Anyone get iPhone + iastronomica/starmap ?

mbaddah (Mo) · #1 12-07-2008, 12:26 PM

Hey

Was wondering if anyone has an iphone and purcahsed iAstronomica or StarMap from the appstore?

I'm so tempted to buy an iPhone just for these two applications alone

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated thankyou.

turbo_pascale (Rob) · #2 13-07-2008, 11:13 PM

I have an iPod Touch, and downloaded the StarMap software.
Have not really had a great play with it, but the refresh rate is slow. And the zooming in doesn't seem to work very well with the "reverse pinch" unless you really stop and wait for everything to stop moving.

Everything about it feels sluggish compared to the normal iPod UI experience. BUT, it's neat, and you can't complain for $15. It has lots of promise. It kind of has the "Stellarium" feel to it.

Hopefully development will continue nicely.

EDIT: Just went to have a look at iAstronomica in the AppStore. The StarMap software is much better for the extra $3 (without having looked at the it beyond the screen shots)

mbaddah (Mo) · #3 14-07-2008, 10:32 AM

Thanks for the feedback...

I wonder how iAstronomica then would perform compared to StarMap? Based on the website seems quite good.

Wavytone · #4 23-07-2008, 10:38 PM

iAstronomica - too simple. There's also "Astronomer", also trivial. StarMap and Uranus show a lot more.

Uranus offers more stars and DSO's but is a pig to use - very slow to draw the sky and its response to dragging is just awful. If the developer can fix that, and add more deep sky objects, it is a promising start.

Couple of thoughts:
- alternative to Uranus, with a more useable UI, more deep sky objects;
- strap the iPhone to a scope and use it as a crude finder, (use the accelerometers and GPS),
- bluetooth interface to an LX200 might be nice too.

dannat (Daniel) · #5 23-07-2008, 11:12 PM

being a very happy mac user i'd love the iphone - pity where i am we don't get half decent 3g coverage, hopefully optus are putting in receiver by end of the year - will have to drool until then - watching this thread with interest

Wavytone · #6 24-07-2008, 08:35 PM

Crazy ideas department:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just tried emailing one of Taki's PDF starcharts to myself and opening that in the iPhone - they display quite well. It copes with the 1MB PDF's OK. The only downside is the lack a nightvision mode (there's an idea for an app, if anyone wants to do it).

To be useful they also need an index page as well - if you make one in HTML you can do the next step...

Transfer Taki's PDF files and the HTML index page to the iPhone using TouchFS (on the App store), and browse locally on the iPhone (I just tried it using a pretty dumb index page)... also works.

Make yourself a webpage in iWeb that does it nicely, anyone can access the atlas online.

Alternatively use Safari to access any of the online sky atlases if you don't mind the bandwidth, zoom/pan will be a bit slow.

On another note I received a reply from the developer of the Uranus app, apparently there's an update on the way with more DSO's, much more responsive UI, and changes to the way the UI behaves with lots of objects close together. Wait and see, I guess.

StarMap is growing on me, too, though its DSO's are limited to the Messier catalog + 14 other very popular objects - it would be useful though at a public star party (like the ones at Macquarie Uni) for showing people where the object is.

Lastly, there are some other odd apps tucked away in the store that some might be interested in:

A Level: a spirit level - very useful for those with tripods to level in the dark. With the iPhone on its back, you'll have an x-y bubble level. There's an update coming apparently with a calibration adjustment. Could also be used to set polar axis elevation as of reads to 44.9 degrees.

Emerald Chronometer - a fancy moonwatch on steroids - sun, moon and earth, lunar phase watch, sunrise/set, moonrise/set, day/night/twilight, the constellations of the zodiac, local and UTC, the equation of time, your lat & long...

Sol: Daylight Clock - little more than a digital sundial

GoSkyWatch Planetarium - limited to bright stars but has a nice UI, point at the sky and finds the object. Might be useful for kids.

Sun Compass - exactly what it is.

Locly - will reveal your lat/long/altitude, as computed by the iPhone without the need for maps etc from Google. Useful when you're out of coverage by your carrier !

Wavytone · #7 06-08-2008, 11:18 PM

Two steps forward, one back, and a hack:

iPhone update 2.01... the iPhone is noticeably snappier, more responsive all round.

Uranus has been updated, its more responsive to the pinch (zooming) and dragging - almost useable, but still has two annoying habits - text is upside down for southern hemisphere, and when zoomed in it displays far too much text. Looks like it uses the Hipparchos catalogue, too.

A-Level has been updated, but its gone backwards; "calibration" is only temporary which basically defeats the whole point of the thing (where am I going to find a dead horizontal surface in the bush in the dark, huh ?)

On the hack side, some inspired nut reverse-engineered what goes on between the iPhone and Google Maps when Apple's "Location" app is displaying maps, then turned his attention to Google Sky. Turns out Google Sky uses 6 levels of zoom, and tiles the sky using small jpegs. The fellow then decided to download all the tiles and stuff that lot into the cache of the iPhone used by the "Location" app so instead of displaying earth, it displays the sky - so long as you don't zoom in too far in which case you get a streetmap of some place in Morocco where the LMC should be.

