UPDATED: Would you like to play Geocaching with your WM device? Introducing... GCz!

[Guest tom_hiro255]

[teaser]

Edit by Paul: Now updated to new version and also available for Windows Mobile Standard!

Dear all Geocachers! :(

My name is Tom, please let me introduce Windows Mobile application for Geocaching.

Last October, I bought my iPhone and checked out lots of application from Apple Store. One of most interesting application is "Groundspeak's Geocaching iPhone Application". Of course, I bought it and started to play Geocaching immediately. It is a lot of fun!

At the same time, I searched Windows Mobile applications for a Geocaching application like the iPhone app... but I could not find it. I then decided to develop a Windows Mobile application.

I have been working on it for the past 2 months, with Japanese Geocachers friends was helping me to test it.

So, I think now the good time to introduce my application to world wide Geocachers!

The application is called "GCz" and you can download it from http://www.nicque.com/PQz.

GCz is Freeware!!!

About the application...

GCz is an all-in-one application for Geocaching.

Features

• Seek cache by "Address/Postal Code/Geocache Code/GPS location".
  
• Cache list and detail infomation. (Title/Owner/Description/Hint/Log/Map/etc...)
  
• Post cache log
  
• Pickup and Drop TB/GC
  
• GPS Monitor
  
• Mobile GoogleMap
  
• AppToDate Support
  
• and more!
  
  • Windows Mobile 5/6 Professional device
    
  • Mobile Google Maps (free download from Google)
    
  • Internet Connection (flat rate connection recommended!)
    

  If you have any questions, suggestions, bug reports or anything, please reply here. I would love to hear your comments.

  Best regards,

  Tom

  - Microsoft MVP - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/

  - MVP Profile - Windows Mobile Devices. (Tomohiro Nagakubo) - https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/pr...C-69EBB74EFBBC[/teaser]

  Screenshots

  

  

  

  

[Guest Jasonkruys]

I really like this! An update already as well, via apptodate - awesome!

[Guest Jasonkruys]

One request, if I may? Would it be possible to include an option to change the default web browser? I would much rather use the built-in Opera on my diamond, rather than IE :(

Edited February 16, 2009 by Jasonkruys

[Guest tom_hiro255]

Hi Jasonkruys

I have not tested much but there is a chance to try it below.

Menu>Option>Web Browser

You will see Browser option and can change from IE to Opera.

please let me know the result if you try it.

regards,

tom

[Guest splinter98]

This is an App that has been discussed in past years that should exist but doesn't so my thanks to you for writing it and publishing it and it being freeware makes all the better.

Now to actually do some Geocaching which I haven't done in a while....

EDIT: After some quick testing at my computer the web browser option does indeed work and also it seems to have many of the functions I believe such an app should have, will post here If I find any features that may be useful (All I can think off the top of my head would be a app launch page to load things like calculator/notes for cryptic/multi caches)

Edited February 17, 2009 by splinter98

[Guest Jasonkruys]

Hi Jasonkruys

I have not tested much but there is a chance to try it below.

Menu>Option>Web Browser

You will see Browser option and can change from IE to Opera.

please let me know the result if you try it.

regards,

tom

Would you credit that! I missed that, sorry! It does work as it should.

This really is an excellent application, and will definately get me into Geocaching. It is something I have been vaguely interested in for a little while, but never bothered to properly follow it through. This all-in-one solution is absolutely fantastic!

[Guest nickcornaglia]

Geocaching RULES! Wish I had this app back when I actually had a WinMo phone!

[Guest RGS I910]

Very nice app. I installed it on my Verizon Omnia i910 phone (Win mobile 6.1) with a locked GPS (only works with VZ navigator). So I used my Garmin X10 bluetooth GPS which works fine with Google maps, cachemate, and Garmin NT2009 maps. Problem is that GCz never recognizes the GPS. I've got it set up as both bluetooth and Com2/4800 for the other apps but I can't find any setup in your program for the GPS settings. Is there a particular setup or setting GCz is looking for?

Rich

Edited February 19, 2009 by RGS I910

[Guest tom_hiro255]

Hi RGS I910,

There is no GPS setting in GCz because GCz uses OS managed GPS settings.

