Blog

Map out your summer with ViewRanger

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:00:00 +0100

With Global âweb mapsâ plus detailed Premium mapping for a total of 18 countries, wherever you are planning to go this summer, weâve got it covered. And because ViewRanger lets you store your maps for offline use, by planning ahead you can avoid any roaming charges and view your mapped location, even in remote places without a mobile signal.

ViewRanger Premium maps are sourced from national map agencies, they are available in-app or from our webshop. These maps provide the higher level of terrain detail needed for any Outdoors pursuit that you follow. So if you are planning:

midnight sun hikes in Northern Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden or Finland) or Arctic Canada
Mountain biking in the Alps (Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy)
Taking a road tour or RV across USAÂ
visiting a National Park (GB, France, Germany, USA)
even cross country skiing in New Zealand

Then you can purchase the map you need either by whole country, region, area or using custom tile selection. Once purchased and installed the map area is permanently stored on your device memory, ready for use (NB for USA & Canada - store & use on-demand, file too big to do otherwise!). Maps you purchase can be transferred to a new device, if you upgrade and for some countries you can view and use your purchased maps for route planning on our web service My.ViewRanger (www.my.viewranger.com) too.

For those countries for which weâve not yet secured Premium maps, you can simply switch to one of a range of global âweb mapsâ that we include completely free with all versions of our App. So if you are visiting a city - select OpenStreetMap, if you need terrain information the use âOpenCycleMapâ, thereâs even a night view map option with âOSM Midnight Commanderâ.Â

Our web maps are streamed using a web connection (hence the name), so youâll need a connection to initially view them, however using our âcreate saved mapâ feature, it easy to select the area and detail that you need and store and name it, so that it can be used offline (without connection) later. So with a little forward planning, you can always view your mapped GPS location. (click on the image to find out more)

Customer survey highlights demand for hidden gems within ViewRanger

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:00:00 +0100

Our recent customer survey has generated some great feedback and provides real guidance to us to maintain our position as the most fully featured and innovative Outdoors GPS Navigation mobile app. It was great to see that over 90% of respondents rated our app as 5 or 4 stars.

Amongst the features identified as required for the future, there were some capabilities that are already available within the current versions of ViewRanger, so we thought it would be good to tell you more about how to get to use these.

Getting the right Coordinateâ¦A number of people asked if it was possible to see the map coordinate of their current GPS location. This is already available to view via the âtop barâ of the screen (see screen grab). By default on Apple & Symbian, or by tapping the top bar and selecting the display option on Android, you can move the map and view the coordinates of the map centre cross hairs for any location. We also support many different map coordinate systems as used in different parts of the world, including the one asked for several times Lat/Lon in degrees, minutes, seconds. You can select your preferred coordinate type within the settings (map - apple, display - android, UI - Symbian).

Marking a Location on the mapâ¦..Another area related to creating marked locations on the map and navigating to that place. This capability is supported using our POI (point of interest) feature. By creating a POI you can mark a location, for example where youâve parked the car, or at a map coordinate using the manual location feature. Apple use the "bulleted list" button and select 'create POIâ, on Android use menu, then Create and for Symbian use Options, then Create. You can customise the icon on the map. Having created a POI, you can navigate to that location by tapping on the POI and using the "bulleted list"Â button, and select ânavigate toâ and by switching to TripView mode you can see distance to the location, ETA, a navigation arrow and many other stats. Symbian supports "navigate to" by highlighting the POI then pressing the central circle icon.

Decluttering your map viewâ¦.. As you record more tracks or download more routes the map view can get rather busy. Itâs easy to hide tracks or routes such that they are still saved in the app but hidden (all or individually), until you next need them. To do this, youâll need to go into the organiser (filofax icon) and select tracks or routes and use the > and scroll down to hide. Android and Symbian have a toggle button to hide/show tracks and routes.

What is My.ViewRanger.comâ¦.This is your web control centre for route planning and for sharing your adventures, its free and you can log in using your ViewRanger sign-in details and search, create, publish and share with your friends and the ViewRanger community.

My.ViewRanger lets you use the big screen of your pc or mac to search our routes database or create your own by hand or automatically. Then synchronise all your routes and tracks seamlessly with one touch - no wires needed.

From My.ViewRanger, you can publish your routes to the community, or attach photos and text to your recorded tracks, then share them using your favourite social networks tools. Oh, and you can also view premium maps for some countries and print off pdfs for routes that you own â which was another feature requested. Follow this link to log-in to My.ViewRanger.com now

Retina Display & "Open in" on new Apple 3.1.1 release

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:28:00 +0100

A new release of ViewRanger Open & Premium edition is now available for update via Apple app store.

The new version 3.1.1 supports the high resolution âretina displayâ available on new Apple devices, this willÂ give a sharper display of maps. However, as high resolution displays can result in map labels on some layers becoming small and difficult to read, we've also added a magnification feature. ThisÂ allows you to set a greater magnification of the viewed map image that can be controlled via a new slider bar within map settings.

There are two magnification sliders. The one for online maps, under Organizer > Settings > Online maps, defaults to 200%, because the online maps have small labels.Â As you zoom into an online map you see a new layer, whereas as you zoom into a premium map you see the same layer larger.

The slider for Premium maps, under Organizer > Settings > Map settings, defaults to 100%.Â Premium maps look really sharp and crisp at retina size, but if you would prefer your labels to look larger, try a 150% magnification.

Additionally, the new release supports the âOpen inâ email feature, which means any gpx files (.gpx) that you receive as an email attachment can be opened using ViewRanger by either

tapping the attachment, then tapping the "open in " button (top right - see screen grab)
or a single long press on the attachment file icon.

For those using gpx to share routes, this feature provides a quick and easy way to import gpx files into the app.

We are glad to say that this new version also fixes the TripView compass problem that some people experienced. For our US resident customers, the 3.1.1 version of ViewRanger USA edition will be released very shortly.

Enjoy the Isle of Wight Walking Festival 2012 with ViewRanger on your smartphone

Wed, 02 May 2012 18:00:00 +0100

This Saturday (5^th May) is the start of Britainâs biggest walking event - the Isle of Wight Walking festival. We're delighted to be an event partner again this year. If you are planning to join the festival, then why not install the ViewRanger app onto your smartphone. Our Free edition will give you a choice of open sourced map layers like OpenStreetMap and OpenCycleMap that can be stored in advanced for offline (no mobile signal) use. This app can also be upgraded to run detailed OS Explorer 1:25,000 mapping for the whole of the Island for just Â£9.99.

All of the official Island trails are available to download directly onto your smartphone free of charge, giving you the mapped routel, full description and photos. Once installed you can use the GPS navigation features of ViewRanger to guide you along the route and help you get the most from your time. Click on the markers on the map to read more.

To find out more about the guided walks and full calendar of activities taking place during the festival visit the event website

New ViewRanger Wales Coast Path map now available ready for opening day on 5th May 2012

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:53:00 +0100

This coming Saturday (5th May 2012) will see the culmination of 5 years of work with the official opening of the entire length of the Wales Coast Path (WCP). This new national trail will immediately become Britainâs longest at a continuous 870 mile of marked walking path (exceeding the previous record holder - the 630 mile SouthWest Coast Path). The path goes around the whole of Wales from the outskirts of Chester in the north to Chepstow in the south.

To celebrate the opening of Britainâs longest national trail, ViewRanger have launched OS Landranger map edition covering the area of the whole of the trail. Available via the ViewRanger webshop, or in-app at Â£7.99, a fraction of the cost of buying each paper map sheet to cover the route. Once purchased, this map can also be viewed online at My.ViewRanger for route planning.Â

These maps are going to get a good testing pretty soon, as we have provided them to support two Welsh charity fund raising expeditions:

The first of these starts on the opening day, Caerphilly based Dave Quarell (pictured left) hopes to raise at least Â£20,000 for Cancer Research Wales, in memory of his father, Gerry, who died this year from stomach cancer and was a key figure in the creation of the WCP. Dave will not only be walking the coast path, but circumnavigating the whole of Wales with a return leg along the Offa Dyke path making a total epic journey of 1027 miles. To find out more and donate go to Waleswalk1027

A little later, starting on 10th July Steve Webb will be heading ogff on his Dragonwalk 2012 with the aim of raising funds for a new Outdoor Education classroom and outside teaching area for St Davidâs College, St Davidâs, where he is a staff member. Find out more and donate via the St Davidâs College website.

Finally, if you are keen to get your boots on over the first weekend, then why not look to join one of the âBig Welsh Coastal Walksâ being organised by Ramblers, visitÂ their website for more information

For latest news on path signage & more information visit Official Countryside Council for Wales Website

New Maps for Popular Walking areas in Spain & Madeira

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0100

We are always looking for new map sources to enhance our premium maps portfolio and we are aware that the rugged scenery and warm climate make the islands of Spain and Portugal very popular walking destinations. So, weÂ have teamed up with book and map publisher âDiscovery Walking Guidesâ to offer a series of their detailed âTour & Trailâ map products for the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Madeira and some specific walking areas on Mainland Spain in AndalucÃa and Alicante.

The Maps are as follows:

CANARY ISLANDS

La Gomera (1:35K) topographic map covering the whole of the island of La Gomera.
Lanzarote (1:40K) topographic map covering the whole the island of Lanzarote, this map is marked with all the walking routes from Walk! Lanzarote.
La Palma (1:40K) topographic map covering the whole the island of La Palma. This map is marked with the GR (Gran Recorrido) and PR (Pequeno Recorridos) Hiking Routes.
Tenerife (Hikers Map) (1:25K & 1:35K) topographic map covering the hiking areas of Tenerife. Regional coverage includes: Anaga, Las Canadas, Vilaflor, Tenerife West, Tenerife North & Tenerife South, marked with the walking routes of Walk! Tenerife. (NB Does not cover all of Tenerife).

BALEARICS

Mallorca (North & Mountains) (1:40K) topographic map covering the North and Mountains of Mallorca. Marked trails include: Â walking routes of Walk! Mallorca (North West).
Menorca (1:40K) topographic map covering the island of Menorca. This map includes the Walk! Menorca routes and the Cami de Cavalls, bike trails.

SPANISH MAINLAND (HIKING AREAS)

Costa Blanca Mountains (1:40K) topographic map covering the walking areas in the Costa Blanca Mountains, Alicante province.
Alpujarras (1:40K) topographic map covering this walking area in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Granada, in AndalucÃa
Sierra de Aracena (1:40K) topographic map covering this walking area in western part of AndalucÃa, close to the Portuguese border.
Axarquia (1:40K) topographic map covering this popular walking area to the east of Malaga in AndalucÃa.

MADEIRA, PORTUGAL

Madeira (1:40K) topographic map covering the whole the island of Madeira. This map is marked with âShirley Whitehead'sâ Madeira Walks and Walk! Madeira routes

Each map can be purchased and installed on your mobile either using in-app purchasing or via the ViewRanger webshop. The maps are stored for offline use, so they work without mobile signal and thereâs no risk of incurring roaming charges whilst on your trip. The GPS will work with or without a mobile signal. Maps costs from Â£4.99.

Printing & GPX Export now available via My.ViewRanger

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0100

With 30,000 published trail guides, a huge number of privately plotted routes, and hundreds of thousands of gps recorded tracks â We are becoming the reference source for planning trail adventures and days out for our customers.Â To take this process a step further this week, we have added two new features to our My.ViewRanger web service to provide even more convenience and flexibility. These are:

the ability to get a paper print off for routes you own
the ability to export the gpx file for your routes

Here's how it works....

Print out routes using PDF

As from today, youâll find a new âPrint as PDFâ button shown alongside any routes that you plot, publish, or purchase at our web service at My.ViewRanger. You can use the pdf to print a paper copy of the trail guide, complete with the mapped route.Â If you own premium map layers for the ViewRanger mobile app, such as Ordnance Survey Great Britain, Ordnance Survey Ireland, IGN France, BKG Germany, OSNI, or for the USA, our system will even give you a choice of printing the map view including premium layers.

Being able to print out a paper copy of a route means that you can keep a copy in your pocket, just in case, or leave one with a friend so they know where you are planning to go and how long itâs likely to take.

And if you donât yet have a smartphone â well, you can still use ViewRanger to find the best places to walk, cycle, and ride in your area.

Export a GPX file of your routes and tracks

The second new feature available from today is introducing the ability to export the GPX file for a recorded ViewRanger track or a route you have created directly from My.ViewRanger. You might want to do this so that you can load it into Google Earth to recreate your trip as a flythrough, for instance. Â Youâll see an âExport to GPXâ button alongside the track.

Donât forget you can import GPX files into My.ViewRanger, using the Routes > Create from GPX menu option.

Note: GPX is the standard file format for transferring route data between different software and apps.

ViewRanger supports Polly Dog raising funds for Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rescue

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:39:00 +0100

The dedicated people behind Polly Dog (www.polly-dog.com) have been tireless in raising funds to help rescue, care for and re-home Staffordshire Bull Terriers over a number of years. This year, they are undertaking a sponsored walk starting on 2nd June 2012. Theyâll be walking the entire length of the Ridgeway (87 miles), with all funds raised going to Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rescue, www.sbtrescue.co.uk

To help them on their way, ViewRanger are supplying mapping for the trail to Polly Dog. Youâll also be able to track their daily progress using ViewRanger BuddyBeacon. We wish them a successful event and if youâd like to sponsor them go to http://www.polly-dog.com/2012_sponsored_walk.htm

Trail Routes (May 2012 Issue) Now available

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:29:00 +0100

All 12 routes in this monthâs Trail Magazine out today are now available to download for free via ViewRanger. The May 2012 issue features ultimate walking weekends in Snowdonia and The Yorkshire Dales, a scramble in the Lake District and two overnighters with âweird sleepsâ!. Follow the link to find out more

More CAMRA pub walks - 23 Edinburgh walks now available on ViewRanger

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0100

Following on from the London pub walks from CAMRA published on ViewRanger earlier this month, we've now added the walks from the Edinburgh CAMRA pub walks guide. There are a total of 23 to choose from within the city and in the surrounding areas especially along the coast.

Click on the map below to view more information about any of these walks.

ViewRanger team up with Proporta for Launch of BeachBuoy BikeMount waterphone phone cover

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:30:00 +0100

Weâve teamed up with Brighton based mobile phone case experts Proporta for a special launch offer to support a new bike mounted version of their popular âBeachbuoyâ waterproof phone covers.

The new product can be easily attached to the handlebars of a bike to keep your smartphone securely fastened, dry and visible. Equally, it's super-quick to remove when it's time for that country pub pit stop. The BeachBuoy BikeMount waterproof phone cover is guaranteed to be 100% waterproof up to 5 metres/16 feet. Tested and approved by the British Standards Institute (IP57 and IP58). Just like the ViewRanger app, the new accessory is compatible with a wide range of smartphones, so it doesnât become obsolete when you upgrade.

Lynnette Prigmore, Head of Product at Proporta says: "With the BeachBuoy BikeMountÂ securely attached to your handlebars, you can go out and get lost and muddy knowing that your Smartphone will stay clean and dry. It works brilliantly with apps like ViewRanger, whoÂ we're delighted to be working with and are pleased to offer their mapping services to ourÂ customers."

As part of the launch, there is a special offer voucher with each purchase of the initial batch of BeachBuoy BikeMounts (RRP Â£17.95), for ViewRanger map credits (500 worth up to Â£7.49). This is enough to get one of 13 GB regions at OS1:50K Landranger or areas of mapping for many other countries. The offer is valid for new or existing ViewRanger customers.

Find out more about Proporta & Beachbuoy Bikemount

ViewRanger offers CAMRA London Pub Walks to download and enjoy

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:50:00 +0100

Today, we added the guided trails from the CAMRA London Pub Walks book, perhaps a bit of a departure from our usual routes in the Countryside, but the benefits of GPS navigation could prove very useful as you indulge in the "the ultimate pub crawls" as the book was dubbed by The Evening Standard.

The walks are of varying lengths to suit everyone from the casual pub goer to active walkers. As with any expert guided route from ViewRanger, youâll get the mapped trail with all the authors notes to help you along the way, and in this case added information about the recommended hostelries en route, complete with opening times and days (useful in London where city pubs are sometimes shut at the weekend), beer range, history, architecture and anecdotes.

There are 29 walks to choose from across all parts of London, use the map below to find one you like. Each route costs 40 credits (60p) to purchase either in-app search for âCAMRAâ Â or via the web at my.viewranger.

Click on the CAMRA logo to find out more about the organisation and its work

And remember you can get the ViewRanger App for Free and get 4 free routes using our Easter promotion before 10^th April 2012

Searching for a good walk for this Easter

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:23:00 +0100

If you want to know what to do this Easter then ViewRanger has some recommendations for good walks.

Just enter the name of a place where you want to walk intoÂ www.myviewranger.comÂ and it will show a range of routes that others have enjoyed.

The guided routes give useful information about where to park, interesting things to see on the way and advice about the level of difficulty.Â

Some of the routes have been developed by individuals, who want to share a favourite walk and others are from leading outdoor publishers such as The AA, Walkingworld, Natural England, Cumbria Tourism, CycleCity Guides and Nick Cotton Rides.Â

There is usually a small charge for the publishersâ routes as they contain a lot of interesting information but for the Easter period it is possible to get up to four of these routes free of charge. You'll need to create an account and install the ViewRanger App on your phone. The good news is that you can now install the ViewRanger "Open" edition App for Free on Apple, Android and Symbian smartphones (search for ViewRanger on your app store).

So before you head out, select your preferred route via your computer and "synchronise" this to the App on your phone. We recommend that its a good idea to save the map area too, so everything is ready for use - whether there's a mobile signal or not on the trail.

On the trail, ViewRanger will show you your GPS mapped location and it has an additional feature to help you navigate the route, which means that you can be alerted if you go the wrong way.Â The phone will buzz in your pocket and you can discretely lead your friends or family back on course.

Using ViewRanger might inspire you to capture and even publish your own walk.Â This can be done while you are walking using the âtrack recordâ facility in ViewRanger on your phone, which you can upload to view on the web at www.myviewranger.com.

Donât forget to take photographs as you go and add these to your route.

Wherever you are this Easter have a great time.

Walking World Ireland Magazine publishes its trails on ViewRanger Outdoors GPS

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 08:47:00 +0000

All the trails in this edition (March 2012) of leading Irish walking magazine "Walking World Ireland" are available to download free via the ViewRanger app. The download includes the marked trail, plus the full description and images from the magazine Once installed, the user can use the app's waypoint navigation feature to receive on-screen guidance and alerts if they veer off-track.

The publishing arrangement is the first with a RoI media partner expands the number of countries in which app users can access and download professionally authored guided trails. There are now over 26,000 guided trails for walking, cycling, horse riding and kayaking available for download across Europe and USA.

Map Pins - Pinterest Integration for My.ViewRanger GPS Trails

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:20:00 +0000

You can now Pin your favourite ViewRanger trails to your Pinterest boards.

Just click on the "Pin It" button that is on every route page within the my.viewranger website. You'll find the button right alongside the existing Facebook, Twitter, and Email share buttons.

Now you can easily add maps of trails that you plan to do - or did - on your vacation pinboard alongside your favourite photos and other pinned items connected to your trip to create a digital pinboard story around your vacation.

On-Road / Off-Road Route Generation Speeds Trail Planning

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:54:00 +0000

Last night we released an update to the Route Planner available within our free-to-use My.ViewRanger.com website.

Automated GPS Trail Route Planning - On-Road and Off-Road

We have added automatic route generation to the trail planning tools available at our My.ViewRanger.com website. To access them, simply log-in at My.ViewRanger.com using your ViewRanger account details.

The site uses a range of routing engines to analyse the terrain, and available rights of way, to offer the best path between waypoints - on-road and off-road. Whether you are backpacking, mountain biking, horse riding - whatever your outdoor passion - it can speed your trail planning by a huge amount.

The new Route Generation tool provides the option to use the assistance of automated route planning to make it plotting routes even quicker. You can use Route Generation over any of the map layers - including Ordnance Survey, OSNI, Ordnance Survey Ireland, IGN France - available in your My.ViewRanger account. A single tap of the finger synchronises website and your mobile device so that the planned route is ready to use and follow with the ViewRanger app.

The tool should work pretty much worldwide. Whilst it may not always provide a route that you expect (and may in some circumstances not be able to provide a route in a certain area), you can mix auto-generated segments of a route with manually plotted segments, and you can drag waypoints to regenerate any route segments.

USA - Premium Route Generation using intelligent terrain analysis

Premium Route Generation upgrades our route generation tool to add Ground Guidance to the routing engine. This technology is currently only available with routing coverage for the USA mainland (and requires users to purchase a USA Premium Route Generation subscription to access this even more advanced routing technology).

Ground Guidance uses information about the ground cover, steepness of terrain, and other topological features to provide real off-road route generation including routing in mountainous and woodland terrain. Whilst it will route using existing trails, it is capable of analysing the landscape itself to determine viable routes. The Ground Guidance patented technology was originally developed under programs for the US military and is used in military scenarios. We hope to bring this technology to ViewRanger users in Europe during 2012.

Undo

We have also added an Undo button to the Route Planner - making it easy to step back if you make a mistake whilst plotting your route.

Canada Topographic Maps Now Available

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:03:00 +0000

Detailed topographic maps for Canada are now available in both the ViewRanger app and My.ViewRanger website.

Hot on the heels of releasing new topographic maps and trails for the USA, and downloadable trail guides across central Europe, we have added national topographic mapping for Canada to our ViewRanger Outdoors GPS app and My.ViewRanger.com online community.

Sourced from Natural Resources Canada, this new high quality map layer can be purchased “in-app” (Apple & Android; Symbian users should purchase via our webshop) and allows mapping for all of Canada to be streamed to your smartphone and tablet and for map areas to be stored on the device for when offline access is needed, such as for use in places without cell signal.

ViewRanger comes with free access to global “open” mapping layers such as OpenCycleMap and OpenStreetMap. You can then add, through in-app purchases, premium map charts sourced from national mapping agencies and premium cartographic publishers. With premium maps available for USA, Canada, New Zealand, and for 14 countries in Europe, ViewRanger offers the widest selection of high quality outdoor topographic maps available for smartphones and tablets.

First US Search & Rescue Team Joins VSAR Program

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:53:00 +0000

One of the projects we run at ViewRanger is our ViewRanger VSAR Program. The Program started as a simple way in which we, as a company comprised of outdoor enthusiasts, could give something back to those volunteers and professionals who go out in all weathers and situations to aid those in distress outdoors.

Daviess County Search and Rescue, KY, first USA team to join the ViewRanger VSAR Program.

Following the launch of ViewRanger into the USA market a little over a week ago, I am therefore delighted that the Program has signed up its first USA based search and rescue team: Daviess County Search and Rescue, Kentucky, part of the Daviess County Kentucky Emergency Management Agency.

Our VSAR Program makes it easy for search and rescue teams to deploy ViewRanger right across their operational membership, allowing everyone to benefit from high quality navigation, detailed track recording, and innovative location-sharing tools.

Search and Rescue is the search for persons who are lost or in distress on land or inland waterways. Traditionally associated with wilderness zones, ground search and rescue services are increasingly required in urban and suburban areas to locate persons with Alzheimer's disease, autism, dementia, and other conditions that lead to wandering behavior.

The ViewRanger VSAR Program began with Mountain Rescue teams in England and Wales, but has since expanded to include Mountain Rescue teams in Scotland, teams in Ireland, teams in Northern Ireland, Lowland search teams, coastal rescue, and search dog teams too.

Many, though not all, teams who use ViewRanger through this program are listed at www.viewranger.com/SAR

More information on the benefits that the Program provides can be found in this earlier blog post.

10,000 Navigable GPS Trail Guides Added for Germany, Austria, & Switzerland

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:31:00 +0000

Today we have published a further 10,000 expert-authored, downloadable, guided hiking and biking trails across Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol.

Published to coincide with the ISPO outdoors industry exhibition being held in Munich this week, the German language trail guides have been created by local experts from regional tourism agencies, hiking associations, and other publishers. The trail guides can be downloaded, viewed, and navigated on Apple iPad, iPhone, Android, and Symbian mobile devices using the ViewRanger Outdoors GPS app, or viewed via the My.ViewRanger.com social network website.

This latest set of trail guides includes many trails to choose from in Bavaria and the Alps in Austria and Switzerland. Publishers include:
• Tourismusverband Alpenregion Tegernsee Schliersee e. V. (Alpine regional tourism)
• Schweiz Tourismus (Swiss Tourism)
• Tourismusverband Ostallgäu
• Vorarlberg Tourismus
• das Berchtesgardener Land
• Tourismusverband Tiroler Zugspitzarena

Trail guides in the Tyrol and Trentino Regions (Italy) and other regions in Germany such as the Black Forest and Harz have also been released:
• suedtirol.com
• Visit Trentino
• Schwarzwald Tourismus
• Hochschwarzwald Tourismus
• Sauerland Tourismus
• Harzer Tourismusverband e.V.

These new routes in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol add to the alpine winter routes for cross country skiing and snow shoeing we launched at the end of 2011, and add to the continuously growing library of navigable trail guides in Europe, the USA, and around the world.

ViewRanger Outdoor GPS App and Social Network Launch for Outdoor Enthusiasts in USA

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:21:00 +0000

The ViewRanger Outdoors GPS USA app and My.ViewRanger.com social content network has launched for US outdoor enthusiasts at this week’s Outdoor Retailer Show, taking place in Salt Lake City, UT. The USA app is available to download now for $4.99 through Apple and Android appstores. ViewRanger comes with unlimited access to detailed USA topographic maps, a massive placename search database, and access to a library of richly informative hiking guides - thanks to partnerships with outdoor guidebook publishers Menasha Ridge Press and Wilderness Press.

Features within the ViewRanger app include high resolution mapping that can be used either online or offline of cellular data connectivity, active waypoint navigation, gps track recording, a sports-computer, point-of-interest and trail plotting, and location sharing. The My.ViewRanger companion website is the place where outdoor enthusiasts worldwide share their favourite trips and trails, plot new trail routes, and rate or comment on trails that they have completed.

