Ummm... Apple Watch (iPhone 6). Tempting

[whitefang]

I love how people get so dedicated to arguing about which is better!

[GPSGuided]

The comparison is like those old Japanese Hifi vs English Hifi units. One has a front panel that's full of dials and switches while the later just has 4 big basic knobs, and the sound quality is superior. Apple is all about integration and functionality. The lack of malwares is a bonus. I think 4.7 will be as big as I want to go for pocketability. There's a balance b/n convenience and my eye sight. I suspect there'll always be a smartphone in this size category

[GPSGuided]

I love how people get so dedicated to arguing about which is better!

What's interesting is how people like to take a swipe.

[Uncle Rumple]

Battery life could be a problem for the iWatch thingy
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 26008.html

[Son of a Beach]

SoaB, interested in your take on this HW release.

Not sure that my opinion is worth anything.

I certainly don't have any use for the watch. But I don't have any use for an iPad or tablet either so I guess I'm not mainstream. I don't like being tethered to technology. I find that my iPhone (or any smartphone) is a very useful tool. But I don't spend all day fiddling with it like some people I know.

If the main feature of the new iPhone is the bigger size(s) then I'm in two minds. I really like a smaller size in my hand and in my pocket - so the smaller the better. In particular, I like being able to use it easily one handed while the other hand is otherwise occupied. Eg, type an answer a message without putting down whatever I'm carrying. On the other hand more screen real estate has got to be a good thing in every other way - so the bigger the better. Eg, easier to browse web pages.

So I don't feel strongly about the new iPhone screen sizes either way.

Where my opinion is likely to be biased from my development point of view... once the old size(s) have been retired for a while, I can start making use of those bigger screens and put more controls on my app setting screens without them being too crammed. Developing fully functional, but easy to use and aesthetically pleaing user interfaces on small screens is a real challenge.

[GPSGuided]

Thanks SoaB! I think your current design is very well done. Different but functional. Any thoughts on the new barometer function from your app's perspective?

[Strider]

I have a Note 3. Its massive. It also has one handed functionality which shrinks the screen size to however you want it and locates it where you want it. The best of both worlds.

[GPSGuided]

Just not very pocketable for daily run around for many. 4.7" will be as large as I want to go on this round. As a friend commented, I can get baggy rapper jeans next.

[Strider]

Just not very pocketable for daily run around for many. 4.7" will be as large as I want to go on this round. As a friend commented, I can get baggy rapper jeans next.

Mine pokes out of my pocket a little. No big deal. I'm on the thing most of the day anyway!

[Son of a Beach]

Thanks SoaB! I think your current design is very well done. Different but functional. Any thoughts on the new barometer function from your app's perspective?

Hard to say. I don't really see how it would fit in unless it provides more accurate altitude than the GPS. I've not looked into it, but if it Apple includes barometric readings combined with GPS data to provide more accurate altitude that GPS alone, then that would be great, but 3rd party developers would not have to make any changes to use such functionality (if that was what Apple intended).

I've not been trying the iOS 8 betas this time around as my next major upgrade is not dependent on any iOS 8 features (unlike last two major upgrades where all development work was done with iOS 6 & 7 betas).

[GPSGuided]

Keep them coming SoaB! Yes, the barometer will improve the precision of altitude readings, similar to its role in Garmin GPS units. Sounds like Apple has done all that data calculations in the background. Nice!

[Overlandman]

The watch will work with the iphone 5
Looks like there is a fair amount of interest from customers.
Regards Overlandman

http://www.themercury.com.au/demand-for ... 7056928242

KEEN Australian iPhone buyers crashed the websites of all three major telcos this afternoon in a rush to pre-order Apple’s two new smartphones.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were due to begin at 5pm this afternoon but demand proved too great for Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and even Apple websites, many of which failed to load at all.

Even Apple’s own internet store failed to come back online after being taken down in preparation for the launch earlier in the afternoon.

Both Telstra and Optus website offered nothing more than an “Server Error 503” warning, indicating their web severs were unreachable.

Vodafone’s website was temporarily available before its popularity also spiked and an error message warning its server was “too busy” appeared.

The website breakdowns seem to indicate an unprecedented level of interest in Apple’s latest iPhones, which are the first to boast screen sizes of greater than 4 inches.

Telstra plans for the base model iPhone 6 (16GB) begin at $55 monthly for 24 months, while Optus plans start at $60.

The Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will go on sale in stores on September 19.

[GPSGuided]

Wasn't that bad. Apple's online store came on a little late while adding a reservation system for first day store pick up. The reservation system worked well until it got further swamped when stock level dwindled to nothing. Otherwise the new system worked very well with choice of model and pick up time slots for the choosing. No more overnight waits outside the stores. Within an hour, all the reservable iPhones have gone and online purchases got pushed out to 3 weeks. Now, the only way to pick one up is to line up outside the stores overnight or buy eBay with a premium. The 6 Plus 64Gb model was the most popular, or lowest stock, and went in a flash.