That means, I think you will see "External GPS".

(Start Menu>>Settings>>System>>External GPS)

In my case, HTC Diamond

GPS program port: com4

GPS hardware port: none

Managed GPS automatically (Check ON)

regards,

tom

[Guest RGS I910]

Sorry, hit wrong button.

Tom,

Thanks for the reply but no-go. The GPS icon on my phone was disabled but I found a registry change to enable it. Entering the valuse you told me gives the same result. It's like it doesn't see the GPS and the coordinates are all zeros. Cachemate, Google maps and Garmin maps still work fine, but I'll keep trying.

Thanks,

Rich

Edited February 19, 2009 by RGS I910

[Guest Jasonkruys]

Sorry, hit wrong button.

Tom,

Thanks for the reply but no-go. The GPS icon on my phone was disabled but I found a registry change to enable it. Entering the valuse you told me gives the same result. It's like it doesn't see the GPS and the coordinates are all zeros. Cachemate, Google maps and Garmin maps still work fine, but I'll keep trying.

Thanks,

Rich

You will need to determine the GPS Hardware port that is correct for your particular phone, do the applications that work not tell you the settings they are using?

[Guest bplease]

Hey I love the looks of this app. I have BJ2 with WM 6.1. For some reason when i run the app it acts like it should be used on a touch screen phone. It wont let me highlight any field to look for nearby Geocaches or to search for them.. Any ideas?

EDIT-- LOL i didn't see the Sub-forum this was under.. Sorry. Anyone know any other way to use the program? Sorry for the dumb question....

Edited February 19, 2009 by bplease

[Guest RGS I910]

You will need to determine the GPS Hardware port that is correct for your particular phone, do the applications that work not tell you the settings they are using?

The other apps use serial NEMA and com 2 @4800, and they work fine. My hardware port is set to "none" but if I change it to 1 thru 9, say "OK", it goes back to "none", i.e. won't save the setting.

A friend of mine has one of the HTC Verizon phones (no internal GPS though) and GCz works fine on his using the same Garmin Bluetooth GPS. We're going to compare the phones tomorrow.

[Guest mercunium]

Outstanding software, thanks Tom!

Two suggestions for you:

1. Increase the number of results when searching for caches - there's loads around where I live, and would like to see some more further away. Either select how many you want to see in the list, or have some 'Next'/'Prev' buttons.

2. A feature to check online for updates of GCz. Would be very useful (I realise AppToDate functionality is built in!)

Keep up the good work, this is a great piece of kit.

Mark.

Edited February 21, 2009 by mercunium

[Guest adammcewen]

Thanks so much for this program Tom. I used it to find my very first cache this past Saturday, and a few more after that.

Some thoughts:

It seems like the compass is a bit out of whack...i set it to head up and the N for north points south when i'm facing north.

Also, could you add some kind of a location marker inside the compass so we can see that we are going the right direction and how far away we are from the coordinates. BasicGps has something like this that would be very useful in your program as well.

When i post a log using the program, it says "Posted by Gcz". Having it say "Posted using Gcz" makes a bit more sense.

Again, thank you. I love this program and being able to log my finds right away.

[Guest tom_hiro255]

Hi mercunium

Thank you for your suggestion.

I will really consider and implement it. ;D

------------

Hi adammcewen

I uploaded new version 0.0.30.

Previous GCz had a bug. Compass indicated wrong direction. (East & West opposite)

So, I don' t get your idea "location marker".

Could you explain more?

I will change the wording from "Posted by GCz" to "Posted using GCz". ;D

Thank you!!

tom

***)

Now version 0.0.31 available.

GPS Monitor shows Distance and it will be changed ft if less than 0.1 mi.

***)

Edited February 24, 2009 by tom_hiro255

[Guest adammcewen]

Hi mercunium

Thank you for your suggestion.

I will really consider and implement it. ;D

------------

Hi adammcewen

I uploaded new version 0.0.30.

Previous GCz had a bug. Compass indicated wrong direction. (East & West opposite)

So, I don' t get your idea "location marker".

Could you explain more?

I will change the wording from "Posted by GCz" to "Posted using GCz". ;D

Thank you!!

tom

***)

Now version 0.0.31 available.

