The new major release of xGPS is now available. It includes a lot of new functionalities and lot of bug fix. As requested by many users there is now a preliminary driving directions support. It is still not fully complete (continue to read to know why 
but at least it works quite good. The lag with the iGPS360 GPS is now corrected. The auto-rotation feature for the map is now better and the map doesn’t “shake” anymore. There is also now a bookmark system for the driving directions. We can continue to enumerate all the features and bug fix all day long so if you are interested in all the changes we encourage you to visit this page:
Some precisions must be made about the driving directions. The driving directions are provided by Google. So you will need to have an Internet connection to get the direction. However thanks to the bookmarks, the driving directions are automatically saved and you can pick them later with the Bookmarks button (top left on the screen when you search for driving directions).
The release of xGPS Maps Manager is a bit delayed. A bug fix release should appear next week.
Now we have to speak a little bit more about the maps because many people are saying “Maps are bigs” or “Internet connection bothers me”. Maps are big because it is simply images and images are really heavy. For the current version of xGPS it is not possible to overcome this problem. However it is planed to support vectorial map in the version 2.0 of the software (which hasn’t been yet started, so it is for the far away future). A lot of people say “Ok why don’t you use TomTom or whatever other maps ?”. Simply because the format is closed and even encrypted (in the TomTom case) so it is not possible (now) to extract useful information.
As you will see there is still a lot of place for improvement for xGPS. The following features are planned for the next version: Vocal guiding (in English first), Next direction distance, the recomputation of an itinerary will take into account the direction which you are currently heading and more…
We want also to thanks all the people around this project. There is a little community growing up around it. We really like it. We have now about 10 peoples which are translating and testing beta version of the software. We have also a webmaster currently creating the official website for xGPS with a lot of tutorial, video etc… All the people participating to this project are enumerated on this special page: Contributors.
We have also donators which contribute to the project. We are running the servers and build machines without any fund. That’s why we encourage you to donate a few bucks to the project as it requires some money for the servers and administrative tasks. Without that the software will be no more free. You can donate by pressing the donate button on the right.
Without all of you we will not at this step today. So Thank you all!
Last but not least, the Cydia repository:
Tags: release 1.1
Mark Sutter, if you press on the ‘Enable/Disable GPS button in the bottom-left of your screen, you can toggle between the arrow being centred, with it not being centred on screen, and GPS being disabled completely. I believe there is an option for MPH in the options menu as well
What I would like to see in the next release is Points of Interest. Ones that you could both add yourself, and ones that could be downloaded from an online database. Perhaps create an open database online that users can enter POI’s into, and have the software connect to and retrieve when required.
Expanding that, allow the ability to have the user enter in the online POI DB address (in much the same way you can add new repositories in Cydia), so people could then run custom POI databases for different interests or locations (people in Australia are unlikely to require POI information from America, for example).
Expanding further, POI database could store the location, name, a short piece of info about the location, and some tags that POI’s could be listed under. Using tags, the user could then request to list (for example), bars in the area. Allowing multiple tags could then allow the same venue to be listed under different categories (for example, under restaurant and bar, for venues that contain both). Allowing the user to update these online at various databases and possibly even in the software itself to add places as you come across them would certainly be handy, in my opinion
Hello,
Thanks for the new release… I’ve been waiting for it.
But I could not use the new features of it. I passed the hole weekend trying to find some address to make some drive directions, but I could not find ANY !
Every Address I type it says that it could not find it. The maps application find the address perfectly, but xGPS cannot. I tried to find partial or the complete address, and those that maps gave to me, but got nothing.
I’d also like to know if that problem with Internal Iphone 3G GPS was corrected, because the speeds are still a little crazy on my IPhone, even with the signal in good state.
Another question: the bookmarks, how they work ? Is it only automatic ? I could not edit it, or add anything mannually, and since I could not find any address neither on driving directions or search…
Oh, xGPS could share the bookmarks made on Maps.app too… to get the address from there.
Thanks….
