Android Maps, Navigation and Easy Map
For Bikers (EMFB):
"How To Everything". .. by "wingwing" ..
aka Dennis .. a
GL1800 rider
An FAQ Summary:
Everyone started "new" at one time or another.
I often receive and answer these same questions a lot so I
thought it might help if I organize my thoughts and answers (with some pictures for reference).
What am I talking about?
I'm talking about using your Android phone as your primary Map, Navigation, Weather Station
and automatic text responder
on a Goldwing motorcycle (or any motorcycle actually).
Some of this might sound a bit confusing, but just read it again and it starts
to make sense.
The "target audience" is for Android intermediate users but
advanced users might pick up a trick or two.
The point: it no longer makes sense to carry
around separate "tools" when you ride.
New generations of Android phones can and
will do a very good job of multi-tasking (doing several things at once). The
current generation of the Android OS (operating system called ICS for Ice Cream
Sandwich ..circa 2011) makes it even easier.
("ice cream" for Goldwingers... how perfect is that? .. ;-)
(Update: June 2012.. new version is "Jelly Bean")
What you need:
1) An Android Phone: any will do but a dual core processor makes everything run
really "snappy" (and a quad core is even better) . I like Samsung, HTC and
Motorola (soon to be "google"). A good phone without a buy down (new service
plan) will cost upwards of $400. With a new contract, the same phone might
cost a dollar or two. "Cheapie" phones are usually old models and although they
may work, they will be so painfully slow you'll never get the "oh wow" factor.
You'll be scratching your head wondering what all the excitement is about
because you will not be excited, you will be frustrated.
It's about this: When you tap a button you
want something to happen "NOW", not two minutes from now.
2) A data plan. Don't skimp here.
(Update: June 2012.. rate plans)
Buying a nice phone without
a generous data plan is like buying a really fast computer and not having any
internet access; what's the point of that? The information you want is "out
there", it's not on the computer or the phone. You want fast access to it. A
"smart phone" has very little to do with "the phone". It is all about
information access. Think of the phone as just a "freebie" they include. Personally, I
use very few "talk" minutes each month (200 or less). Spend
your money on the data plan (anyway, you don't even need a talk
plan; you can "talk" over your data plan for free..but that's another topic for
another day).
Calling these things "smart phones" is wrong. These are really
"shirt pocket wireless computers". They have more
processing power than what we used to call main frame "servers" just a few years
ago.
You should get at
least a 2 GIG data plan (it almost goes without saying: more is better). If you catch some
service providers when they're having a holiday sale (Verizon) you can get 4 GIG for
about $30
per month. If you can't afford $30 per month to have 10,000
years of the entire collected "knowledge base" of western civilization in your
shirt pocket, well you probably don't need any of what I'm talking about.
We're not talking a house payment here..That's equal to about one tank
of fuel PER MONTH!
Once you have the phone and the data plan, given enough time
you can figure out where all the tiny buttons are and which ones you need to
press and which ones you should not press. So why do you need EMFB?.. well
simply, it is designed to shorten the learning curve.
It knows which buttons to
press for you. You just tell it what you want.. you speak to it.
What you'll need: Google Maps and EMFB..
.. huh?.. that's it?.. YES that's all you need.
The Signal:
THE most often asked question is "what happens when I lose the service provider
signal?"
THE answer is: you don't always need a signal. Sure, it helps, but you don't always
need it.
If you plan a route while you have a signal, MAPS will automatically "cache" the
map information you need for the trip. (cache = temporarily store data on the phone).
If you're going someplace you KNOW won't have a signal (the fun places like
North Georgia and Tennessee mountains) then you can manually pre-cache maps for those
areas ahead of time. Now your phone works just like a regular GPS and, again,
you don't need a signal.
