Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store
"Official" geocaching app coming soon
Long-time TUAW readers know that I'm a fan of geocaching, and that I wrote a post about using the iPhone 3G for geocaching back in July. At the time, there were no true geocaching apps available for the iPhone 3G, so I talked about how to use the software that comes on the phone to find hidden caches.Since July, a number of apps have appeared (Geopher Lite and iGeocacher to name a couple), but I've been holding out for one from Groundspeak, the folks who first started up Geocaching.com back in 2000. While listening to my favorite podcast, Podcacher, this morning, I heard co-host Sonny talking about the upcoming release of the "official" geocaching iPhone app. When I returned home from a walk I was tracking with TrailGuru, I visited Geocaching.com and read the details in their online forums.
The app has been submitted to the App Store, will cost US$9.99, and will initially allow iPhone owners to find caches near them, look up trackable items like travel bugs, save cache information for use when outside of phone network range, and limit results to save bandwidth. The next version will provide the capability to log found caches while in the field.
Be sure to check out the Geocaching.com forums for more screenshots.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
opticalserenity said 6:42PM on 9-30-2008
Excellent, I've been looking for a good geocaching app too. So you'll be able to tap a button, it gets your location via GPS, and it'll automagically show you nearby caches?
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stevensande said 7:06PM on 9-30-2008
You are correct, sir! The timing is perfect, since I just got rid of my Garmin GPSMap 60cs on eBay. Can't wait to do it all on my iPhone 3G!
TUAW Steve
Gilbert Tang said 7:59PM on 9-30-2008
@Jeremy: My hero! I'm absolutely thrilled about this app. To be honest, my only qualm is the cost. In fact, that might prevent me from using it for a long, long time while the reviews come in and the pesticides are sprayed.
Nevertheless, thank you for your contribution to this world.
Gilbert Tang said 8:10PM on 9-30-2008
I have no idea how my reply was posted to this string. The window clearly said "replying to TC60045". Anyway, this comment should be below. Sorry.
TC60045 said 6:55PM on 9-30-2008
What is the resolution of the GPS in the iPhone?
I ask because I find that with Geopher I am often "+/- 56 feet" (for some reason, this shows up most frequently on my 3G). That is nearly 10,000 ft2, which makes for damn tough searching.
I'm not sure whether this is a limitation of the iPhone 3G, the software, the clouds at the moment/canopy, or what. Just wondering if you guys know more.
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Mike said 7:23PM on 9-30-2008
It is most likely a consequence of environmental factors limiting the number of satellites the phone is receiving signal from. Any number of things (buildings, tree canopy, terrain, your body) can block a GPS signal. This is usually compensated for by the sheer number of satellites overhead at any given moment. Unfortunately there are times where your coverage might just stink, which is why those of us who use GPS for a living plan our data collection based on the constellation almanac.
All GPS devices suffer equally when there is bad coverage. In many cases devices have large antennas that are better at receiving weak signals, some have processors that are better at filtering out things like multipath signal interference, and some just lie to you about their accuracy :-)
Now what Apple needs to do is integrate the accelerometer with the GPS to keep track of position when signal quality goes down. This type of system is used in aircraft all the time... don't see why it wouldn't work in a phone!
Jeremy said 7:26PM on 9-30-2008
This is biased since I'm the founder of Geocaching.com and collaborated on the iPhone application. So take me with a grain of salt ;)
I have found that the resolution shown on the iPhone seems to be the radial accuracy instead of the distance accuracy, so halving that 56 ft number tends to compare to other GPS devices. In other words you are looking at about 28 ft accuracy which still isn't great - but it is pretty good for a phone that has a GPS (as compared to a GPS device first).
My experience with the Geocaching iPhone application has been pretty good for finding caches but I often click on the Google map link - especially in urban areas where I can use the streets as my guide. There is no compass in the iPhone so it uses your GPS history to point the arrow. So the faster you walk/bike/drive the better the arrow works. It reminds me of my original eTrex.