Oh, I also saw that there is still no Portuguese Translation…
I am offering to translate xGPS (and manager) to Portuguese Brazilian….
Thanks….
Absolutely brilliant!
This version of xGPS works surprisingly well, I am looking very much forward to the next versions. Amazing work!!
For those who have problems for searching for driving directions, please post addresses which works on the Google Maps website and not on xGPS in order to solve this bug.
Mathieu:
I was testing here, and found the following issue:
If I try to search the string: Eqsw 303/304 on Maps.app, it gives me the right point, puts a needle and associates to:
Eqsw303/304 70673-350 Brasília Distrito Federal Brasil
I tried to search on different ways with xGPS and got nothing. Finnaly I searched for :
Eqsw 303/304 – Cruzeiro, Brasília – DF
and it gives me the point….
The other address are similar to this…
So, I think that the search system could be improved to search for part of the address, since when we are in the car, loose precious time is very very bad…
There should also me in the bookmarks the places we want to trace the route. I saw that only the route is saved, but if the points were there, I could search and mark all points of my inrest on the bookmarks and then when I would trace the route, get those points from the bookmarks (no need to search anymore).
I also noticed that the bookmarks does not record correctly the especial caracters. Like Brasília, it recorded the name wrong…
Thanks…
At a guess, I think google maps web site (and the standard maps app) add in the city/country themselves automatically based on where you are viewing at the time. From what I can gather, xGPS doesnt do this.
I think it might work better if xGPS looked at where you were centred on the map, checked which country this is in, and added that to the end of the search if not already noted? City would be even more useful however I doubt that this would be as easy (unless google can do this automatically with coordinates provided?)
Thank you for all your hard work!
Works well, but the tracking is completely bad in this version.
Great release !
I have a request though.
It would be very useful to have the calculated route available offline (as in the map images the route comes across) perhaps make the app demo the route and cache the map ?
Thanks for this release ! Great work !
why the same error always happen when I using driving diretion
“no driving direction can be computed using your query”
Great software, thank you so much for developing it
Couple of questions
GPX option does not log correct date/time it shows only year 1969 or 1970
Also in the latest version, there is some problem with tag formating, GPSbabel does not recognize it as valid GPX
Thank you
can someone please explain what GPX logging means, please:)
nice upgrade. Using a iGPS360 in Austin, TX everything seems to be working except for driving direction. ‘current position’ won’t work, I have to enter my starting address. Works very well otherwise. THANKS!
Olá, sou do Brasil e não estou conseguindo usar as direções; só me aparece a seguinte informação: no driving direction can be computed using your query.
Se alguem puder ajudar agradeço !!
As to what is GPX?
Basically it’s a file format that supports GPS specific info. If you were to take your iphone hiking with GPX logging on, it would generate a file with your route information as you hike, this file could then be shared with other hikers, for example. Geocaching locations are saved into a gpx format. You can go to a geocaching website, generate a query of all the geocaches in your area and it will create a gpx file that you can load onto a compatible device.
Hello! Great work with this app!
I need your help – how can I import the log file to, for example, Google Earth or geo-tag photos?
Copying the .log from iPhone is not a problem (Cyberduck), I just don’t know how to use it on my mac
Thank you in advance,
Kuba.
@mathieu
“For those who have problems for searching for driving directions, please post addresses which works on the Google Maps website and not on xGPS in order to solve this bug.”
in fact its all adresse (for the calculating way) doesn’t works
or in map it done
i think its the internete provider or the connection to google map dont passe with the edge connection
to retrieve your information you connect directly on google web site or you use the plan APP ??
Fabio,
Descobri que para utilizar a pesquisa você tem que digitar um endereço quase completo. com cidade e estado, oculte o número de apartamento, se for o caso…
Essa característica está ainda um pouco a dever, a gente tem que ficar um bom tempo procurando os endereços para conseguir funcionar.
——————————-
I realized thar to utilize this search you have to put the complete address, with city and state. Don’t put apartment number, etc…
This feature must still have an improvement to be completed functional…
Today I tested with more caution this version of xGPS.
