AndroidGuys

We have a feeling that a lot of our readers will be familiar with this week’s profile. The company is GeoMonkey, Inc. and the application is MapWithUs Mobile. Chances are good that some of you have already had some experience with their software. We were lucky enough to speak with Adam McDonald, one of their software engineers. Read one of our most informative Developer Spotlight features yet.

Let’s start out with a couple tidbits about who you are and what you do.

MapWith.Us Mobile for Android is the product of the MapWith.Us development team, employed by GeoMonkey, Inc., and based in Vancouver, WA. The GeoMonkey company began initial development on its Web application (www.mapwith.us) as a software engineering project at Washington State University Vancouver in Spring 2006. The team soon expanded into the handheld arena to build a suite of tightly-coupled mobile-to-Web applications.

So you’ve got some pretty good experience in developing - What platforms have you written for?

The MapWith.Us development team has also built mobile applications for J2ME, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile platforms. Versions for iPhone and Symbian OS are also currently in development.

How did Android compare to writing for other operating systems?

The Android SDK provided for what was likely one of our most straightforward and full-featured mobile implementations to date. The end product is more attractive and functionally superior to what we were able to attain with J2ME. The programming aspect was comparable to that of the BlackBerry API, but the Android package was better able to facilitate UI design and creation. As for Windows Mobile, the maturity of Visual Studio and the online documentation proved advantageous for the rapid development of our application. We are still in too early a stage of iPhone development to give a fair comparison. On the other hand, our experience so far with the Symbian OS S60 platform has lead us greatly to prefer the ease of implementation we had with Android.

What kind of application are you working on for Android?

MapWith.Us Mobile for Android is a mobile/handheld counterpart for our on-line service/Web application available at www.mapwith.us. The application allows MapWith.Us users to geo-locate and upload photos in real-time to their maps on the Web. GPS data is embedded in the image files, and photos are automatically collected into photo albums on the map based on time and location.

How much time did you invest in developing this application?

The active development phase for MapWith.Us Mobile for Android lasted approximately four to six weeks. However, many design elements and code portions were taken or adapted from our previous mobile implementations.

What attracted you to write for Android?

In deciding which handheld operating system to develop for, we took into account Android’s ease of implementation and its status as an up-and-coming mobile platform. The MapWith.Us development team is actively seeking to broaden its mobile support and found Android to be both time and cost effective. The Android Developer Challenge provided the final incentive to begin active development.

What were some of the challenges you faced in writing this program?

The largest hurdle the MapWith.Us development team faced lay in the lack of documentation or poor documentation currently available for the platform due to the incomplete nature of the SDK. Moreover, many of the features provided in the SDK remain incomplete, namely its GPS and geocoding capabilities. All in all, we faced many of the issues one might typically associate with picking up and developing for a brand new programming framework.

Did the Android Developer Challenge motivate you to write?

The Android Developer Challenge did encourage the MapWith.Us team to begin development on our Android product sooner rather than later, as well as to stick to a prescribed deadline.

Are you getting any feedback from the developer community?

The MapWith.Us team has received a great deal of feedback from other Android developers, predominantly via the Android IRC channel as well as through Google Groups. Overall, we found the Android community to be exceedingly positive and helpful in sharing their personal experiences and insight.

Will this application be for standard handsets or touch screen? What factors went into that decision?

MapWith.Us Mobile for Android supports both standard and touch screen handsets. It is limited only by the availability of a camera and GPS receiver. Our goal was to provide a user experience comparable or superior to what we currently offer for other mobile platforms.

Are you running across any competition or similar product out there?

We have not personally come across any other developers that offer photo geo-location services comparable to ours. MapWith.Us Mobile for Android benefits from the Web foundation and services that drive the entire suite of MapWith.Us applications.

Who do you see using MapWithUs? How will it benefit them?

Users who would like to instantly geo-locate and upload photos and textual information to their own personal, customizable maps will immediately enjoy MapWith.Us Mobile for Android. Businesses that could benefit from real-time geo-location of photos, such as newspapers and other news sources, will likewise find immediate value in the application. Further development in the area of publication for news and subscription-based services is slated for the near future.

Backing up for just a second, can you describe what geo-location is and how it works?

We use the term “geo-location” to describe the process of pinpointing and mapping any of various media based on a precise
latitude and longitude. MapWith.Us Mobile for Android is an example of automated geo-location, in which a phone’s built-in GPS receiver is used to pair photos and other location-oriented content with a set of mappable coordinates. Geo-located content inherently becomes searchable by location, and when coupled with time and popularity indexes creates a truly comprehensive store of information with quantifiable value to users.

Do you anticipate writing any other applications?

The MapWith.Us development team plans to continue active development on our current Android application as well as develop complementary applications as necessary in order to best meet the needs of our users.

How will you make it available? Pricing, etc.?

MapWith.Us Mobile for Android as well as MapWith.Us on the Web are provided completely free of charge.

Will we see MapWithUs Mobile at launch of Android?

As soon as handsets running the Android platform become available (and an application distribution model is provided, if applicable), we will begin putting MapWith.Us Mobile for Android in the hands of our users.

Do you guy plan on buying an Android phone?

The MapWith.Us developers plan to buy a variety of Android phones to thoroughly test our application. Android phones for personal use will also likely appear in the hands of some of our team members, although no such plans have been set in stone pending the official introduction of Android product lines.

Thanks for dropping by AndroidGuys. We’re looking forward to seeing MapWithUs Mobile and taking advantage of the geo-location features. We’re big fans of the free distribution model, so we hope you get one of the $25,000 purses. It’ll help make it worthwhile. Be sure to drop by and let us know how things go for you guys.