At the tap of a button within the ViewRanger app, the app and website sync wirelessly – making it easy to transfer trail guides and recorded gps tracks between mobile device and website, or between mobile devices for example between your Android smartphone and an iPad.

“We are excited to be working with ViewRanger – who offer the same benefits to readers as our company; memorable adventures in the great outdoors,” says Menasha Ridge/Wilderness Press president Richard Hunt.

Craig Wareham, co-founder and CEO of ViewRanger said “We work hard to bring the best map data and best trail guide information to hikers, mountain bikers, and outdoor enthusiasts and to deliver this through our innovative app platform. I am delighted that we can now offer this to US outdoor enthusiasts. If you have an interest in the outdoors then ViewRanger is the place to discover, create, record and share your adventures worldwide.”

ViewRanger’s app is in use by outdoor enthusiasts in over 140 countries around the world. ViewRanger is launching in the USA following its success in Europe where it has been a #1 ranked app in many countries. ViewRanger is also trusted and used by mountain rescue and other SAR teams in several European countries, who have deployed the app to all team members for its navigation and search coordination advantages.

ViewRanger Trail Publishing Platform

ViewRanger is also a trail publishing platform that makes it easy for anyone to create and publish trail guides to Apple, Android, and Symbian smartphones and tablets. The My.ViewRanger website is free to use and trail guide content owners can publish their trail guides for free or as premium paid-for downloads.

All trail guides are branded, and can include rich information including photos, web links, even location-triggered audio or video clips. Free to use “widgets” make it quick and easy to embed interactive trail maps in your own websites, blog posts, and Facebook sites.

Together it makes ViewRanger a fast, risk free, way for guidebook publishers, trail management organizations, tourism development teams, or simply outdoor enthusiasts passionate about their local area to publish their trail guide information.

Trail Magazine Routes (Issue Feb'12) now available

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:11:00 +0000

All 12 routes featured in Trail magazine issue Feb'12 are now available for free download via ViewRanger. This month features 6 routes taking in a walker friendly hostelleries under the seasonal theme of "Mine’s a pint!" There are also routes built around two ultimate weekends, one in Brecon Beacons and one in Lake District. All these routes are available to download free of charge for 30 days from issue date (21/12/11). Enjoy!

View full list and details

Trail Magazine Hiking Routes Publishing Agreement Extended

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:40:00 +0000

ViewRanger and Trail Magazine (the UK's leading publication for walkers and hikers) have extended our agreement that sees Trail Magazine walking and hiking trail guides published through the ViewRanger outdoors gps app and My.ViewRanger social network platform.

Each month Trail Magazine includes a collection of route guides compiled by some of the best outdoor writers around. The Trail routes feature both classic and stunning new locations, they include essential and informative descriptions as well as inspiring photographs.

The agreement between Bauer Consumer Media (the publisher of Trail Magazine) and ViewRanger means that users will continue to see digital versions of these guides published through ViewRanger to coincide with the release of Trail Magazine on the newsstands. The guides are available to download in the ViewRanger app on Apple, Android, and Symbian smartphones and tablets, and are available through the My.ViewRanger social network website.

Trail Magazine routes have already proved popular with ViewRanger users and have dominated the “most popular routes” charts this year.

The Trail Magazine routes are available for free download within ViewRanger for 30 days after magazine publication. Thereafter, when the next magazine issue is published, the prior months routes can be downloaded at a cost of 40 ViewRanger credits - so "favourite" Trail Magazine on the My.ViewRanger social network to see when each months routes are published!

Download Winter and Walking Trail Guides for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:10:00 +0000

We are delighted to have added to our rapidly growing portfolio of downloadable trail guides following the conclusion of agreements with outdoor trails publishers in Germany and Austria. Outdoor enthusiasts residing in, or visiting, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, now have access to a growing portfolio of walks, cycle rides and winter sport tours.

The first collection of trail guides has now gone live with over 1,000 winter trail guides (such as cross country ski, snow shoe, toboggan) available. Each of these routes are free to download to any Apple, Android, or Symbian mobile device running the ViewRanger app. The routes can be saved to your phone and include the marked path on the map along with text format information and, in many cases, photos about the trail.

This collection includes more than 200 of the best freeski trails in Europe, compiled by Freeskiers.net, along with trails created by many of the regional tourism organizations within the most popular winter sports and skiing areas such as the Stubai Valley, in the Tyrol, the Zugspitze and Garmisch Partenkirchen. Furthermore, there are winter trails for Ramsau am Dachstein, the province of Salzburg, and for cross-country ski destinations in the Allgäu, the Ore Mountains and the Black Forest.

We have also released over 900 walking tours published by the leading German hiking magazine, Wander Magazin. Again these include the path, along with a full description and many with images of highlights of the tour. The Wander Magazin routes are charged at 58 ViewRanger credits per route.

There are also a further 2500 free walks and cycle ride tours to choose from, created by a range of publishers.

The routes can be searched, browsed and downloaded directly with your mobile, via “routes” option within the ViewRanger app. They can also be browsed and selected on the web using ViewRanger’s social network website at My.ViewRanger.com.

My.ViewRanger Community Website Updated with TripTracks, Friend Finding, and more.

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:52:00 +0000

Version 4.0 of the My.ViewRanger social network website has just gone live, and includes several key updates. Several changes are directly due to feedback we've received from ViewRanger users.

We've made it easier to find your friends, we've added an exciting new TripTracks feature, and made improvements to route editing and GPX import.

Read about What's New and What's Changed below. Visit the My.ViewRanger website here.

Whats New in V4.0 of the My.ViewRanger community website?

User Search

Search for other community members and invite your friends to join in! You can search for publisher partners too.

You can search by name or email address.

TripTracks

New in V4.0 are TripTracks. These are your gps recorded tracks that automatically pull in your Tweets, Flickr photos, tweeted photos and videos and display these along the track, to create a rich record of your trip.

If you record your GPS track with ViewRanger and you tweet or take photos along the way - My.ViewRanger can now automatically combine these. Upload your photos to a supported photo sharing website, and sync your track from your smartphone to the My.ViewRanger site.

Tweeted media supported at this time include: Twitpic, Yfrog, Twitgoo, Instagr.am, and Flickr for photo sharing; Yfrog and Twitvid for video sharing.

Flickr and Picasa albums are supported, though your photos need to be correctly dated and geo-referenced. In our testing, we've found Flickr to be pretty reliable from Apple, Android, and Symbian handsets; though with Picasa/Google+ the date and geo-referencing information is sometimes not made available via their API.

You can then share your TripTracks easily with friends using the Facebook, Twitter, and Email sharing buttons on the TripTrack page.

And you can embed your TripTrack maps in your own blog or website. Simply copy and paste the code snippet and show off your track!

TripTracks that have been created by pulling in your media, are added to your Public Profile page. You can switch TripTracks between Public and Private using the new Edit Tracks option (see below).

TripTracks pull in your Tweets and photo media by looking at the timestamp (and location information if available) of your tweet or photo. To connect your ViewRanger account with these services, you need to use the new Plug-ins page on the My.ViewRanger website (find Plug-ins under the My ViewRanger Account menu).

Edit Tracks

You can now edit the details of tracks that you have synced from your mobile device. You can change the name of the track, set the activity type when recording the track (walking, cycling, skiing, etc).

What's Changed in V4.0?

User's Public Profile Page

Any routes that you have created and published to the ViewRanger community are shown on your Profile Page (this is the page other users see when they click on your profile icon). We've added preview maps to all the routes, making it much easier to see whether a route is a linear route, a looped route, etc.

Route Editing - Full Screen Maps

Many of you requested the ability to be able to expand the map to the full size of the browser window when plotting routes.

V4.0 of My.ViewRanger includes full screen maps within the route editor, for both Open maps (OpenStreetMap, OpenCycleMap, Google) and for Premium Mapping (Ordnance Survey GB, IGN France, OS Ireland, OS Northern Ireland, BKG Germany). Tap the full screen icon to toggle between full and part screen editing.

GPX Import

We have improved the GPX Import capability of the My.ViewRanger site, so you can now import longer tracks and routes easily into the ViewRanger route editor. Tested with tracks from Matt Baker's Children in Need event, we've loaded tracks with more than 30,000 points.

ViewRanger GPS for Android - App Updated

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:49:00 +0000

We have released the latest update of our ViewRanger Outdoors GPS app. It is available through the AndroidMarket and from our website.

The latest version of ViewRanger for Android is v2.4.8

Route & Track Details view and graphs:

The Route Details and Track Details views have been improved - they contains multiple pages and graphs
Swipe across the screen to change page, tabs at the top indicate where you are.
For a Track, the pages available are the details page, height graph, speed graph and combined graph.
For a Route, the pages available are the route description, height graph, and a page per waypoint.
By default, pages are only shown for route waypoints that have description. Use the menu key option to show them all.

TripView Sports Computer:

The TripView has been improved to contain multiple pages and rolling graphs
Swipe across the screen to change from one page to another - so its easy to change whilst out running or on your bike
To add a page use menu key > Trip view layout > add trip profile
Each page can be individually configured with the stats you need - use menu key > Trip view layout > Set number of field to control how many boxes are shown, press and hold to change what the box contains.
Rolling graphs are now available, for speed, (calculated map) height, GPS height and distance.
Set the duration of the rolling graph using Settings > Display settings > Trip graph time window. The default 15 minutes means the graph in the trip view shows the last 15 minutes.

Synchronize improvements:

Synchronize with your My.ViewRanger web account by going to Organizer and using menu key > Synchronize.
Synchronize makes it easy to store your tracks, access routes, and transfer tracks and routes between mobile devices (e.g. between an Android phone and an iPad).
Synchronize uploads Tracks, downloads Routes and updates map license keys
In Settings > Synchronize you can now enable the upload of Routes and the download of Tracks, as part of the sync.
You can also enable the synchronization of selected app settings.
Routes and tracks show a sync symbol alongside in the Organizer if they have been changed since the last sync.
Routes and tracks which have been newly received by sync or download are indicated with a yellow and white star symbol.

Bug fixes:

There have been a number of bug fixes.
All crashes reported through Android Market have been fixed.

Android 1.5:

Android v1.5 is no longer supported, please update your phone's OS if you are affected by this

To update the app either use the Android Market, or use the phone's web browser to visit www.viewranger.com/software, tap on on the Android logo to download, then the downloaded file to install.

ViewRanger GPS Trusted By More Than 50 Search & Rescue Teams

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:56:00 +0000

This week sees the Emergency Services show take place in Stoneleigh, UK.

One of the programs that we run at ViewRanger is our ViewRanger VSAR Program that makes our app and mapping available to search and rescue teams.

The Program started as a simple way in which we, as outdoor enthusiasts, could give something back to those volunteers and professionals who go out in all weathers and situations to aid those in distress outdoors.

Our VSAR Program began with Mountain Rescue teams in England and Wales, but has since expanded to include Mountain Rescue teams in Scotland, teams in Ireland, teams in Northern Ireland, Lowland search teams, coastal rescue, and search dog teams too.

Many, though not all, teams who use ViewRanger through this program are listed at www.viewranger.com/SAR

Today, well over 50 search and rescue organizations use ViewRanger to aid in all kinds of planning, search, rescue, and training situations.

As well as being proud to be able to assist the SAR team members, we also get the most amazing feedback from them that helps us adjust, extend, and improve the ViewRanger app and web-based social network. Not just for them, but for the benefit of all our users.

Why ViewRanger GPS?

So, why do so many search and rescue teams choose ViewRanger? A few reasons come up regularly:

Reliability - the app has been proven on the mountain-side, and demonstrated its accuracy of positioning and track recording time and time again.

Flexibility - the wide choice of handsets, across Apple, Android, and Symbian, supported by the app means that a team can easily deploy the solution to most if not all call out team members without requiring investment in particular handsets or other tracking devices.

Navigation - ViewRanger's advanced navigation algorithms deliver reliable and trusted navigation, whatever the weather.

BuddyBeacon - clever location sharing that allows groups of team members and search dogs to be accurately tracked across the hillside, viewed on a smartphone, tablet, or the web.

Going forward, we're making the VSAR Program available in more geographical territories and we'll be looking to bring some of the expertise and insight from SAR team members to the ViewRanger community of users.

Apply Now!

If you are an operational or committee member of a search and rescue team, then contact craig [at] viewranger [dot] com for information on the ViewRanger VSAR Program.

* to track a search and rescue dog using BuddyBeacon, ViewRanger is compatible with the Retrieva GPS tracking dog collar.

ViewRanger location tracking supports Matt Baker Rickshaw Challenge for Children in Need

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:20:00 +0000

Update: Matt successfully completed his Rickshaw challenge yesterday (18th November) raising more than £1.26M for Children in Need.

Matt's Map : powered by ViewRanger

Matt (with Pudsey) arriving in Cambridge at the end of his penultimate leg.

We are delighted to be helping Matt Baker with his Rickshaw Challenge for BBC Children in Need, by providing real-time location tracking. Using the BuddyBeacon feature of the ViewRanger mobile app, Matt’s supporters and the public can follow live progress of his epic journey by rickshaw from Edinburgh to London, which started earlier today.

Matt’s progress can be viewed live at http://www.matt.viewranger.com/

Matt’s rickshaw is kitted out with a smartphone to allow him to share his location to the web as well as for him to be able to attach twitter messages and images to the visual record of his journey as it unfolds.

Similarly, it will help to ensure Matt’s support team and camera crew with ViewRanger on their phones will be able to get to the right place at the right time along the route.

ViewRanger’s BuddyBeacon works by transmitting the location of Matt and his Rickshaw using the mobile network. The system allows this to be received by other ViewRanger users or via the web. Whilst Matt’s location will be visible to anyone, users can choose to protect who can view their location using a PIN code, so that it can only be seen by those that have the PIN code. It works globally (where mobile coverage is available) and can be used for peace of mind, meeting up or just for fun.

Matt’s planned route has been loaded onto the app and will also help with accurate navigation along the way. Every mile of Matt’s epic 484 mile journey will be visible via the website, his schedule is:

Day 1 - Edinburgh to Hawick (53.5 Miles)
Day 2 - Hawick to Hexham (59.2 Miles)
Day 3 - Hexham to Barnard Castle (49.0 Miles)
Day 4 - Barnard Castle to York (70.6 Miles)
Day 5 - York to Lincoln (78.0 Miles)
Day 6 - Lincoln to Peterborough (73.2 Miles)
Day 7 - Peterborough to Cambridge (41.0 Miles)
Day 8 - Cambridge to London (59.3 Miles)

They’ll be an opportunity to cheer him on each day at the start and finishing line each day. But the tracking website will mean that people can track his progress with images and messages.

His journey is to raise funds for Children in Need. To donate £5, text "MATT" to 70705, texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message, £5 will go to BBC Children in Need. Find out more at http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/

We are ViewRangers - Tom Hutton

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:32:00 +0100

Can a mobile phone really work as a GPS? Outdoor Writer and Photographer, Tom Hutton, definitely thinks so.

A fully-functional OS mapping style GPS on a mobile phone - too good to be true eh? At least that’s what I thought until now.

And this is where this report starts to sound a bit clichéd.

Because it’s not too good to be true at all: using my Samsung Galaxy (yes, hard-up outdoor writers can’t run to i-Phones…), which I always carry with me in the hills, and ViewRanger mapping, I have exactly that - a fully-functional GPS running full OS mapping (1:50000 or 1:25000).

So as someone who (a.) prefers maps to gadgets and sometimes just wanders with nothing at all (it’s my job to explore); and (b.) doesn’t like to carry more than he needs: this is perfect. Most mornings I head off into the Cambrian Mountains with my Labrador, Du, a camera, my mobile, and not much else. On short days, we cover tracks or peaks we’ve done before and have no need to check anything. But on others, the wanderlust gets me (usually when I have a deadline and really ought to be at my desk), and we just keep going to ‘that peak over there’ or ‘up this valley here’ and sooner or later, I decide I ought to at least check the best line back again. And there it is on my mobile phone.

Other days, I go out with more purpose: researching for magazine articles or books for example. Then I run the mapping software from the off. Not only does the recorded track help me with my descriptions when I get back but the dashboard also records distance etc – always useful.

And so far I haven’t even mentioned the obvious: tricky navigation. Whilst I hope to retain my map reading skills for the foreseeable, setting a waypoint to go to, and then following a direction arrow that constantly adjusts as you track around obstacles etc, is definitely a lot quicker and a lot more accurate than leapfrogging.

But this summer things have got even better: ViewRanger mapping for parts of the Alps. In the Alps, way more than in the UK, it’s important to keep weight to an absolute minimum so a GPS receiver would usually be superfluous to requirements. But also in the Alps, way more than here, I’d carry a mobile for emergencies.

So with the mapping for the Chamonix area loaded, I set off on a couple of big climbs this year knowing that if I got caught out and needed to locate a hut or bivi or similar, I could use my phone to help. And anyone’s that’s been stuck on the Platiere du Gouter in a storm will tell you that knowing where the Vallot Hut is might just save your life. The fact that it will also give you a map reference for rescuers could be a life saver too.

So far, I’ve never really used it in anger. And in some ways, I hope it stays that way. But it has become an integral part of my outdoor gear, as has the Aquapac cover that allows me to take it out and use it in any weather.

Every now and then a piece of technology comes along that really fulfils the brief, and ViewRanger is definitely one of these. I’d recommend it to anybody.

Walk in Tom's Footsteps

Tom is a regular contributor to the route guides in Trail Magazine. You can discover many of the routes that Tom has authored for Trail Magazine, and download them to your ViewRanger app.

Discover his routes using the map below.

BuddyBeacon Favourites - Easier Tracking of Groups

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:37:00 +0100

A short while ago we extended our BuddyBeacon location-tracking webpages to make it simpler to create pages that automatically access "groups" of BuddyBeacons - handy if you want to watch a group of friends or you are search coordinator for a SAR team.

From the ViewRanger BuddyBeacon webpage, you can now store a set of BuddyBeacons as part of your My.ViewRanger account.

If you are logged in to your My.ViewRanger account, go to www.viewranger.com/buddybeacon and use the "Add BuddyBeacon" button to add the people you want to track (you'll need their Beacon name and their PIN code).

Then select the name, and in the panel to the bottom left of the map (next to the altitude/speed graph) click "Favourite".

This will remember that BuddyBeacon as part of your online account. You can "favourite" as many BuddyBeacons as you need to.

Now, when you go to www.viewranger.com/buddybeacon whilst logged in to My.ViewRanger - you'll automatically see your favourite BuddyBeacons displayed.

You can control the dates that are shown for the Buddies and tracks using the "From" and "To" fields.

ViewRanger Premium Topographic Maps - Now view on your PC or Mac too!

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:19:00 +0100

Today we are really pleased to release a major enhancement to our web-based community & route planning tool My.ViewRanger.com. By adding online access to your premium topographic map layers within the My.ViewRanger website, we think we have created the most comprehensive and integrated web and mobile outdoors route planning and navigation service.

On Smartphone, On Tablet, and Online!

Working with our national mapping agency partners, including Ordnance Survey in Great Britain, IGN in France, BKG in Germany, Ordnance Survey Ireland, and Land & Property Services (OSNI) in Northern Ireland, we've made it possible for ViewRanger users to view these maps on their smartphone, on their tablet, and now online at no additional cost. Downloading a map tile or map region to your Apple, Android, or Symbian mobile device will automatically make this same map area available through the My.ViewRanger.com community and route planning website.

We're pleased that My.ViewRanger.com has proved a hit with our app customers as it provides a web based desktop route planning and search tool that can be used via any connected pc, mac or laptop. And as it works seamlessly with our ViewRanger mobile app, it’s then a one click upload to your Apple, Android or Symbian mobile device, so that routes are installed, and ready to “hit the trail”. Clubs and communities are using the service to share routes & invites and it we're really pleased by the route guides that are being published by the user community. Don't forget to use the free widgets to embed route maps in your own websites, blogs, and facebook sites too!

Up until today, the My.ViewRanger website has offered route planning and discovery using open source global web map layers such as Google Maps, OpenStreetMap and Satellite imagery. From today, all ViewRanger customers can now additionally, use the website to view premium topographic mapping they already own from Ordnance Survey (Great Britain), OS NI (Northern Ireland), OSi (Rep of Ireland), BKG Germany and IGN France. Additionally, the whole of New Zealand LINZ 1:50K mapping is available to view and use free of charge.

Viewing a guided route over Premium Maps

You can view route guides that for routes that you have created, or any of the thousands of other route guides in the platform, over premium maps that you own (shown here over Ordnance Survey maps).

Plot and Create Routes

You can plot and create new routes - for your own private use or to publish and share with the ViewRanger community. Detailed national map agency charts can often contain more information about footpaths and other details that help you plot your routes more easily.

The same route shown over google maps:

The Widest Choice of Map Layers

Today we are making the premium charts for France, Germany, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Great Britain available online, alongside the existing map layers that were available in our My.ViewRanger community website.

We'll be looking to add more charts from our premium maps library soon.

My.ViewRanger route planner now comes with New Zealand LINZ charts

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:54:00 +0100

The My.ViewRanger.com online community and trail plotting website now displays detailed LINZ topographic map charts of New Zealand. LINZ is the national mapping agency of New Zealand (similar to Ordnance Survey in Great Britain, or IGN in France).

The LINZ map charts are freely viewable by everyone using the My.ViewRanger website, when you view a route (or tramping) guide page, plot a route, or view a track that you have recorded.

Once you have plotted or selected a tramping route, tap "sync" within the ViewRanger app on your iPhone, iPad, Android or Symbian device to transfer the route(s) wirelessly to the app. Likewise, when you record a track in New Zealand, and sync this up to your web account, you will be able to view this over the LINZ topographic map charts on the My.ViewRanger site.

For off-line, mobile usage, customers can purchase the LINZ mapping they need either in-app for Apple and Android devices or via the Viewranger web shop for Symbian smartphones. Ready for the start of this summer season ViewRanger have reduced the purchase price for all LINZ offline mapping for mobile devices and introduced easy to install low cost regional maps for Apple & Android devices.

Free New Zealand Maps for Route Plotting at My.ViewRanger

The detail shown on a LINZ map should make it easier to plot your tramping trails before heading off into the New Zealand countryside.

View a route:

Create a Route:

For comparison, this is what the same route looks like when viewed over a Google map:

On smartphone and tablet mobile devices:

LINZ topographic maps have been available within ViewRanger on your mobile devices for sometime. You can purchase LINZ charts for offline use with the ViewRanger app through in-app purchasing or via our webshop.

Latest Trail Magazine Hiking Route Guides Ready to Download

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:21:00 +0100

All the route guides from the November 2011 issue of Trail Magazine, the UK's leading hiking monthly, have been published and are now ready to download - for free - within ViewRanger. November's routes brings you big weekends in both Arrochar and Buttermere, two scrambles and a backpacking trip in Cumbria.

The Trail routes are available on all ViewRanger platforms - Apple, Android, and Symbian.

There are now over 150 high quality hiking route guides from Trail Magazine just waiting to be downloaded and explored.

ViewRanger Provides Live Tracking & Course Maps for Birketts' Round Norfolk Relay

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:34:00 +0100

ViewRanger (www.viewranger.com), the popular outdoors GPS app, is providing live-tracking and course maps for this weekend's Birketts' Round Norfolk Relay - an event that sees running clubs and athletics clubs running a course following the Norfolk county boundary non-stop over a 24-hour period through 17th/18th September 2011.

Using ViewRanger's BuddyBeacon location-tracking capability, organizers, family, and event supporters will be able to follow the progress of the teams live - via web, via mobile phone, and via large-screen displays at event HQ. Course marshalls and many teams will be carrying a smartphone running the ViewRanger app. The app is able to transmit information such as the location, speed, and heading of competitors throughout the event. The event can be followed live at: www.viewranger.com/RNR

Course maps for the event have been published by event organizers through the ViewRanger platform, allowing the course map to be downloaded onto competitors Apple, Android, or Symbian smartphones (see below). For an event like this that requires such team organization and coordination, being able to visualize the course in detail beforehand is a vital ingredient to any team's success.

The Birketts' Round Norfolk Relay course mirrors the county boundary over a distance of 195 miles, divided into 17 unequal stages. Norfolk’s enormous skies, vast sandy beaches, open spaces and picturesque towns and villages, with their attractive cottages and medieval churches, all contribute to making the race a unique running experience. But it is likely to be the spectacular skies at sunset and sunrise which will provide the most vivid memories.

The race begins with a staggered time start in Kings Lynn and then, from Hunstanton, follows the stunning coastline through 5 multi terrain stages using the Norfolk Coastal path as far as Cromer. The 35 miles (4 stages) from Cromer to Great Yarmouth are on the road. By the time the majority of teams reach Great Yarmouth it is dark.

From Great Yarmouth, the course turns south-west following mains roads for 67 miles (4 stages), all run in darkness. It is during these mostly flat stages through Breckland that the time stagger unwinds and the race is invariably won or lost. On reaching Feltwell (Stage 14) there are only 33 miles remaining. These 4 remaining stages are run across the flat Fens through the early morning mist. About half way into the final stage, the course follows the Great Ouse River into historic King’s Lynn, passing by the old Custom house, through the famous Tuesday Market Place and then on to the Finish at Lynnsport.

Unique in character and concept, the race presents not only a tough physical challenge, but also a test of the organizational prowess of a club. Each club must be affiliated to EA or ARC and have 17 different runners. Runners must be a member of the club they are representing.

For more information on the event, see: www.roundnorfolkrelay.com

About ViewRanger GPS

Augmentra Ltd is the Cambridge UK based Angel funded software development company behind ViewRanger, the award winning mobile app, which delivers Mapping, Navigation, GPS- enabled guides & route content and Location Sharing to anyone, worldwide, who wants to get more from their time in the Great Outdoors.

The App runs on a massive range of smartphones and devices that use the Apple iOS (iPhone/iPad), Android, or Symbian OS and works virtually anywhere in the world using web based mapping, which can be cached for off-line use. Additionally, it can upgraded to run premium topographic map data like Ordnance Survey maps in Great Britain, for a growing number of countries, including Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, parts of Italy, Norway, New Zealand, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland & USA. A testament to the App’s accuracy and reliability is the fact that it is today used by almost 50% of Search & Rescue teams in England & Wales.

