geocaching.com Android app released!

[Papa Bear_Left]

It's finally official: http://www.geocaching.com/Android/

I've been beta-testing this for awhile now, and it's certainly a lot better now than it was originally!

The main limitations are more to do with the fact that it's a phone, not a dedicated GPSr. The accuracy is pretty ordinary, and the battery life with the screen on and the GPS running isn't great, so you wouldn't just leave it on and glance at occasionally the way you're used to.

On the other hand, if you've got 3G signal, you're getting live data on the latest caches and logs, and you're more likely to have your phone in your pocket for ad-hoc caching when delayed doing something else.

It's still in active development, as apps are these days, so make suggestions if there's things it doesn't do that it should (or does do that it shouldn't!)

[CraigRat]

Will be interesting to see how this will impact c:geo and some of the other apps that obtain cache data by slightly dodgy methods!


1st impression is that it's not too bad. I'll knock up a poorly written review tonight on my site.
Thanks for the heads up!

[mtrax]

yes there was some chatter on fans for c-Geo , and I wonder if groundspeak will open up API access to there db for other apps? but back on topic
I think $10 seems to be a bit higher price than I'm willing to pay.

[CraigRat]

Just tested:
GSAK export of GCA caches can be imported in to the app and works ok

1600 caches took a LONG time to import, but callup time is acceptable.

Obviously stuff like logging GCA caches etc doesn't work, but thems the breaks

It's not a bad app... is it worth $10 when good apps like c:geo and geohunter exist? Probably not if you are happy to export your data from GSAK, but for live data, maybe.

[Damo.]

yes there was some chatter on fans for c-Geo , and I wonder if groundspeak will open up API access to there db for other apps? but back on topic
I think $10 seems to be a bit higher price than I'm willing to pay.

Thank you! I was wondering how much it was but Groundspeak didn't bother mentioning any price on their website and the android market website doesn't seem to give any detailed information about the apps!? Just says to browse via your phone?

It gives you live access to their cache database on a portable device without the need to be a Premium Member. One-off price of $10 sounds like a bargain to me!

[Snuva]

The main limitations are more to do with the fact that it's a phone, not a dedicated GPSr. The accuracy is pretty ordinary, and the battery life with the screen on and the GPS running isn't great, so you wouldn't just leave it on and glance at occasionally the way you're used to.

Get the Garmin~Asus A10 and then your phone IS a GPSr!! Sorry - couldn't resist.

I still haven't tried out my A10 for caching, but accuracy-wise it seems to do well comparing it with my Oregon and does better than my dear old Legend C. I still might not get out caching with it this weekend but next weekend is a definite! I'll be interested to see how people think Groundspeak's app compares with c:geo and geohunter, etc.

[jyetara]

I bought it as well. Wasn't happy about it being $10 in comparison to nearly all apps on the android market being half that price or less. I have absolutely no problem paying for programs on the market, but being such a Premium price (in comparison) to other programs just seems a bit arrogant for a first release program that hasn't been "proven."

The program is good, but doesn't do much for me in the area of Navigation. I like C:geo's ability to let you choose your method of navigation (eg Google Turn by Turn, Motonav/Igo).

I'll probably have a play with it a bit more over the next couple of weeks, but for now c:geo is definitely my choice....for now...

[CraigRat]

Used it this weekend.

When data signal is good it's not all that bad, but it had real trouble getting a good fix (even though all my other apps had a rock solid fix), it kept reporting my location as that of the phone tower (coarse location). Annoyed the hell out of me at times... I was literally standing at a cache, the app had me 16km away, switch in to geohunter and I'm in the right spot, back in to GC app, still 16km away....

When in areas of no/low data reception it tended to hang or wanted to force close. This happened a lot.

My battery usage doover showed that the app was the biggest drain on my battery (more than 3* worse than the next apps, and that was when I had: OSMand, OSMTracker, Wardrive and something I'm working on running all at the same time with it) not sure why it chews CPU like it seems to do.

It's sorting of saved caches/imports from GPX is poor

Google map integration seemed poor on my Desire (I would have thought clicking on a cache pin would take you to the caches listing or something, didn't do it in the field for me)

My revised thoughts on it are that it looks good, but does not deliver the goods for the price, try something that allows better use of offline cache data.

It can only get better, and seeing as this is the second most expensive app I've paid for (and I've paid for a lot of apps), I say it's poor form. Even 5 bucks for how it works it would be too much.

(I'm not saying I could do better, I'm more annoyed at the price vs app quality than anything else)


Also: Yes, as you all know I can be critical of GC at times, but I went in to using this app with an open mind....and to be honest, if this was a free app my criticism of it would be a lot lower, but this is not cheap by any means, and therefore deserves to be scrutinised at a higher level.

I'll use it again next weekend then I'll start reporting bugs to GC of they are repeatable....

[pprass]

OK - I just have to know. What's an Android device

We use Samsung Preston S5603 phones - can Android apps be loaded on these phones? including c:geo?

[CraigRat]

OK - I just have to know. What's an Android device

We use Samsung Preston S5603 phones - can Android apps be loaded on these phones? including c:geo?

Nope, sorry.

[pprass]

Nope, sorry.

So what can it be loaded onto?

[Papa Bear_Left]

Nope, sorry.

So what can it be loaded onto?

Anything that's running the Android operating system:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Android_devices

[pprass]

Anything that's running the Android operating system:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Android_devices

Thanks PBL - I had looked in that wiki entry, but didn't see the list.