Announcement: GPS Speed Sentry 1.1 released

spook51 · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 7:04 am Post subject:

Damn it.... too late for a free copy and I could have done with it last week, zapped by two camera vans whilst driving from London - Edinburgh and back.
Here's the laugh, I was driving my 1954 Riley whose speedo's needle wavers over a 10mph range when at a constant speed - this has got to be essential kit!!
<looks anxiously every morning at door mat for brown envelopes from Derbyshire and Staffordshire constabularies> Sad

TheBoffin · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 8:46 am Post subject:

Hi tChart,
I've not yet tried SpeedSentry - so please don't blow me down in flames if this post isn't relative - and its purely based on what i've read (or possibly what I didn't read) about SpeedSentry on your website.

One other PocketGPS reader talked about possibly using SpeedSentry whilst using TomTom .. and GPSGate would seem an obvious option.

However, I like to think laterally about problems. For me I use my GPS for 2 reasons:

1. To Navigate to places i've never been before, or places i've been before but can't remember how to get to!

2. I use CheckPoint along with TomTom to warn me of speed cameras and other POI's.

For me the later is often more important - in this day and age its becoming increasingly difficult with all those revenue cameras hidden around to keep a clean license.

So what I was thinking was, if SpeedSentry could monitor the PocketGPS Speed Camera database, it knows how fast you are traveling and it'll know where the speed cameras are - so it seems the most logical progression would be to warn the user of the pending speed trap. Kind like turning your PocketPC into a RoadAngel.

Brian.

TheBoffin · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 8:53 am Post subject:

Sorry I forgot to add -- when i'm in "Navigation" mode, i'm generally driving slower, and frequently looking at the PocketPC to see the directions coming up; at this point i'm less bothered about the speed warnings ..

However when i'm cruising large distances, Speed is my ultimate concern.

Additionally, I ride a motorbike an awful lot - and it would be nice to have an app running on my pocketPC which would purely just watch out and warn me of my speed, especially around speed cameras - irrespective of where i'm heading (i.e, navigation is most often totally irrelevant to me when i'm in bike mode).

Brian.

nigelp · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 22, 2005 Posts: 40

the boffin,

yeah, thats pretty much what i was after although i didnt think of the integration with the speed camera database to dynamically change the speed limit warning, depending on the nearest speed camera. !

I will give that gpsgate a try, being able to use both apps would be very useful indeed.

Robin2 · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 1:38 pm Post subject:

I also wanted to run it alongside TomTom.

tchart wrote

Thats a hardware limitation, only one application can use the GPS at a given time. You can get things like GPSGate which allows one GPS to be shared amongst several applications.

But I have GPSAssist, which works in the background behind TomTom and gives me audible warning if my speed exceeds a preset value. It obviously receives the GPS signal at the same time as TomTom. Can Speed Sentry work in the same way? (I use an iPAQ 2210)

Robin

Privateer · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 3:17 pm Post subject:

Hi Robin

topgearuk · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 3:29 pm Post subject:

Will you be making a version for Smart Phones? e.g SPV C500

tchart · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 8:06 pm Post subject:

TheBoffin - I guess its different strokes for different folks. I dont live in a city so I actually dont use any navigation software on my PPC. My "commute" to work consists of hurtling along at 100km/hr the whole way on one road for the 65km. The road is a state highway so it is a pretty fast road and I often find myself going over the speed limit. I developed GPS Speed Sentry to give me a gentle reminder that I am over the limit. I agree that sharing the GPS would be a great idea but like Privateer said you would need the Tom Tom SDK to integrate it with Tom Tom (which is probably not a bad idea). I do agree that POI warnings would be great and I do plan to include this in a future version.

topgearuk - yes, I do plan to make a smartphone edition, just as soon as I can get my hands on a smartphone Rolling Eyes

Regards
Trevor

tchart · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 9:30 pm Post subject:

Right serial numbers have been sent for andyjenkins, Bo Peep, Pocketgps, Robocop & SimonB

Im still awaiting PM's from copy, Privateer, mrhumphreys & aiw_2000

Regards
Trevor

Privateer · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 10:27 pm Post subject:

mrhumphreys · Occasional Visitor Joined: 12/02/2003 00:08:20 Posts: 31

dazednotconfused · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 10, 2004 Posts: 18

Hi, this might seem a dumb question but is there any way this software can be programmed to give fuel economy? Say enter amount of fuel at start of journey, then take into account distance covered at next entry of fuel data? Answer in miles per gallon or litres etc??

Cheers
Chris

TheBoffin · Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 11:34 pm Post subject:

tChart - I definately agree with you that its 'Different strokes for different folks' .. but it strikes me that you are attempting to widen the prospective audience of your software - and as such, you may need to support features that you have no need for.

Personally, I could see your software with POI warning being the PocketPC equivalent of the RoadAngel; if with the use of GPSGate or by using the documented TomTom SDK you can support other GPS navigation software - then we have a great system for monitoring our speed closely, and even closer when we approach speed cameras, and a system that allows us to navigate to destination.

Also note tChart, that not everyone uses the TomTom navigator software - probably here in the UK i'd say it was safe to assume that the majority of PocketPC owners who have a GPS connected use some sort of navigation software ... maybe thats an over-generalisation i'm not sure.

Either way, keep up the good work - you've a fantastic looking piece of software there!

Brian

TheBoffin · Posted: Wed May 18, 2005 11:39 pm Post subject:

Another idea tChart - laptimes - ok perhaps a niche use here - but something i'd definately find very very handy.

Laptimes - record the time taken and average speed, fastest speed, to perform a lap. A lap being defined as leaving a starting GPS location and ending back at the GPS location -- ideally for Track Days, so that you can record each lap of the track, how long it took to complete the lap, what the fastest lap was etc.

tchart · Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 5:07 am Post subject:

TheBoffin - Thanks for all the valid comments Smile

POI's are on the radar (no pun intended) for future versions. Im not sure how so I will have this done though its probably 3 or 4 minor releases away.

Lap times are a good idea. Several people have asked for this however it will probably be part of a different application as most of the people requesting it are intending on using it for rally/race purposes and have some other specific needs. Keep any eye on my website Smile

topgearuk - A smartphone version should be in the pipeline soon as Darren at Pocket GPS World is supplying me with a smartphone to develop on 8O

Regards
Trevor

PS I am still awaiting PM's from copy & aiw_2000. I hope every one else is enjoying their copies!

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