The ViewRanger App is complemented by a web portal for route planning, account control and community sharing at www.my.viewranger.com. The App is also a powerful GPS-enabled content publishing platform that allows Guidebook & Route owners, like The AA, Walking World, Cumbria Tourism and Cordee to deliver their content directly to a user’s smartphone.

www.viewranger.com

For more information contact: Ian Pond, Marketing Director at ViewRanger – ian@viewranger.com

My.ViewRanger Update - The Community Activity Wall

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:33:00 +0100

The latest update for the My.ViewRanger online community and trail planning website has been released today. It includes an "Activity Wall" that shows you what is going on in the community, shows feedback from other users on any trail guides that you publish, and shows activity from trail guide authors that you have 'favourited'.

You can find the Activity Wall in your My.ViewRanger homepage, when you log-in to the site from any web browser.

You can filter the Activity Wall, to quickly see what activity has taken place connected with routes that you have published (see when other users have downloaded your trail guides, rated your trail guides, or commented on your trail guides).

You can also filter the Activity Wall to show activity that is connected with your favourite authors. This is a neat way to discover similar trail guides, learn when new trail guides are published by your preferred authors, and much more.

ViewRanger #1 Best Selling App in iTunes Norway

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:52:00 +0100

We were delighted to discover that ViewRanger achieved #1 Top-Grossing Apple iPhone app status in Norway this weekend - across all app and games categories.

Used and trusted by outdoor enthusiasts, the ViewRanger app delivers clever outdoor GPS navigation, location-tracking, and high quality topographic mapping including charts from Norway's national mapping agency.

We proud that our ViewRanger app has a track record of achieving #1 status within the Apple iTunes Navigation category having become a best-selling app in many territories including Great Britain, Ireland, Slovenia, and just last week in Sweden.

However, being the best grossing application for iPhone across all categories (including beating the new Smurfs game into third place) is fantastic.

So a big thank you to all our Scandinavian customers!

ViewRanger Enhancements Help Event Organizers

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 15:43:00 +0100

Charity walks, cycle sportives, long distance running events, and many other kinds of events are leveraging ViewRanger to provide a range of services to enhance their events. Route visualization, downloadable course maps, and live location-tracking are all available - for free - to event organizers.

Creating a Course Map

It is simple to use ViewRanger to create a map of the event course and to display this on an event website, event blog, or even in a Facebook site for the event. Plus, this course map is available for any event participants to download directly to their Apple, Android, or Symbian smartphone.

1) Create a ViewRanger account

To set up a course map, simply create an account at our http://my.viewranger.com online community and publishing platform website. You don't need to be an app user to create a publishing account. You can add your event logo and some brief details about the event to your Profile Page. Don't forget to include the dates of your event, and the website where interested participants can find out more information.

2) Use the Route Editor within the website to plot your course map. If you have a GPX file available, then you can simply import that into the Editor. You can place icons at key locations around the course - a great way to mark feeding stations or other key waypoints.

3) Give the Route a name and some useful information about your event and the course itself.

4) Click Publish

See: http://my.viewranger.com/user/details/38284 for an example from the Summit65 mountain bike festival, or http://my.viewranger.com/user/details/42604 for Cyclefit events.

Embedding a Course Map in Your Event Website

On each Route Page (the page in the website that shows your course map), there is a small piece of html code that you can simply copy and paste into the html of a page on your website. This will embed a widget showing your course map directly into your webpage. The same can be done for blogs and Facebook sites. The map will look similar to the course map for the upcoming Great Barrow Challenge below:

BuddyBeacon for Live Event Tracking

More and more outdoor event organizers are using ViewRanger BuddyBeacon to offer a dynamic live-tracking service for their event. Equipping your event marshalls - particularly lead cars and broom wagons with ViewRanger handsets is a simple and cheap way to track the overall progress of your event.

However, you'll probably find that more and more of your event participants are already ViewRanger users - so tell them that they can download your course map direct to their phone AND encourage them to use ViewRanger BuddyBeacon (and to provide you with those details) so that their progress can be included on the interactive tracking map.

Many events are now setting up big screen TV's or projector screens and displaying this interactive map. We even hear of friends and family turning up at multiple places around a course to cheer their loved ones on - as they can follow the progress of the event through the interactive tracking map.

We've recently made some enhancements to the BuddyBeacon webpages (find them at www.viewranger.com/buddybeacon) that makes it easy to set up a full-screen auto-refreshing map that can be left to show live progress updates on a big screen.

Events that have or are using ViewRanger in this way includes The Summit 65 Chilterns Mountain Bike festival, Cyclefit events, Snowdon500, The Birketts Round Norfolk Relay event, The Great Barrow Challenge,

We'll be adding more into ViewRanger to make events such as these a more interactive and dynamic experience for organizers, participants and supporters. If you are planning an event for 2012 - why not see if ViewRanger can add a new dimension?

New Update of ViewRanger for Android

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:45:00 +0100

We have just released V2.2.3 of ViewRanger for Android smartphones and tablets.

In-App Purchasing via Android Market

You can now purchase premium maps direct from your Android smartphone or tablet! No more having to purchase through our webshop and sideload the map data onto your microSD card (though this channel is still available, of course).

Simply go to Organizer > ViewRanger Store >

and browse the wide range of maps available. You can purchase map regions, or purchase a credit pack to use to download individual map tiles.

Premium mapping is available for: Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Ireland, parts of Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and USA.

NOTE: To support in-app purchasing, most people will need to update the AndroidMarket app itself. See: http://support.viewranger.com/wikihelp/index.php/Android_Market_Troubleshooting for more info.

Multitouch Zoom

This new version includes support for multi-touch zoom, so you can pinch/pull to zoom in and out. You can also "double-tap" with a single finger to zoom-in.

This works for the free online maps (openstreetmap, opencyclemap, Bing maps, etc) and for the premium charts (Ordnance survey, IGN, BKG, National Geographic, NLS Finland, SwissTopo, etc.)

New Update to My.ViewRanger Community Site

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:13:00 +0100

We’ve just released an exciting update to the My.ViewRanger.com online community and route planning website. My.ViewRanger lets you discover, create, and share your outdoor adventures, and synch these wirelessly with your ViewRanger app on Apple, Symbian, and Android smartphones and tablets.

This update is based on feedback from you – the ViewRanger community. It includes

Integration of ViewRanger BuddyBeacon with Twitter to show your tweets and photos
Use ViewRanger Widgets to embed ViewRanger content in your own websites, blog posts, and facebook pages
An enhanced route-search interactive map page
Usability improvements including user requested features such as deleting tracks

Easier ways to share your outdoor adventures:

Integration of BuddyBeacon, ViewRanger’s location-sharing feature, with your community profile

When you are out and using ViewRanger BuddyBeacon, you can now have ViewRanger automatically show a link to your BuddyBeacon tracking page on your profile page within the ViewRanger online community site. Let the ViewRanger community site tell your friends that you are outside!

Privacy controls are included in your Profile Settings page to control whether this is active or not.

Integration of ViewRanger BuddyBeacon with Twitter

Your BuddyBeacon track can now automatically show along its length all (or selected) tweets and tweeted photos that you post whilst out on your trip. Simply add your Twitter details to your community site Profile Settings page.

If you don't want all your tweets shown on your BuddyBeacon track, you can control which Tweets are shown by specifying a #hashtag - I use #vr. You'll then see only the tweets that are sent containing this hashtag.

For photos, Instagram, Flickr, Twitpic, Twitgoo, and Twitter's own new photo sharing service are currently supported.

ViewRanger Widgets – Share Your Routes and Tracks in Your Own Website, Blog, and Facebook Tabs

We have added four ViewRanger “widgets” that make it quick and easy to share your routes, tracks, and more through your own web sites, blog posts, facebook page, and more.

Profile Badge

Use this to share your ViewRanger profile page with family and friends. This badge links to your public profile page and dynamically shows your profile image and the number of routes that you have published into the ViewRanger community.

Route Widget & Track Widget

Use these widgets to embed maps of a route that you have published, tracks that you have uploaded, or perhaps show off the route you plan on using at the weekend. Ideal for blog posts and trip reports.

Search Map Widget

Use the Search widget to embed a dynamic map with many routes. This widget will replicate the filter settings you have applied – making it easy to embed a map that shows just your published routes, or that shows cycling routes nearby your local town that are shorter than a certain length.

If you are a guidebook publisher, tourism organization, prolific community publisher, or other route publisher then this widget makes it simple to add your route content into your web pages, blog posts, and facebook pages.

It’s also a great way for campsite owners, hotel and bed & breakfast operators, outward bound centers, and other places to embed an interactive map of high quality outdoor route guides in your own websites – a powerful way to show your visitors what is around you!

You’ll find code snippets on your community home page (for the Profile Badge), on every published route map page, on every track map page, and on the route search page. Simply copy the code snippet and add it into your web page, blog post, or a facebook HTML iframe page tab.

Easier ways to discover and find routes to download to the app:

Enhanced route search page

We have improved the route search page that lets you discover and browse all the great route content contributed by our brand publishers and the ViewRanger community. Above the map, you’ll now find a set of filter controls that let you refine your search by:

• Route type (walking, cycling, air-based, etc)

• Length of route (you can select a range, or find routes that are “longer than...” or “shorter than...”)

• Publisher Brand, or show community routes only

• Difficulty rating of the route

We have also improved the text search on this page – so that it will search the route name, summary, shortcode, and publisher name fields for matching terms.

Usability Improvements

Deleting Tracks

You can now delete unwanted tracks that you have uploaded to your account from your handset.

Improvements to Route Editor

It is now quicker to create a route for your own private use, as you no longer have to enter a summary description and other details before saving your private route. You can simply plot the waypoints in the website's route editor, tap the save button, and then use the ViewRanger app to synch it directly to your mobile device. Published routes - i.e. those shared with the ViewRanger community - still require descriptions and other information to be completed before they can be successfully published.

Better Route Management

We have added a full list of the routes that you have downloaded into your Routes and Tracks page.

View all the routes published by a user or brand

We have added a "View All Routes" button to every public profile page. This makes it simple to go to a map showing the location of all the routes that have been published by that author.

ViewRanger Android Beta 2.2.0

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 09:00:00 +0100

We have released a new beta release for Android, version 2.2.0. The main changes are:

- Support for in-app purchase of maps and credit.

- Pinch and stretch zoom, on phones that support it.

- Import of .LOC files.

- ETA and ETE in trip view now display correctly.

- A range of bug fixes and small improvements.

The beta is available from www.viewranger.com/vranbetâa. To install go to this page using the web browser on your phone; tap the Android logo to download; tap the downloaded file to install. If you use an Android Market version of ViewRanger, please wait for the release as we can't publish betas on the Market.

Release notes are in the wiki.

If you have any problems or feedback please email support@viewranger.com.

New ViewRanger BuddyBeacon location sharing web pages

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0100

We've released an update to the ViewRanger BuddyBeacon webpage that enhances the permissive tracking of friends and family on the web.

ViewRanger BuddyBeacon is a great way to share your outdoor adventures; charity events; or just to stay in touch when you are out in the field. (Don't forget you can also track friend's BuddyBeacons directly within the ViewRanger app).

Find out more about how to set up BuddyBeacon within the ViewRanger app here: http://www.viewranger.com/product-overview/product-features/buddybeacon

The update includes:

You can add and follow more than one BuddyBeacon at the same time; making it simple to track groups.

The webpage's URL can be copied to share links to BuddyBeacon pages - ideal for setting up a page for an event or activity. You can also share links to your BuddyBeacon pages via Facebook and Twitter.

You can see altitude and speed graphs. The graph shown in the image below shows an ascent/descent of Snowdon as part of our participation in the Snowdon100 event earlier this year.

We've made some changes to the icons and page layout.

The profile image from your http://my.viewranger.com account will be used as your BuddyBeacon image.

You can set the time window over which you want to view a recorded track, and customize the local viewing timezone.

The ViewRanger BuddyBeacon homepage shows the (anonymous) latest locations of a selection of BuddyBeacon users around the world.

Try it for yourself at:
http://www.viewranger.com/buddybeacon

ViewRanger at Geocaching's MegaWales

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0100

This weekend a small group from ViewRanger is off to participate at MegaWales 2011. MegaWales is the UK's fourth geocaching Mega-Event and will be held in Brangwyn Hall, Swansea on Sunday 31st July 2011.

A Mega-Event cache is similar to an Event Cache but it is much larger. More than six hundred avid geocachers are already signed up to attend. If you haven't registered yet, then simply turn up on the day.

You can find out more on the MegaWales website, including the program of talks here: http://www.megawales.co.uk/program.html

ViewRanger and Geocaching

ViewRanger can be an excellent app with which to explore geocaching as it combines the ability to display the geocache information from the pocket queries, downloaded as GPX files from geocaching.com or opencaching.com with OS maps. Plus, ViewRanger's navigation capabilities can be used to help guide you towards the cache.

So, if you are attending MegaWales this weekend, seek out Eric and Mel from ViewRanger. Who knows, you may even be able to grab yourself a highly desirable ViewRanger T-Shirt ;-)

Update for My.ViewRanger.com Online Community and Trip Planning Website

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0100

We have released an update for the My.ViewRanger.com online community and trip planning website.

My.viewranger is our web based customer zone designed to work alongside our mobile app, to allow you to use the convenience of your computer to:

* Plan your next adventure: search for routes, create your own
* Get organised: Synchronise your routes with your phones
* Invite others to participate: share your route
* Record your trips: Wirelessly upload your gps tracks from your phone
* Share your experiences: rate and comment on routes you have done
* Share your trips: share your tracks to Twitter, Facebook, and via email
* Keep a record of your trips: add notes & photos

New Updates at My.ViewRanger.com

GPS Tracks
â¢ Now includes a track map page that shows the track, elevation profile and key stats (average speed, distance and time).
â¢ You can share your track pages via facebook, twitter and email

Record the GPS track of your trip with the ViewRanger app and then Synch or Upload it wirelessly, from your phone or tablet, to your community account. You'll have a map page that you can share with friends, family, and your Twitter and Facebook followers.

Userâs Profile Page
â¢ You can now share profile pages with facebook, twitter and email. Share links to your own page, or share links to your favourite brands and publishers.
â¢ In the Recently shared section, all routes are now included and pagination is available. Before it only showed the most recent 20. This allows users to see all of the content of a user/brand

Share your profile page by clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, or email share links under the profile image.

Activity on my routes
â¢ On your homepage, an Activity Feed is now included so you can see who has favourite you and when someone comments on your routes.

View balance
â¢ On the view credit balance page, the 3 types of credit are shown â general, Norway and the deprecated UK credit (some long-time users of ViewRanger may still have UK-specific map credits), rather than just general and Norway.

Android beta 2.1.3

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0100

A new beta release of ViewRanger for Android is available, version 2.1.3. This contains a number of fixes and small improvements, particularly to track recording and syncing.

The release is available from www.viewranger.com/vranbeta - visit that page using the web browser on your phone, tap on the Android logo to download, then tap on the downloaded file to install. Sorry, the beta is not available if you use a version of ViewRanger downloaded from the Market.

Details of changes are in the wiki.

Android beta news

Wed, 25 May 2011 00:00:00 +0100

A new beta release of ViewRanger for Android is available. It is version 2.1.0.

The ViewRanger Store section has been completely re-designed. It includes pictures and descriptions of the maps, and includes more route search options.

To install the beta use your phone's web browser to visit www.viewranger.com/vranbeta. Tap on the Android logo to download, then tap on the downloaded file to install. If you use the Market version of ViewRanger, you need to wait for the release version.

All feedback welcome, to support@viewranger.com.

Release news

Wed, 25 May 2011 00:00:00 +0100

We have published updates for all versions of ViewRanger this week.

These updates add support for synchronizing routes and tracks with our new My.ViewRanger site, and with other devices. They also add improved account settings, and device management.

Android - version 2.0 is available from www.viewranger.com/software or the Android Market. As well as syncing it adds the new Trip view. Details here.

iPhone - version 2.0 is available from the App Store. As well as syncing it adds place name and route search, and commands like route from track. Details here.

Symbian - version 2.9.2 is available from www.viewranger.com/software. If you get your software from an app store like Ovi, you need to wait for your app store to publish the update. As well as the syncing and account management, it improves internet access point handling. Details here.

New ViewRanger update in the Apple appstore

Wed, 18 May 2011 00:00:00 +0100

You'll notice a new ViewRanger update (V2.0.0) is now available to download from the Apple appstore.

This update refines and tidys some of the connectivity, that was introduced in the previous release, between the app and the new my.viewranger.com online community and trip planning website - including tidying some areas around account creation and sign in.

You'll also find that recorded tracks that now ordered more logically within the app, with newly recorded tracks listed at the top.

New In-App Map Regions Available

At the same time, we have added new in-app regional map products for France and for Northern Ireland. These provide a simple and quick way to purchase and download common recreational areas.

Some of the regions include:

Northern Ireland - 1:25,000 OSNI Activity Maps:

Lough Erne
Glens of Antrim
Mournes
Causeway Coast
Strangford Lough
Sperrins

France - 1:25,000 IGN maps:

Parcs des PyrÃ©nÃ©es Catalanes
Parc des Volcans d'Auvergne
Parcs de Loire / IsÃ¨re
Parcs de Essonne / Aube
Parcs de Hautes Alpes / Maritimes
Parc Nat. RÃ©g. Des PyrÃ©nÃ©es AriÃ©geoises
Parc de Normandie Maine

and many more.

Beta news

Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Both the Symbian and Android betas have been updated.

Android is now version 1.5.11 and is available from www.viewranger.com/vranbeta. It contains a fix to a track recording problem in the previous beta. It also makes the calculation of height gain and loss faster and more accurate and fixes a few other small problems. More details here.

Symbian is now version 2.9.2 and is available from www.viewranger.com/vrbeta. It adds a new Account section to Settings, enabling you to manage your ViewRanger account in one place. On touch screen phones, ViewRanger now uses access point groups, to simplify internet access. More details here.

If you install your app from Android Market, Ovi, or another app store, please wait for the final release as these betas need a license key.

Love ViewRanger and want to feature in our new video?

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 +0100

We'll be filming for our new promo video next Wednesday in the South Downs, England.

If you are a ViewRanger app user, in the area and available to participate at our filming location, then we'd love to include you.

If you are interested, then send an email to ian@viewranger.com

Beta news

Thu, 05 May 2011 00:00:00 +0100

The Android beta has been updated to v1.5.7. In this release the account settings section has been improved, and includes support for adding your device to your my.viewranger.com account. There are a few trip view fixes too, and some drawing optimizations.

To install use the web browser on your phone to go to www.viewranger.com/vranbeta, tap on the Android logo, then tap on the downloaded file. If you get your app from the market, then you need to wait a little longer, this version will be published there shortly.

Mountain and Cave Rescue Awareness Day

Mon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Today, 2nd May, is Mountain and Cave Rescue Awareness Day.

ViewRanger will be in the hands of Judy and Gail - the âTwirliesâ - to aid them on their fundraising Coast-to-Coast challenge walk that they start today in support of the MREW benevolent fund. Find out more about them and their challenge at: www.justgiving.com/twirliesontour.

At ViewRanger we're proud to be able actively supports MRTâs every day of the year through our VSAR program. The VSAR Program delivers ViewRanger software and detailed topographic mapping to search and rescue team members, such that today 50% of the England & Wales Mountain Rescue Teams use ViewRanger, saving them money compared to purchasing expensive dedicated outdoor GPS units.

ViewRanger includes its own BuddyBeacon tracking feature, which shares your location with other people. BuddyBeacon allows MRT members to see each otherâs locations on their handsets, improving search co-ordination. There is also a web access to BuddyBeacon which means that MRT coordinators back at base can track rescue progress in real time, and tracklog recording helps with the reporting process after a rescue*.

ViewRanger's integration with Retrieva Tracking's GPS dog collar is also helping SARDA Search and Rescue Dog teams to track and follow their search dogs right alongside the team's human participants.

MRT teams say:

"Weather conditions were poor with visibility down to 50 metres in heavy snow. ViewRanger guided the stretcher party to and from the casualty site." Glossop Mountain Rescue Team

"At Kendal MRT we are finding the more we use ViewRanger the more we like it. Having just used it extensively in the Cairngorms during winter training we are impressed by the accuracy achieved, ease of use and its ability to supplement and reinforce more traditional navigation techniques. Not everyone in the team has a personal GPS enabled with a mapping facility, but all of us have and use mobile phones, so the addition of ViewRanger to team members with compatible phones is a very cost-effective way of enhancing our ability to operate in poor conditions, especially when working away from our âhomeâ area with other Teams." Kendal Mountain Rescue Team

"Once they had seen it in action, now all team members want it!" Dartmoor Rescue Group

Click here for more details on the search and rescue teams using ViewRanger.

ViewRanger publishes selection of 2011 Isle of Wight Walking Festival routes

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0100

With the 2011 Isle of Wight Walking Festival (7th-22nd May), just over a week away, we have today published a selection of Festival walks available to download onto your smartphone using the ViewRanger app.

Through our âPartnerâ association with the 2011 IOW Walking Festival, we are delighted that the organisers have agreed that each of the routes will be free to install for the duration of the event.

A total of 15 walking routes are available these include the 6 stage trail of the Island Coastal Path and a selection of other trails between 5 and 15 miles in duration.

Each downloadable route comes complete with mapped trail, navigation and historical information as well as photos of points along the way.

ViewRanger will be present at the opening day event in Seaview, so if youâre going along do come and say hello.

View the Festival routes on the Isle of Wight Walking Fetival page at the ViewRanger online community website or search for "IOW" from the app on your phone.

Beta news

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0100

The ViewRanger for Android beta has been updated to version 1.5.6. It is available from www.viewranger.com/vranbeta. It contains a few fixes compared to v1.5.5.

A new ViewRanger for Symbian beta has been posted, v2.9.1. It is available from www.viewranger.com/vrbeta. It adds support for Synchronizing routes, tracks and license keys with the new My.ViewRanger site and between handsets. There are more details in the release notes.

In both cases, if you installed ViewRanger from an app store like the Android Market or Ovi, please wait for the release to be available in your app store.

Northern Ireland Topo Maps and WalkNI Routes Now Available

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0100

We're really pleased to release Northern Ireland mapping and route content into the ViewRanger content library today.

Topo Maps

We've worked with Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland to bring both 1:50,000 Discoverer maps and 1:25,000 scale Activity maps to ViewRanger.

The 1:50,000 maps are available to download direct to the handset as 10km x 10km map tiles; or as an "all" Northern Ireland region download (available in-app or through our webshop). These tiles work seamlessly with our existing Ordnance Survey Ireland maps - allowing a seamless map across the whole island.

The 1:25,000 activity maps are available to download as map regions in-app and through our webshop. Six regions are available: Causeway Coast, Glens of Antrim, Mournes, Lough Erne, Strangford Lough, and Sperrins. The digital maps, which cost just Â£7.99 each, exactly mirror the paper Activity Maps published by OSNI.

WalkNI Quality Walking Routes

To complement the OSNI mapping, we are working with WalkNI and CycleNI, in association with Northern Ireland Tourism Board, to bring you the best walking and cycling routes across Northern Ireland.

Today we've released 19 Quality medium length walks. These are available to browse and download through the ViewRanger app, and can be browsed on the new ViewRanger online community and trip planning website.

More to come...

With Northern Ireland Tourism Board we are working to bring you the best content to explore this country - so look out for more great routes and information to be published over the next few weeks.

ViewRanger adds 1,300 Walkhighlands trails to its database of downloadable leisure routes

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0100

It's a very busy content publishing day for the ViewRanger team, again, today.

We are delighted to announce the addition of 1,300 guided walking routes for Scotland following the conclusion of a publishing agreement with the popular walking routes website Walkhighlands. These routes are available immediately on Apple, Android, and Symbian devices.

The addition of Walkhighlands to the ViewRanger publishing roster makes our App probably the UKâs most comprehensive source of expert planned guided walking trails and cycling rides offering access to almost 10,000 routes nationally. Every expert guided route can be installed onto your smartphone with just a few taps providing a mapped path and navigation.

Embedded within each of the routes, you can access a wealth of local expertise, for instance many of the Walkhighlands routes even feature audio clips giving the correct pronunciation for place names.

The routes from Walkhighlands offer walks for all tastes from challenging trails up every Munro to short woodland or even urban walks. An important part of its mission is to help the small, local tourism businesses so vital to Scotland's rural economy.

All registered ViewRanger customers can try a Walkhighlands route for free as these are included in the free routes promotion running now until 2nd May. You can also view the Walkhighlands routes through the web at their profile page at My.ViewRanger.com

Going Cycling? More Nick Cotton Rides Now Available

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0100

We've just added a further 73 brilliant route guides from Nick Cotton Rides to the ViewRanger trails and routes content library.

Featuring routes from the Cotswolds and from Dorset, this latest collection joins the 200 existing Nick Cotton Rides already available.

These routes, like all ViewRanger routes, are available to download in the ViewRanger app for Apple, Android and Symbian smartphones and tablets. They are also available to discover and browse within the new ViewRanger online community and trip planning website.

Find these routes at the Nick Cotton Rides profile page within the my.viewranger online community or search within the ViewRanger app on your mobile device.

The Nick Cotton Rides are published in association with cycle-routes.com

Android beta updated to 1.5.5

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0100

The Android beta has been updated to v1.5.5.

The main change is the addition of Synchronising with the new My.ViewRanger web site - this allows you to upload and download routes, and to upload tracks.

A few problems have been fixed too. The release notes have more details.

The beta is available from www.viewranger.com/vranbeta. Note the beta is not available through the Market, and if you switch from a Market version you'll need to get a key from us.

Get Free Routes To Celebrate My.ViewRanger Community Site

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0100

If youâre thinking of getting out for a walk or cycle over the upcoming public holidays, why not let your phone guide you? We are providing a free cycling or walking route each of those days â thatâs four free routes to download from our massive library of premium, expert authored, guided routes.

The free routes are to celebrate the launch of our brand new online community & route planner âMy.ViewRanger.comâ. The new website works alongside our app and will make it even easier for you to plan, find and share trails using the big screen of your pc or laptop.