(Update June 2012: Google announced that shortly it
will be taking MAPS "off line". That is great news! .. that means you'll be able
to load EVERYTHING you need on the phone before you leave on a trip. Worrying
about "losing signal" will no longer be an issue; you won't need a signal)
How to mount the phone:
I like mine front and center. It's easy to see and easy to pop off and put in
the side pocket if the weather gets really bad. Some of the really new phones
are waterproof but mostly the current generation are not
(Update: Sony has announced the new Xperia..waterproof) . But actually
waterproof is not the really big deal many think.
While riding, most of the time I'm not looking at the Navigation, I'm listening to it. So, if I
have to pull it off and put it in the side pocket;
nothing changes, I'm still listening to it
(Bluetooth is great and getting better all the time!).
A $25 car phone mount from Best Buy works great. I just use the base. You don't
want to stick the phone to the bike. You want to stick the mount to the bike and
then just pop the phone in an out with the touch of a button.
Here is my current mount:
I put some extra foam padding on the sides and top. I've used this type of mount
for over 75,000 miles now and not once has it ever even come close to coming
off.
The mount is just stuck to the bike with Velcro so I can remove it to wash the
bike. The little button on the side opens the "jaws" to pop the phone out. I
bring out the power and AUX AUDIO connections under the mount.
You REALLY want the phone powered while you're riding!
Running MAPS will drain the battery down in no time if the phone is not powered. A 2 amp charger (also from Best Buy)
is best to run the phone and
charge it UP at the same time. Those 400ma USB chargers (ma:
400 "milli-amps" is less than 1/2 an amp) are no good. They
will just charge the phone when it's not in use. If the phone is in use, 400ma
won't keep up; it will slowly discharge as you ride.
The view under the mount looks like this
The view of the back of the mount looks like this:
Don't put Velcro on the phone!
How to use the phone:
You have to put some effort into this; not a lot, but some.
And you have to do it BEFORE you try and use it on the bike.
A few hours at home on the couch works great.
Although MAPS and EMFB prefer the GPS it does not NEED the GPS when you're home or at
the office. When you don't have a view of the sky MAPS will locate you by using
the service provider network and/or your Wi-Fi connection. The only difference
is accuracy. With the GPS "on" and able to see the sky MAPS accuracy typically
gets as good as 5 meters (+ or - about 15 feet). Without being able to use the
GPS, the network can locate you to with one or two miles and often within a few
hundred feet. That is fine for -pre ride planning and seeing the weather around
you.
(Fun Tip: While viewing your current location in MAPS, turn off (one at a
time) WiFi, then GPS. You will see the little blue circle get larger and then
move over to the nearest cell tower as your location resolution gets less. That
Blue Circle represents how accurate your location information is)
Buttons on the phone:
Ah grasshopper, like many things in life, much debate about this there
is..
In my opinion, you must learn to use the "buttons" (virtual places to
tap) within the MAPS and EMFB "applications" ("application" is an Android program, hereafter
called "app"). Sounds obvious? Well it's not. Too often new users get into the
habit of using the "BACK" key on the phone (a hardware button; or now with ICS
it's also a software button). The BACK button IS very handy but I call it "the
hammer". If you don't take the time to learn how MAPS/EMFB works, you'll instead use
"the hammer". It will work, but more often than not instead of getting where you
want, you'll be dropped out of the app and back to the home screen.
Yes, there ARE many legitimate uses for the BACK button but "getting around"
inside the app is not one.
An example of when to use the BACK button:
If one app opens another different app you'll want to use the BACK
button to exit the second app. But if the first app takes you to a screen within
itself, there should be "button" there someplace to get back to where you came
from. If you use the BACK button to get back, you'll get dumped out of the
program and have to start over. Read this section again, it's important.
The BEST way to get around on the phone is using the "buttons" within the app
and using the TASK MANAGER to switch between apps. Don't
use the BACK button unless you're lost and have to hammer your way back out.
(Tip: Find and learn to use your HOME or TASK MANAGER button. New phones
with ICS have a task manager button that lets you task switch between open apps.
THAT is the best way to use your phone. Older phone with Gingerbread and earlier
have the same function but you "tap and hold" the HOME key to bring up the task
manager.)
