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Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

david-smith.org

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Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#61

Post by microtonal »

modeless wrote: post #46
interstice wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh and while I'm here the single layer non editable menu / weird grid is also the worst. I grew up texting under the desk on a nine key and only checking after I'd selected the contact to send to. Give me that level of muscle memory again someone, anyone, please.

Pebble watches are operated with physical buttons and you can definitely take advantage of muscle memory.

Also Garmin watches. E.g. the Fenix line has 5 buttons and you can do pretty much everything with the buttons. So much handier than fooling around on small touch screens when you are e.g. on a bike or hiking (it does have a touch screen too). Also, the battery lasts up to several weeks (depending on the model), so you don't have to worry about it. Plus great support for using maps during a workout.

I also have an Apple Watch Ultra. My feeling has always been that Apple Watch Ultra is a smartwatch first, sports watch second. Garmin watches are sports watches first, smartwatch second.

I was an early adopter of smartwatches with first the Moto 360 and then Apple Watch Series 1 and I have found that I use the smartwatch part less and less. In the end I only used it for notifications for two apps (Signal and WhatsApp), sometimes for calling my wife when I'm on a bike, and contactless payments. These I can do with a Garmin as well, but it far less clumsy as a sports watch than Apple Watch.

Plus Garmin Watches generally work with GadgetBridge, so they are much easier to use in a privacy-preserving way.

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#62

Post by microtonal »

SllX wrote: post #54
dylan604 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe some people are too young to remember Apple's Maps v1. Even Tim Apple recently mentioned that debacle in what was essentially an exit interview.

I recently switched back to Google Maps after Apple announced ads were coming to Apple Maps, since if the default Maps app is going to be saddled with ads on my thousands of dollars worth of Apple hardware anyway , I may as well use the best. And yeah, let’s be honest, Apple Maps is good enough for most use cases, but Google Maps blows it out of the fucking water. In that light, I may be hard pressed to call it a deb…

For sports OpenStreetMap is much better anyway, in most countries it has many more hiking/cycling/MTB trails. More details on relevant POIs (water points, bathrooms, etc.). Plus there are many specialized versions like Open Fiets Map (cycling), Freizeitkarte (general outdoors), OpenMTB (mountainbiking and hiking), etc.

Currently I'm using Garmin's version of OpenStreetMap + an overlay for the Dutch cycle path network [1] on my watch.

[1] If you are in the Netherlands, this is a gem: https://planner.gps.nl/download.php?toolid=1 . Download the device version, copy it to your Garmin gpsr or Watch and you have a very nice overlay of the cycle network with nodes (knooppunten), etc.

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#63

Post by ndr42 »

I don't know if anybody else is so petty like me regarding installing new apps but while I can't say anything about the app itself, I just wanted to know how much it would cost, if it is an subscription and so on.

But it was not possible from the app store page itself. Have a look, how confusing it is:

https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@ndr/116483475865871622

It shows a lot of price points from 1€ all up to 45€ without saying if its a subscription or a one-time payment.

Maybe the author should include the pricing clearly somewhere else on the app store page as apple is not able to do so.

edit: spelling

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#64

Post by microtonal »

jsbisviewtiful wrote: post #38
thrownawaysz wrote: post #3

The fact that there is no 1st party Apple made hiking and topography map on the Apple Watch is such a failure, not even on the most expensive “made for explorers” Watch Ultra. And things like gpx import is just a mere dream It’s a lifestyle device after all but still

Apple is so intent on making the Apple Watch a catch-all that it doesn’t necessarily do any specific activity amazingly. After three Apple Watches over many years I finally sold my 10 last year and won’t be buying another. I bought a Coros and am pretty pleased with it, would consider a Garmin in the future. Coros and Garmin devices are built with activity in mind and not unneeded apps, like Uber. Garmin and Coros bo…

With Garmin you have to pay attention to the model though. E.g. cheaper Forerunners, Instinct, etc. do not support maps, though some support breadcrumb trail navigation. Then there are some models that do not support it, but have third party apps that add maps. For the models that do (e.g. Fenix, Venu X1, high-end forerunners), it is glorious though. There is a large community making specialized maps (typically based on OpenStreetMap) for Garmin Watches and GPSr units. Installation is typically as easy as dropping an .img file in the right folder on the Watch/GPSr.

Also Garmin's own maps are based on OpenStreetMap and have become pretty good.

Also worth mentioning (probably the same with Coros) that these are offline maps, so they always work, and you typically install them for a whole continent.

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#65

Post by bwb »

necovek wrote: post #57

What I find curious is that the entire article seems to be framed in responding to the needs of a single user of the app — the author themselves. Yet the app is published and has a great App Store review score of 4.8 with 170k+ reviews, and same score with 35k+ reviews for the Watch. How does the author get feedback and respond to other customers? Or is this simply scratching one's own itch demonstrating its usefulne…

Most likely both :)

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#66

Post by astafrig »

thrownawaysz wrote: post #3

The fact that there is no 1st party Apple made hiking and topography map on the Apple Watch is such a failure, not even on the most expensive “made for explorers” Watch Ultra. And things like gpx import is just a mere dream It’s a lifestyle device after all but still

> no 1st party Apple made hiking and topography map on the Apple Watch

I regularly use hiking and topography maps on my Apple Watch with the first party maps app, so it sure what you’re talking about

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#67

Post by tomduncalf »

SpyCoder77 wrote: post #2

As a pedometer++ user, it is amazing the attention to detail David has maintained over the years. The evolution is crazy.

I have been using the app for years but literally just because I like the step counter widget. I had no idea it did all this! Will try it for sure. Cool read.

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#69

Post by SllX »

ileonichwiesz wrote: post #56
SllX wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Generally speaking, Apple should be improving and adding to the base operating system all the time, including new apps. It is better for their users including new users if the phone itself is capable of more out of the box. Where they fall short though, the App Store is right there. There’s almost always a better alternative for those who value having something better.

> There’s almost always a better alternative for those who value having something better. That alternative comes with a $60/year subscription these days, though.

I don’t know what you’re paying for that you see a $60/year subscription, but if it’s worth the $60/year to you, then you pay it. If it’s not, you don’t.

There are two apps I pay for that replace an app on my phone: $15/year for Overcast replaces Apple Podcasts and & $25/year for Transit replacing the transit function in Apple Maps (which I may be able to drop now that I’m on Google Maps, but I haven’t tried yet, and the app is so damn good I’m not sure I want to). Those are easily two of the absolute best and most used apps on my phone.

But if you don’t want to spend money on another vendor, or there is nothing suitable for the price you want to pay, at least the phone often has something serviceable.

Re: Six years perfecting maps on watchOS

#70

Post by simonklitj »

som wrote: post #16

Great evolution story. Also love seeing what can be achieved by stepping outside design lines, re. centred, symmetrical UIs. Makes me want an apple watch ;) As an aside there's a screenshot in the article showing the Hidden Valley at Glen Coe, which happens to be one of my favourite short walks in Scotland. A less happy aside of that aside is the house at the base of the valley. I used to look at it dreamily as we dr…

In happier news, that house is being demolished: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gqqv17v1vo
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