Choose from route publishers including WalkingWorld, Cumbria Tourism, Cordee and The AA, CityCycleGuides and Nick Cotton Rides.

My.ViewRanger.com is free to use and all ViewRanger customers can log-in using their existing ViewRanger mobile account details. Once logged in, you can link the service to your mobile device and use it to create your own routes or browse and choose from the massive database of published routes. The website is also accessible to non-customers, so it can be used to invite friends to participate in activities, by sharing a link by e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.

The promotion runs over the period Sunday 17th April to Monday 2nd May covering the Easter, Royal Wedding and early Spring 2011 bank holidays: Good Friday April 22, Easter Monday April 25, Royal Wedding April 29, May Day May 2.

The free offer covers all standard routes (excl Hadrianâs wall Video & Guides incl mapping) from ViewRanger for all registered customers (includes those using the 15day free trial over the period). The first 4 paid routes from any publisher will be delivered at no charge. Subsequent routes during the period will be charged as normal. Free routes (eg Trail Magazine routes) do not count against the 4 free paid routes. A customer with a zero credit balance can benefit from the 4 free routes providing that they are registered. Customers who do not download all 4 routes before 2nd May will not be able to access the offer after this date. The normal value of routes varies between about 50p to Â£2.00.

ViewRanger for Android Beta - Trip View

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0100

A new beta release of ViewRanger for Android is available. It adds the new Trip View. You can configure the Trip View to show a number of different statistics, such as speed, distance, time, compass, and navigation.

The beta can be installed by using your Android phone's web browser to visit www.viewranger.com/vranbeta. (Sorry, betas are not available through the Market, so if you use the Market version you need to wait for the end of the beta.)

It also addresses a frustration some users have had with the BuddyBeacon. Now, if you manually send a BuddyBeacon this will also send the historic data points if there are data points that haven't been sent yet. Historic data points are the BuddyBeacon messages that the device was unable to send at the time because you were temporarily out of mobile network coverage.

New Website For www.viewranger.com

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

This morning we have launched our shiny, new website at www.viewranger.com.

We are really pleased with it and believe that it is much easier to use. It should be simpler to find the information that you are looking for - and we have included a lot more information on our mapping and content partners.

Weâd love you to go and have a look! Please do let us know what you think and tell us if you have any issues or suggestions for more improvements.

ViewRanger web server

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

The ViewRanger web server will be offline for a short period tomorrow, 31st March, while it is upgraded. It will be unavailable from 8am, and will be available again by 10am, probably much sooner. During this time the web pages and in-app web services will not be available.

The shop will not be affected and support will be available as normal by email and by phone.

Sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

ViewRanger GPS Updated for Apple iPhone, iPad

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

New updates of ViewRanger GPS for Apple iPod, iPhone, and iPad devices have gone live today.

What's New?

1. Introduction of numeric co-ordinate entry (ideal for Geocaching) whilst panning over map, creating a POI, viewing properties of a POI or Waypoint.
2. Improved ViewRanger store to allow easy search and purchase of premium maps and expert guided routes, includes display of ViewRanger Credit balance.
3. Map view now includes fixed visible cross-hair at the centre of the screen, together with numeric coordinate on display.
4. On-screen map scale bar
5. Supports iTunes File Sharing
6. Other enhancements to UI and bug fixes based on user feedback

Two items of feedback that we received from many ViewRanger customers and that we have addressed in this update were numeric coordinate entry and better browsing of the growing ViewRanger content library.

1. Coordinate Entry

Manual coordinate entry on iPhone.

A lot of you have been asking for manual coordinate entry within the iPhone app (particularly as it is already available in the Android and Symbian apps). I know that those of you that use ViewRanger for geocaching were particularly keen to see this added. And, similarly, we'd heard requests for this from many of the mountain rescue teams that use our ViewRanger app.

We've now added this. To access the Coordinate Entry panel, simply tap on the coordinate display at the top of the map screen.

2. Easier Browsing of Content

As our network of content partners has grown, and as the range of maps and routes has expanded, we've seen a need to improve the content browsing experience within the app.

Previously, the ViewRanger Store showed a list of maps. Today's update provides a much more visual browsing experience that includes clearer pricing information, display of your ViewRanger Credit balance, preview images for most content items, and simpler ways to find the content that you want.

Browsing content on iPhone.

For me, being able to quickly discover the maps and content that is available from my favourite brands, or being able to filter my route searches by the kind of route (cycling, walking, etc.) has made the process a lot quicker.

It also illustrates the amount and breadth of content that is available to download within ViewRanger. Of course, we're already working with many new partners, who are eager to share their content with you, to bring their maps, routes, and guides into the ViewRanger publishing platform.

Browsing content on iPad.

We'll post more on the specific ways that you can discover and browse Map, Route and Guide content within this new tool in a separate blog post.

ViewRanger is Top-10 App in Norway in 2011

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Nokia Norway has released a list of the most popular apps delivered through it's OVI appstore, so far in 2011. We're very pleased to see ViewRanger GPS at #8 in the paid-for apps list (behind the all conquering Angry Birds of course).

The full lists are below:

NORWAY

Top Ten â paid apps

1. Angry Birds Symbian3

2. Angry Birds Seasons Symbian3

3. SPB Mobile Shell

4. JoikuSpot Premium Wifi HotSpot

5. SoundHound

6. FingerPrint-V2

7. Farm Frenzy

8. ViewRanger

9. Guitar Tuner

10. Quickoffice Premier 6

Top Ten â free apps

1. Spotify

2. Skype

3. Opera Mobile Browser 10.1

4. FingerPrint Lite

5. Facebook Chat

6. Hangman

7. Skiller WallBall

8. Nokia Battery Monitor

9. Yr.no

10. Angry Birds Lite Symbian3

[source: Nordic Blog at blogs.nokia.com]

ViewRanger Symbian Beta Updated

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Thank you to everyone who has been trying the ViewRanger Symbian beta and providing feedback.

The touch screen version for 5th edition and ^3 phones has been updated to v2.8.12 with some fixes and performance improvements. (The 2nd and 3rd edition version will be updated next week.)

The release notes list the changes. The beta is available at www.viewranger.com/vrbeta.

Hundreds of Cycle Ride Guides Added Today

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

From today, expert planned cycle rides from leading publishers including CycleCity Guides, Cordee Publishing, Shropshire County Council, and Nick Cotton Rides are now available to download direct to your ViewRanger app.

We've entered into a mobile publishing partnership with just-launched Cycleroutes.com and its contributors such that the hundreds of quality cycle routes on cycleroutes.com are now available for download directly. All include detailed information along the route.

Sources include:
* Traffic-Free Cycle Trails, the best-selling guidebook from CycleCity Guides;
* the Cycle Tours series from Cordee Publishing;
* the popular Coast-to-Coast (C2C) route in Northern England (in stages) from Excellent Books;
* and scores of rides from Nick Cotton, renowned author of more than 40 cycling guides across the country.

So, get searching, browsing, selecting, and downloading - and out on your bike!

ViewRanger for Android Update

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The latest software update of ViewRanger for Android smartphones and tablets has just gone live in the Android Market and on our website. It has also been submitted to other Android appstores.

New:
* Placename and postcode search via local gazetteer or online search
* Manual coordinate entry - a big help for geocaching
* Updated Context and Options menus throughout.
* New titlebar with configurable map text, Quick-Navi button and location search button
* Improved route editing UI
* Double tap the map to zoom in

Bug fixes:
* Send old positions switch in BuddyBeacon location sharing now works
* Better support for Android tablets
* Numerous small improvements.

For all the details see the ViewRanger wiki site.

The new map screen header:

Better route editing:

Placename search:

Manual coordinate entry:

Beta release for of ViewRanger for Symbian

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A beta release of ViewRanger for Symbian phones is available from www.viewranger.com/vrbeta, v2.8.11.

The wiki page contains a full list of changes, but the main changes are:

Full support for Symbian ^3 phones such as the N8, E7 and C7.

Pinch and stretch zooming on phones that support multi-touch.

Kinetic scrolling - flick the screen, it continues to pan.

Improved route editing. Waypoints have handles, so while moving the point you can see it and the map. Toggle between panning and adding points. While toggled to panning you can edit previous points.

Improved button layouts, including on screen sound controls.

Distance to/from start/end shown in routes. Distance to a waypoint along the route shown - how far is it to the lunch stop!

Location bar can be configured to show 3 statistics, including time, speed, distance to go, altitude, coordinates and so on.

If you have any questions or feedback, please email support@viewranger.com.

ViewRanger adds Business Traveller city guides to its growing leisure guides portfolio

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

With great quality street mapping for cities all around the world, available on ViewRanger using web based mapping layers such as OpenStreetMap*, we have entered into a pilot programme with Business Traveller, the leading magazine for the frequent business traveller to publish a selection of their guided city walking tours as downloadable routes.

Part of Business Travellerâs mission is to entertain corporate travellers, and make their travelling life easier, so its global editorial team create and publish short âcity guidesâ which offer visitorâs a slice of local insight into the real nature of cities around the world, to help the time-pressed traveller get the most from their visit.

Publishing within the ViewRanger GPS app means that the visitor gets all the expert guidance of the web based version in the palm of their hand, plus a route plan on the street map that can be easily followed on screen.

The initial selection of city guide routes includes Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, London (5 separate routes taking in Marylebone, Mayfair, Clerkenwell, South Bank & Victoria Embankment), Madrid, 2 routes in New York (Uptown Manhattan & Brooklyn) and 2 in Paris (Montmartre & Aligre).

Each comes with the walking route plus guidance, restaurant and nightlife tips, phone numbers & web links and is available to download for Â£1.50 per route. To find a Business Traveller route search using shortcode "BTC".

ViewRanger GPS to Support the Isle of Wight Walking Festival

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

ViewRanger supports Isle of Wight Walking Festival 2011 and makes routes available for download to Apple, Android, and Symbian smartphones.

Hot on the heels of one tourism publishing announcement we made earlier this week, I am pleased to announce that for the 2nd year running ViewRanger is participating with the Isle of Wight walking festival (7 â 22 May 2011).

This year we are upping our involvement as a âFestival Partnerâ and will be publishing a selection of official festival walks available to download to your smartphone free of charge for the period of the event.

The Isle of Wight Walking Festival is the UK's largest such festival. Visitors planning to get involved in the festival will be able to get even more from their time on the Isle, by installing ViewRanger on their smartphone. The ViewRanger âOpenâ version available for Apple, Android & Symbian devices (Â£2.39-Â£4.00), comes complete with web based street and terrain maps. However, this can be easily enhanced by installing whole of Isle of Wight Explorer 1:25K mapping.

Plus, we are delighted to say that all routes on the Isle of Wight published through ViewRanger by Walkingworld will also be available to download in the ViewRanger app for free for the duration of the festival.

And there are ViewRanger competition prizes too.

Find out more about the IoW Walking Festival at www.isleofwightwalkingfestival.co.uk and see you there!

New ViewRanger map products for Germanyâs Nature Parks

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Today we are announcing the availability of pre-defined map products for the major national & nature park areas in Germany.

The initial 12 map area series cover the largest and most popular outdoor activities locations, such as the Bavarian Forest Parks, The Eastern Alps, The Rhine area parks such as The Taunus and BergstraÃe-Odenwald and The Coastline national parks of Schleswig Holstein, Hamburg and Lower Saxony Wadden Sea. For each, it is based on the high-quality, official maps of the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) at a scale 1:25.000.

Designed to make it easier for German customers and visitors to install these large areas of mapping onto their phones, the new pre-defined maps can be purchased from the ViewRanger webshop or obtained via in-app purchasing (for Apple devices â later in February). They can be permanently saved on the phone before a visit, such that they will work without a mobile phone signal.

Outside of the Parks maps, customers can buy & install official BKG maps in 1:50k or 1:25k for any area of Germany onto the ViewRanger app. The app also provides access to a range of web based global Open Maps â street, terrain, satellite â that can also be stored for off-line usage.

Find out more about the maps for the Nature Park regions here.

Cumbria Tourism Brings Walking and Cycling Routes to ViewRanger

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

ViewRanger teams up with Cumbria Tourism to bring tourist & leisure guides to smartphones

ViewRanger today announced another mobile publishing partnership, this time with Cumbria Tourism to make their Lake District walking & biking routes available to smartphone owners.

The initial 30-plus walking & biking routes that have today been released by Cumbria Tourism & ViewRanger includes favourite routes across the region. The partnership re-interprets existing materials published on the Cumbria Tourism website. Publishing on mobile with ViewRanger, goes further than the existing web-based access to visitor information, and enhances the visitorsâ experience by providing the peace of mind of GPS mapped location and location specific information.


Information & route guidance	Ordnance Survey maps	OpenMaps

Commenting on the deal, Ellis Butcher, a spokesman for Cumbria Tourism, said: "The Lake District and Cumbria is the best walking and cycling destination in Britain. With increasing numbers of our visitors packing smartphones it makes perfect sense to give them the chance to download some of this area's best routes direct to their handsets. When visitors are in the area they often need additional information which is not necessarily always found on traditional maps. This is where the new project comes into its own by utilising the information we have on our tourism website and putting it into the hands of visitors when they need it. Anyone wanting access to the routes can get them through both the ViewRanger App and our own online e-shop at www.golakes.co.uk"

Here at ViewRanger we are delighted to be working with Cumbria Tourism and especially that we can provide access through ViewRanger into their unparalleled regional knowledge. In return we believe publishing through ViewRanger offers them a way to ensure that their content is made available to a wider audience in a new and dynamic way. We believe many more Tourist boards should be adopting similar approaches very soon, as it offers an innovative way to generate additional income from existing content."

For more information and a full list of routes go to www.viewranger.com/lakes

Android Beta Release 1.4.0

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A new beta release of ViewRanger for Android is available. The changes include:

Local and online search
- Search for place names and post/zip codes.
- Searches ViewRanger gazetteer (.VRG) files stored on the phone.
- Optionally connects to an online search service.

Route and POI editing
- Handles shown when creating or editing a route, so you can see the point being placed.
- Toggle between adding/moving POIs/waypoints and panning the map using the pan button.

Map Interaction
- Double tap the map to zoom in.
- New titlebar with configurable map text, Quick-Navi button and location search button.
- Map cross hair shown to indicate centre of map, the point for which the coordinate and altitude is shown.

Numeric Coordinate Entry
- Enter coordinates numerically.
- Choose between a range of coordinate formats.
- Centre the map on a specific coordinate
- Set the coordinates or a POI or waypoint.

Menus
- Updated Context and Options menus throughout.
- New single-press context button on map view.
- Tap the navigation arrow to see the navigation context menu.

Plus a number of bug fixes and numerous small improvements.

More details of the changes are in the wiki.

To install the beta use your phone's web browser to go to www.viewranger.com/vranbeta. Tap on the Android logo shown to download, then tap on the downloaded file to install. Sorry, the beta is not available through the Android Market, so if you use a Market version you'll need to wait for the release.

ViewRanger Route Guide Awards for 2010

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

With over 8000 expert guided walks and biking trails available to download from the ViewRanger route store, access to anything from a family stroll to an extreme challenge is just a few finger taps away. To celebrate the role of the contributors to this growing route library, weâve instigated the annual ViewRanger Route Guide Awards.

We've seen a significant increase in the number of route guides that have been downloaded over the last year - on the Apple iPhone, iPad, Android smartphones, and Symbian mobile phones - and in the number of reputable and well known publishing partners that are making their route guides available on ViewRanger. These include; Walkingworld, The AA, Trail Magazine, Trek & Mountain magazine, the Ramblers, and more.

Whilst most of the route content currently available is within the UK, there are routes in other countries and we are working with a range of partners around the world to make more worldwide route guide content available.

Here are the categories and winners for 2010

ViewRanger Route Publisher of the Year: Walkingworld

The range and quality of the Walkingworld routes is exemplary. With photographs at every key waypoint and a huge number of routes to inspire and choose from, the Walkingworld routes offer something for everyone. So many congratulations to Walkingworld and the army of Walkingworld contributors.

ViewRanger Most Creative Route: Bassenthwaite Reflections

This award actually goes to a short series of three routes collectively known as the Bassenthwaite Reflections guides: Honister to Keswick, Dunmail Raise to Keswick, and Glenderaterra Walk. Produced by GPS Training for Bassenthwaite Reflections, the route guides offer a gps-triggered audio tour of the landscape around and near Bassenthwaite in the UK Lake District.

Click to see a preview of these routes: Honister to Keswick, Dunmail Raise to Keswick and Glenderaterra Walk

2010 Most Popular Route*: Snowdon Summit via the Miners and Pyg Tracks (Walkingworld)

The final award goes to the route which proved most popular amongst ViewRanger users. The top three routes downloaded in ViewRanger covered Snowdon, Scafell Pike, and Ben Nevis. But the winner and most downloaded route of 2010 was Walkingworld's Snowdon Summit via the Miners and Pyg Tracks. So congratulations again to Walkingworld and to Walkingworld contributor Jim Grindle, who created the route.

Preview this route: Snowdon Summit via the Miners and Pyg Tracks

*based on total downloads in the year.

Congratulations to the winners.

Market testing in Morocco

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

As part of our series introducing you to the ViewRanger team, in this article we hand over to Ian Pond, who has recently joined the team full-time as Chief Marketing Officer (but who has been working with us for a couple of years in an advisory role). Ian comes to ViewRanger with deep experience of the mobile telecoms market including senior roles with Orange/France Telecom Group and more recently on a consulting basis including major assignments for TomTom, Truphone, and HTC.

Ian enjoys his outdoor activities and is a frequent surfer, fly fisherman, skier and occasional walker and biker. Following the recent launch of open maps on iPhone, hereâs his road test...

Market testing in Morocco

My sports activities in the last few months of 2010 were severely curtailed following a biking accident in West Wales resulting in a broken left cavicle. So with field testing ruled out, the only option was some âmarketâ testing around the labyrinthine souks of Marrakech with my wife.

Not surprisingly the OpenStreetMaps of Marrakech are not quite as detailed as those of a European capital, but proved quite sufficient to ensure that we never got lost.

Being an old hand in the mobile industry, Iâm well aware of the eye watering mobile data charges that operators levy, especially when you go outside Europe. So job number one was to switch off roaming mobile data. It does mean that the GPS is a little slower in finding an initial signal, but that didnât take too long on the roof terrace of our Riad.

I used the Wi-Fi at the hotel to view and cache the OSM mapping for all of central Marrakech and once happy that I had all the detail I needed, switched ViewRanger to off-line mode. From then on the app did its job perfectly, and tracked and recorded our wanderings through and round the covered markets and narrow back streets (see the screen grab). It allowed us to remain confident about where we were, to find Cafes and lunch stops and how to get back to the big square âDjemaa El Fnaâ and our Riad, without, importantly, incurring any roaming charges.

Fortunately the shoulder is well on the way to recovery now, and should be fine by February half-term for skiing and testing out OpenPisteMaps in Meribel. I just need to make sure I donât fall on it again!

TRAIL Magazine Guided Routes Now Available in ViewRanger GPS

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

ViewRanger has teamed up with the UKâs leading outdoors magazine TRAIL to make all the routes published in the current edition (February 2011, on-shelf today 22nd Dec) available to download through the ViewRanger app and onto your phone.

Whatâs more the routes are free for all ViewRanger users and come complete with the imagery, commentary, advice and guidance from TRAILâs expert route contributors.

Once installed, thanks to the ViewRanger navigation features you can view your mapped location on-screen, receive navigation alarms if you veer off course and alerts & info at the key waypoints plotted on the route. You can even share you location using ViewRanger BuddyBeacon.

TRAIL joins the growing roster of some of the best UK walking route providers published on ViewRanger which includes WalkingWorld, The AA, Ramblers Assoc, and Trek & Mountain. ViewRanger offers instant and direct access to a database of over 7,000 expert guided routes across the UK.

To search for the 1st 14 specialist winter routes in TRAIL Feb2011, simply use shortcode âTRLâ in the routes menu. More info at www.viewranger.com/trail

ViewRanger adds OpenPisteMap ready for Ski Season

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

As of today all ViewRanger customers on Apple, Android or Symbian, will be able to use another OpenMap layer - OpenPisteMap*, just in time for this winterâs ski season and at no additional cost. The new map layer features piste & lift mapping for the majority of ski resorts in Europe, it allows customers, who ski or snowboard to see their real time GPS location on the on-screen resort maps. As with all other OpenMap layers, OpenPisteMap can be stored on the phone prior to use, so they are instantly available and thereâs no need to incur data download charges whilst abroad.

All the features of ViewRanger will work on OpenPisteMap, so you can; record your track of distance covered and performance stats for aprÃ¨s ski bragging rights, tag the location of restaurants or picnic spots, as PoIâs, so they are easy to find. And the BuddyBeacon location sharing feature will be really useful to reunite your group after someone has taken a wrong turn**.

Find out more about OpenPisteMap resort coverage at: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/WikiProject_Piste_Maps.

*OpenPisteMap.org Â© OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA. Maps provided for reference purpose only, used at your own risk.

** Mobile data network connectivity needed to use BuddyBeacon - using mobile networks abroad will incur roaming charges, please check rates with your carrier.

Trusted by Enthusiasts: On the Pacific Northwest Trail

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Chris Townsend is a prolific outdoor writer and photographer with a passion for wilderness and mountains, and a penchant for long distance hikes. A four-time winner of Outdoor Writers' Guild Awards, he is the author of seventeen books, most illustrated with his own photographs, and he has co-authored and contributed to several more. Since 1991 he has been the Equipment Editor of TGO Magazine.

This past summer saw Chris head to the Pacific Northwest Trail, in the USA, with ViewRanger in hand loaded with National Geographic Topo! mapping.

Hereâs what Chris had to tell us about his experience:

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

The Pacific Northwest Trail runs for 1200 miles from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean in the northwest corner of the USA. Starting in Glacier National Park and finishing in Olympic National Park the PNT is a spectacular route in mostly wild and remote country, crossing several little-known and little-visited mountain ranges â the Selkirk Mountains, the Purcell Mountains and the Kettle River Range.

I walked the PNT over 75 days during the summer of 2010 and found it challenging and demanding. Often I walked for days without seeing another person, my only companions the wildlife â deer, moose, coyotes, eagles, grouse and, on three occasions, bears.

Calling the PNT a trail is misleading as there isnât actually a clear path for much of the way and there are very few signposts. In fact, much of the route is on abandoned logging roads and disused trails that are fading back into the wilderness. There are some difficult cross-country sections too, both above timberline on exposed rocky terrain and in dense vegetation in the forests, where bushwhacking is the apt term for desperate struggles through the undergrowth.

[The Selkirk Mountains]

Navigation on the PNT is often difficult, whether itâs locating an overgrown trail, sorting out the right direction in a tangle of logging roads or keeping track of the direction when bushwhacking.

Having ViewRanger on my smartphone made all this much easier than it would have been with just map and compass. Being able to quickly locate my position on the screen map meant I could always keep track of where I was and know how to return to the correct route when the terrain had forced me away from it, as often happened when bushwhacking.

ViewRanger was particularly useful when I needed to find hidden trail junctions. These junctions were marked on the map but no longer existed on the ground. To find them I would walk with the smartphone in my hand, following the arrow until I reached the spot where the junction should be. There I would turn in the right direction and follow ViewRanger along the line of the route until the old trail appeared. I did this several times and every time I found the junction and soon afterwards the trail. Without ViewRanger this would have been extremely difficult.

Want to read more go to: http://www.tgomagazine.co.uk/blogs/backpacking-with-chris-townsend

or visit Chris' website at: http://www.christownsendoutdoors.com/

ViewRanger OpenMaps - offering more map choice

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Over the last few years, crowd sourced & commercially produced open mapping has come on leaps and bounds, such that it provides a pretty good map chart for most places in the world. Today's release of ViewRanger GPS version 1.3.0 for Apple iOS means that ViewRanger customers can now access and use global open maps on all three smartphone platforms - Symbian, Android, iPhone/iPad.

To meet the different demands of our customers, we offer access to a range of different OpenMap map layers for:

Urban Use:
OpenStreetMap - wiki-style map of the world that anyone can edit through services provided by companies such as CloudMade. OSM gives a simple named street layout.
Bing Road Maps - the Microsoft owned online mapping tool, provides an alternative view and detail in some territories.

Cycling and Terrain:
OpenCycleMap (Topo) - this includes rural topographic information, again from CloudMade, and shows contours, tracks and cycleways.

Aerial Imagery:
Bing Aerial Imagery - Satellite photo view from Microsoft.

Using online OpenMaps

All of the features of ViewRanger continue to work with the Online maps layers - you can view your GPS location, record a track and review stats. BuddyBeacon works on Online maps, as does route creation and route import or download. These maps are streamed from the web to your device and will therefore require a WiFi or mobile data connection (for charges check with your mobile operator). However, these maps can also be stored onto your phone for off-line usage.

Working with OpenMaps in offline mode

To view any of the online maps in off-line mode i.e. without a web connection, it is first necessary to store all of the area you need in the phone memory. To do this just prior to use - view the map area whilst on-line and it will automatically be stored; to get all of the info you need you will need to zoom into the finer detail layers. Once complete, switch to offline mode. As the phone memory is limited go into settings to change the "cache size" to meet your needs.

With the addition of OpenMaps it means that
â¢ ViewRanger can now be used with maps virtually anywhere in the world
â¢ Our mapping of the urban environment now includes street name and building details.
â¢ Cyclists are even better served with cycle routing clearly marked on OpenCycleMaps
â¢ Combined with our Premium Maps, ViewRanger now offers possibly the widest collection of mapping available

ViewRanger OpenMaps certainly can't replace the detail and information that you get with ViewRanger Premium map charts - such as those from Ordnance Survey, IGN, BKG, LINZ, or National Land Survey of Finland.

However, alongside our highest quality Premium Maps, sourced from national mapping agencies, we believe that these OpenMap layers give you further flexibility and choice...and watch out for more ViewRanger OpenMaps layers and Premium Mapping to be released soon

ViewRanger Android Beta

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

A new ViewRanger beta release for Android phones is available. The main change is that it adds support for typing coordinates. You can now go to a specific coordinate. Or you can create a POI at a coordinate, or move a POI or waypoint to a coordinate.