Ok, one last bit of confusion and then I'll take a break:
When using Google MAPS, don't use "the map".
.. wait wait wait... don't leave yet, that sounds nuts but I'll explain.
Many of you have some other MAP or Navigation device and you're
accustomed to
seeing small "primitive" maps.They look more like something from a PAC MAN game back in the 70's:
Well, with MAPS/EMFB you can become a member of the 21st century.
You can ALWAYS have HI RESOLUTION actual satellite pictures
as you ride.
The difference is incredible.
There is an option within MAPS. It's in the "menu" in the section
called "layers". Basically, that's where you turn on and off what "layers" you
want to see.
So back to the part where you almost left..
.. the default layer is "maps" but an optional layer is "Satellite".
When you're using MAPS to Navigate,
ALWAYS USE "SATELLITE" AND NOT "MAPS".
If you do that, the "view" is like flying down the road in a helicopter instead
of riding your bike through a "PAC MAN" maze.
If you've ever used "GOOGLE EARTH" to virtually "fly" somewhere, you know
what I'm talking about.
With Satellite turned on, you get to "fly" the bike.
A picture or two...
Why would you want to look at this when you're riding:
When you could "see" this instead:
Another example..
This:
or this:
Any questions?.. ok more pics
Here I am riding down the road; up ahead is an odd left turn.
Having the "real" picture sure helps..
How about a "real" view of intersections and not just a PAC MAN view:
This is how it's looks all the time while you
are riding.
One last thing.. for now...
I often get asked "I like your weather display but I want to run Navigation
instead".
Well the answer is simple. You run them both at the same time and
"toggle"
back and forth as needed. "Toggle" using the task manager.
The new phones have a virtual button that looks like one small square beside
another.. the idea is one app behind another.
So, you just tap the TASK MANAGER button and small icons display that represent
the open programs..and
you pick one:
For me, if the NAVIGATION says something like, "stay on this road for 20 more
miles" I usually tap the TASK button and switch to the WEATHER view:
From this:
To this:
BOTH PRORAMS are running at the same time.
EMFB is not just a weather app, it is itself a "task
manager". Use to quickly open MAPS to different locations that you have
previously stored.
Actually, it's even better than that.
My usual setup is to have four programs running at the same time.
1) Music, always music in the background
2) Easy Map (everything I need at the touch of a BIG button)
3) Navigation (usually, I'm not looking at it, I'm listening to it)
4) MAPS .. yes... maps..
Most people don' realize that you can have both MAPS and Navigation running at
the same time and displaying different things.
Navigation is great for "take me someplace". It does all the work for you.
But with MAPS, I can preplan some places I want to see and then watch my
progress on the MAP while Navigation is running in the background. Sure, it's
always rerouting but it's always close to what I've preplanned ahead of time.
I'm listening to Navigation but looking at something like this
with the little blue navigation triangle updating as I ride. You can't plan a
route like this with NAVIGATION. You pre-plan it with MAPS on line by just
dragging the blue line where you want to go.
Navigation will NEVER take you like that but you can pre-plan a ride like that
ahead of time on your old trusty PC at home.
Well, that's probably enough confusion for now.
Hope that helps and I hope you'll think about joining the 21st century.. if
you're like me, you don't have too much time left to waste.
Thanks to all who have joined the
Easy Map
For Bikers club
and continue to support my efforts to make Navigation and weather while riding
more fun and safer for all.
;-)
Dennis
http://www.fogbog.com
Update June 2012:
You've probably experience the "re-routing" announcement on your old "pac
man" GPS. Well the other day I was out riding and the sky let loose (aka really
really heavy downpour with embedded "hail" warnings) so we ducked under the
nearest shelter. After a cup of coffee and waiting for the storm to pass there
was the usual head scratching "ok, now which way did we come in here". I opened
up MAPS and this is their version of "re-routing".. it just does not get any
better than this.
We were on the road in the direction of the "red arrow". MAPS showed the easy
way to get back on route.
