ViewRanger Beta Version
The main software release is version 2.7.28, which was released in December 2009.
We are now beta testing version 2.7.37. The beta is available from www.viewranger.com/vrbeta.
To use the beta your handset needs to be added to the beta list. To register for the beta please email support@viewranger.com with your phone make / model (e.g. Nokia N97) and your phone's IMEI number (which you can obtain by dialling *#06#). We will then email when the beta is ready for you to download and install.
For changes between betas see the beta release history.
Summary of changes
- Free online maps such as OpenStreetMap and Oepn Cycle Map can be used.
- Create folders for routes and tracks
- GPS interface is simpler to use, gives a faster initial result and makes better use of multiple location sources.
- On touch screens tap twice to zoom in. Buttons slide off screen after a few seconds of not being used.
- Textual search for routes, searches name, description and provider.
- Support for new style Retrieva collar messages and for Retrieva alert messages.
Details of changes
Click on any picture to see it full size.
Online Mapping from OpenStreetMap and Open Cycle Map
ViewRanger can display free online mapping from OpenStreetMap. This mapping is downloaded as it is needed. It is cached on the phone. If the mobile network is not available, or if you choose to work offline, then ViewRanger will display as much as it can using the cached tiles.
- List the maps: To see the available online map layers go to Options > Data manager, then into Maps, then into "Online mapping". Agree to update the list of maps. You'll see two or more layers listed.
- View the map: To view a layer tap on it twice, or highlight it and press the cursor pad centre, and choose View. ViewRanger will go back to the map view and will start downloading maps.
- Interact with the map: As you pan around the map or zoom in and out more map tiles will be downloaded.
- Change to another map layer: To change to another map layer go to Options > Map source and select another map. "Premium map" swaps back to the more detailed paid for topographic maps.
- Online / Offline: Use Options > Map source > Online or Offline to go on and offline. When online maps are downloaded as they are needed. When offline no maps are downloaded, ViewRanger only display maps cached on the phone. While offline the title bar says "Offline".
- Copyright: displays the copyright and license details for the map.
- Clear map cache: deletes old map tiles in the cache. You'll be asked to choose a mainimum age to delete. So if you enter 14 days, then only map tiles older than 14 days are deleted. Enter 0 to delete all cached map tiles.
- Cache size: To set the size of the map cache go to Options > Settings, then into User and change "Map cache size". When the cache is full ViewRanger will throw away the oldest map tiles to make space.
- Overlay: the overlay used for the online maps, that is POIs, routes and tracks, is completely separate to that used for premimum maps (except for USA maps). So for example, a route or POI set shown on a premimum map, won't be visible on the online map and vice versa. This is because the two maps use different coordinate spaces. We will remove this restriction in a future release.
- Coordinate display: by default coordinates are displayed using the global UTM coordinate system. To see local coordinates, for example GB national grid, go to Settings, then into UI, and set "National grid" to the coordinate type you'd like to see. If you view maps outside the area that is valid for those coordinates, the software will revert to UTM.
The list of online maps; a worldwide overview is shown; the map as it downloads tiles
Zoom in through levels of detail; Open Cycle Map shows cycle routes, contours and facilities; OpenStreetMap shows detailed street maps
Note: OpenStreetMap and Open Cycle Map use free map sources and the level of detail available varies greatly.
Folders
Routes and tracks can now be stored in folders, in the same way as POIs can be put into POI sets, allowing you to group and organise your routes and tracks. A folder can contain a mix of routes and tracks.
- Create a folder - go to Options > Data manager, then into Routes or Tracks. Choose Options > New folder and enter a name. The folder appears near the top of the list.
- Move a route or track into a folder - highlight the route or track in a list, tap twice on it or press the cursor pad centre. Choose "Move to folder". You'll then be prompted to select a folder, or select Routes / Tracks to move back to the top level.
- List a folder - to see the routes and tracks within a folder, tap twice on the folder and choose List contents; or press the right cursor key; or tap once on the blue arrow to the right of the folder.
- Hide / show a folder - folders can be switched on and off - tap twice or press the cursor pad centre and choose Show or Hide.
A range of other commands is available to delete, rename or export the folder. A GPX file can also be imported as a new folder.
GPS Improvements
ViewRanger's GPS interface has been improved to make it simpler to use, to show an approximate location as soon as it starts, and to better work with multiple GPS sources. In detail:
- The "Connect new GPS" item has been removed.
- When you first connect to the GPS, for example by pressing Lock to GPS, ViewRanger will try to use all enabled GPS sources.
- ViewRanger will immediately show the last known position using the grey GPS circle and cross. The location bar, the second line of the screen, will say "Last known position".
- If the Network Based GPS method is enabled, ViewRanger will then try to display the network location. Again this will be shown using the grey GPS circle and cross. The location bar will say "Position: Network based".
