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iPhone apps help your friends find you
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#2
kimhill 
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- Joined: 28-August 04
Posted 20 August 2008 - 07:35 PM
Here's an email I sent just now to the Breadcrumbs guys:
Just bought Breadcrumbs, and it looks cool, but I'm curious about why it's so much less accurate than the iPhone's built-in map app for wifi triangulation.
I'm currently indoors in Manhattan, so I wouldn't expect much (if anything) from native GPS. But thanks to Skyhook, I usually get a pretty good fix on my location, even indoors. Currently my circular error of probability is displayed as less than 200' in the iPhone's map app, and indeed, it has located me accurately.
OTOH, Breadcrumbs tells me my error is 3000'. I sent myself a Breadcrumbs email, and indeed it's way off compared to the iPhone's map app. Ironically, when I tap Breadcrumbs' email link on the iPhone, I get a marker that's way off, while the iPhone's native (non-GPS) circle marker sits there on the same screen -- far more accurate.
I assume that you're forcing a result from GPS, even when Skyhook might be more accurate? Breadcrumbs is displaying the triangle icon, so it looks like it's using wifi triangulation as well, but then why would it be so much less accurate than the iPhone's map app?
City dwellers like myself don't always get much benefit from native GPS- we're often reliant on Skyhook. Is it possible that Breadcrumbs isn't designed for this urban scenario? I would love to use Breadcrumbs even in the city to fire off a quick email about where I am, but that doesn't look practical.
Might this be addressed in an update?
Just bought Breadcrumbs, and it looks cool, but I'm curious about why it's so much less accurate than the iPhone's built-in map app for wifi triangulation.
I'm currently indoors in Manhattan, so I wouldn't expect much (if anything) from native GPS. But thanks to Skyhook, I usually get a pretty good fix on my location, even indoors. Currently my circular error of probability is displayed as less than 200' in the iPhone's map app, and indeed, it has located me accurately.
OTOH, Breadcrumbs tells me my error is 3000'. I sent myself a Breadcrumbs email, and indeed it's way off compared to the iPhone's map app. Ironically, when I tap Breadcrumbs' email link on the iPhone, I get a marker that's way off, while the iPhone's native (non-GPS) circle marker sits there on the same screen -- far more accurate.
I assume that you're forcing a result from GPS, even when Skyhook might be more accurate? Breadcrumbs is displaying the triangle icon, so it looks like it's using wifi triangulation as well, but then why would it be so much less accurate than the iPhone's map app?
City dwellers like myself don't always get much benefit from native GPS- we're often reliant on Skyhook. Is it possible that Breadcrumbs isn't designed for this urban scenario? I would love to use Breadcrumbs even in the city to fire off a quick email about where I am, but that doesn't look practical.
Might this be addressed in an update?
#3
kgoiser
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- Joined: 29-September 05
Posted 20 August 2008 - 08:56 PM
... and there's also IAmHere, which is worth investigating as well.
http://phobos.apple....=285859314&mt=8
http://www.exploding...om/iamhere.html
The developer of IAmHere
http://phobos.apple....=285859314&mt=8
http://www.exploding...om/iamhere.html
The developer of IAmHere
#4
Wings
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- Joined: 19-April 05
Posted 21 August 2008 - 03:04 AM
I'm waiting for the app that can locate any iPhone without the targeted iPhone having to be running any app at all, like when it's asleep in your pocket. Yeah, I know, security issues and all that, but if the targeted phone's owner can grant permission to be located by someone with a matching password then security shouldn't be an issue. My fiancee and I would like to be able to spy on each other's whereabouts just because we think it's cool, but I would also like it for the day when I leave my iPhone at a restaurant or it gets stolen. And maybe a soccer mom would like to know where her little iPhone-toten hellion is sometimes.
Don't make me have to write this myself.
Don't make me have to write this myself.
#5
lin2log
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- Joined: 12-January 06
Posted 26 August 2008 - 04:13 AM
Oh hey, great idea! One that should actually work... for about three hours?! Hooray. After that the battery is toast. No GPS, no maps, no phone... no nuthin'. Sounds like a superb tradeoff.
