buttons)		 slideshow
Continuous slideshow		 photomap
“Photo Maps”, with a slideshow in the top half, and the bottom showing where the picture was taken in Google Maps, and the direction you were facing


sequence

Figure 2: Now this is where it gets really cool. While you can shoot photos one by one, you can also set up Imageotag to shoot photo “sequences”, where a photo is snapped automatically based on either a distance or time interval. At left is a thumbnail map of one part of a sequence, where I specified that a photo be taken every 50 meters as determined by GPS. These can then be played as a standard slideshow, or as a Photo Maps slideshow.

But wait, that’s not all! When you’re done shooting a sequence, Imageotag automatically assembles all of the images into a single Google Earth KMZ file as photo overlays, where the photo is positioned in the spot it was taken, and oriented so that it’s overlaying the scenery at that spot (Figure 3):

gegeo

You can view any of these images in full photo overlay mode by double-clicking on the photo, or its listing in the places pane (Figure 4):

poverlay

You can even play back an animated tour of all these sequence photos, but here Google Earth’s limitations make it less than satisfactory. The photos in the animated tour aren’t displayed by Google Earth in full resolution, so when you zoom in on them they look pixelated and grainy. As you’ll see when you look at individual photos, they’re in full resolution, so it’s not Imageotag’s fault; and there doesn’t seem to be any settings in Google Earth to fix this problem. While KMZ overlay files are created automatically for sequences, you can also generate them manually for sets of individual photos.

I’ve missed a few features, I’m sure, but there’s a lot to explore in this app. Be sure to check out the settings, which offers a lot of control over photo and program parameters. And there’s lots of documentations and tutorials on the app’s website.

Other issues: Been looking at this app for a month or more, and the author has done a great job of cleaning up bugs/quirks, and making it work with a wide range of cameras. One minor limitation is that the highest image resolution currently available is 5 megapixels, even on phones that have cameras with greater resolution; that’s a hardware/software limitation. Occasionally, the main screen where you take the photos will shrink to a smaller size, but exiting and re-starting the program fixes that. The app was also originally designed on a phone with a trackball; while the author seems to have modified it successfully to work on a touch-screen phone only, you might still run across some functions that don’t work without it (author is working to fix all of these).

Final thoughts: In a market full of apps that duplicate each other, Imageotag is unique and valuable. If you’re interested in georeferencing your photos to the greatest degree possible, this program is virtually indispensable. Highly recommended.




Camera-Augmented Compass: Smart Compass

Published in compass. 1 Comment

Application Name: Smart Compass

Description: Compass augmented with camera view for orientation.

Publisher’s website: Android Boy

Cost: Free Lite ad-supported version; $0.99 full Pro version adds features

Version/date reviewed: v.1.1.1  /  11-4-10

Phone/OS: Droid X / Android 2.2

sc_qr

Android Market link (mobile app only)
Android Market link (browser)

As with the +Compass app reviewed yesterday, Smart Compass lets you find the compass bearing of a landmark as seen by your Android phone’s camera.

smartcompassno

Figure 1: Line up the object you want a bearing for with the orange triangle at top, or the gray crosshair at the center (barely visible in the photo, more visible on the display), and the bearing will be shown in the center. As with +Compass, the default is the magnetic direction. However, there is an option to adjust the azimuth setting to compensate for errors, and you can use this to adjust the direction to compensate for the magnetic declination, and show the true direction (as here, where I’ve enter the local 11-degree magnetic declination adjustment) (Figure 2):

smartcompassmd

The green bar at lower right shows the magnetic field strength. While this could be useful in cases where you might be near an object that distorts the local magnetic field, most times this is superfluous (and can be turned off). A bigger problem is the size of the compass display, which blocks most of the view; I much prefer +Compass’s single vertical line.

Other Issues: While the app can be used in portrait orientation, I was surprised to find that the compass bearing would shift about 5 degrees from the more accurate one seen in landscape orientation. The Pro version (shown above) includes the GPS position and altitude, along with the option to send those as an SMS message. But there are other free apps that do the same thing much better. The Pro version also lets you set the sensitivity of the compass, but I found little difference between different sensitivity settings.

Final thoughts: Smart Compass seems to work fine in landscape mode, less so in portrait mode. It really should offer the option to automatically display true directions instead of magnetic directions, but the option to set an offset to the displayed value makes that less critical. But IMO the compass display obscures too much of the display, and the extra features of the Pro version just aren’t worth $0.99. If +Compass had an option for true directions, instead of just magnetic directions, it would definitely be the one to buy. Even so, if you can mentally add/subtract the correction factor for magnetic to true direction. +Compass is the better choice. But if you really need true directions, then stick with the free Lite version of Smart Compass, set the magnetic declination correction manually, and make sure you update it when you change locations.




Camera-Augmented Compass: +Compass

Published in compass. 3 Comments

Application Name: +Compass

Description: Compass with camera-augmented view for alignment

Publisher’s website: None

Cost: $0.99

Version/date reviewed: v.1.0.2  /  11-11-10

Phone/OS: Droid X / Android 2.2

pc_qr

Android Market link (mobile app only)
Android Market link (browser)

Note: Listed in the Android Market as “Reality+Compass”; app name on unit is shown as “+Compass” only.