[Mark F]

A new iPhone! Just the thing to tempt the illiterati technologica to pass through the Malus paywall into the asylum - no escape once you are inside - just a (not so) slow lightening of the wallet. Personally I prefer the relative freedom of the Android econosphere.

There is plenty of gps/mapping software for both systems so to me the problems are:
POWER - with everything turned off except gps and mapping software phones are now coming pretty close to gps's for battery life. With a gps you just insert another couple of AA/AAA's but recharging a phone is more complex. While I am happy with a power bank +- solar for longer trips, I prefer to just carry a replacement battery for shorter trips (rules out iPhone).
RESPONSIVENESS - the startup/lock times on phone gps seems to be far slower than standalone gps units. I suspect that phone gps won't handle dense forest etc as well either.
MAPPING - we are yet to get good mapping on an Australia-wide basis for Garmin and the Geopdf maps available in NSW and Victoria (elsewhere?) are great but software really needs to allow seamless movement across map boundaries and a few more features to be top notch.

[andrewbish]

Good points, Mark! I've been determined to use my iPhone 4s as the one stop shop backcountry device, and have met the challenges you mention.
Battery life is the key one. I use an excellent mapping app (mud-maps) but have often had to sweat over fading power, constantly fussing with power minimisation settings and a plugged in powerbank.
I've now offloaded the photography to a point & shoot camera and augment the route finding function with a GPS watch.
I will continue to use the iPhone for music, reading books, note taking and misc apps eg star guides.
I'm also upgrading to the iPhone 6 this week and am hopeful of much improved speed and battery life.

[GPSGuided]

6 will be a significant improvement in both speed, run time and display size to the 4S. You sure will be pleased. As I said early, it's approaching a standalone GPS, generation by generation. At present, it's good enough for day trips. Multi day and challenging navigation, a traditional Garmin and similar would still be desirable. Close, very close. Avenza PDFMap can import NSW LPI's eTopo maps. Very useful. Only if SoaB's MapnTrax can do the same then it'd be perfect.

As to the differentiator b/n Android and iOS, obviously there's way more considerations than just GPS and bushwalks. It's a daily 24/7 phone, a time piece, a personal organizer, a private data storage, a pocket camera and more. I've had enough of poor interfaces, failed syncs, dodgy apps and malwares. It's a bonus that it can do so much on bushwalks. Mostly I just carry it in my pants pocket on walks but have a small waterproof sleeve in reserve at home should I expect "water sport". Have never needed it yet, even on rainy days. Otherwise, it's also perfectly functional inside my full sized map sleeve. Apple's continuing pursuit in thinness helps here.

[Son of a Beach]

import NSW LPI's eTopo maps. Very useful. Only if SoaB's MapnTrax can do the same then it'd be perfect.

Yeah, pity about that. Unfortunately, the PDF libraries I'd need to do this properly (and without spending years re-inventing the wheel) use a very restictive license (GPL), and therefore not compatible with a whole lot of other licensing models (including iOS).

However, you can install GDAL with the PDF libraries on your Desktop and convert the GeoPDFs to GeoTIFFs and then import them. It's one tedious step you could do without, but it should work fine.

[GPSGuided]

Thanks SoaB. Do you know if there's a walk through with GDAL installed on a Mac?

I've finally installed GDAL 1.11 along with NumPy that was included in the "GDAL Complete" package. Set the PATH and then used the command "gdal_translate -of GTiff -co "TILED=YES" -co "TFW=YES" 8929-2N_HILLTOP.pdf 8929-2N_HILLTOP_geo.tiff". It came back with "`8929-2N_HILLTOP.pdf' not recognised as a supported file format."

Without experiences with this, not sure where the issue is. Hoping for some pointers.

[walkon]

Amazing there's apparently 4 billion sheep, I mean Guinea pigs, errr lemmings in the world who have pre ordered the iphone 6.
With every new release of the iphone, improved extended battery life has been the promise. Of yet it has failed to deliver, reminicent of the boy who cried wolf, wonder if the newie is up to its competitors standards.

Sent not by an iphone hater but by someone repeatedly let down by ipromises.

[icefest]

Can we avoid overt flaming on this thread?

[DanShell]

Amazing there's apparently 4 billion sheep, I mean Guinea pigs, errr lemmings in the world who have pre ordered the iphone 6.
With every new release of the iphone, improved extended battery life has been the promise. Of yet it has failed to deliver, reminicent of the boy who cried wolf, wonder if the newie is up to its competitors standards.

Sent not by an iphone hater but by someone repeatedly let down by ipromises.

My family resembles that comment! But fair enough possibly some merit to what you have said although we are happy iPhone users so its a matter of opinion

[GPSGuided]

Sent not by an iphone hater but by someone repeatedly let down by ipromises.

Having a sensible perspective helps to avoid massive disappointments at the other end. From what I have seen close to 3 decades of Apple products, Apple has not promised any more than any of the other companies out there. The hype tended to come from the media and fans who have pushed the expectation to unrealistic heights before each launch, a result of Apple's successes with building quality products I guess. Wild speculation helps to generate more page hits too for those in the media and it's up to the individual to maintain one's perspective.

