Blogs

Since BackCountry Navigator runs on Windows Mobile, it is appropriate to consider the future of the Windows Mobile platform and what it means for applications like BackCountry Navigator.  

Windows Phone 7 has been announced, displayed at the world Mobile Conference, and shown off in many fancy pictures. 

GPS is certainly becoming more commonplace in the world today, invading cell phones, car navigators, tablets, and media players. However, there is evidence that there is still a gender divide when it comes to approaches to navigation. It is only fair that we ask the question: Is GPS just a "stupid guy thing"?

Using an electronic compass in your Android or other mobile phone is much like using a traditional compass. Here are few simple steps that will allow you to use one effectively in outdoor recreation. 

What do people mean when they talk about offline maps in conjunction with mobile navigation? How do they differ from online maps?
 
Online Maps
 
It makes it easier to appreciate offline maps when you understand what online maps are.  Online maps have been embedded in web pages for quite some time, but have become popular in phones in recent years with the rise of broadband internet for cell phones. 
 

My recent work in experimenting with Android cell phones has reminded that there are two types of touch screens used in modern cell phones: resistive and capacitive. 

Resistive is the type of touchscreen used by Windows Mobile Professional and Windows Mobile classic devices. (Windows Mobile Standard devices don't have touch screens). These screens are traditionally used with a stylus and respond to light pressure. A finger or any improvised stylus can also work. They can only respond to one touch point at a time.  

Capacitive is the type of touchscreen used by the IPhone, and by most of the Google Android phones, such as the TMobile G1, the TMoblie MyTouch 3G, and the Verizon droid. These are designed to work with a human finger. They do not respond to a stylus unless it is specifically made for this type of screen. It can respond to more than one touchpoint at a time (multitouch) and therefore has a greater range of gestures it can respond to.