LOC and GPX file importing now works. In testing I primarily used geocaching.com files, so if you run into any files that won’t import, please email me the files you are using. If non-geocaching.com LOC files result in any weirdness, I’m aware of the problem and will have another update out within a week, though GPX files should work fine regardless as long as the name, lat, and lon are present.
As you know, the Android browser is refusing to download files from the geocaching.com website. Unfortunately this makes it impossible to get the files using only your phone (until they release an update to the browser). In the meantime your options are:
- From your home computer, email the file(s) to yourself and use the Android browser, NOT the Gmail app, to open gmail.com and download the attachments.
- Transfer the files to your SD card, then use a G1 file manager to open the file. I found that the Linda File Manager works great. I tried several other file managers from the Android Market and Linda was the only one that showed Geodroid as an option for opening the files.
Waiting around for the Google Android team to update the browser could take ages. The goals in the meantime are to make sure Geodroid is stable, handles all the loc and gpx file imports successfully, and then figure out work around for the browser issue.
Hope everyone enjoys the update.
geodroid
Good news, file import for loc and gpx files is working. It’s not released yet, but with your help, it will be very soon. I need your loc and gpx files to test with, mainly gpx files. A gpx file can be huge and I need example files so I can see what information users want. If you have a gpx file lying around that you’d like to import, please send me a copy and list which bits of information are important to you; description, type, date, hint, etc. A few geocaching.com gpx files will be a great help also.
Email them to android@clinkybot.com
geodroid
ParkMark has done surprisingly well and should be showcased soon at http://www.android.com/market/. Thanks for all of the feedback, ratings, and comments. ParkMark has been fun to develop and I’ve had many requests for some features. In the coming weeks I hope to release ParkMark with some new features such as: ability to photo your location, timer for parking at a meter, directions to your car (requested by people parking on city streets), and a new method for handling the poor GPS signal problem that crops up occasionally.
ParkMark (and all applications for the G1) is currently free. The update will be a low cost app once the market gets going and a demo version will be available.
cardar
I’ve been out of town this past week and was able to get LOC file importing working. There are a few items to clean up before posting the update. In an older post I mentioned the browser issue with downloading a geocaching.com loc file. If you’re interested you can track the issue.
Until the browser issue is fixed, the best way to import files seems to be emailing yourself the file(s) and using the browser to read your email and download the attachment. The Gmail application on the G1 will not let you download a loc file attachment. I’ll probably add a file browser to Geodroid for navigating the SD card to find and import files, but that will be a little later. For now, I’m eager to get the import feature in your hands and see how it works for everyone. GPX support will follow shortly behind LOC importing.
Thanks to everyone that have pointed out problems and made suggestions.
geodroid
importing
I ran into some trouble today. In short, the Android browser currently won’t download LOC or GPX files from www.geocaching.com. I’ve been bouncing around the mailing lists and was able to speak with an Android architect about it. In short (and these are my words), Android is still an RC (release candidate) for a reason. The browser is simply not fully featured yet and unable to handle the way geocaching.com sends the file for download. Don’t blame geocaching.com for the problem; they are not doing anything wrong and in fact this problem affects many different sites.
I submitted a bug report about it and for now will have to wait patiently for an update. In the meantime Geodroid will be getting LOC/GPX support. As a workaround for the browser issue, you’ll need to either save the file(s) onto your G1 sd card or email the file(s) to yourself. If it starts to look like the browser fix will be a long time coming, I’ve got a few crazy brainstorm ideas that may work.
Uncategorized
Version 0.4.2 was just posted. Don’t get too excited just yet. The expiration date was pushed back from Jan 15th to Feb 1st. If you are curious as to how things are going, read my previous post. Loc and GPX file support are just around the corner.
geodroid
Things should be settling down some for the next few weeks, allowing me time to work on Geodroid. Today was the first day since moving that I’ve been able to put in some real time on it. Progress is coming along with support for importing geocaching.com loc files. This will be a really nice feature to have. We’ve done a good bit of geocaching during our move and while the GPS power of the G1 is very weak compared to my Garmin eTrex, the G1 is always there and has led us to every geocache with only trouble at one location on a cloudy night.
Since my time has been freed up (I use that term loosely) we may see the update to Geodroid a little sooner than I thought.
geodroid
Some of you are wondering what the last update was about. It was a quick update to keep the app from expiring after December 31st. I’m still hoping to get GPX file support and a few bugs fixed within the next month. It’s been a very busy time of year and I’m in the middle of a move to Denver CO from Portland OR. Luckily, the trip is nearly over and I should be able to start working on Geodroid again soon.
Thanks for all of the bug reports and positive feedback so far. I’ve been using Geodroid to do some geocaching during my move. It’s been working great and I’m dying to get GPX support working.
Happy New Years!
geodroid