The internal IPhone 3G GPS really does not work very good with xGPS. The sppeds are still crazy, and I noted a lag. On Maps.app it show a smooth blue point runing over the street, and in xGPS it is paused.
The rotation of the maps should be improved too. When I stop my car, the maps is turned 90º. The arrow is then pointed to the side of the street. When I start running again it goes back to the right position.
The search system problem is already spoken above…
Alex,
Mto obrigado…to aprendendo !!
I have the same like Alex. (IPhone3G)
In two words: iPhone 3G GPS = crappy! It is not an xGPS problem but rather an Apple’s problem. We cannot improve it! Solution: use an external GPS.
For those who have problems of syntax using the GPX log file. It is because the end tag </gpx> is missing. It is done on purpose to speed up things. So just add </gpx> at the end of the GPX log file and it will work.
Again, thanks for the great software! I’ve been out of town, so am just lookig at postings since mine of the 7th. I think all my issues have been addressed except two ( I am new to the Ipod touch, Xgps and my igps360 so please excuse my lack of knowledge of some of the basics)
1 The “curent location” issue has been well addressed – it probably should be deleted as the default on the start location bar.
2. Speed im MPH and the map not moving as I drive – addressed, just me leaping before I looked!!
That leaves__
3 and 4. “WRONG WAY” message and running out of maps.
On Sunday (Dec 7) I connected my iPod Touch to a computer and planned a 30 mile route taking me over the hill from Santa Cruz into the Santa Clara valley via highway 17. After it was routed in Xgps, I set the resolution (zoom level) and followed the entire route on the iPod screen, verifying that all areas of the map were visible (as mentioned before, I’ve looked in the maps with the iPod disconnected from the computer and have been able to zoom at the lowest level all over the country (USA)).
Once on the road two things happened:
a. Several time while on the highway, the GPS showed me off to one side or the other of the roadway traveling in parallel with it, and the “WRONG WAY” message appeared on the screen. Is this a result of an inaccuracy of the google maps (map location vs. actual, or poor gps triangulation due to terrain in the mountain pass?
b. At one point, a segment of the map was missing, and the checkerboard background along with my position pointer were all that were visible onscreen. As I progressed. the next segment of the map apperared and the pointer moved into it. Why, if the map is in the iPod, was it not available on the road?
1. The current location works but it works only if you are on a road!
2. Speed in MPH is available. Go to settings, user interface and the Usen Mile unit
3. Due to the GPS inaccuracy the wrong way can appear. We cannot change anything for that
4. The missing segment is weird. Also I know there ia bug in the drawing of the route so it is maybe due to that
Mathieu-
I have never been able to get the current location to work. I am in CO, USA. Does it work in the states?
Mathieu,
I understand that IPhone 3G is not the best hardware, but look, Maps.app works smooth, no problem with it… I’ll try the trapster.app to see if it has the same issues…
So, I think that something may be done to improve the reception on IPhone 3G….
thanks….
I am having the bug with current location as well. I am using an iphone 2g os 2.2 w/ a igps360. When I am on the street and using current location (while connected via wifi or edge) I recieve the error message. If I use an address instead this issue goes away. I was able to see this happen while driving with the directions and having it fail to recalculate my trip when I turned off the road.
“1. The current location works but it works only if you are on a road!”
This is not very useful say…when you are mapping from a hotel room or your living room. Maps.app will let you map from any random point dropped. I have a pin in my house I located by satelite maps and was able to map from that point to a searched point in Maps without a problem. How are they doing this? Are they just using the nearest road as a start point?
And not being able to drop points or save searched points easily is not very helpful. Say I see a store I want to come back to when they’re open so I mark it from my current location. I can then go back to it later on. At this time, I can’t figure out how to do that with this software. Also you cannot save points developed by searching. If directions didn’t work, you could atleast know where you wanted to go and make your own route as you go.