Like I said, great idea. Especially "just because it's cool" (best reason) and considering the fact that there are in fact a) internet sites that offer that kind of service, based on tower triangulation and b) there IS in fact an app in the store that does just that simply called "GPS Tracker". And the developer also states: "Because of limitations imposed on third-party applications by Apple, GPS Tracker must run in the foreground to transmit position data. Expect about 4 hours of continuous tracking on one battery charge." But I very much doubt you ever could reach 4 hours, going by experience, even THREE is being rather optimistic. But hey, what we won't do for a little entertainment.
Like I said, great idea. Especially "just because it's cool" (best reason) and considering the fact that there are in fact a) internet sites that offer that kind of service, based on tower triangulation and b) there IS in fact an app in the store that does just that simply called "GPS Tracker". And the developer also states: "Because of limitations imposed on third-party applications by Apple, GPS Tracker must run in the foreground to transmit position data. Expect about 4 hours of continuous tracking on one battery charge." But I very much doubt you ever could reach 4 hours, going by experience, even THREE is being rather optimistic. But hey, what we won't do for a little entertainment.
#6
kshelton
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Posted 11 September 2009 - 11:50 AM
Well, I signed up just to respond to this.
/flame on
Designers like to hear "good ideas". The poster of this thread came up with a good idea. You, who appear not to be a designer, or not a very good one anyway, discarded it with sarcasm simply because some other developer made an attempt to incorporate this good idea but their implementation causes excessive drain on the battery.
So, what if a developer or designer came up with a way of providing this feature WITHOUT burning the battery...you know, like by not keeping the GPS communication sub-systems powered full time and updating position every 5 minutes or 15 minutes, or 30 minutes instead of continuously? That may not even be possible with the current iPhone OS, but, perhaps the OS could be patched to accommodate applications that would like to take advantage of repetitive short bursts of communication without user intervention once the user approves it. Do you think there are many people, or families who would like to take advantage of that feature? Or should we just assume that because you aggressively attack the poster with belittling sarcasm, that you know better than he/she does? It's my opinion that you need a little humility in your approach to life...especially in things you are clearly not an expert in.
It just annoys me when people don't bother to take the time to think about what they are saying before just blasting off a flame.
/flame off
/flame on
Designers like to hear "good ideas". The poster of this thread came up with a good idea. You, who appear not to be a designer, or not a very good one anyway, discarded it with sarcasm simply because some other developer made an attempt to incorporate this good idea but their implementation causes excessive drain on the battery.
So, what if a developer or designer came up with a way of providing this feature WITHOUT burning the battery...you know, like by not keeping the GPS communication sub-systems powered full time and updating position every 5 minutes or 15 minutes, or 30 minutes instead of continuously? That may not even be possible with the current iPhone OS, but, perhaps the OS could be patched to accommodate applications that would like to take advantage of repetitive short bursts of communication without user intervention once the user approves it. Do you think there are many people, or families who would like to take advantage of that feature? Or should we just assume that because you aggressively attack the poster with belittling sarcasm, that you know better than he/she does? It's my opinion that you need a little humility in your approach to life...especially in things you are clearly not an expert in.
It just annoys me when people don't bother to take the time to think about what they are saying before just blasting off a flame.
/flame off
lin2log, on 26 August 2008 - 04:13 AM, said:
Oh hey, great idea! One that should actually work... for about three hours?! Hooray. After that the battery is toast. No GPS, no maps, no phone... no nuthin'. Sounds like a superb tradeoff.
Like I said, great idea. Especially "just because it's cool" (best reason) and considering the fact that there are in fact a) internet sites that offer that kind of service, based on tower triangulation and
there IS in fact an app in the store that does just that simply called "GPS Tracker". And the developer also states: "Because of limitations imposed on third-party applications by Apple, GPS Tracker must run in the foreground to transmit position data. Expect about 4 hours of continuous tracking on one battery charge." But I very much doubt you ever could reach 4 hours, going by experience, even THREE is being rather optimistic. But hey, what we won't do for a little entertainment.
Like I said, great idea. Especially "just because it's cool" (best reason) and considering the fact that there are in fact a) internet sites that offer that kind of service, based on tower triangulation and
there IS in fact an app in the store that does just that simply called "GPS Tracker". And the developer also states: "Because of limitations imposed on third-party applications by Apple, GPS Tracker must run in the foreground to transmit position data. Expect about 4 hours of continuous tracking on one battery charge." But I very much doubt you ever could reach 4 hours, going by experience, even THREE is being rather optimistic. But hey, what we won't do for a little entertainment.
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