Yes, 2 more days to iPhone 6 in hand and be a "guinea pig". Looking forward to it!

PS. Battery capacity has actually improved and so has run-time and standby time. Most noticeable since the 5 series.

[Son of a Beach]

Thanks SoaB. Do you know if there's a walk through with GDAL installed on a Mac?

I've finally installed GDAL 1.11 along with NumPy that was included in the "GDAL Complete" package. Set the PATH and then used the command "gdal_translate -of GTiff -co "TILED=YES" -co "TFW=YES" 8929-2N_HILLTOP.pdf 8929-2N_HILLTOP_geo.tiff". It came back with "`8929-2N_HILLTOP.pdf' not recognised as a supported file format."

Without experiences with this, not sure where the issue is. Hoping for some pointers.

Probably should take this to another thread or to email, as it's a bit off topic, but...

It maybe that the "complete" package is not actually complete. To check if you have PDF support included, run: gdal-config --formats

If PDF is not listed, then it doesn't have PDF support built into it. You might want to take this up with the guy who build the package and ask him if he can update it to include PDF support. (I've just checked mine and PDF is not included, but I can't remember if I'm currently running the installation I built myself or using one from somebody else).

Sorry if it turns out to be not as simple as I thought it should be. I had assumed that PDF support was built into the "complete" package.

By the way, you can leave out most of the arguments in your gdal_translate command. Should be easier with just:

gdal_translate 8929-2N_HILLTOP.pdf 8929-2N_HILLTOP_geo.tiff

(GeoTIFF is the default output format)

EDIT: May be worth trying to install the GDAL PDF plugin from the same page as the GDAL complete package: http://www.kyngchaos.com/files/software ... 11.0-1.dmg

PPS. I was using my own compilation of GDAL earlier. When swapping back to the "complete" package, and after installing the GDAL GeoPDF package as well, I now get "pdf" listed as a supported format.

[walkon]

Can we avoid overt flaming on this thread?

Perhaps using the word lemmings was a tad strong though the foremost question regarding battery life is valid. I hope after a few months of use the reviews come back finally validating apples claims on it's improvements.
I actually showed Apple their promotional material and got a refund months after purchase, can't fault them in that regard.

Nothing wrong with a happy Guinea pig gps.

[GPSGuided]

Yes, it is a bit off topic but sort of related to making the best use of the bigger screen of the iPhone 6/6+. Did what you suggested and you are right, no PDF support in the "compete" package from GDAL central.

Code: Select all

mbp$ GDAL-config --formats
gxf gtiff hfa aigrid aaigrid ceos ceos2 iso8211 xpm sdts raw dted mem jdem envisat elas fit vrt usgsdem l1b nitf bmp pcidsk airsar rs2 ilwis rmf leveller sgi srtmhgt idrisi gsg ingr ers jaxapalsar dimap gff cosar pds adrg coasp tsx terragen blx msgn til r northwood saga xyz hf2 kmlsuperoverlay ctg e00grid zmap ngsgeoid iris map webp wcs wms dods grib bsb openjpeg jpeg2000 netcdf hdf5 hdf4 ogdi gif jpeg gta png pcraster fits rik ozi rasterlite mbtiles postgisraster arg


Looks like I'll need to find a PDF plug-in or other.

Will take further discussion of this technical issue to your 'Maps n Trax' thread.

[GPSGuided]

I actually showed Apple their promotional material and got a refund months after purchase, can't fault them in that regard.
Nothing wrong with a happy Guinea pig gps.

Unfortunately, the spec on battery time is an industry issue, similar to fuel consumption on motor vehicles, often neigh impossible to replicate their laboratory result in real life. Again, that's just one of those things us consumers need to understand, one that applies to all products and companies. And your experience in dealing with Apple's after-sale service is also one reason why many of us chose Apple. So quick and easy when compared with other companies.

Yes, happy is good.

[Swampy460]

Got my new iPhone watch today,,,, hehehehe

New iPhone watch

Swampy

[walkon]

Swampy, I see you went with the waterproof wrist band version. Personally I thought it wasn't a good option for hairy arms but each to their own.

[icefest]

I wonder if they'll produce a hypo-allergic synthetic rubber version (and a 12 carat elastic gold one...).

[GPSGuided]

Not a bad result out of AnandTech's review for 6 and 6Plus.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8559/ipho ... ry-results

Personally I've experienced some performance issues on my home WiFi network (slightly reduced range and dropping back to mobile service) and a slightly reduced run time compared with the last iOS 7 version on the 5S. But it's hard to know if it's my increased use of a new phone or there's some system background processes on a new phone (with 60+ GB of data loaded). Or more likely, as for all past major version updates, iOS 8.0 just needs some more optimisation in real life. Usually takes 2-3 version updates. No show stoppers though.

No, that post office rubber band just won't do. Too much pressure concentration with the narrow band. Find something wider, at least triple or quadruple the width is needed.