The geocaching application definitely doesn't replace your dedicated GPS device but it certainly augments the experience and is good for the casual geocacher. As the site founder I can say that I definitely geocache more now that I have the application since I have always had a bad habit of not preparing for my cache hunts anyway. HTH
Ben said 8:14PM on 9-30-2008
Uploc from the guys at iphonexe is actually one of my personal favorites.
http://iphonexe.com/apps/app.php?id=2683
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Jeff said 8:45PM on 9-30-2008
Jeremy -
It's great to see you here. :)
As the founder of geocaching.com, can you comment on why you've taken a decidedly Web 1.0 approach and opted not to open up cache data (including found caches, etc) and have actively thwarted any attempts by third parties to build upon the data submitted to the site by tens of thousands of geocachers the world over?
Given that your site is largely built on data submitted by people like myself, it seems fair to ask that we be able to retrieve that data and use it in useful ways. A few Atom feeds or - at the very least - tolerance for those who scrape pages would go a long way in paying back the people whose input has made geocaching.com a success.
I understand that this might bite into the proceeds of your 'official' geocaching client a bit, but the goodwill generated would be substantial and I imagine most would pick your client anyhow. Besides, it's the right thing to do.
Looking forward to your response...
- Jeff
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John Bronleewe said 9:29PM on 9-30-2008
This is AWESOME! So happy to hear this....SO HAPPY! :)
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oshawapilot said 9:30PM on 9-30-2008
Damn, now my sole justification for not needing to update to a 3G iPhone just went out the window. ;)
And I'd like to echo Jeff's comments above, as well.
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Jo Jo the Dancer said 10:58PM on 9-30-2008
Yes, finally! Very happy to hear this news. Can't wait to try it out.
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Jash Sayani said 3:08AM on 10-01-2008
Too bad, Only for iPhone 3G.... Waiting to upgrade after Apple starts selling the iPhone online again an ships it to me.......
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Ryan said 10:45AM on 10-01-2008
I went geocaching for my first time on saturday with my iPhone. It was a total blast, but a pain to have to use paper to go from safari to google maps.
So, this is officially the first iPhone app I am going to purchase.
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ryaninc said 12:51PM on 10-01-2008
Awesome, awesome awesome! I don't have an iPhone, but I love Geocaching and I'm very happy to see programs for more devices! I hope they consider an Android version as well! :-)
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Paul Ring said 12:52PM on 10-01-2008
I am very excited about this app. I've been using iGeocacher since it was Web based and am very pleased with it. However, it takes some planning to set up a pocket query and download the .gpx file. From what I gather, the Geocaching app will pull it down from their site.
So, I will probably end up using both. iGeocacher will be great when I'm planning a big day of caching or if I know 3G coverage will be poor, but the Geocaching app will probably be my pick if I end up someplace and want to do some urban, or even suburban caching on a whim.
I can't wait. It's like Christmas for geocachers!
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Physios said 8:27PM on 10-01-2008
This is outstanding news. I will be purchasing this application Day 1.
I too, have been using other geocaching apps, such as geoffer lite and igeocacher with great success. For me, it is not an issue to spend another few dollars to have some nifty tools in my bag.
A question was asked regarding the accuracy of the iphone, which Jeff responded to.
Although the iphone rarely reports accuracy less that 29-56 feet, I have found that in actuality, the iphone is getting me very close to the caches.
In a head to head competition with my Garmin 60CXS, once I found the caches, often I found that the actual distance to the cache, as reported by the iphone was as accurate as the garmin.
I'm not suggesting the iphone is more accurate, but is it possible that the iphone is just more conservative when reporting the accuracy.
Perhaps Jeff can weigh in here. Is the accuracy reported by any device based on actuality, or is it a calculation within the device itself that is dependent on that devices own algorithms?
Anyway....I don't think anyone will be disappointed by the iphone's performance as a geocaching tool.
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Karl said 12:14PM on 10-02-2008
I would also like to reiterate what Jeff said above. I love geocaching, and have been a cacher since 2001, one of the first to sign-up. But I am continually disappointed in Geocaching.com and Jeremy's insistence in keeping the sport a closed system.
There could have been so many great geocaching applications, for the desktop and mobile devices, but without an API, we can't develop for it. Well, there appears to be an API but Geocaching.com only allows a few of their select friends to utilize it. Facebook, Flickr, and even Twitter have learned that a closed system is a dead system. If you don't, someone else will.
Please, Jeremy, when will you open Geocaching.com?
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Adam Tuckley said 4:26AM on 10-25-2008
I'm new with Geocaching and i'm interested in meeting other geocachers. please visit my site at http://mygeocachenation.com. Thanks!!
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