[OSM-newbies] openmoko freerunner for both maps and recording tracks?

[Joseph Jon Booker]

On Mon, 8 Sep 2008 16:33:33 +0200 (CEST)
herve.openstreetmap at ouvaton.org wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I'm a real newbie, with up to now only a vague experience in digital
> maps (used a Route66 CD on a macintosh till when they stopped selling
> updates), an even more vague exp. in GPS devices (only used other's)
> and 10 mn of (happily) experiencing TangoGPS on a linux laptop.
> 
> I consider buying an Openmoko Freerunner device, in the idea that it
> would provide both an usable "ordinary GPS" function (with OSM maps
> preloaded) and a way to record datapaths occasionally during travels
> or week-ends in my neighborhood to update OSM.
> 
> Let's add that I consider the Freerunner mainly because of its open
> source software, but I am not a computer beef (for instance, using my
> 1-month-old linux laptop is *still* hard as soon as it comes to
> install/updates).
> 
> Knowing this, what would you advise re. the freerunner:
> 
> - is it a bad idea, should I buy another device instead (why? simpler?
> easier? What are the most used devices here btw?)
> 
> - is it the right HW but should I consider other SW? (what's simpler?)
> 
> - should I start with an ordinary GPS (with recording capablity) and
> leave the actual using of OSM maps for later (or just on the laptop)?
> 
> BTW, I tried, but didn't find, a way to search the maillist existing
> database: I opened a couple of months' archives in the web interface
> but didn't really manage to scan the whole archive: did I miss
> something?
> 
> Should my question be sent to the normal "talk" archive instead?
> 
> TIA!
> Hervé Sainct

To use a freerunner, you'll need to be comfortable with modifying your
system's networking scripts (to be able to ssh over usb) and understand
pretty well that all phone-related software for it (except Nokia's
Qtopia) is very alpha at this point.

I love having one, but you'll probably have to learn more about
*nix to get the most out of it. The AGPS and TangoGPS works,
although usually it's jittery (or constantly displaced by several
meters) until it gets enough satellites.

-- 
Joseph Booker
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