GPS Tracking Software

paulbox

I was thinking about buying a new computer to track my rides when a colleague recommended some software for my phone called 'Endomondo' (http://www.endomondo.com).

I think it works on most GPS enabled phones, details on their web site. You can use it for most outdoor sports to track you and when you connect up to the internet (either live or through wi-fi when you get home) it uploads the data to your profile where you can then see a map of your route, average speed, altitude profile etc. It also retains all of your rides.

You can add friends and then see each others routes as well as watching them live (if they are connected to the net while out) if you want to. Apparently this is good if they are racing etc.

Best of all is it's all free... :P

So the purpose of my post is to:
1) Let others know about this product
2) Find out if there any other / better products out there that you've used?

Cheers,

Paul.

Oxygen Thief

Cheers for that, will download that as soon as I get in I currently just log in to google maps on my phone on teh way round but it doesn't track anything more so I can just see where I am if I get slightly lost! It's even got streetview on the phone software, happy days!

Anonymous

If you've got a Nokia, don't forget the excellent Nokia Sports Tracker too that's been around for years now (also free).

http://sportstracker.nokia.com/

Endomondo is available for Nokia also. Haven't tried it, but NST just does exactly what it says on the tin anyway. Nokia's best app ever in my opinion. Again has online track sharing.

monkey-boy1980

Hi mate, I use the iPhone app called Motion X. You can get the Lite version for free but you can only record one track at a time..

The full version costs something stupid like £1.79 so I think its well worth it. You can email your routes to yourself and it plots them on google maps.

check it out

lock1981

sportypal is pretty good, but i have sports tracker too.

toasty

Used to use Nokia Sports Tracker, but it wasn't available for my new phone S60v3 but not Nokia branded. I used to get annoyed with it losing GPS signal, it's hard getting your phone somewhere visible to the sky, but rigidly attached enough to mountain bike.

Bought a Garmin Edge 500 \o/ Bit of a pricey jump but woah, this thing is awesome, interesting things like trail gradient, altitude (barometric, not based on gps), heart rate, speed etc. You can save a route then race yourself on the next lap, you get a little breadcrumb trail with a dot on to race against. Viewing routes on Google map with 1 button click

Very impressed so far but it's only 1 week old so far, planning to get racing myself to work and around local tracks, should be entertaining These are from Fridays little loop around Mam Tor/Hope Cross. Certainly solidly attached enough for everything I'm likely to get up to.

predo

I use viewranger on my nokia phone, has gps tracking all on ordnance survey maps. You can buy map areas for anywhere in the country either landranger or explorer maps. Loads of options with the software for making routes, pin photos, points of interest etc. Check it out at www.viewranger.co.uk

seanoevil

I use runkeeper pro for Iphone. There is a free version as well as paid version. Tracks speed, altitude, distance, heart rate etc. Uploads your routes to facebook,twitter and your runkeeper account etc...

dwclay99

why dont you use your noggin and remeber whre you went and use www.bikehike.co.uk when you get home?

Oxygen Thief

just downloaded and installed the edmundo software. Not finding me at the moment, I am indoors but google maps has no trouble!

Oxygen Thief

dwclay99 wrote:

why dont you use your noggin and remeber whre you went and use www.bikehike.co.uk when you get home?

Why exactly?

dwclay99

jonbonjovial wrote:

dwclay99 wrote:

why dont you use your noggin and remeber whre you went and use www.bikehike.co.uk when you get home?

Why exactly?

you dont need a million pound phone and its more fun!

predo

Not if you go somewhere you have never riden before, used to mean getting the map out and trying to figure out where you are. Now just carry on riding flip the phone out, shows me exactly where i am and where i need to go. Sorted. And phone was free on contract and software and maps are not expensive at all.

paulbox

jonbonjovial wrote:

just downloaded and installed the edmundo software. Not finding me at the moment, I am indoors but google maps has no trouble!

GPS signal pick up is not software dependant, should be the same whatever you are using. However not many devices work well indoors, it normally needs line of site to the sky.

paulbox

Just to be clear, Endomondo doesn't display your position on a map live on your phone (on my phone at least). It simply tracks you and then uploads to their web site where you can then view all your data in a format similar to what Toasty has posted above.

It also stores all of your "workouts" and you can keep an eye on your exercise levels if for instance you are trying to lose a bit of weight... :oops: You switch what form of exercise you are doing on your handset (e.g. walking, mountain biking or kayaking) and it also notes that for you and calc's your calorie burn. though it doesn't know if you stop at the pub on the way home.