- Once a more accurate GPS source starts reporting its position, inferior GPS sources will be switched off.
- Location services are enabled in the phone's Settings (not ViewRanger's) - go to General > Positioning > Positioning Services or Phone > Application settings > Positioning > Positioning Services.
- The usual order of preference is Bluetooth; Assisted; Internal; Network.
- If you are using a Bluetooth GPS then the internal and assisted GPS will not be used. However, if the Bluetooth GPS is switched off or loses its fix, then the assisted / internal GPS will restart.
- A warning will be shown if there's been no position fix after 10 minutes, asking if you'd like to stop using the GPS to save battery power. This panel closes if a position fix is achieved before you answer.
- While the GPS is connected but has no fix the GPS status icon to the top left of the screen flashes. When the GPS has a fix the GPS status icon stops flashing.
- Most of these changes are not available on 2nd edition phones because they only support Bluetooth GPS.
Routes
Searching for "butter".
- Search for routes
You can now search for routes to download using a text search, as well as by location.
To search for routes by location first move the map to the area you are interested in. Then go to Options > Data manager, then into Routes, then into "Search for routes". ViewRanger connects to the ViewRanger server and shows a list of routes in that area.
To search by text go into "Search by text". You'll be prompted to enter some text, then ViewRanger will show a list of routes that contain that text in their name, description or provider. For example, you can include "AA" to see routes provided by the AA.
As with most seaqrches in ViewRanger, you can enter the start of a word. So "butte" will match "Buttermere".
- Improved display
When a waypoint is selected the route name is displayed at the top of the map, as well as the waypoint name and route length. E.g. "Walla Crag & Derwent: WP0001 [6.2mi]"
- Easier menu access
In the context menu for a waypoint (cursor pad centre or bullseye), the Route sub-menu contains Details and Properties, allowing you to get directly to the route's Details and Properties, rather than the waypoint's.
Beacon and Retrieva Collar
- If you have a single buddy or tracker, using Options > Beacon & tracker > Locate now will locate the single buddy or tracker, without asking you to choose. To add a new buddy or tracker go to the (Buddy & tracker list.)
- Support for the Retrieva alert messages has been added. These are reported on a message panel, and are also shown at the top of the map.
Alerts can be cleared using Options > Beacon & tracker > Clear all alarms. The alerts include the message when the collar arrives at, or leaves, the base range (see top image).
- Support for a forthcoming change to Retrieva collar messages has been added. Old format messages are also still supported.
- The new Retrieva format includes speed and heading information.
These are shown on the ViewRanger map using an arrow showing the heading. The length of the arrow indicates how far your dog will have gone in 10 minutes. (Change this time from 10 minutes using Options > Settings > Track > Heading vector time.)
- GSM - the strength of the phone network signal - is reported when it is poor. Battery strength is reported when it is low or poor.
- Both pictures show the heading arrow. In the top picture the message reports the collar has left range of the base station. The bottom picture shows the low battery warning.
UI changes
- On touch screens the buttons will automatically hide after a short period of not being used. Touch the screen to make them reappear.
- On touch screens double tap the screen to zoom in and re-centre on that location.
- If a new software release is available, then the panel shown when you choose Options > Server > Check with server, has a link to download and install the new software.
- When software is updated, it is less prone to losing license keys.
Compass
- If the compass is hidden then the map auto-rotate will not use it, it will just use the GPS heading.
- The switch to control whether the compass is displayed on the map is now in the Compass section of Settings.
Location tags
- In decriptions you can use location tags to give clickable locations. For example: <loc 123456 654321>Click here</loc> would display as an underlined link "Click here". When you click on that link you jump to that location on the map. Until now the coordinates have been in the local grid.
Now the coordinates can be latitude and longitude. If the coordinates contain decimal points and are in range (-90 to 90 or -180 to 180) then they will be treated as latitude and longitude, otherwise as the grid easting and northing. For example, <loc 52.227 0.1303>
Settings
- The GPS settings are renamed "GPS & Navigation" to better reflect what they control.
- The alarm on / off switches are now available in GPS & Navigation settings.
- A new page of map view specific settings has been added. This contains settings that are rarely used, and that used to be controlled in the Display sub-menu.
Panorama menu
- The menu options to access the panorama have been refined. Rather than simple saying "Panorama" the main options are spelt out:
- Panorama from map centre - displays the panorama from the centre of the map (or the cursor position)
- Panorama from GPS - displays the panorama from the current GPS location
- Panorama from sel pt - displays the panorama from the selected POI or waypoint
- Previous - displays the panorama from its last location, so you can go back to the panorama without changing location.
- Panorama options are not shown when no altitude data is installed for the current country.
Bug Fixes
- On some phones and firmware variants, ViewRanger exited when accessing the Properties view for a route. We have worked around this firmware problem, so the Properties no longer cause a problem.
- Delete a route point now updates the route's bounds.