The +Compass app seeks to emulate a classic “sighting compass”, with a vertical line through the display marking where the bearing value is measured. Just run the app, and point the camera until the line intersects the landmark you want a bearing value for (Figure 1):

pluscompass

A rough bearing can be determine by the scale at the bottom, with the exact bearing shown at the top right. You can temporarily “save” a bearing value from the menu for display on-screen, with a five-second delay to allow you to orient the compass as desired. The app works in both landscape and portrait modes.

Other issues: Biggest problem with the app is that the compass direction is magnetic, not true, and there’s no way to correct for that in the app. So you’ll have to look up the magnetic declination for your location, and manually add or subtract the value to the one measured by the app to get the true direction.

Final thoughts: Simple, but works well and is accurate. But the lack of a “true” direction option keeps it from being fully successful If that’s added in the future, then highly recommended.




Will There Be Starry Skies In Your Area?

Published in astronomy and weather. 0 Comments

Application Name: Clear Sky Droid

Description: Shows sky clarity and astronomical viewing conditions for nearby areas.

Publisher’s website: Zero Credibility

Cost: Free; $0.99 donation version.

Version/date reviewed: v.1.1.6  /  11-4-10

Phone/OS: Droid X / Android 2.2

clearsky_qr

Android Market link (mobile app only)
Android Market link (browser)

If you’re an astronomer interested in whether telescope viewing conditions will be good, a photographer interested in upcoming light conditions, or you just want to know if the skies will be clear for good stargazing, Clear Sky Droid offers an easy way to get this info. The app is a front-end interface to the ClearDarkSky website, where it retrieves the data it displays.

cs1

Figure 1: When you first start up the app, it gets your location from GPS or network data, and shows you a list of monitored locations in your general area, listed by distance from you. You can also search for a specific location, or consult a list of saved favorite locations. Tap on any of the items in the list, and you’ll get the option of adding it to your favorites, showing it on a map, or getting fuller details …

csdetails

Figure 2: This is a forecast for the next day or two of what conditions will be like for astronomical viewing. A more detailed description is available here, but basically the top grouping describes the critical factors for good sky conditions, and the darker the square the better the conditions are expected to be.

  • Cloud Cover: How much of the sky is obscured by clouds.
  • Transparency: How clear the sky is; usually reflects the humidity.
  • Seeing: How stable is the atmosphere. Most important if you want to view using a telescope. In poor seeing conditions, the stars will be twinkling a lot as seen by naked eye, but you can still get some decent stargazing in. However, in a telescope, the sky will be jumping around so much that you’ll barely be able to make out any details in faint objects, or fine detail in bright objects like the Moon and planets.
  • Darkness: Usually bad when the sun is up :) , but also affected by the moon’s phase and location, and scattering in the atmosphere.

Other Issues: None – no problems.

Final thoughts: Indispensable for the serious amateur astronomer, or the recreational skygazer. For the rest, probably won’t see regular use, but might come in handy on the occasional outdoor trip.




Track The US States You’ve Visited

Published in Google Maps, location marking and map display. 1 Comment

Application Name: Which States?

Description: Records the US states you’ve visited, and shows them in a Google Maps interface.

Publisher’s website: 1517 digital productions

Cost: Free; “Plus” version with additional features announced

Version/date reviewed: v.1.0  /  11-9-10

Phone/OS: Droid X / Android 2.2

ws_qr

Android Market link (mobile app only)
Android Market link (browser)

ws_states

Figure 1: This is a pretty basic app. Check off the American states you’ve visited on the list …

ws_map

Figure 2: … then go to the Map tab to view them colored in on a Google Maps view. You can zoom in and scroll the maps to view different areas.

Other issues: None; worked fine.

Final thoughts: Not exactly a high-functionality app as-is, but does what it says it will. You might find it handy for tracking your travels, or showing others where you’ve been. Not clear what additional features the “Pro” version might add.




Convert UTM / Lat-Long Coordinates With CoordTransform

Published in coordinates. 0 Comments

Application Name: CoordTransform

Description: Convert UTM coordinates to latitude/longitude or reverse.

Publisher’s website: None

Cost: Free (ad-supported)

Version/date reviewed: v.1.2  /  11-8-10

Phone/OS: Droid X / Android 2.2

ct_qr

Android Market link (mobile app only)
Android Market link (browser)

ct1

Figure 1: CoordTransform converts coordinates from latitude/longitude to Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) or vice-versa. Just enter the coordinates in the appropriate boxes and press the appropriate button. When converting from UTM to lat/long, make sure you include the UTM zone and hemisphere for those coordinates.

The program supports 58 ellipsoids for the datum, but unfortunately can’t convert from one datum to another; hopefully, this will be added in a future version.


decimal sexagesimal

Figure 2: Program will supposedly accept input in both decimal and sexagesimal (degree-minute-second) format. In the latter, it will be converted automatically to decimal, handy just for that purpose.

Other issues: One fairly substantial bug – it won’t accept or calculate negative values in sexagesimal mode correctly. Author has been informed by comment, and this should be easy to fix.

Final thoughts: If you’re dealing with decimal degrees only, or sexagesimal in the northern half of the Eastern Hemisphere, it’s a useful app as-is. Otherwise, you’ll need to wait for a bug fix.




« Previous Entries