Details of the beta are in the wiki and the beta itself is available from www.viewranger.com/vranbeta.

Try ViewRanger GPS for Free on Android

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We've just published a free trial edition of ViewRanger GPS into the Android Market.

The new version âViewRanger GPS Free Trialâ gives Android users access to the full appâs functionality free of charge for 15 days to allow anyone into off-road activity and outdoor pursuits to try out and enjoy its many features.

The new free trial app, which uses global OpenStreet & OpenCycle mapping and includes Bing road maps and aerial photo layers in the free maps menu, is available in all Android Market territories.

Just like with the full version, it allows users to view their GPS mapped location, record a track and view performance statistics. As the maps can be stored on the phone it works without a mobile signal. ViewRanger GPS navigation features include the ability to plot your own routes or import GPX files; following the route becomes a breeze, with waypoint and navigation alarms that provide alerts along the course. Real-time location sharing is the other key feature of our app â the âBuddyBeacon(TM)â service allows users to share their location with other app or web users and view the location of their friends on-screen, which is great for peace of mind or progress tracking.

During the trial period, Free Trial users can upgrade to the full version easily; by purchasing the full OpenMap edition for a few Euros/Dollars through Android Market or by purchasing any Premium Mapping area, available in 14 countries, from the www.viewranger.com website.

ViewRanger named âBest Indie Appâ in the Mobile App World Awards

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We're delighted to say that ViewRanger GPS, our outdoor navigation app, scooped the âBest Indie Appâ category in the inaugural Mobile App World Awards last week. ViewRanger was declared a winner at the Mobile App World event in London, beating off stiff competition.

Shaun Pinney, Director of Mobile App World, said: âViewRanger is a great app, it really is a revolutionary outdoor GPS tool, I doubt Iâll never get lost taking the dog for a walk with ViewRanger in my pocket!â

Further accolades came from Belinda Parmar, founder of Lady Geek TV: "The Lady Geek community loves ViewRanger which is why we featured it as our App of the Week on Lady Geek TV - episode 9. ViewRanger is a truly dependable GPS that delivers under the harshest conditions and makes a real difference to women's lives."

Other winners on the night included TweetDeck, OVI maps, HTC Director Jon French, and wonga.com. The full list of award winners can be read here.

Built by outdoor enthusiasts...

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

As you may have guessed, we're all outdoor enthusiasts here at ViewRanger. We are hillwalkers, sailors, cyclists, glider pilots, mountain bikers, kite-buggy racers, and more!

From time to time, we'll be introducing you to members of the ViewRanger team and welcoming guest blog posts from our team that say "I am ViewRanger". We're also keen to hear stories from ViewRanger users too - and hopefully we'll post some of those to this blog from time to time.

First up, is our cycling champion Eric. Whether it's on the road or in the velodrome, Eric is the fastest thing in the ViewRanger office on two wheels. The only thing he's faster at? Writing code for Android handsets.

Hello â my name is Eric. I am one of the software engineers here at ViewRanger. I joined the ViewRanger team to help bring the ViewRanger experience to the Android mobile platform. We've taken some big steps forward and every day brings us closer to our goal of providing the full set of features on all our supported platforms.

In updates from me on our blog or Twitter and Facebook feeds, I'll be looking to highlight items of interest on the technical side of engineering ViewRanger GPS for Android, but I'll also try to put some of my other interests under the lamplight.

These include all manner of mobile, location-aware and communications-technology themes. I've been working on location-based software systems since the late 1990's, back when civilian GPS accuracy was measured in hundreds of metres and the Motorola Startac was the epitemy of cool.

But I'm also a competitive road and track racing cyclist and a some-times runner, with a keen interest in the integration of technology with these activities. I grew up hiking in the coastal mountain ranges of western Canada and still manage the odd ramble in the UK.

My 2010 road racing season finished off at the end of September. I had a steady year, with consistent results but no real stand out races. After a couple of weeks off it is time to start preparing for next year's season and aim to improve on that. I'll be planning and starting my 2011 training program in the coming weeks, which will coincide nicely with my ViewRanger development plan as I start to work on some more sports-orientated features. Stay tuned!

Also worth mentioning:

I will be at the Droidcon conference in London this Thursday & Friday (28th & 29th). Let us know if you will be there as well!

Association with the Prostate Cancer Research Centre (PCRC)

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Building on ViewRangerâs participation in several events with the PCRC over the last year, we are pleased to announce today the commencement of an on-going fundraising and awareness generating association with this important charity.

The PCRC carries out research into the causes of and treatment for the UKâs most frequently diagnosed male cancer. More than 10,000 men die in the UK every year as a direct result of prostate cancer. A man aged 50 has a 1 in 11 chance of being diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Last year more than 30,000 men in the UK were told they have prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is curable while it is confined to the prostate, but very difficult to treat once it spreads outside the prostate. The main treatment for prostate cancer that has spread, hormone therapy, was introduced in the 1940s. Survival rates for advanced prostate cancer have improved little in the past 50 years; the objective of PCRC research is to make progress in this area.

From next month, youâll start to see the PCRC logo featured on our advertising and on our website. The team at ViewRanger will be getting involved in PCRC fundraising events and we will be inviting our customers to participate with us as well.

Come and join us at the PCRC Snowdon 500 in May next year www.snowdon500.co.uk

The Prostate Cancer Research Centre is based at the University College London and is under the leadership of Professor John Masters. It now employs a team of scientists and support staff who need over Â£1 million every year to fund its highly respected research programme. To find out more go to www.prostate-cancer-research.org.uk

New Updates For Android, iPhone, & Symbian / 1:25 000 BKG German Topo

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This week sees the release of new software versions across all platforms for ViewRanger GPS with the release of Android V1.2.2, Symbian V2.8.9, and Apple IOS V1.2.1.

In the cases of Apple & Symbian, these releases are of significance primarily to our growing German resident customer base, with an improved German language interface on Symbian and the introduction of a new German language interface on apple IOS. The Apple version also includes a few minor bug fixes in relation to the application running on iPad.

For more information please see:
ViewRanger GPS now fully ready for German Outdoor Enthusiasts with addition of BKG 1:25,000 scale mapping

ViewRanger GPS: Die Nummer eins in UK startet heute in Deutschland

The Android release, as well as including an improved German language interface, also sees the introduction of some important core functionality that will be of benefit to all users of Android handsets. The highlights in the release include the addition of:

- BuddyBeacon watching
- Support for Retrieva Tracking GPS dog collars as BuddyBeacons
- the ability to download mapping by area as well as by tile
- the ability to create a route from a track
- the ability to follow a route in reverse.

We also have incorporated the new French coordinate system and finally weâve fixed a few issues flagged to us by customer feedback, these include a prompt to record a new track when ârecord trackâ option is requested and automatic use of cached online map list, when not connected.

We hope that you are able to upgrade to these new software versions either through your app store update process or via our software download site. We look forward to your continued support and feedback on our products.

BKG 1:25 000 scale Topographic Maps

We've also fully released brand new 1:25 000 topographic maps for Germany. Available to download as 5km x 5km tiles over-the-air, through the MapChooser self-select mapping tool, or as pre-defined areas through our webshop.

Come and meet us at the Kendal Mountain Festival.

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

ViewRanger is delighted to announce that it has become one of the support sponsors of this yearâs Kendal Mountain Festival, which takes place from the 18th to 21st of November.

"Kendal" is one of the leading festivals of its kind in the world. It is an internationally-known event, attracting film premieres from around the globe. Film makers, TV producers, adventurers, climbers and world-class lecturers gather to take part in four packed days of the very best films, speakers, books and exhibitions covering all aspects of mountain and adventure sports culture. It is also the main social event for outdoor enthusiasts in the UK.

As well as finding some time to enjoy the films and speaking events at this yearâs festival, the ViewRanger team will be manning a stand in the basecamp marquee on each of the three days of the festival.

Weâd love to meet with you at the festival, show you the app running on a range of devices, advise you on any questions you have about the service, and hear your stories about how you use ViewRanger.

You can find details of the programme of films, lectures and other festival events at: http://www.mountainfest.co.uk/programme.cfm

Beta for Android

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A new beta version of ViewRanger for Android is available, v1.2.0.

The main change is buddy beacon locating, watching and navigating, so you can see where your friends are using ViewRanger. Buddies can also be Retrieva dog collars.

There are also a number of other changes such as:
- Map tile optimization, to combine individual map tiles
- Download map areas
- Delete/show/edit all options
- Create a route from a track

The wiki contains more details of the changes.

The beta can be installed by using your phone's web browser to visit www.viewranger.com/vranbeta, tapping on the box shown, then tapping on the file downloaded.

Map Chooser Updated

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The ViewRanger Map Chooser has been updated. The changes are:
- France 1:25000 and Germany 1:25000 scale maps are now available as self select maps
- GPX files can be opened, so you can see routes, tracks and points in the map chooser, making it easier to select the tiles you need
- A more detailed UK reference map is included, swap to this using the Map underlay menu
-Prices can be displayed in pounds, euros and dollars

The map chooser is a PC based program, which allows you to choose your own map, giving a running price and size. We'll be adding support for other platforms soon.

Download and install the map chooser at www.viewranger.com/selfselect

ViewRanger GPS Updated for iPhone and iPad

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100

ViewRanger GPS V1.2.0 for iPhone and iPad has gone live in the Apple appstore.

This update introduces some key functionality that we know from your feedback, especially from former Symbian OS users, will be an important step forward. These being:

* The addition of BuddyBeacon âwatchingâ â so that you can view the location of your friends on screen

* The addition of Route navigation â so that you can follow a route, or navigate to a point, with waypoint alerts and off-route alarms

For full details on these new features go to our support pages: http://support.viewranger.com/wikihelp/index.php/Category:IPhone_platform

Whats New?

BuddyBeacon:

We introduced BuddyBeacon âsendingâ in the last update allowing you to share your location with friends. This allowed them to view your location via a web browser or using ViewRanger on a Symbian phone.

This update takes that one step further, allowing you to view Buddy locations within ViewRanger GPS on your iPhone or iPad.

You can âwatchâ the location of up to 10 friends, who have enabled BuddyBeacon and given you their PIN code. A dotted track is displayed showing their recent progress.

This software update also introduces compatibility with the Retrieva Tracking GPS tracking dog collar. For more information go to www.retrievatracking.com.

(The collar must be reporting its position using GPRS and be configured in the Retrieva web panel. SMS based reporting is not available using the iPhone.)

GPS Navigation:

Whilst in previous ViewRanger GPS versions you have been able to create, import or download routes with waypoints. It has not been possible to be navigated along that route â version V1.2.0 addresses this.

This upgrade means that the app will allow you to follow a route. An arrow is shown indicating the direction to go, with optional waypoint alerts and even alarms if you veer too far off-route (XTE alarm).

The feature also allows you to navigate to a point of interest (POI), or even to a watched BuddyBeacon.

Another aspect of the new navigation capabilities is that routes with Audio/Video content such as the âHadrians Wall walkâ are now fully supported with the audio & video content being GPS-triggered at the appropriate waypoints.

To see other audio and video guides by our content partners â look in the in-App ViewRanger store. (We have some audio and video guides for the UK at the moment, but hope to add more soon.)

Ease of Use

Finally, in response to user feedback, we have introduced an edit-handle for POIs and Waypoints, so that your finger doesn't obscure the map when dragging POIs and waypoints.

We hope that you enjoy these new features.

Thanks again for your feedback.

Update for Android users

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This morning, we've just released V1.1.19 of ViewRanger GPS for Android into the Android Market (also available to download from www.viewranger.com/software).

This is really a housekeeping release with small improvements/fixes.

Two of the main fixes are:
* Fix for the new French coordinate space. If you are in France and you use the new French IGN mapping - then you'll want to update to this release.
* Fix for the new SD card mount point on Samsung Galaxy S handsets. If you are a Galaxy S user, then we recommend you update.

Hey, we're LadyGeekTV's App of the Week!

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We love LadyGeekTV.

We like their The App Show's lighthearted take on the mobile apps and the fun but informative way they present their shows...

...and one or two of the boys in the office may have a slight crush on Debs Anne.

Anyway, if you haven't checked it out, we recommend it (for both boys and girls). Find it at www.ladygeektv.com

Needless to say, we were delighted when LadyGeek and presenter Debs Anne selected ViewRanger GPS as their "App of the Week".

Check out Episode 9 below (which includes a look at how your smartphone may be able to help you improve your taste in music).

Ramblers pilot eTrails available to download in ViewRanger

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100

If you've seen the latest issue of Walk, the magazine of the Ramblers, and the article on the Ramblers eTrails project... then you may like to know that you can download the pilot eTrails around Llantwit Major now onto your iPhone, iPad, Android or Symbian phone within ViewRanger GPS.

eTrails is a good initiative and aims to get 10% more people walking in Wales over the next four years. I think in the work that we've done with the eTrails team at the Ramblers, that we've been able to impart some of the knowledge that ViewRanger has built up over the last three years in delivering rich guided route content to mobile phones - helping the Ramblers team consolidate their eTrails concept.

The pilot Ramblers eTrails available to download, for free, within ViewRanger GPS now are:

Frampton
A scenic looping route around LLantwit Mayor passing Frampton and other historical interests.

Nash Point Walk
A lovely roundtrip from Llantwit Major around Marcross and St. Donat's following the coast initially before looping round through the beautiful surrounding fields of the area.

Green Lane Walk
This walk of about two miles and about an hour long requires a pair of sturdy shoes but is an ideal family walk for it contains several points of interest for both adults and children alike. It is one which affords a great deal of history, all round scenic views and a good variety of birdlife.

Town Heritage Trail
A "figure of eight" walk around the historic buildings and landscape of Llantwit Major

Nature/Cliff Walk at Llantwit Major
A beautiful walk looking at the picturesque coastal area along Llantwit Major with an historical and wildlife twist to it.

To find and download these guided routes, run ViewRanger on your smartphone and search for the text "Ramblers" in Organizer/DataManager > Routes > Search for Routes - or simply browse to Llantwit Major and do a location-based route search.

Let us - and the Ramblers - know what you think. And we look forward to making more Ramblers eTrails available within ViewRanger GPS as their eTrails project progresses.

ViewRanger updates and bank holiday

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Android

We have just released a new beta version of the ViewRanger software for Android phones. This adds support for the compass, adds a scale bar and improves the reliability of the buddy beacon and navigation.

The beta is available from www.viewranger.com/vranbeta and the release notes give details.

iPhone

The iPhone version of ViewRanger has been updated to version 1.1.2, available to update through the app store. This fixes a couple of problems in the previous release. The last main release, v1.1.0, added support for iOS4 and the iPad. A new release is coming soon.

UK public holiday

Monday 30th August is a public holiday in the UK. Support is available throughout the holiday weekend by email, and the store is open 24 hours a day.

Have a great holiday!

Explore Holmfirth - Home to The Last of the Summer Wine.

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

As the world's longest-running sitcom, The Last of the Summer Wine, comes to an end on BBC television this weekend, why not download one of ViewRanger's GPS guided walking routes around Holmfirth - home to the show.

Routes include "A Taste of the Summer Wine" from AA Publishing, and "Holmfirth - Last of the Summer Wine Country" from Walkingworld.

Walkingworld's "Holmfirth - Last of the Summer Wine Country" is a fantastic short circular walk focused on the Last of the Summer Wine village of Holmfirth. It allows you to see some of the landmarks made famous by the long-running programme and also takes you through the varied, deeply valleyed countryside for which the area is famous.

The AA's "A Taste of the Summer Wine" tells us that Holmfirth and the Holme Valley have been popularised as "Summer Wine Country". The whimsical TV series, starring the trio of incorrigible old buffers Compo, Foggy and Clegg, has now been running for a quarter of a century. These larger-than-life characters, going back to their second childhoods, have proved to be an irresistible formula in the hands of writer Roy Clarke. Last of the Summer Wine was first seen in January 1973, as a one-off Comedy Playhouse episode. The response was so good that a six-part series was commissioned. The rest is history, with Summer Wine becoming the UK's longest running comedy programme. The cast have become familiar faces around Holmfirth. So much so that when Londoner Bill Owen (lovable rogue 'Compo') died in 1999 at the age of 85, he was laid to rest overlooking the little town he had grown to call home. Bill Owen's real-life son Tom joined the cast to play Compo's long lost son, and together with plenty of newcomers, the series seems to have plenty of life in it yet. Visitors come to Holmfirth in their droves, in search of film locations such as Sid's Cafe and Nora Batty's house. But Holmfirth takes its TV fame in its stride, for this isn't the first time that the town has starred in front of the cameras. In fact, Holmfirth very nearly became another Hollywood. Bamforths - better known for its naughty seaside postcards - began to make short films here in the early years of the last century. They were exported around the world to popular demand. Local people were drafted in as extras in Bamforths' overwrought dramas. Film production came to an end at the outbreak of the First World War and, sadly, was never resumed.

To discover these routes in ViewRanger, search for "Holmforth" under Routes > Search by Text.

ViewRanger GPS at Number 1 in iTunes

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Wow! ViewRanger GPS has made it to Number 1 in the iTunes Navigation apps chart.

We appreciate all your support - and we'll continue to try to build the best outdoor GPS app for outdoor enthusiasts and leisure users around the world.

ViewRanger GPS Highlighted In the Media

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

You may have already seen ViewRanger GPS feature in last weeks The Gadget Show, where it helped Ortis win the Great Outdoor Challenge and be the first to navigate to the top of the Pap of Glencoe - by downloading a route from the ViewRanger GPS route library.

You can catch up with the navigation part of the challenge at The Gadget Show's website: http://fwd.five.tv/gadget-show/videos/challenge/great-outdoors-challenge-part-three (UK viewers only).

ViewRanger GPS has also been selected by The Sunday Times, this weekend, as one of their "five-star must have" applications, in their guide to the best apps of the year. Just 26 apps, including games, were selected in this ultimate category of excellence.

Today, Nokia OVI has selected ViewRanger GPS as their "App of the Day" - and have highlighted how ViewRanger makes it easy to discover and access guided walking and cycling trails around you. Read the article at the OVI blog.

And we're pleased to say that ViewRanger GPS is currently sat at Number 2 in the iTunes Top Navigation Apps making ViewRanger far and away the most popular outdoor mapping app. And ViewRanger GPS also continues to have an excellent star rating, one of the highest amongst any app in the iTunes navigation category. So thank you to all who have rated our app!

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

ViewRanger GPS came out on top in the Great Outdoors Challenge on Channel 5's The Gadget Show this week.

In the final part of their challenge, Gadget Show presenters, Ortis Deley and Suzi Perry had to navigate their way to the summit of the Pap of Glencoe, with Suzi using a traditional outdoor GPS unit whilst Ortis was kitted out with a Google Nexus One mobile phone equipped with the ViewRanger GPS app with Ordnance Survey topographic mapping.

Suzi was ahead as both presenters entered this final stage of the Challenge. However, Ortis was able to triumph and finish first using the walking routes available for live download within ViewRanger GPS.

You can catch up with the navigation part of the challenge at The Gadget Show's website: http://fwd.five.tv/gadget-show/videos/challenge/great-outdoors-challenge-part-three.

ViewRanger for Android beta v1.1.8

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A new beta version of ViewRanger for Android is available, v1.1.8.

To install visit www.viewranger.com/vranbeta using the web browser on your phone. However, if you bought Viewranger through the Android Market, please wait for the software to be published on the Market.

The changes include:
- Support for downloading and unpacking ZIP files.
- Better performance scrolling long lists or routes and tracks.
- Playing video and audio links, for example in the audio/video route guides.
- Progress panel when downloading.
- Support for New Zealand mapping.
- Support for the more mdern French RGF93 coordinate system.
- Faster GPX import.

ViewRanger for Symbian Software Update v2.8.8

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The ViewRanger software for Symbian phones has been updated to version 2.8.8.

The software is available from www.viewranger.com/software. (If you obtained the software from an app store such as ovi, please wait for the update to be published there, because the version here needs a license key.)

The changes are quite small:
- Faster start up and file search when the online map cache is large.
- Support for the more modern French coordinate system RGF93.
- Fixes to a couple of reliability problems with groups.
- New Italian translation added and the German translation improved.
- Sometimes tracks did not show height loss/gain, now fixed.

More changes are listed in the wiki.

ViewRanger GPS for iPhone Update

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The latest update for ViewRanger GPS on the iPhone is now available in the Apple appstore.

BuddyBeacon Tracking:
* BuddyBeacon sending
* Including auto start, catch-up sending positions when mobile coverage lost, auto resume after call/message interruption.
* One-off and timed repeat sending.
* Use our BuddyBeacon API to embed your BuddyBeacon in your webpage, facebook profile, or create your own apps. (see: www.viewranger.com/api)

Electronic Compass support:
* Display north indicator, or facing direction, or both.
* Auto-rotate map in multiples of 90 degrees to best match compass.

Audio/video support:
* In guided routes, waypoints and points-of-interest:
* Play sounds and videos from links.
* Supported video formats: 3GP / mov / mp4 / mpv
* Supported Audio Formats: mp3 / wav
* Download route guides with video from partners such as Carlisle Tourism Partnership
* Use our web-based route publishing tool to create your own route guides, with text, photo and video.

Fixes & Enhancements:
* GPS auto-resumes after call/message interruption.
* More in-app map and route purchase options.
* When creating a route, easily switch between panning map and dropping waypoints.
* When editing a route, tap on a different waypoint to move it without going in and out of editing mode.

New: The AA's Best Guided Walks in London.

Wed, 26 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Just added to the ViewRanger route library: 50 of the AA's best guided walks in London.

Whether trying Real Tennis at Hampton Court, spending Time Around Greenwich, or Doing the Lambeth Walk - this collection contains a super mix of walks exploring the history, the parks, films and literature, and the majesty of London.

This latest set of walks joins AA route guides already available for walks across the Lake District, Peak District, and the Cotswolds. We'll be adding many more of the AA's best walks shortly.

Search and download individual walking guides directly into ViewRanger on iPhone, Symbian, and Android.

BuddyBeacon API Apps

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Cool things being done with the BuddyBeacon API: mashing the ViewRanger BuddyBeacon with Twitter and Photos....

http://www.mycountryside.org.uk/viewranger.php [by Phil Sorrell]

Phil, along with his dog, is currently walking the 177 mile Offas Dyke in aid of MS. He has used the ViewRanger BuddyBeacon API and added his Twitter and TwitPic photos to create a cool way to share and record his trek.

BuddyBeacon API

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We have added an API that lets you access your BuddyBeacon live tracking information in different ways.

There are now three ways that you can directly access your BuddyBeacon:

1) Link directly to your BuddyBeacon on the ViewRanger website,
2) Embed the BuddyBeacon map in your website,
3) Use the beta version of our API to create your own maps, apps, and mash-ups.

More details: http://bit.ly/aZ4NC1

You can also set the image that is used to show your current location. We've added a new parameter if you are linking to the BuddyBeacon, or are embedding the BuddyBeacon map in your own webpage.

The "icon" parameter lets you specify the image that is used to show the last position.

There are some built-in icons:
paramotor_red
paramotor_green
paramotor_blue
disk_red
bike_green
bike_red
bike_yellow
cyclist
hiker_yellow (this is the default icon)
hiker_white

Example:
http://www.viewranger.com/portal/new_ptbuddybeacon.php?uid=craig5800&fbwidth=400&pin=1234&icon=paramotor_red

To use your own image as the icon, then include the URL (note that the URL needs to be "in quotes"

Example:
http://www.viewranger.com/portal/new_ptbuddybeacon.php?uid=craig5800&fbwidth=400&pin=1234&icon="http://www.viewranger.com/portal/portalimages/betty-stogs.gif"

ViewRanger update & Easter

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

ViewRanger Software Update

We've released an update to ViewRanger, version 2.8.5.

If you have ViewRanger 2.8 installed on your phone then the best way to update is to run ViewRanger and use Options > Server > Check with server, then click on the link shown.

Alternatively download from www.viewranger.com/software.

The release contains a number of small fixes. Most importantly it fixes a problem some people have had using the navigation arrow. It also uses the brand new ViewRanger logo!

Easter

If you need to contact us over Easter, we're available by email throughout the Easter weekend. The store is open all weekend - downloads are sent immediately; CDs, DVDs and memory cards will be posted on Tuesday.

Have a great Easter!

GMRT Maps Out Rescues With ViewRanger

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Glossop Mountain Rescue Team (GMRT) are one of the latest teams to join our ViewRanger Volunteer Search and Rescue Program. This scheme provides ViewRanger software and maps to volunteer search and rescue teams.

GMRT is one of the seven voluntary teams covering the moorlands and mountains of the Peak District National Park. GMRT work closely with the RAF, Air Ambulance and Police helicopters. However, sometimes the weather defeats even these machines and GMRT falls back on sheer manpower and the stretcher carrying techniques that existed back when the team was founded in 1957.

GMRT joined the program in the middle of February, and deployed ViewRanger across their team shortly thereafter. They'd already put it to critical use a few days later:

Peter from GMRT contacted us this week to say:

"First of all may I thank you for supplying the team with ViewRanger mapping software. It as already proved useful on our callouts.

On Saturday the 20th of February the team was called out to a 65 year old male who became ill and was suffering chest pains whilst walking on Bleaklow moor.

The weather conditions were very poor with visibility down to 50 meters in heavy snow! The casualty had to be carried to Snake Summit on the A57 following three attempts by two air ambulances and one police helicopter to land.

ViewRanger was used to guide the stretcher party to and from the casualty site, an operation which took around five hours and 45 rescue team members from Glossop, dale and Kinder Teams!"

You can find out more about GMRT at their website.

Check out more about the ViewRanger VSAR Program here.

Chocolate waterproof phones... and all that!

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is where the global mobile phone industry comes together. It is a week where new phones and new phone concepts get revealed. Here we've picked just a couple of our favourites...

The NTT "Chocolate Bar" phone

Perfect for chocolate lovers (we are assured that the phone won't melt in your hand!). However, more relevant to ViewRanger is that this is one of a new breed of water-resistant phone handsets. Currently these use non-standard operating systems and therefore won't run ViewRanger - but by the end of 2010 I'd expect to see water resistant and more ruggedized handsets capable of running ViewRanger software. Known as the SH-04B in Japan, this NTT handset includes GPS, OLED display and more.