Hi,
greta tool, but here is maybe a bug. The current position cannot be used as starting or end point of a navigation => always have to provide exact information
before for the ppc and some of these great softwares are( Sygic7, IGO and more ) a lot of theme are sharing the same maps and the maps are found on the net ( in a way or another ) so THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY TO GET THESE MAPS just choose your maps format your XGPS will support according to the availability of these maps on the net and I guarantee everyone will be HAPPY…let us say we are going to use the same maps of IGO…just go to the net and you can get the maps very easy…do not supply the maps ( like all the software producer do ) WE KNOW HOW TO GET IT…just tell us what format you use. And as I told a complete map for my country (EGYPT) is only 5 Mega with a lot of details and POI and small streets
Has the GPX Problem been solved?
Everytime i restarted xgps it overwrote the previous log data…
Has it changed now?
And as i read to have a compatible GPX File i have to add /gpx at the end?
the GPX problem is not yet solved it will be erased at each xGPS launch. However to use the generated file you have to add the /gpx> at the end
hi, i’m excited about this application. it’s great and i use it a lot. but i have a question for you to ask. is it possible that when you tape a direction, let say 16th Mercury St. it will guide me exactly to 16th Mercury St. and not through whole this street? and i’m wondering when will be the next version of xGPS? i can’t wait for vocal guiding!
sherif-
The maps are stored in a SQLite database. Get an SQLite database browser and have a look at the xGPS_map.db file. There is a FireFox add on called SQLite manager that works pretty well. Each map tile is a 256 x 256 pixel png and each record in the database has a map tile, zoom level, x and y screen position, a zoom level and type. It is very similar to the native maps application format except the native maps use a 64 x 64 map tile.
Is anyone working on map downloading software for anything other than Google street maps?
Terry
thanks for reply…actually am not familiar with all the technical thing you are talking about but all am seeking is a simple and efficient software for navigation…I have been using pocket pc for about 5 years and am just comparing between the navigation soft wares used by pocket pc and XGPS is there a possibility to find someday a similar software to use with the iphone…as you know I a country like mine ( Egypt ) Google does not have much details at there maps even in some major areas…but these details is found at the pocket pc software’s maps ( IGO,Sygic7,Navigon …etc) and the maps size is very small in comparison (what am saying can’t we just use the same principle of is it technically impossible for the iphone)
Will it be possible to put satillite view on your next version?
Thanks!
Hi!
Great work!
I have one question, though; Is there any way I can download the maps to my computer, and paste it to a direction on the phone? It taks around 1 hour (wifi, line in is 4mb/sec) to download about 70-80 mb…
Driving direction is quite buggy. It always give me no driving direction can be computed using your query. I have to manually input the current location then it will search it, but it drops it very quickly. Needs this area fixed. But I love this app and hopefully, it gets updated very soon. Thanks 10/7/09 5:04pm est.
Can someone please tell me where the gpx log file is. I can see track.gpx in the app folder but it is not my track lol
First read this instruction:
http://xgps.xwaves.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=47#p231
The GPX log file is located in the /tmp/xgps_gpx.log or something like that. Look at the /tmp directory.
I get a “size mismatch” error when trying to install from the cydia repository… any ideas on how to resolve the problem would be much appreciated
ah never mind – working now
Question I get size mismatch can you please tell me how to fix it please.
I also got “size mismatch” error when I try to download from cydia.
I get the same error too , SIZE MISMATCH
anyway to solve this ?
thx
Solved By itself …
Solution to size mismatch: Delete the xwaves repo. According to an xwaves dev, modmyi is now the default repo for the app, but they have neglected to remove the reference to the old repo from this site..
Just delete the repo and the one from the modmyi repo will install.
dumb question, How do i get this, I have Cydia, my Iphone 3G is jailbroken, but I searched for it, and I cant seem to find it! Any suggestions?
Aye Aye!
Guys, I’m triying to add the repository but is useless. I can’t.
I tried searching in the ModMyI repository too, but the app is not there. Can somebody please help me?
Thanks!