In terms of compatibility, according to their web site, it seems to work on loads of phones, so you don't need to sink a fortune on a dedicated device.

Why wouldn't I want to get a map out after a ride and draw it out manually? Because I have a bit of a life...

Oxygen Thief

PaulBox wrote:

jonbonjovial wrote:

just downloaded and installed the edmundo software. Not finding me at the moment, I am indoors but google maps has no trouble!

GPS signal pick up is not software dependant, should be the same whatever you are using. However not many devices work well indoors, it normally needs line of site to the sky.

I know that, was just saying. It worked this morning on the way to work though. Should have a pause function though in my opinion, soon as you press stop it sends data, I may have stopped for a pint etc.

agg25

I have an Android HTC Desire and use MyTracks which is free, it gives you stats on everything, you can set waypoints etc and upload where you've been to Google maps & documents.
Another good one for Android is Softrace.

Anonymous

Phones with built in GPS I find are more tricky than using an external bluetooth GPS connected to a phone, even with assisted GPS. It's all the other transmitters in the phone that screw it up. Still, seems to work okay with my Nokia E72.

Viewranger - very expensive! The price of the OS map squares is incredibly expensive compared to getting the paper OS maps, especially the detailed 1:25,000 maps, and these still don't go detailed enough in my opinion to be able to mark singletrack accurately. Then they charge ~£30 for the app on top!

But Viewranger is more for mapping. Tracking is another matter. Free apps like NST track in detail and then let you slap that onto any map you like as the files are standard formats. Opencyclemap is pretty good for detail, but loads of trails missing so it's up to you to overlay them.

Basically, tracking software, if free, is great if you've got a smartphone. You don't need an expensive phone, at least not with Nokia as it works with pretty much most S60 phones, so most of the E and N series range. If you have no GPS you can get a bluetooth GPS receiver fairly cheap.

paulbox

jonbonjovial wrote:

PaulBox wrote:

jonbonjovial wrote:

just downloaded and installed the edmundo software. Not finding me at the moment, I am indoors but google maps has no trouble!

GPS signal pick up is not software dependant, should be the same whatever you are using. However not many devices work well indoors, it normally needs line of site to the sky.

I know that, was just saying. It worked this morning on the way to work though. Should have a pause function though in my opinion, soon as you press stop it sends data, I may have stopped for a pint etc.

Sorry mate, not trying to teach you to suck eggs. To be honest I don't know why you sometimes get a signal instantly and other times it takes 10 minutes. I used to have a Road Angel in my car to warn of camera locations, it was exactly the same.

I agree re the pause button, would be a big improvement.

Oxygen Thief

No worries mate, I'm not that daft! haha

It's a bit daft at times, there's a spot on my route home form work can't be bigger than ten square metres but you won't for the life of you get a signal when in it?! Very bizarre!

It uploaded my trip to work this morning and hmmmm an interesting detour at the end which I do not remember taking too?! lol

Never mind, new technoology never works. Nothign's perfect! :-)

jimh_123

Ive been using the motion x version on my iphone. Its great at tracking my route and telling me my speed, but does anyone know of an app that lets me download GPS routes on to my phone so that i can follow them?

found some routes on cycle-route.com which lets you save the route as GPX, but i dont know how to use that on my iphone? Any ideas?

Shmikuk

Everytrail.com seems good to me on iPhone or blackberry. Lots of neat features and free.

Anonymous

Just discovered that the new version of Nokia Sports Tracker is out in the Ovi Store now (at least for 5th edition and 3rd Ed FP2 models for now). Renamed to just Sports Tracker as Nokia pushed out development to an external company (Sports Tracker Technologies which I believe are the same developers).

http://www.sportstrackingtechnologies.com/

Some nice improvements. In particular it now integrates with OpenStreetMap, which is rather cool because it has a lot of official and unofficial trails and paths marked. It downloads the maps as required and caches them, so shouldn't be downloading all the time.

It installs as a new app running beside the old NST, and will import the data from NST when first run.

The online web service isn't up and running yet, but should be shortly. Looks like they may support more heart rate monitor devices than just the Nokia one as they're talking about an accessories store.

Question is, how long will it stay free? They've spun off this company for a reason and surely must be looking to make money some how. Still, even for £10 I'd pay for it as it's well worth it. Best app for Nokia, ever. Free would be better though

kaytronika

Based on recommendations on here I use 'CardioTrainer' on Android which does similar things. Sends it all to a website too so you can download a Google Map route. I just have to turn off the annoying 'Working Started' 'Workout Paused' voice prompts.