HTC Legend and Desire

Two brilliant new Android handsets from HTC. The Legend (shown here) can be seen as the follow up to the successful HTC Hero, whilst the Desire could perhaps of been known as the Nexus V2! With Android 2.1 and a fast processor, both handsets are quick. The Legend phone's casing is machined from a single block of aluminium - meaning it will be robust in the outdoors. The screen on both models is large AMOLED display - 3.2" on the Legend and a huge 3.7" on the Desire.

We were able to briefly try the upcoming ViewRanger for Android software one of these new handsets. The maps look absolutely fantastic with fanastically rich colours and contrast from the AMOLED display. Awesome!

Android

Motorola, Samsung, Acer, HTC, Sony Ericsson and more all announced Google Android handsets during the show. A few are pictured below.

Android is shaping up to have a lot of support across a lot of manufacturers. Our experiences with Android handsets so far have been very positive. Register your interest in ViewRanger for Android at http://www.viewranger.com/android

Puma Phone with in-built Solar Charger

This Puma-branded Sagem phone comes with a solar-charging panel on the rear. Whilst add-on solar chargers for your phone are not new, this could be the first to include a solar panel integrated to the handset. Let's hope we see this technology move onto more mainstream handsets soon.

ViewRanger 2.8.3 Released

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000

ViewRanger version 2.8.3 has been released. It is available to download from www.viewranger.com/software and the details of the changes are in the wiki or in the previous post.

ViewRanger beta release

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We've just started beta testing a new version of ViewRanger. The main changes are:

- Free online maps such as OpenStreetMap and Open Cycle Map can be downloaded and viewed.

- Create folders for managing groups of routes and tracks.

- GPS interface is simpler to use, gives a faster initial result and makes better use of multiple GPS/location sources.

- On touch screen phones tap twice to zoom in.

- On touch screen phones the buttons slide off screen after a few seconds of inactivity.

- Textual search for routes - it searches the name, description and provider.

- Support for new style Retrieva collar messages, which will be used soon.

- Reports Retrieva alert messages, such as leaving base station range.

Full details of the changes are in the release notes.

The beta is available to download from www.viewranger.com/vrbeta. However, the beta must be signed for your phone before it can be installed. If you have not yet registered to use the beta, or if you have changed phone since you last registered, please email your phone's model name (e.g. N97) and IMEI number (which you can get by dialling *#06#) to support. We update the beta each day and will let you know when it is ready for you.

Just Added: The AA's 50 Best Walks in the Cotswolds

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

We have just released a further set of walking route guides into ViewRanger's route library. The AA's 50 Best Walks in the Cotswolds adds more walking choice to this popular area of England.

You can discover the 'Classic Cotswold Town of Burford', walk along 'The Infant River Thames at Cricklade', discover the 'Mysteris at Minster Lovell', and explore many other places across this beautiful area of the country.

All fifty Cotswold routes are now available to download direct to your handset through the Route Search option in ViewRanger's DataManager. You can also explore the AA's Best Walks in the Lake District and in the Peak District.

Christmas Walking Inspiration

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

If after feasting on turkey, Christmas pudding, mince pies, rich cheeses, chocolate and all the other Christmas goodies, you feel bloated and sluggish then check out the guided walking routes available to download within ViewRanger. With thousands of routes to choose from, you should find an inspiring route nearby.

With a typical Christmas dinner of turkey and pudding clocking up almost 1,500 calories â that is over half of a manâs recommend daily calorie intake and three quarters of a womanâs - the UK Government has teamed up with the Ramblers to try to bring back the traditional Christmas Day walk.

They are both calling on families across the country to burn off their Christmas dinner and be more active over the festive season and haved released their top ten English walks to inspire families to get on their feet.

They include a walk round famous London landmarks, a trek through the Birmingham bog that Tolkein based the hobbitsâ Shire home on, as well as a wildlife walk in Highfield Country Park, Manchester. See the full list here.

However, if you're in need of more inspiration, then you can also turn to ViewRanger's massive library of over 5000 guided walking routes across England, Scotland and Wales?

From your mobile phone handset, via the mobile network or WiFi, you can search for routes near your GPS location or around any area of map, browse the route details to find a route that fits your needs, and then download that route direct to your handset. Once on your phone, then ViewRanger can guide you along the route. Most routes include photos at key waypoints.

Find out how to search for and download routes here:

Whilst you are out and about, don't forget that you can record your trip and any photos that you take along the way - turning them into a ViewRanger TravelLog that you can share on the web and through Facebook.

I've already spotted several walks around Cambridge and around North Dorset that I shall be exploring this holiday season!

Contacting Support During the Holiday Season

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Through the holiday season, we recommend contacting us via email.

Our Support telephone and Skype lines will be closed from 25th to 28th December inclusive, and 1st to 3rd January inclusive. They will be open on 24th December, 29th-31st December and from 4th January.

Throughout the entire holiday period, we will be picking up email sent to support@viewranger.com and will be answering emails as normally as possible throughout the Christmas and New Year period, including the holidays and weekends. Though we may not be able to reply immediately, of course.

We know that many people will be discovering ViewRanger for the first time and will be getting started with it over the holiday period. If you have any questions, then do get in touch.

ViewRanger 2.7.28 released

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

ViewRanger version 2.7.28 has now been released. This software update:

Adds support for the electronic compass in phones that contain one, such as the N97 and Navigator series.

Adds Swedish, German, Finnish and French user interfaces

Enables much simpler transfer of maps that were downloaded over the air on one phone to another phone.

Makes a number of improvements to the Retrieva tracker interface

Contains a number of other small improvements and fixes

The link of the magnetic compass to the panorama is especially nice.

Full details are available in the release notes and the software itself is available from www.viewranger.com/software.

Many thanks to all the beta testers. We intend to start a new beta cycle before the end of this month.

Beta update

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

We are continuing to beta test the latest versioon of ViewRanger and expect to fully release it soon. It is now revision 2.7.28. The changes are detailed in the wiki.

Most notably today we have added a French and a German interface translation.

If you'd like to try the beta please email support with your phone's IMEI number (dial *#06# to obtain this) and model name/number, then we'll update the beta and let you know when it is ready for you to install.

ViewRanger beta

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

We are about to release a new beta version of ViewRanger.

To register to use the beta please email your phone model name (for example, Nokia N97) and IMEI number (which you can obtain by dialling *#06#) to support@viewranger.com. The beta is open to customers and people who would like to try ViewRanger.

There are 40 changes in the beta, full details are in the wiki. The main changes are:

Electronic compasses

ViewRanger now supports the electronic compass in phones such as the N97, 6210 and i8910HD. The compass is shown on the map, so you can align the map with what is around you. The compass can also be used for navigation and can be shown in the trip view.

Most usefully the panorama is linked to the compass, so the panorama lines up with the direction the phone is pointing, and follows the phone as you pan around you.

Changing phones and over the air maps

When you change phones you can now use the map tiles that you downloaded on your old phone simply by entering a new license key. You no longer need to re-download the map tiles.

Retrieva tracker support

There are a number of small changes to make it easier to use ViewRanger with Retreiva trackers.

Kinetic scrolling in lists

On phones that support kinetic scrolling, you can now use kinetic scrolling in lists.

All maps available to download

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

We can now provide all ViewRanger maps by download, even the whole countries such as Great Britain, Germany, Finland and Ireland.

If the map is larger than 1GB in size then we'll provide it split into separate parts.

Some of these products are listed in the store. If the map you'd like isn't listed as a download then please order the DVD, then email support requesting the download link, we'll email it back by return. We'll still send a DVD, but you'll be able to download the parts you need right away.

Appointment for growth

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

As we continue to grow the community of ViewRanger users and ViewRanger data content publishers, we're really pleased that experienced executives Richard Brennan, Simon Thorpe, and Ian Pond have joined the Augmentra Board.

Like us, they share a passion for outdoor activities and an excitement about the opportunities that exist on mobile devices as location, content, and mobile data continue to converge.

Richard Brennan, a founding executive at Orange plc, has joined Augmentra's Board as Chair. He has held Board positions with Mobistar, GSMA CEO Board, and was Chairman of the Board for Wildfire, Inc. He now works around the globe with innovative, energetic, and fast moving companies. Richard is a cyclist and mountain biker.

Simon Thorpe, was formerly COO of Global Equity Research at UBS Investment Bank and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. He previously headed the Telecoms Research Group at UBS. Simon is also a passionate cyclist.

Ian Pond is a telecoms sector strategy, marketing & commercial operations specialist. Ian was a member of the marketing team that developed and launched the Orange brand in the UK in 1994, heralding the start of brand-led marketing in the mobile industry. He later managed the roll-out of the Orange brand to France Telecom's mobile operations around the world. More recently he's been involved with major assignments for TomTom and for Truphone. Ian walks, fishes, sails, and surfs.

Discover AA New Place to Walk

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Did you know that The Automobile Association (AA) is the UK's largest lesiure publisher? Following on from ViewRanger's popular AA Guide to London, ViewRanger and the AA have got together to bring their library of guided walking routes direct to your phone handset.

We've just released the first two batches of AA routes into our route database. These first groups focus on the UK Lake District and UK Peak District regions, letting you walk in the Footsteps of Wordsworth in the Lakes, or discover Chatsworth Park or the Ghost's of Millers Dale in the Peaks. There are around 50 walks covering each area - and we'll be adding more very soon.

The AA is the latest publisher to bring their route content to the ViewRanger platform, following Walkingworld.com and Excellent Books. With over 5000 guided routes across the UK in the ViewRanger database to choose from, you are bound to discover exciting new places to go - and perhaps re-discover some old favourites!

Go to Options > DataManager > Routes > Search to see the routes around your location. Or click here for more details on searching and downloading routes direct to your phone.

ViewRanger beta

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0100

We've released a new beta version of ViewRanger.

This beta can be used on any Symbian S60 phone, you don't need to register with us.

A big change is that Swedish and Finnish languages are now included.

There are also a number of small changes, the wiki has more details. For example, route length is displayed over the map when a route is selected or being created. The * and # keys now work for zooming on the E55.

Swedish mapping

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0100

We are pleased to announce that ViewRanger maps of Sweden are now available.

There are two ways to buy the maps - either selecting your own map using the map chooser or by over the air download.

The maps are mainly TerrÃ¤ngkartan, 1:50000 scale, which covers all of Sweden except Norrbotten, VÃ¤sterbotten and northern part of JÃ¤mtland County

Those others areas are covered by FjÃ¤llkartan (Mountain Map at 1:100000) for Swedish mountains from Salen to TreriksrÃ¶set; and VÃ¤gkartan (Roadmap 1:100000) for the small remaining area in the north of Sweden.

Altitude and panorama labels are not yet available for Sweden.

A searchable 900,000 place name gazetteer is included.

New Team Member and Recruitment

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0100

We are expanding!

We are very pleased to welcome Russell Cox to our support team. He'll be working closely with Mike to provide the very best support. Russell is keen yacht sailor and cyclist.

We are also looking for a software engineer, see our jobs page.

Outdoors Magic Article

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0100

There is a great review of ViewRanger on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic at Outdoors Magic.

Software and Map Updates

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Twitter

For the very latest news, tips and offers follow us on Twitter!

ViewRanger Software Update

The latest version of ViewRanger is v2.7.18 and can be updated from www.viewranger.com/software - if you access that page from a web browser on your phone it will show the correct software file to install. Details of the changes are in the wiki.

New Maps

National Geographic maps of the USA are available through the map chooser or via over-the-air download.

We now have maps for:
Belgium
Finland
France
Germany
Great Britain
Ireland
Isle of Man
Parts of Italy
Netherlands
Noway
Slovenia
Switzerland
USA

Maps of more countries will be available very soon...

Walking World Subscribers

In ViewRanger you can search for routes and download them. Walking World subscribers can now download these routes for free.

Updates

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Beta Release

The ViewRanger beta release has been updated to version 2.7.18. Details of the changes in the beta are in the wiki.

Touch screen phones

There are now 3 touch screen phones available for use with ViewRanger - the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music, the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD and the Nokia N97, which has .

The 5800 has been available for a few months now and has been really popular. It is currently available unlocked from nokia.co.uk for Â£229 or free on many contracts.

The i8910 has been shipping for a month or two now, the N97 is just starting to ship.

Isle of Man 1:25,000 Map

We now have 1:25,000 mapping of the Isle of Man. The whole island is available as a download for Â£10.

ViewRanger beta updated

Fri, 29 May 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The ViewRanger beta has been updated to version 2.7.16. Details of the changes in the beta are in the wiki.

If you have already registered to use the beta then you can download it immediately from www.viewranger.com/mobibeta. If you visit that link using a mobile web browser on your phone it will show the correct version to install.

If you have not registered and would like to try the beta, please email your phone's model name (e.g. N96) and IMEI number (dial *#06#) to support, we'll then email you when the beta is ready for your phone.

ViewRanger beta release

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0100

We have released a new beta release, version 2.7.12.

It contains a number of small improvements and fixes, there are details in the wiki.

For the Nokia 5800 there are significant improvements to route creation.

To install the beta you first need to email support with your phone's model name (e.g. N95) and IMEI number (dial *#06# to see this), we will then let you know when the software is ready for your phone.

If you have previously taken part in a beta and have not changed your phone, then either go to the beta page or, if using a mobile web browser on your phone, go to www.viewranger.com/mobibeta.

UK Government OK's South Downs National Park

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0100

UK Government ministers have announced the creation of a South Downs national park - almost 60 years to the day since it was recommended.

The South Downs, covering parts of Sussex and Hampshire, was among 12 areas identified for national parks in the 1940s. Environment Minister Hilary Benn has said the area will become England's 10th national park. Further consultation will be carried out on six additions to the boundary.

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7973417.stm for more.

UK Outdoors Show

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000

This weekend sees the Outdoors Show return to Birmingham's NEC with its mix of 'have-a-go' sports exhibits, trade stands selling outdoor gear, and travel stands with information on inspirational destinations.

Both Mike and I will be at the show on Friday. Mike is likely to be found on the GPSTraining booth (OU425), and I will be around a number of different areas. On Saturday, we'll be at the GPSTraining booth again.

So do come by and say hello, ask us any questions, or if you want to see the latest version of ViewRanger in action on the touchscreen Nokia 5800.

If you're looking to add some mapping to your existing ViewRanger installation - or indeed to get started with the ViewRanger phenomenon - then GPSTraining have a few "Show Offers" to tempt you.

We're Tweeting

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000

You can now follow ViewRanger on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/viewranger

We'll be using Twitter to keep you updated on what we're doing, how we're doing it - and we hope to hear from you too.

GPS Daily Rates Outdoor GPS Units

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000

GPSDaily.co.uk, Imagine Publishing's new web site, has published reviews of ViewRanger, the Garmin Oregon 300, and the Magellan Triton 300 devices.

We're pleased to say that ViewRanger outscores both of the dedicated GPS units in almost every category of Performance, Design, Features, and Value.

ViewRanger : Performance 9, Design 8, Features 9, Value 9, Overall: 9
Garmin Oregon: Performance 7, Design 9, Features 8, Value 8, Overall: 7
Magellan Triton: Performance 7, Design 8, Features 5, Value 6, Overall: 6

Commenting on ViewRanger, GPSDaily.co.uk says: "As youâd expect with a mature GPS application, all the usual features are here, along with a few extras that make the program unique. Using either an external Bluetooth or integrated internal GPS receiver, the application delivers quick and accurate positioning, highlighting both your location and direction of travel clearly on 1:25k or 1:50k OS maps."

"Itâs the interactive features that really set ViewRanger apart from the competition, and the area where most of the new developments have been made."

In summing up GPSDaily.co.uk says "Overall, the new features, along with worldwide GPS location in data format and an ever-expanding map, would make this an application of interest to any smartphone user; but as the sole S60-based application compatible with a high proportion of the most popular mobiles, it becomes almost essential for the outdoor user. And besides its serious uses, the interactive and shared features make ViewRanger fun at the same time."

Track ViewRanger Down at Crufts (5th-8th March)

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Come and see us at Crufts. ViewRanger will be at Crufts at the NEC Birmingham 5th-8th March. Come and see us in Hall 3, Stand 83.

We're on the Retrieva Tracking stand, showing how ViewRanger and Retrieva's GPS-enabled dog collars can help you keep track of your pooch.

ViewRanger and Retrieva collars are ideal for working dogs as well as the family pet.

Our new Route Library Search

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The software update (ViewRanger V2.6) we have just issued, includes an extension to our Route Manager.

We're partnering with (and seeking to partner with more) publishers of walking, cycling, horse-riding and other guided routes. Our first partner content to be launched is Walkingworld - who bring over 4500 guided walks across the UK.

(Shows Route Search in ViewRanger on Nokia 5800 touch screen handset)

Now its simple to find a great walking route nearby.

Route Search uses your location to search our growing library of guided routes. You can then browse their details, before choosing the route(s) to download direct to your handset.

If you are a publisher or owner of guided route content for anywhere in Europe - then contact us.

SiRF to be merged into CSR

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

In a move that brings together the leader in Bluetooth chipsets and the leader in GPS chipsets, CSR and SiRF have announced they are merging into an enlarged CSR group (subject to approvals).

With CSR's existing relationships with so many mobile device OEMs, and the skills and experience of CSR's silicon engineering and commercial teams - added to SiRFs GPS experience - this must represent a significant step forward in the effort to get GPS into more and more handsets.

CSR was founded and remains headquartered in Cambridge, UK - Cambridge is also where ViewRanger is based.

ViewRanger Software Release

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

A new version of ViewRanger software has been released. It is version 2.6 for 2nd and 3rd edition phones, and version 2.7 for 5th edition touch screen phones.

Details of the changes are in the v2.6 release notes. Details of the touch screen changes are on the touch screen page.

The main changes include:

Support for touch screens

Route improvements, including over the air search and download of routes

Support for Retrieva pet tracking collars and Globalsat trackers

Landmark import and export

Mercator mapping

Graph improvements

GPS altitude accuracy

Better integration of AA Smart Travel guide

If you already own a ViewRanger license then visit the software update page. If you'd like to try ViewRanger before buying please visit the download page, which also contains sample maps.

If you have any questions please contact support.

ViewRanger on Nokia 5800 Xpress Music

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The Nokia 5800 Xpress Music is Nokia's first touch-screen S60-based phone. It has been launched in a few countries already and is being released in the UK this Friday 23rd.

I've had a 5800 for a week now and have been really impressed - the screen is lovely, the interface works well and it has a built in GPS.

A beta version of ViewRanger for the 5800 is now available. If you have a 5800 and would like to try the beta please email your phone's IMEI number (dial *#06#) to support.

ViewRanger's interface has been updated to support the touch screen, but it still works just as well with a keyboard.

There are buttons for the most important features, such as zooming in and out. (The buttons are only shown on touch phones.) In the map the buttons are partly transparent. The map cursor can be moved anywhere on the screen, you can click on items to select and move them.

In the panorama you can press on features such as lakes, towns or hill tops to select them and see their name.

Here are some screen grabs. They are half normal size here, click on one to see it full size:

For more on the beta please visit the v2.7 page of the wiki.

PS For those with 2nd or 3rd edition phones we've also updated the 2.6 beta. Version 2.6 is nearing final release, but if you'd like to try it now please email support your phone model and IMEI number. (Yes, we still support and develop for 2nd edition phones!)

Christmas and New Year

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000

ViewRanger Store
The deadline for pre-Christmas orders for CDs/DVDs/memory cards is 4pm on Tuesday 23rd December. Please choose special delivery as the shipping option, which gives guaranteed next day delivery.

The store will be open throughout the Christmas period. Many maps are available for immediate download. Custom maps and serial numbers will be processed within 24 hours, usually sooner. Orders placed after the 23rd that require posting will be posted on 29th December.

Support
From Christmas Eve 24th December until Sunday 28th December inclusive, the ViewRanger support phone line will be closed. We will answer email to support throughout that period, but will take a little longer than normal. We'll answer queries within 24 hours, usually much sooner.

To save waiting for an answer it is worth looking at the ViewRanger wiki, which answers most questions.

If you request a new license key please include your phone's IMEI number (in ViewRanger use Options > New license key, it is shown as the phone id) and your map serial numbers.

ViewRanger Beta v2.6
The beta testing of ViewRanger version 2.6 is continuing. The beta was updated to version 2.6.7 on Monday 22nd December. Please see the wiki for details of the changes.

If you've not yet registered for the beta please email your phone's IMEI number (dial *#06#) and model name to support at viewranger dot com.

Finally, we wish you a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!

ViewRanger version 2.6 beta

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000

We are now beta testing version 2.6 of ViewRanger. If you would like to try the beta please email your phone's IMEI number (dial *#06# to obtain this) and your phone model name/number (e.g. N95) to support at viewranger.com.

Details of the changes can be found in the release notes.

Mapping for Germany and Norway; custom maps for Ireland

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Germany, Norway, Ireland

We've just added mapping for Germany and Norway to the range of ViewRanger maps.

You can buy maps for these countries in two ways - either by choosing you own map using the ViewRanger map chooser, or by downloading over-the-air.

Mapping for the Republic of Ireland has also been added to the map chooser. (Ireland mapping is also available over-the-air, and several pre-defined areas are available in the store, including a whole of Ireland map.)

To see the range of over-the-air tokens please visit the ViewRanger store. To download the map chooser please visit the map chooser page.

ViewRanger beta

We are about to start beta testing the next version of ViewRanger. If you would like to take part please email your phone's IMEI number (dial *#06# to obtain this) and your phone model name/number (e.g. N95) to support at viewranger.com.

Ireland maps and new phones

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Ireland Maps

Maps of Ireland for ViewRanger are now available to download from the store. You can choose from country specifc maps or a map of the whole of the Republic of Ireland.

The maps are detailed 1:50,000 scale. They come with height data, an overview map and a 2000 place name gazetteer.

The panorama only shows the shaded landscape - hill names, lakes and so on aren't marked. We will release panorama data later.

ViewRanger now has mapping for Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. More countries are in the pipeline...

New phones - N96

ViewRanger runs on the new N series flagship phone, the N96. You need to use version 2.5 of the ViewRanger software.

The N96 has an internal 16GB and a memory card slot, and of course a GPS. The ViewRanger folder can be put on either the internal disk E: or the memory card F:. See the wiki for more or if you'd like to use both the disk and memory card to store your maps.

New phones - touch

Nokia recently announced the first of their touch screen phones - the 5800 XpressMusic.

ViewRanger runs on this phone. At the moment it runs in compatability mode, where part of the screen is used to draw the keypad (the phone doesn't have physical keys). We'll provide a full screen touch interface around the time the phone ships.

Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0100

ViewRanger now has maps for five more countries

Maps for Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland are now available to download within ViewRanger, joining Finland, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.

To obtain these maps first buy and activate a ViewRanger map token, then download the maps within ViewRanger.

Bank holiday

This weekend is a bank holiday in the UK. We have a wide range of maps ready for immediate download. We are open for sales and support all weekend. We will answer any support emails received the day they are received.

ViewRanger 2.5.12

An update to ViewRanger, version 2.5.12, is being put through final testing. If you'd like to use this release, please visit the version 2.5.12 page.

ViewRanger Slovenia now available

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Slovenia is a beautiful country of spectacular mountains, caverns and waterfalls with wild untouched forests rich in wildlife - and we're pleased to say that with the launch of ViewRanger topographic and panoramic mapping for Slovenia, it is now even easier to explore with confidence.

ViewRanger Slovenia is the result of a partnership between Augmentra and Globalvision PIS d.o.o., a Slovenian GIS specialist. The Slovene Alpine Association have been testing ViewRanger for a while now - with great results.

Detailed 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 topographic mapping is available. You can download via our webstore the entire country at either scale, or download individual map tiles over-the-air direct to your handset.

Also available is a "Basics" bundle that includes ViewRanger's unique Panoramic mapping, overview mapping (1:250K), plus useful points of interest from the Survey and Mapping Authority in Slovenia, the Environmental Agency of Slovenia, and the Alpine Association of Slovenia.

Product details here.

ViewRanger version 2.5 released

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100

ViewRanger version 2.5 has now been released, please see the release notes for full details of the changes.

To download the free trial and sample mapping visit the download page.

If have already purchased ViewRanger and have an activation key then download the update from the software update page.

Nokia to buy Symbian and set up Symbian Foundation

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Interesting news this morning that Nokia is buying Symbian (or at least the 52% that it did not already own).

But potentially bigger news is the establishment of the Symbian Foundation with Nokia then sharing the technology on a royalty free and open source basis to allcomers. The detail: Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and NTT DOCOMO have announced their intent to unite Symbian OS, S60, UIQ (the flavour of Symbian used on SonyEricsson handsets) and MOAP (used by NTT DOCOMO handsets in Japan) to create one open mobile software platform. Partnering together with AT&T, LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Vodafone they plan to establish the Symbian Foundation to extend the appeal of this unified software platform.

By the end of March 2008, Symbian said that there had been 206 million cumulative Symbian OS shipments across 235 different phone models.

As a mobile software developer, we try to keep a close eye on the many different operating system options available in the market. New entrants such as the iPhone and Google's Android offer new opportunities, but also present new headaches as each platform requires a substantial investment in R&D resource and time.

If the Symbian Foundation can bring together S60, UIQ, and MOAP into a single platform and increase the handsets using this platform still further - particularly in the mid-market categories - then this could a very exciting step.

It is clear that this will take time for everything to fall into place and then time for handsets to appear that use the combined technology. But we applaud and support the initiative.

More information can be found at: www.nokia.com and www.symbianfoundation.org

More GPS Handsets

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Nokia and Samsung have recently unveiled details of more S60 handsets with GPS.

The Nokia E66 and E71 are the latest additions to Nokia's E-series business-focused handset range. Both include A-GPS.

Samsung's new G810 handset includes a 5megapixel camera, 3X optical zoom, and GPS for that all-important ViewRanger application!

For more details on handsets that will run ViewRanger, click to www.viewranger.com/phones or check out S60.com

Gone Hiking...

