My number one request, which also applies to the Maps application, is to have the ability to preload maps onto your SD card so you don’t have to rely on your cellular network.
Google estimates about 5 hours of use on a full charge. That said, it didn’t drain my battery nearly as fast as Navigation did. There is almost nothing bad I can say about this app–although using it will run your battery down faster, as it will constantly be using the GPS antenna. I did several test trips with it (on foot and on bike), and it recorded my track perfectly, but even if it hadn’t, I would only need to export it into My Maps, and then make adjustments by dragging the route along. It’s simply gorgeous how it works with other Google technology. You can also send maps to your friends via e-mail, SMS, and Twitter, as well as export them to your SD card in a couple of different formats. This means that if you run the same route several times you can keep uploading your stats to the same Google Doc you created, making it extremely easy to track your progress. Not only can you save the map you made (with statistics and waypoints) to your phone, but with just a couple of clicks you can export it to Google’s My Maps and send all the stats to Google Docs. My Tracks only gets better after you hit Stop Recording. Later, you would be able to go back and get a much more thorough view of the way you were running over specific areas. Insert Statistics will save that waypoint on the map and all of the current statistics up to that precise moment. Say that in the middle of your run, you wanted to mark the bottom and top of a really tough hill. Even more useful is Insert Statistics (also under the Markers submenu). Just drop a marker and you’ll easily be able to find your way back. Maybe on your walk you passed a garage sale you want to circle back to. While on the move, you can select Insert Waypoint (from the Markers submenu) and label it whatever you want. You’re right in saying that programmers just can’t do that much with the iPhone, since some functionality isn’t exposed or allowed by Apple, but it still leaves enough room for a lot of interesting apps.Hit the screen and the right arrow again, and you are brought to a simple X,Y graph that gives you a very easy-to-understand visual representation of your elevation over mileage, and your speed over mileage. On the iPhone, you don’t know what an app is using (except for location services if I’m not mistaken), so you just have to trust Apple to make the right choices. On WinMo, you got very low level access to all harware, with all the advantages and disadvantages that brings. WinMo is the most open platform of all for developers, despite it’s closed source nature.
a calculator app that needs access to your contacts and full internet access), then you just don’t install it. Apps have to specify which services they want to use, and the user is notified before the actuall install. Most apps run under their own user, and thus have no access to data belonging to other apps. Programmers can’t just change the OS on your phone… you have to install a new ROM to change the core functionality (kernel, core services, …).Īll the developers can do, is write apps for Android, using the SDK. The person you’re quoting apparently doesn’t know what he’s talking about.