GPS Monitor shows Distance and it will be changed ft if less than 0.1 mi.

***)

Thanks for the update. I thought i was going crazy with the compass being backwards. lol.

for a location marker. it would be visual representation of the Distance to the cache(or gps coordinates). There is a free program called BasicGps that has this type of feature. it is very useful.

Basically it just uses the middle of the compass as your current position, and then a location marker or dot showing the position of the cache or target coordinates once you get within a certain distance. it moves with the compass as you change direction and shows you how close you are.

i'm not sure if that explanation was very clear or not. if not try out that BasicGps program, you can just set some coordinates close to you and walk towards them to see what i mean.

Thanks again for this program, and for the constant updates.

[Guest Jasonkruys]

Tom, I am really liking this, and am most impressed with your progress and updates! Well done, and thanks! :(

[Guest RGS I910]

A friend of mine has one of the HTC Verizon phones (no internal GPS though) and GCz works fine on his using the same Garmin Bluetooth GPS. We're going to compare the phones tomorrow.

Just for information, we never got the GPS to recognize GCz on the Omnia i910 Verizon phone. I played with all (0-9) comm ports but still no luck. I guess 1st qtr is almost finished so I can wait that long before Verizon (they say 1st Qtr.) unlocks the internal GPS.

I'd still be interested though if anyone with the same Verizon phone has got the bluetooth GPS and GCz to talk to each other.

Rich

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Moved to news! :(

P

[Guest Monolithix]

Have a bit of a play over the past few days, great app. Just need to find time to go hunt some caches down now!

[Guest bmn4711]

Isn there any way to use it without an internet connection, with the built in GPs of the samsung omnia for example because i have to pay to connect :S and in wifi areas usually there are not geocaches

[Guest argh]

I've been geocaching on a mobile phone for years.

My favourite tool so far has been Geocache Navigator for S60, which is very quick at getting cache results (an optimised mobile interface, I guess), with tight integration to geocaching.com (there is even an ID you have to type in on geocaching.com to validate your device).

On Windows Mobile, I've used a few tools. Geoscout 2 is great for offline downloading of caches/maps, with integrated puzzle solvers, adding bearing/distance from a point, etc. It's a very touch-unfriendly interface though, requiring a stylus, and it's quite slow to download caches, even on wifi (fortunately, it can store hundreds locally on the device).

Geoscout 2 and BasicGPS both have support for the "radar" view, as well as compass, but it's not implemented as well as Geocache Navigator, in my opinion.

The arrow represents you, and the direction you're moving (north up).

The dot in the middle is the cache.

The small brown circle around the arrow represents the "accuracy" of the GPS lock (the idea being that if that circle is big, with the red dot in it, you could be on the cache).

The range between the 2 green circles (shown on the left) changes, as you get closer. When you cross the inner green circle, the range changes and you end up at the outer green circle again.

As you move, the arrow leaves a dotted trail for 10 seconds or so, showing your travel. This is useful when you're closer to the cache.

I haven't tried your app yet, but I will as soon as I get the chance!

Edit: Oh, and my biggest issue with geocaching on Touch HD is static navigation of the GPS driver/chipset, which I can't find a way to disable. It means that when you only move small distances, your position doesn't update at all.

Edit2: Very nice and swift at the cache searching, and a nice finger-friendly UI. I look forward to going out and trying to use it.

When I enter a UK postcode, it brings up a selection box to pick a geocoded area, which is strange - it doesn't happen on geocaching.com or the other mobile applications that I've tried.

Is it possible to show if there's any trackable items in an inventory from the search result page?

Is it possible to go directly to a co-ordinate, after solving a multi-cache clue, for example? Lastly, multi caches benefit greatly from somewhere to write notes, or even a dedicated section to store letter->digit mappings. Solving a puzzle with these is much easier if the puzzle can be visible at the same time as the letter->digit mapping and the solution you're writing down.

Edited March 4, 2009 by argh

[Guest bmn4711]

Great App, is very finger friendl and works GREAT..

but i still want to use it without being connected to internet cause i have to pay for that: D

I will wait till your answer :(

[Guest argh]

Ah, you can manually set a coordinate from the GPS page, my mistake.