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0100

We're off to the Swiss Alps this weekend to try out Swiss Topo maps with ViewRanger at the 1er Salon International de la RandonnÃ©e de Villars taking place 6-8 June 2008.

The festival is a mix of guided walks, presentations, films, and other activities, all taking place in and around the resort of Villars.

Walkies Echo!

Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Rafe from allaboutsymbian.com - with a little help from his dog Echo - has created a great video on using ViewRanger. Thanks Rafe. and thanks Echo!

ViewRanger wins "Most Innovative Product in Navigation Sector" at Ordnance Survey Partner Awards

Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100

We are delighted to say that ViewRanger has been recognised and awarded by Ordnance Survey, the UK's national mapping agency, at their Partner Awards. ViewRanger was awarded "Most Innovative Product in the Navigation Sector" in the Ordnance Surveyâs partner awards. The awards were announced at Location 2008 â the Ordnance Survey partner conference attended by over 150 delegates.

Ordnance Survey works with a huge number of partners, so we are thrilled to be singled out for this recognition, particularly in the fast moving navigation market sector where so much innovation is occuring.

"Partners are vital to the success of our business," says Mark Salter, Head of Partners and Strategic Alliance at Ordnance Survey. "Their innovation helps ensure that Ordnance Survey's geographic information underpins products and services right across public and private sectors.

"Our awards reflect our recognition of this. I'd like to congratulate all of the winners on their tremendous achievements during the past year - and wish them every success for the future."

Ever lost your tent at a festival?

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100

With festival season fast-approaching, itâs time to pack your wellies and head off to the countryside for weekends of music, mud and mayhem. Now finding your way around festival sites, and back to your tent at the end of a long dayâs partying, has never been easier, thanks to ViewRanger.

A friend of ours once spent an hour and a half looking for her tent at Glastonbury. It was four in the morning, she was getting more and more frustrated, and other tent-dwellers were getting quite annoyed with her as well!

Being able to âtagâ the exact location of your tent means that you simply follow the on-screen map to find your way to your temporary home. Itâs easy to use and means you can worry about the important festival questions instead â like which bands to see and what kind of ethnic food to try.

Even hardened festival-goers complain of the difficulties of finding their way around large and confusion green-field sites. As well as marking the location of your tent, ViewRanger can be used to tag the exact position of the stages, toilets, your favourite food-outlet, and other landmarks, so that finding your way around the site becomes a cinch.

And if you're going as a group of mates, or aiming to hook up with friends when you arrive, then ViewRanger's BuddyBeacon feature can be invaluable as it locates your ViewRanger using friends.

More European Mapping...

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100

ViewRanger is compatible with topographic maps for Belgium (IGN Belgium), France (IGN), Holland, and Switzerland (SwissTopo).

If you already have ViewRanger with mapping for Great Britain or Finland, and want to buy and try mapping for these new territories now, then please contact us at craig [at] viewranger.com for details of how you can access these maps now.

Note: These maps are provided through a partnership arrangement with one of our European partners and maps are purchased via their web-based map tile selector.

For consumers who aren't yet using ViewRanger - we'll make details generally available very soon.

ViewRanger 2.5 beta

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 +0100

We are about to start beta testing version 2.5 of ViewRanger. The changes are described in the Wiki.

If you would like to participate please email the IMEI number of your phone (dial *#06# to obtain this, it is a 15 digit number starting 35) and your phone model name (e.g. N95) to support at viewranger dot com.

If you participated in the last beta then the beta will be on the same page as before and signed for the same handsets as before. You will need to email us if you have changed handset since the last beta.

Updated map chooser

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

The map chooser has been updated. The main change is that 1:20,000 scale maps for Finland is now available through the map chooser. For Great Britain the Scilly Isles are now available at 1:25,000. There have been a few minor user interface changes too.

Download the map chooser using this link.

Custom maps are usually provided by download. You can choose to have them sent on CD or memory card by adding the media you require from the "related products" list that is shown below the shopping basket in the store.

During the day on weekdays the custom maps are usually ready to download within an hour of us receiving the map choice file. In the evening and at weekends they can take longer, but are almost always ready the same day.

Web server and email problems

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Updated:

There were some problems accessing the ViewRanger web server earlier today. The company that hosts the server has now resolved the problems. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

BuddyBeacon tracking of FourChurches08 charity bike ride.

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Gaz and Craz - the bike maniacs at www.CharityAdventure.org.uk - are back in their saddles this weekend guiding a 125 mile charity bike ride between York Minster and Durham Cathedral in aid of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

ViewRanger is proud to support CharityAdventure for their mapping, navigation, and tracking needs.

Follow them via ViewRanger BuddyBeacon over the next 48 hours (they are due to leave York Minster on Friday evening):

Craz is ---> HERE <---
Gaz is ---> HERE <---

And visit the event web page at:
http://charityadventure.org.uk/CharityAdventureApp/fourchurches2008.aspx

Easter and show

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

It is Easter this weekend. CD, DVD and memory card orders placed by Thursday mid-afternoon will be posted that day. Orders placed between then and Saturday mid-morning will be posted on Saturday morning. Orders placed from then onwards will be posted on Tuesday afternoon.

A number of maps are available for instant download - the National Parks, Southern and Northern England, Wales and Southern and Northern Scotland.

Custom maps are also provided by download (unless you choose otherwise) - we aim to process these the same day, usually within a couple of hours, and this service is available throughout the Easter weekend.

The Outdoors Show last weekend was very busy and it was very nice to meet so many ViewRanger users - thank you for taking the time to come and see us. The N95 and N82 that we had on display maintained their position fix throughout the show, which was impressive given the metal roof and girders!

Have a great Easter weekend!

Mike.

Outdoors Show this Weekend

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

It's the Outdoors Show this weekend from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th March in the NEC at Birmingham. We'll be showing ViewRanger on Memory-Map's stand OU250, which is by the main entrance. We can answer any questions you have and a selection of ViewRanger maps will be available to buy.
We hope you can come and visit us, and look forward to meeting you there!

Explorer maps for Isles of Scilly

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

We now have Explorer 1:25,000 maps for the Isles of Scilly. To update your map chooser to be able to select this area please see this wiki article.

YourMap and downloads

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The delivery mechanism for YourMap custom maps now defaults to being by electronic download. Once you've placed your order email us the map choice file. When the map is ready we will email you a download link and instructions. This will almost always be within 24 hours, often within a couple of hours.

If you prefer you can have the map delivered on CD or memory card. First make your area selection in the map chooser, then press the Buy button, which transfers you to the web store's shopping cart. Below the cart you'll see the alternative delivery media listed as related products - click on the one you want, then add it to your cart.

If you have any questions about this please email or call.

ViewRanger 2.4.8 available

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000

ViewRanger 2.4.8 has been released.

If you don't have a link to the software update page then please email support.

Thank you to everyone who tried the 2.4 beta, your feedback has been much appreciated. There will be a new beta program before long...

Christmas and New Year opening

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000

(Updated 28th December 2008)

Following the Christmas break, sales and support are now available as normal.

Orders placed on the afternoon of 31st December or 1st January will be posted on 2nd January - though there are also several map products available to download from the store immediately. We've just added North England, South England and Wales (Scotland very soon) and also Lapland and North Finland.

We wish you a very happy 2008!

Beta updated and N95 firmware

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The ViewRanger beta has been updated to v2.4.6 and is available to download. If you'd like to use the beta and haven't requested it from us yet then please email your phone model (e.g. N95) and IMEI number (dial *#06#, it is a 15 digit number starting 35) to support at viewranger.com.

The details of the changes in the beta are available in the beta release history.

There is a problem with the newest N95 firmware that stops ViewRanger saving its preferences. The affected firmware is v20/v21 for the N95 and v10/v11 for the N95-8Gb. To check your firmware version dial *#0000#. This new beta, v2.4.6 or later, saves preferences in a different way to avoid the problem.

Finally, with Christmas fast approaching we've added a page of Christmas gift ideas.

ViewRanger beta 2.4 available

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0100

The ViewRanger beta version 2.4.1 is now available. If you've registered to receive it you've been sent an email with download instructions.

You can read details of the changes in the ViewRanger Wiki.

If you'd like to try the beta then please email your phone model name and 15-digit IMEI number (dial *#06# to obtain this) to support. You are welcome to try the beta even if you've not yet bought ViewRanger.

ViewRanger TravelLog in Facebook (Beta)

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Want to show your ViewRanger photo TravelLog's to your friends via Facebook? Try our ViewRanger GPS application for Facebook (in beta).

To install the ViewRanger for Facebook application:
1) Go to apps.facebook.com/viewrangerbb
2) Add the ViewRanger GPS application to your Facebook profile
3) When asked to login to the ViewRanger Portal, please use your email address and password you use for your ViewRanger handset account (set through "Options > Settings > User" in ViewRanger)
4) From ViewRanger on your phone, update your Buddy Beacon location once. You currently need to do this to fully activate ViewRanger in your Facebook profile
5) Go to your Facebook profile, click on See Map in the ViewRanger application. You and your friends can choose between My TravelLog or My Location

Any problems - contact craig [at] viewranger.com

Note - you need to have uploaded a photo to the server from ViewRanger in order to see it in your Facebook profile.

Let us have your feedback!

Beta testers wanted

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0100

We'll soon be starting to beta test an updated version of ViewRanger.

If you'd like to try the beta then please email support@viewranger.com including your phone's model name (e.g. N95) and its 15-digit IMEI number (which you can obtain by dialling *#06#).

When the beta is ready we'll mail you with details of where to download it from and will have signed it ready to install on your phone.

Cambridge Enterprise Conference

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Augmentra navigated it's way to the Cambridge Enterprise Conference, held at Churchill College in Cambridge, yesterday showing ViewRanger and AA Smart TravelGuide products as one of a carefully selected group of some of the most exciting and promising young companies from the East of England. Mike hotfooted it back down to Cambridge for the event, coming back from the Lake District where he had been busy testing ViewRanger for several days.

As you might imagine, there were several mobile phone related companies alongside ourselves(such as AlertMe and GrIDsure), but also companies developing other interesting technology including for very high speed ink-jet printing (Inkski), sniffer bees trained to sniff out explosives, and flying saucers for remote observation!

As a young company we are highly focused on providing the best outdoor navigation experience for our customers. BBC News 24, ITV, and other national press were in attendance and covered the ViewRanger story. But just as important, these kind of conferences provide an opportunity to talk to and compare notes with other groundbreaking and innovative companies.

Testers Wanted...

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0100

The BuddyBeacon and TravelLog functions in ViewRanger are already proving popular with many of you. However, we're already working on enhancements to extend their usefulness and allow you to better share your outdoor experiences.

We're currently developing some new web-based functionality that starts to let you manage your photos and TravelLog content, and also functionality that starts to connect ViewRanger into other popular tools.

It's this second featureset that we'd like your help to test and feedback on! So, we're looking for ViewRanger users who have Facebook accounts and use the ViewRanger BuddyBeacon. Contact us at our support email address with "ViewRanger and Facebook" in your subject line. We'll then be in touch shortly with more details.

Brand new web store

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Co-inciding with the release of Finland maps for ViewRanger, we have opened a brand new webstore. The new store will make it easier for us to offer a greater variety of mapping options, including electronic download maps. Visit the new store at store.viewranger.com.

If you are choosing your own map areas you need to download and install a new version of the map chooser application. You can download the new version here or go to www.viewranger.com/products.php#YourMap.

National Land Survey of Finland Maps Now Available

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0100

Maps of Finland for ViewRanger are now available.

The first maps to be released are at 1:50,000 scale and include Helsinki and Metropolitan Area, Saimaa Lake District region, and Southern Finland. Additional regions and maps at 1:20,000 scale will be available soon.

Finland maps are available as an electronic download and each map includes a ViewRanger software license, an overview map of Finland, a general gazetteer for Finland, plus detailed mapping and a detailed gazetteer for the region purchased.

See our brand new webstore at store.viewranger.com for details.

ViewRanger FAQ / Wiki

Tue, 29 May 2007 00:00:00 +0100

We've just added a FAQ / Wiki to the support part of the web site.

We'll be extending its content over time. If there is a topic you'd like to see covered then please let me know. Or if you have an article you'd like posted then send it to me and I'll post it there!

The page is available from www.viewranger.com/wiki. It has a search box at the top.

It looks rather plain, but this is deliberate. It can be read using mobile web browsers, so we have kept the design as light as possible to minimise bandwidth. On phones like the N73 which have 2 browsers then use the newer "Web" browser rather than the old "Services" browser. Or use a browser like Opera. But if you have no other choice it will work in the "Services" browser and still use minimal bandwidth.

ViewRanger now Symbian Signed

Thu, 17 May 2007 00:00:00 +0100

ViewRanger has now been Symbian Signed. This signed version can be downloaded from the beta or software update pages. If you don't already have one of these links and would like the signed version, please email support. We will shortly be emailing all customers (except those who have opted out) a newsletter containing the link to the software update page.

To be Symbian Signed, ViewRanger was successfully tested in Symbian Signed. For more information visit www.symbiansigned.com.

When you install this version you will no longer see a warning about the certificate.

Applications have to be Symbian Signed to make use of the internal GPS in phones like the N95, and the forthcoming 6110 and E90.

Thank you to everyone who has beta tested this version of ViewRanger. We very much appreciate all your feedback!

Symbian and the âfor Symbian OSâ logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symbian Software Ltdâ.

Beta update 2.3.10

Mon, 14 May 2007 00:00:00 +0100

The beta version has been updated to version 2.3.10. It contains:

- Fixes to problems when the memory card is full.

- Improved behaviour when the screen orientation is changed.

- When communicating with the server, expired cookies are spotted and the connection reauthorises.

- ViewRanger now spots if an Internet access point has been deleted and asks you to choose another.

- The Trip view now has a context menu option allowing you stop navigating to a point or folllowing a route.

- A shortcut is available in settings which will flip the orientation of the screen between portrait and landscape on phones which support this. You may need to press it twice between some orientations. This is only available on S60 3rd edition handsets.

Software update v2.3.9

Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:00 +0100

The version of ViewRanger available through the beta download page has been updated to version 2.3.9. There are a few changes:

The sunset, sunrise and solar noon times can be shown on the Trip view if chosen through the Trip settings. The times are for the current GPS location for the phone's current date and time zone.

Sunset, sunrise and solar noon are also shown for the current map location on the Where am I now? panel, so you can check the sunset time anywhere in the country.

Small distances on the Trip view are now shown in metres, yards or feet, rather than in km / miles.

A new setting "Prompt for billable events" is available in User Settings. When this is switched on, you will be asked to confirm before every Internet access. If you answer no the operation is cancelled. When "prompt for billable events" is switched off you will only be asked the first time that ViewRanger needs to connect to the Internet. This setting also applies to other events that could lead to a charge on your bill such as sending a text message or opening a web page.

The E70 could crash if the GPS disconnected, this has been fixed.

Augmentra Maps New âSmart Travel Guidesâ for the AA

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0100

We're very excited to let you in on a significant new project that we've been working on. Augmentra, the developer behind ViewRanger, and the AA, the market leaders in atlases, maps and travel guides, are together developing new interactive mobile-phone travel guide products. AA Smart TravelGuide, unveiled by the AA at the London Book Fair last week, delivers rich travel guide information designed to help tourists and travellers make the most of their trip.

AA Smart TravelGuide provides the user with detailed full-colour street mapping and a wealth of useful travel information compiled by the AAâs travel experts. It includes âmust seeâ sights, easy-to-follow walking tours, what to do, restaurants, entertainment, and places to stay, plus colour photos, and live phone and web links to featured sights. AA hotel and restaurant ratings are included to keep the traveller fully informed.

Simon Davies, General Manager, AA Publishing, commented "AA Publishing is very pleased to be moving into the realm of electronic publishing with the launch of Smart TravelGuide, and we believe Augmentra are the perfect partner to work with us on such an exciting new project".

AA Publishing is Britainâs largest travel publisher and world famous for an extensive range of travel publications and guides. AA Publishing is a division of the Automobile Association, Britainâs largest motoring organisation.

We'll reveal more as the consumer launch approaches.

Beta update 2.3.8

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0100

The ViewRanger beta has been updated to version 2.3.8. This beta fixes some problems in the previous beta, and also adds a few small changes.

Of note:

Tracks are now saved to GPX correctly.
Three default trip profiles are provided.
The old style navigation view has been removed.
Hide all except selected commands have been added, which hide all the overly items except for the one that is currently selected.
Degrees and decimal minutes is available as a coordinate display and entry option.
The red end call button now hides ViewRanger rather than exiting (3rd edition handsets only).
The last track that was recorded is automatically hidden when a new track is started. The track can be unhidden.

The beta is available on the usual beta page. If you don't have the link to that page and would like access to the beta then please email support@viewranger.com, likewise if you have any questions or feedback.

GPS Exhibition, Saturday 21st April

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0100

We are exhibiting at the PocketGPSWorld.com Expo on Saturday 21st April. It is being held at Sandown Park Racecourse from 10am to 4pm. It is free to attend, but you do need to email the organisers to reserve places beforehand.

Full details are available at http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/modules.php?name=Blogs&op=showBlog&idBlog=20.

Craig, Anne and I will be there and we are looking forward to meeting more of you!

Easter

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0100

It's nearly Easter and the weather forecast is looking good!

There are no post deliveries on Good Friday or Easter Monday. Orders placed before 9am Saturday should be with you for Tuesday. And any orders after that will be posted on Tuesday. GPS orders will take longer than this.

If you have an urgent order that does not fit in these timescales please email us (sales@viewranger.com) or call 020 7193 7233 as we may be able to arrange a download for you.

The support phone line is manned on Good Friday, and we will check and answer email regularly over the whole Easter weekend.

Have a great Easter!
Mike.

Beta updated

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0100

The beta has been updated to version 2.3.4. There have been a number of small changes and fixes, which are detailed in the revised release notes on the beta download page. If you need a link to the beta download page, please email support@viewranger.com.

Most notably:

Problems saving and deleting Trip profiles have been fixed.
The occasional cookie error when using the server has been solved.
The shortcut to show the Trip view now toggles between the Trip view and the map view. (The default shortcut is 7, but you may need to choose this in Settings > UI.)
The image and details view now finds images if they have been moved, and displays a generic icon while they are loading. The tag has been extended to allow additional images to be associated with a POI.
When set to use a UTM zone with no maps, the "No maps here" message is no longer displayed on screen.

Thank you to everyone who has tried the beta, and especially to those who have sent feedback!

New beta release

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000

A new beta release of ViewRanger is now available. If you would like to try it please email support@viewranger.com.

The main new features include:

Trip view

The trip view displays a range of statistics about your current journey. You can configure which statistics are shown and can choose from several different screen layouts. The statistics include values such as distance, speed, average speed, time moving, estimated time of arrival, altitude and pace.

You can save different combinations and layouts as profiles, and step through the profiles with the arrow keys.

Track and route graphs

For a track you can display graphs of speed, altitude, GPS altitude and distance against time. You can display these individually or superimposed.

For a route you can display a graph of altitude against distance.

Buddy Beacons

You can send your location to the ViewRanger server. If you give friends your details, they can see your location either using their own copy of ViewRanger or using a web page. You can send your location once, or can send it repeatedly.

International support

The international UTM coordinate system is now supported. Tracks can be recorded and POIs can be created worldwide.

Internal GPS

The GPS built-in to the new N95, E90 and 6110 phones is supported.

Routes, Tracks, GPS and GPX

Tracks store the GPS altitude, which can be exported to GPX files.

Tracks are split into segments when the GPS is disconnected then reconnected, or when track recording is switched off and back on.

Selective GPX import and export â you can import just the routes from a GPX file, ignoring the tracks and single points, or can choose to just export tracks.

On 3rd edition phones routes can be made partially transparent.

If you have any questions or would like to use the beta please contact support@viewranger.com or phone 020 7193 7233.

Wainwright on BBC

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The BBC is currently showing several programmes about Wainwright, the author of the Lake District pictorial guides. The programmes were first shown on BBC4, then in April most are being shown on BBC2.

The first was an hour long programme "Wainwright - The Man Who Loved the Lakes". It is 100 years since he was born and this is a programme about his work, with interviews, clips from his past tv and radio programmes and plenty of scenery.

The other four programmes are a series called "Wainwright's Walks". In each episode Julia Bradbury (from Watchdog) climbs a fell, following a route from one of his books. The first programme features Haystacks, with some fantastic scenery including some aerially-shot film. Julia sits half way up Haystacks, trying to work out whether she can see Grasmoor or not, because the book only shows the view from the top. She really needs ViewRanger!

The other 3 shows feature Blencathra, Castle Crag and Scafell Pike, all are well worth watching (in my opinion).

Other Wainwright links:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/enjoy_cumbria/famous_people/wainwright.shtml
http://www.wainwright.org.uk/

From BBC web site:

"BBC Two begins a repeat of this series on Friday 6 April at 7pm. The first three programmes will be shown in this weekly slot and then there will be a two-week break for sport, after which the final programme will air. Wainwright: The Man Who Loved The Lakes will be shown on BBC Four on Monday 2 April at 9pm."

N95

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The N95 is a new N series phone from Nokia that will have a built in GPS. It is due to be released later this year.

Update Feb 07: Nokia have also announced the E90 and the 6110, which will be available later this year, both with in-built GPS.

There is a new version of ViewRanger that supports the built in GPS. If you already have access to an N95, E90 or 6110 and would like to try ViewRanger on it, please email me via support@viewranger.com.

Map chooser overlays

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The ViewRanger map chooser is a Windows application that is used to select and purchase areas of 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 mapping. It shows the country split into small tiles. You can choose any tiles you wish, and a running price and estimated memory size is displayed. Prices start at Â£20. You are only charged for land area, not for sea - the map chooser displays the land cover of each tile in the bottom bar.

The map chooser now has an overlay which is used to show previous orders. The updated application is available at www.viewranger.com/mapchooser/VRMapChooser.msi [8.99Mb].

To use the overlay select Import map choice into overlay... from the Overlay menu. You will be prompted to choose one or more map choice files. The overlay squares are shown as dark grey, the new tiles are shown as pink with a red border.

In this screen shot the North Kent coast is shown dark grey by the overlay. Two separate new areas have been selected and are shown in pink.

Christmas and New Year

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000

From 27th December we are open as normal for both sales and support. Over the New Year weekend we will answer email queries.

We wish everyone a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!
Mike.

Support phone number and Skype id

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000

You can now reach us for technical queries and support by phone and by Skype. Your normal call rates apply to the phone number, it is not a premium rate line just a London number.

Email: support@viewranger.com
Phone: 020 7193 7233
Skype: viewranger

Email is the best way to reach us in the evening, at weekends and on bank holidays as we do check and answer queries regularly during those times.

N73 firmware - updated

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000

This is an update to the previous N73 firmware posts.

N73s with firmware version v2.0628.0.0.1 may experience Bluetooth connection problems. When this happens ViewRanger's GPS circle and cross will go grey, and the Hdop will be reported as 100.Dial *#0000# to see your firmware version.

Nokia released new firmware v2.0628.0.0.3 in September, which fixes this problem. In November v3.0638.0.0.1 dated 30-10-06 was released, which contains other fixes and improvements.

You can update online using the Nokia software updater from
http://europe.nokia.com/A4176089?N73 . This is usually the easiest way to update, follow the instructions carefully.

You can also take your phone to a Nokia service centre. You can find your nearest service centre using this page
http://www.apps.nokia.co.uk/clubnokiaservice/ , but do ring to check they can upgrade your phone before travelling.

However, some of the network operators use a branded version of the firmware for which there is no update available yet. Forums at sites like discussions.nokia.co.uk and http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/ contain lots of discussions about this issue if you want to know more.

The firmware variant on your phone is determined by the product code. This is a number located under the battery starting 05. There are literally dozens of variants.

If you have a product code of 0527009, 0539101, 0539102, 0539093 or 0539094 then you can update using the Nokia software updater now. If you have a different product code then you may or may not be able to update, you need to try the Nokia software updater to find out. Make sure you download and install the latest Nokia software updater.

If you have any questions about this then please e-mail support@viewranger.com.

Software update 2.2.15

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

We've just made a number of additional changes to ViewRanger 2.2, most of which arose from customer feedback. The software is version 2.2.15 and is available from the update page (email support@viewranger.com if you need the link).

The changes are described in detail in ViewRanger_changes_2_2_15.pdf (20Kb PDF).

In summary the main changes are:

A new Previous view menu item has been added, which allows you to swap between two different map views - that is combinations of map position, scale and zoom.
Improvements to deleting waypoints when creating or editing routes. When creating a route, you can delete the waypoint just created by pressing the delete key C.
A setting to draw lines and waypoints thicker has been added, to make them clearer on phones with small pixels such as the N80.
Settings have been added to allow you to customise the behaviour of some of the numeric shortcut keys.
When you import a GPX file a count of the POIs, routes and tracks the file contains is shown and you are asked whether you want to import it.

Augmentra Creates OSi StreetSmart â A Smarter Way to Explore Dublin

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Augmentra has delivered OSi StreetSmart, a revolutionary mobile phone based city mapping and information solution, for Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) in partnership with FÃ¡ilte Ireland (the Ireland National Tourism Development Authority). OSi StreetSmart, which makes Ordnance Survey Ireland maps and FÃ¡ilte Ireland Point-of-Interest (POI) data available on smartphones for the very first time, was launched by Geraldine Ruane, OSi Chief Executive, and Rosanna Davison, Miss World and Irish celebrity, at the Toys 4 Big Boys Show held this weekend at the RDS Irish International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dublin.

OSi StreetSmart provides the user with detailed street maps and information on hundreds of attractions and places to visit. The GPS compatible mapping application, which uses OSiâs latest Dublin Street Guide will greatly benefit tourists and anyone who lives, works or is interested in getting to know Dublin a little bit better.

OSi StreetSmart includes hundreds of searchable FÃ¡ilte Ireland Points-of-Interest including museums, historic buildings, gardens, day tours, parks, and top visitor attractions. Each attraction includes a phone number (with click-to-call option), address, and informative description. Users have the option of connecting over-the-air to access photos and extra information on each attraction and to download new POIs.

As well as accessing information provided by FÃ¡ilte Ireland, OSi StreetSmart users can create and share new POI and add their own photographs and comments through the over-the-air OSi StreetSmart Information Exchange. This allows contributions to be added by visitors to Dublin, experiences to be shared, and favourite places to be exchanged.

OSi StreetSmart is based on Augmentraâs DataRanger mapping, navigation and information mobile technology platform. Based on the same technical platform, ViewRanger, Augmentraâs smartphone-based off-road sat-nav application was recently awarded Best Location-Aware Service & Application by Nokia and Symbian in Nokiaâs S60 3rd Edition Global Challenge to find the best smartphone applications.

Lake District and autumn

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

I've just returned from a great week of walking and testing ViewRanger in the Lake District. Though it rained a lot, during daylight it was mainly occasional showers, so I could walk all day, every day.

There are some great autumn colours, especially the bracken, but only a few trees have turned. With the rain and this year's unusually long growing season the colours seem especially rich. With frosts expected this week the colours in the next couple of weeks should be fantastic.

Nokia 6600 support

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0100

We've received several enquiries about ViewRanger's support for the Nokia 6600, because it isn't listed in the supported phones at http://www.viewranger.com/phonesupport.php.

The maps and GPS link in ViewRanger work without problems on the Nokia 6600. We have a number of customers using ViewRanger on the 6600. We test new versions of ViewRanger on the 6600 and will continue doing so.

The reason the 6600 is not listed as supported is because it has a very small memory - just 3Mb for applications to use when they are running. This means that 3D panoramas are very limited on the 6600 and you can't increase their visible distance much above 10km.

The maps and GPS link only require a small amount of memory so work fine on the 6600. If you are recording a track you need to avoid recording too many points, so in Options > Settings > Track keep the distance and time between samples as high as you can.

ViewRanger Selected as Challenge Finalist by Nokia and Adobe

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0100

ViewRanger has been announced by Nokia as a finalist in the Location Aware Applications category of the Nokia S60 3rd Edition Challenge, a global developer competition that will award the best new applications based on the S60 3rd Edition. The awards will be made October 17 in London at the Smartphone Show. Augmentra Ltd, the developer of ViewRanger, is the sole UK-based developer to be selected as a finalist.

Launched in December, 2005, the S60 3rd Edition Challenge, co-sponsored by Adobe and Forum Nokia, Nokia's global developer support program, is designed to drive development of innovative new applications for the S60 3rd Edition, based on the Symbian OS, which expands creative opportunities for developers of advanced mobile applications and services. The competition comprises four categories -- enterprise, music, Adobe Flash Lite and location-based applications.

The finalists were chosen on the basis of each entry's overall strength of concept and level of creativity, and its usability, aesthetic design and support for mobility.

ViewRanger: "Any outdoor enthusiast's best friend."

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0100

Cycling Plus magazine, the biggest selling road monthly in the UK, says that ViewRanger "is any outdoor enthusiast's best friend" in their Bikeshop review and make ViewRanger a Cycling Plus Recommended Buy.

Cycling Plus say ViewRanger "marks the true cross-platform integration that we've been waiting for: GPS navigation and OS mapping on your mobile phone" and go on to say "In the kind of integration you'd hope for with a GPS on a smartphone, you can also take photos with it and place them as markers on the map". The review scores ViewRanger with 9 out of 10.

[Cycling Plus October 2006 issue]

N80 firmware

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0100

N80s with firmware version 3.0617.0.6 may experience occasional Bluetooth connection losses. New firmware, v4.0623.0.41, was released in the middle of August 2006 which appears to fix this problem. The new firmware can be obtained from Nokia service centres. You can find your nearest service centre using this page www.nokia.co.uk/nokia/0,,77483,00.html, but do check before going there because some service centres are not equipped to upgrade this type of handset.

*** Update - you can now update your handset yourself from the Nokia web site - go to http://www.nokia.co.uk/nokia/0,,95599,00.html?N80

Dial *#0000# to see your firmware version.

Firmware version 3.0614.0.3 was not affected by this problem, and not all handets with 3.0617.0.6 show the problem (the type of GPS may be a factor), so if you are not experiencing the problem you can ignore this advice.

The forums at sites like www.allaboutsymbian.com/forum and discussions.nokia.co.uk contain lots of discussions about this firmware if you want to know more.

Software updates

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0100

Since ViewRanger 2 was released a small number of problems have been found and fixed. Most of these changes are specific to particular handsets, operators or GPS devices.

You can check the version of ViewRanger installed on your phone by going to Options > About. For S60 2nd edition phones the recommended version is 2.0.16 and for 3rd edition phones the recommended version is 2.1.3, but see below for the optional changes and updates available.

If you would like a copy of a new ViewRanger version, please send a brief e-mail, stating your phone model, to support@viewranger.com. Please use or state the e-mail address you used when you registered your copy of ViewRanger.

S60 2nd Edition Phones
E.g. 6630, 6680, N70, N90

The recommended ViewRanger version for 2nd edition phones is 2.0.16. It contains the folllowing changes:

Image submission improved, better scaling and more reliable
Deleting points in routes during navigation safe
Cache folder changed so that thumbnails do not show up in the gallery
Early 2nd edition phones such as 3230 now supported
GPS improvements to support specific GPS units
Optional GPS logging

Three other versions are available, which you only need if you are affected by the problem they solve:

2.0.17
GPS configuration to ensure correct NMEA is output. Only needed if you have a problem with GPS location or satellites display.

2.0.18
Accessing ViewRanger server using O2 via certain access points.

2.0.19
Display of lists on N70/N90 when the current theme uses white text.

S60 3rd Edition Phones
E.g. 3250, N80, N91

The recommended ViewRanger version for 3nd edition phones is 2.1.3. The changes it contains compared to earlier versions are:

GPS improvements to support specific GPS devices
Deleting points in routes during navigation is safe
Blank areas in manual location panel have been eliminated.

Update 25 Aug 06: Versions 2.1.5 and 2.1.6 of ViewRanger contained changes to workround a problem in the N80 firmware, see a later post for details of this.

If you have any questions about ViewRanger, please don't hesitate to e-mail support@viewranger.com

Self Select Maps With ViewRanger YourMap

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0100

Don't want mapping for the entire British Isles? Do you spend your activity time outside of the National Parks? Perhaps you mountain bike regularly in a local area and want maps just for that region? Or you'd like maps for the area where you live and also for the area near your holiday cottage?

Now you can with ViewRanger YourMap.

Choose your own mapping areas with our flexible select tool that lets you select unlimited areas of mapping. Based on a grid, you can choose any grid squares you like - so you can pick an area in Sussex and areas in Scotland all in the same map! The tool interactively shows you the expected disk size (so you can make sure it will fit on your phone memory card) and the cost for your specific map selection.

Plus, you can select from both 1:50000 Landranger and 1:25000 Explorer scale mapping.
When you have chosen your map area, simply click "Buy" to purchase through our online store and then email your Map Choice file to us.

VRMapChooser runs on Windows PC's. Download the VRMapChooser installation package from www.viewranger.com/mapchooser/VRMapChooser.msi [8.5MB].

Bike Mounts

Mon, 19 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0100

We have had a number of enquiries from mountain bike riders and cyclists who want to have ViewRanger on their handlebars so that it can be used in a way similar to an in-car satnav.

First of all, there is a setting in ViewRanger to disable the phone's screensave function. This will allow your handset to show ViewRanger's screen display continuously. (Battery life is obviously reduced, but we've had Nokia phones run for 11 hours whilst navigating a route with screen always on and a bluetooth gps receiver connected).

Secondly, you may want to have a look at the RAM Mounts range of mounting solutions. In particular, the splash/mud proof AQ3 case has a clear and flexible cover so that you can see/operate your phone handset without removing it from the case.

There are several tube mount options - but the RAP-274 Rail Mount is possibly the smallest.

Check out http://www.ram-mount-uk.com for more details and locations of dealers.

News: ViewRanger GPS Navigation Software Now Runs On Symbian V9 S60 3rd Edition Phones

Wed, 07 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0100

Augmentra Ltd has released ViewRangerâ¢, its off-road GPS mapping, navigation and information application, for the latest Symbian V9 S60 3rd Edition mobile phone handsets such as the Nokia N80, Nokia 3250 and Nokia N91. ViewRanger is one of the first sat-nav applications to be released for the latest Nokia platform.

The latest Nokia handsets feature higher resolution screens, greater memory capacity, and the ability to orientate the screen for landscape display. ViewRanger exploits these capabilities to provide an enhanced map display for the user.

With a Bluetooth GPS receiver connected, ViewRanger transforms a Nokia smartphone into a fully featured trail and off-road navigation system. ViewRanger provides mapping, navigation and information on location for walkers, mountain bikers, geocachers, off-road drivers, tourists and other outdoor activity enthusiasts.

ViewRanger GB National Parks Reviewed at OutdoorsMagic.com

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0100

OutdoorsMagic.com have posted a gear test of ViewRanger GB National Parks at their website. Having tested ViewRanger extensively in The Lake District and Peak District National Parks, OutdoorsMagic awarded ViewRanger 4/5 for performance and 5/5 for value!

Dave Mycroft, OutdoorsMagic.com routes editor and GPS guru comments:
"After being a confirmed PDA/Memory Map fan for years I have to admit that these days I leave the PDA at home and take ViewRanger on my phone instead - and that says it all!"

Trial for S60 3rd Edition Handsets Available

Wed, 31 May 2006 00:00:00 +0100

We've just posted a pre-release evaluation version of ViewRanger to the downloads page that will run on the Symbian V9 Series 60 3rd Edition handsets such as the Nokia 3250, N80, N91, E61, etc.

ViewRanger works just fine in the Landscape mode supported by some of these new handsets.

Review at AllAboutSymbian.com

Tue, 23 May 2006 00:00:00 +0100

The folks at AllAboutSymbian.com have published a review of ViewRanger. As smartphone experts they get to see and try most applications available for Symbian smartphones.

Top Story: ViewRanger reviewed - Satellite Navigation off the Beaten Track
Steve's the GPS fan in the AAS offices, and he's been trialling ViewRanger to find out how GPS and navigation works when you're away from the road network. ViewRanger gives an annotated panorama of the hills and valleys in front of you. Read why Steve was so impressed.

Support Note: Bluetooth GPS Receivers

Fri, 05 May 2006 00:00:00 +0100

Customers using ViewRanger v2.0.6 or earlier should contact us if they are having problems in getting ViewRanger to show your current position once connected to a BT-GPS device.

We have seen a small problem with a couple of BT-GPS receivers - such as the Royaltek RBT-1000 model. We have a patch that is available for customers who are experiencing this problem.

Contact: support@viewranger.com

ViewRanger 2 Available!

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0100

We've started shipments of the latest version of ViewRanger - packed with loads of great new features.

ViewRanger is available in two editions: GB National Parks and all Great Britain.

Key Features

Maps licensed from Ordnance Survey for quality and accuracy
Clear map display with full pan and zoom
Lock to GPS for moving map display with velocity and direction indicator
Record and analyse your trips with tracklog recording including route, timing, speed and other information
Navigate to any waypoint or point of interest
Follow route with GPS navigation
Route import allows you to bring in routes from third parties web sites and PC route planning software
POI import allows you to incorporate Points of Interest databases from third parties
Export your tracklogs to your PC for further analysis
Create new waypoints and new routes
Unique 3D Panoramic Viewpoint maps - shows you what you see
Thousands of Features of Interest identified and labelled in panoramic view
Integrates with smartphone camera - auto-locates photos onto the map
Bookmark locations - revisit your favorite locations at any time
Data manager for routes, tracks, waypoints, POI, maps and bookmarks
Share your experiences by associating photos and text notes with landscape features and publishing to the online Information Exchange

ViewRanger is the first solution to combine high quality topographic maps, off-road GPS navigation, and panoramic viewpoint maps in an integrated, simple to use application running on smartphones.

ViewRanger consists of a mapping application and digital maps, all stored on the smartphone handset. ViewRanger will display it's mapping and provide GPS navigation without requiring a mobile network connection.

Ed's Blog

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Ed Parsons, CTO at Ordnance Survey, has a great blog at www.edparsons.com covering all sorts of activity within and thoughts about both professional and consumer mapping and the issues surrounding it.

We were delighted to get a mention in his post on the Outdoors Show including his comment

But âBest of Showâ for me was some real innovation from a small Cambridge
company, Viewranger.

Thanks Ed!

Phew - back from the show!

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Well, luckily I don't need to use my voice to post this blog. Let's just say that it is suffering slightly after 3 days of non-stop activity showing ViewRanger 2 to loads of people at the Outdoors Show at the NEC where we had the opportunity to meet people from all types of outdoor activity - walkers, mountain bikers, fellrunners, kayakers, etc.

Many thanks to everyone who stopped by to see us - both existing ViewRanger users and all the new people we met. The response to ViewRanger was tremendous. It's clear that Nokia phones are very very popular (not really a surprise as Nokia have around 55% of the smart mobile device market!).

I think the most common reaction to ViewRanger was as a great alternative to a dedicated GPS device but, of course, with the addition of full colour Ordnance Survey mapping and the Panoramic Viewpoint display all on the one device that you are always going to carry - the mobile phone.

I know a lot of people were making a note of the model numbers of Nokia handsets so that they could request the right model when upgrading their existing handset. You can find the latest phone list at www.viewranger.com/phones

Finally a big thank you must go to Ray and his guys and girls at Memory-Map who hosted us on their stand. (We're looking forward to seeing Nikki in her french beret next time...)

ViewRanger 2 unveiled

Fri, 17 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Sat-Nav Heads For The Hills on Nokia Smartphones at Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show

Augmentraâs Smartphone GPS Navigation Software Targets Outdoor Activity and Leisure Users
Cambridge, UK â 16 March 2006 â Augmentra has unveiled ViewRanger 2, its new software for Nokia smartphones that provides mapping, navigation and information on location for walkers, mountain bikers, tourists and other outdoor activity enthusiasts. Augmentra will be showcasing ViewRanger 2 in partnership with Memory-Map, the leading UK outdoor recreation software supplier, at the Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show taking place at the NEC 17th-19th March 2006.

ViewRanger makes Ordnance Survey Landranger (1:50,000 scale) and Explorer (1:25,000 scale) maps available on Nokia smartphones for the first time. OS LandRanger maps provide detailed topographic map information including hill contours, tourist information, camping and caravan sites, picnic areas and viewpoints, and Rights of Way information for England and Wales.

In addition to the familiar LandRanger and Explorer maps, ViewRanger includes Augmentraâs Panoramic Viewpoint technology. This unique immersive map places the user in the centre of a panoramic 3D display where all the main landscape features are labelled. Hills are named, woodland and lakes identified, and villages, towns and prominent landmarks are shown. With Panoramic Viewpoint a user can quickly and easily identify all kinds of features in the landscape.

For users who want to share their outdoor experiences, ViewRangerâs Information Exchange enables users to publish photos and notes by associating them with locations and features in the landscape. Accessed through an online server over a mobile network internet connection, the Information Exchange opens up many possibilities for storing, sharing and accessing fun information or facts and records.

The recent boom in satellite navigation products has been concentrated on vehicle navigation leaving hill walkers and off-road navigators behind. Dedicated GPS receivers are typically expensive and offer only basic map display and limited connectivity. ViewRanger is the first solution to combine high quality topographic maps, off-road GPS navigation, and panoramic viewpoint maps in an integrated, simple to use application running on smartphones.

With a Bluetooth GPS receiver connected, ViewRanger transforms a Nokia smartphone into a fully featured trail navigation system. Features in ViewRanger 2 include:

Locate: Clear and detailed Ordnance Survey mapping

Identify: Unique annotated Panoramic Viewpoint display with thousands of features-of-interest including woodland, water features, towns, villages and hills.

Navigate: GPS tracking and trail route navigation

Exchange: Swap points of interest (POI), tracks, and routes with popular sat-nav and mapping software

Manage: Data manager for routes, tracks, waymarks, POI, maps and bookmarks

Connect: Attach photos, notes and information to features-of-interest in the landscape and share with other users

ViewRanger is available with UK map data. ViewRanger 2 will be available from www.viewranger.com in April.

Come and see us at the Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0000

At this weekends Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show (held at the NEC) we'll be unveiling ViewRanger2, our latest smartphone gps navigation software.

ViewRanger2 adds OS LandRanger maps, gps tracking, route following, and the capbility to swap tracks, routes and POI with other sat-nav and pc map software, to ViewRanger's unique Panoramic Viewpoint and Information Exchange functions.

We're previewing ViewRanger2 in partnership with the Memory-Map team - so come and see us on the Memory-Map booth. We'd be delighted to meet you.

Now Available on MMCmobile

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Now available: ViewRanger and all UK National Park mappak regions on one easy-to-install memory card. Just plug-in and go walking!

New Update Released: 1.0.216

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

We've released a new update for ViewRanger.

Amongst the changes are:

Where am I now? panel now shows the time since the GPS signal was last valid
Shading calculation is now faster
Menu changes
- 'Filter' is now in display sub-menu
- 'Where am I Now?' is in the main menu
- 'Register' has been renamed 'Create Server Account'
The 'Cover heading' view layout mode has been renamed 'Location Bar'. It now also displays the GPS heading with the 'H: prefix'. See GPS notes below.
Background processing and auto-rotate stop if you switch away from ViewRanger
Use GPS Heading - if this option is switched on, then when you choose "Use GPS Position" ViewRanger will rotate the view to be centred on your current heading, as well as updating its location to match the GPS. So if you were walking West, then ViewRanger would rotate its view to be centred on West.
New "GPS Settings" menu

Mobile Networks

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Occasionally we get asked about using ViewRanger with the different mobile networks available in the UK. ViewRanger does not use the network at all to generate the panorama view and display the labels identifying features of interest. The network is only used if you ask ViewRanger to see if there are Images or Notes associated with that feature (and you get asked for confirmation before ViewRanger actually connects to the network anyway).

With Orange, you need an Orange World Access pack in order to access the internet from your Orange handset. This will work over GPRS and 3G, and with Pay-as-you-go and monthly tariffs. We use Orange ourselves. Currently, Orange World Access packs are around Â£4 for 4MB of data. That's approximately 120 images being downloaded to ViewRanger!

O2 provide 1MB of data automatically with many of their monthly tariffs.

We've found coverage on both O2 and Orange to be very good.

We haven't tested Vodafone extensively for its coverage within the National Parks (let us know your experiences!). Again, you'll need a package that lets you access the general internet if you want ViewRanger to connect to the database server.

3, as far as we know, don't allow their handsets to access the general internet. This means that you won't be able to download or upload images and notes to the ViewRanger server from a 3 handset. However, you will still be able to use the panorama mapping to identify features of interest within your vista. Come on 3! Provide your consumers with general internet access.

The data sizes that ViewRanger uses when communicating to the server are quite small - so it can be comfortably used on a GPRS connection. You don't have to use 3G to get the most from ViewRanger.

Brecon Beacons & Pembrokeshire Coast National Parks

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

We've just published the MapPak for the Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire Coast and South Wales. Combined with the Snowdonia and North Wales MapPak this provides full coverage for Wales within ViewRanger.

ViewRanger Update: 1.0.211 published

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0100

We've just released v1.0.211 of ViewRanger, and have updated the trial versions and complete versions available through the website.

Changes include:

Text for beaches is brown, and added icons for sand and mud/rock.
Dotted lines are always black for improved visibility.
New setting in Settings / UI - default is to only connect to GPS when it is
needed, but user can choose to connect at ViewRanger startup.
Panoramic display takes account of the Earth's curvature.
Problem with predictive text / map tile name fixed.
Various changes to GPS handling which should fix the occasional issue that occured when the phone screen was locked.
Supports new install locations of MapPaks, though also loads them from old
location. This allows MapPaks to be can uninstalled individually from the handset.

Existing users of ViewRanger can download the trial version to update their licensed version automatically.

New MapPaks Available

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0100

MapPaks for the following regions are now available:

UK South Downs
Exmoor, Dartmoor and the Devon/Cornwall peninsula
Snowdonia and North Wales

MapPak Coverage Update

Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0100

We are working hard to get the additional National Park MapPaks completed as soon as possible. The Exmoor/Dartmoor mappak and the South Downs mappak are ready and should be published within a few days.

Snowdonia and the North Wales region is in the final stages of checking, and mappaks for the Brecon Beacons and Pembrokeshire Coast areas are currently being processed. We'll get these published just as soon as they are ready.

Keep an eye on the ViewRanger website!

What Mobile magazine

Thu, 06 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0100

The folks at What Mobile magazine have published a "mini-review" of ViewRanger (actually the pre-release Beta version) in their November issue. They award ViewRanger Four Stars in their "Smart Class" review.

ViewRanger Released!

Mon, 03 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0100

We've formally released ViewRanger this morning!

We've also released the MapPaks for the following regions:

Lake District
Peak District
North York Moors
Yorkshire Dales

We'll release further regions very soon.

Update

Wed, 28 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0100

We've been very busy working to get the final "first release" of ViewRanger ready. So we've not got round to updating the Beta Trial version just yet.

However, we appreciate the feedback we've been getting. Lots of positive comments and support, and some good suggestions for further enhancements - many of which will have made it into the final release.

ViewRanger v1.0.200 posted

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0100

We've uploaded the latest version of ViewRanger to the download pages of www.viewranger.com

ViewRanger v1.0.199 Posted

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0100

A new version of the ViewRanger software has been posted to the download area of the www.viewranger.com website this morning.

1. Selecting and viewing URLs
When scrolling through notes when viewing a note or image, any URLs are highlighted. Pressing the middle of the cursor button, or choosing the Open Web Link menu option opens the selected web link in the phone's web browser.

When using the up and down arrows, we move to the next URL if one is going to be visible within 1 page so no text is missed. If there is no URL within a page, we scroll a page and no URL will be selected at that point.

2. Access Point Setting
A setting for the Internet Access Point to use has been added to the User tab of Settings. This setting is also automatically set the first time that you make a connection. Once set you will not be prompted to choose your Access Point again.

3. Optimisation
An optimisation in loading height data when height areas overlap.

ViewRanger v1.0.198 Posted

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0100

We've posted a new update this morning with the following changes:

Distance To & Details on Selected POI
=====================================

POI Details added to Display sub menu and to Marker List menu. This gives a panel showing:
1. Name of POI
2. Classification of POI
3. If a hill, distance to its highest visible point
4. If town, water or wood, distance to its closest point (or an indication that you are within it)
5. If a point, distance to it
6. If a point, its coordinates

We'll probably look at moving this option to somewhere more convenient prior to product release. Thanks to Tony @ OS for suggesting this one!

Bookmarks - Remember and Revisit Your Favorite Places
=========================================

Add Bookmark added to GPS & Location menu - adds a bookmark at current location, prompting for name. Uses current containing POI, if any, as default name.

Bookmark List added to GPS and Location menu, which shows Bookmark panel.

Bookmark panel:
Options to Delete and Rename bookmarks
Option to add bookmark using current location
Option to manually enter coordinates for bookmark
Option to go to a bookmark - closes bookmark list and moves view location to bookmark location
Pressing OK button does a goto
Details - gives name, coordinates and time/date of bookmark entry

Terrain Exaggeration
====================
Exaggeration control added to Settings - controls vertical stretch of terrain, 1.0 is no stretch, 2.0 is twice as high etc. Can be useful to apply exaggeration when in a relatively flat area of landscape.

Imperial & Metric Units
=======================
ViewRanger now supports imperial as well as metric units for distance and height. Units type added to Settings - imperial versus metric (note, must Save Changes and reopen Settings panel before other settings use the new units)

Small Changes
=============

* Warning given if no data found at start up
* Warning given if you move to a location with no data
* New splash screen
* Pogress panel no longer appears over version / status panels
* Go to GPS location always updates screen

Tip for Outdoor Viewing

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0100

For a clearer (higher contrast) display when using ViewRanger outdoors, you can switch to the outline display mode.

Simply select "Shading Off" from the Options->Display menu when in the panorama view.

Or use the shortcut key - press 7.

Press 7 again to return to the shaded display.

New Forest MapPak Posted

Wed, 24 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0100

The MapPak covering the UK New Forest National Park, Isle of Wight and Solent area has been posted to the download page.

It stretches from Portsmouth in the East to the Purbecks in the West.

ViewRanger v1.0.197 posted

Mon, 22 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0100

We've just posted an update that contains some changes "behind the scenes". However, we've added a couple of new shortcuts to the application:

There is now a short cut on Key 3 for seeing the manual view location panel.
We've also added a Point POIs on/off option to the display menu and a short cut of Key 8.

You can identify all the shortcuts that ViewRanger supports by the [ ] in the application menus.

Some Favourite Lake District Places

Mon, 22 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0100

For those of you who want to try ViewRanger, but don't yet have a Bluetooth GPS receiver, or for those who are waiting to go up to the lakes, here are some favourite locations.

From ViewRanger's panorama view:

Select Options Menu
Select "GPS & Location >" Menu
Select "Manual Location"
Enter the coordinates below
Click OK

ViewRanger will then move to that location.

You need to have OS 5 Digit or National Grid as your display coordinate system (see Settings->UI->Coordinate Type)

Skiddaw :

NY 26046 29100 (OS 5 Digit) : 326046 529100 (National Grid)

Lodore Falls:

NY 26846 18880 (OS 5 Digit) : 326846 518880 (National Grid)

Latterbarrow (above Windermere):

SD 36855 99308 (OS 5 Digit) : 336855 499308 (National Grid)

ViewRanger v1.0.193 posted

Sat, 20 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0100

We've just posted the first Beta Version of ViewRanger to the download pages, along with MapPaks for the UK Lake District and UK Peak District regions.

We'll aim to deliver a couple more MapPak regions during the Beta process - so if you want to "vote" for your favorite, then do get in touch.

Also let us know what phone handset you are running ViewRanger on. We've tested with several handsets - but not all. Check out the Support page on the website for the list of handsets that ViewRanger is compatible with.

We've been using ViewRanger in our walking trips to the Lake District throughout its development process. We hope you find it useful too. We look forward to your comments - both praise and criticism.

Welcome

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0100

Welcome to the ViewRanger blog. Here we'll aim to keep you updated with the progress of the ViewRanger application as we move from Beta to general release status.