While not exactly useable it raises a lot of possibilities about how best to do celestial navigation stuff on the iPhone and what else it could do.

It's very very early days for the iPhone, reminiscent of the dawn of DOS.

Ian Robinson · #8 07-08-2008, 04:30 PM

Nope .... not interested in the latest piece of electronic junk offered by Apple.

All hype and not worth the expense.

davewaldo · #9 07-08-2008, 07:37 PM

Well I have an iphone and love it. Its only costing me $12 per month (total of $288 over 2 years) more to have this iphone rather than some other crappy base model nokia.

Thats cheaper than an ipod alone. Plus I get 500MB of data per month. I'm only on a $39 plan as thats what I've always had. I was surprised at how cheaply I could get an iphone to be honest.

I'm looking forward to using some astronomy software on it however I'm going to wait until they have ironed out the bugs.

The interface is a joy to use unlike all other pocket PCs I've used / owned.

But thats just my two cents...

Chippy (Nick) · #10 07-08-2008, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian Robinson

Nope .... not interested in the latest piece of electronic junk offered by Apple.

All hype and not worth the expense.

Entitled to your opinion of course - but I hope you are also open/willing to change it. I don't have one yet - but I sure as hell plan to get one down the track. Seems you may be basing your opinion on some other bad experiences with Apple gear? Time will tell, but by all accounts the iPhone 3G looks like a fantastic new product. Lots of nifty applications, and price is very reasonable IMO.

Ian Robinson · #11 07-08-2008, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chippy

Entitled to your opinion of course - but I hope you are also open/willing to change it. I don't have one yet - but I sure as hell plan to get one down the track. Seems you may be basing your opinion on some other bad experiences with Apple gear? Time will tell, but by all accounts the iPhone 3G looks like a fantastic new product. Lots of nifty applications, and price is very reasonable IMO.

Not keen on Apple gear , never have been .

Don't need or have any use for a new mobile phone - mine lives in the glove box and is only used in emergencies .... I hate the damb things and refuse to have my life ruled by that kind of technology .... gen Ys and Zs can keep them.

Chippy (Nick) · #12 08-08-2008, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian Robinson

Not keen on Apple gear , never have been .

Don't need or have any use for a new mobile phone - mine lives in the glove box and is only used in emergencies .... I hate the damb things and refuse to have my life ruled by that kind of technology .... gen Ys and Zs can keep them.

Again, fair enough... but I wouldn't be too quick to categorize it as a mobile phone (if indeed you are). A phone it is, but also a LOT more, as can be seen by some of the posts. It really is the first (or one of) fairly usable pocket sized computer + GPS + navigator, etc. I'm not saying its for everyone, but maybe a bit premature to call it 'electronic junk'. I think a lot of people will find them very useful. You do use a computer I take it...

Of course it will be electronic junk in 5 years or so - but so will your PC!

Zuts · #13 08-08-2008, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chippy

Again, fair enough... but I wouldn't be too quick to categorize it as a mobile phone (if indeed you are). A phone it is, but also a LOT more, as can be seen by some of the posts. It really is the first (or one of) fairly usable pocket sized computer + GPS + navigator, etc. I'm not saying its for everyone, but maybe a bit premature to call it 'electronic junk'. I think a lot of people will find them very useful. You do use a computer I take it...

Of course it will be electronic junk in 5 years or so - but so will your PC!

Hi,

It has assisted GPS i believe, i have tried but have yet to find a spec that shows it having a built in GPS radio. This means when you are away from a tower you dont have GPS. Also while it has google maps you need a decent 3.5g connection to use it, there is no decent spoken turn guidance solution for it.

As far as being the first, i dont think so. HP and HTC have been making touch screen smart phones for 5 years. These normally include chat client, browser, touch screen, windows media player, built in GPS radio, fm radio, ability to use skype, wireless, 3.5 G with video calling, word, excel, cellular modem capability, email, pdf reader and so on.

Why is it that when apple releases anything new its 'the first'....

my 2 cents

Omaroo (Chris Malikoff) · #14 08-08-2008, 10:55 AM

Hey there Paul

Just wondering who said it was "the first" at anything...?

Like Apple or not, from a pure design perspective, I absolutely applaud the level of industrial design in the execution of the way the iPhone (and iPod for that matter) just "work" for most humans. The servicability of the GUI is second to none - everything is beautifully logical. It's a object lesson in designing a device which needs to work the way humans think a device should work. Whereas most people can fumble around and use the other HTC-style devices and others like them, sure, (including the N-95 from Nokia) they just don't reach the level of intuitive usabilty that the Apple offering has achieved. If anyone disagrees with that then they are probably just being "Applephobic" for the hell of it. Like their approach or not - they are amongst the best at designing human interfaces and have been for decades.

I personally don't like mobile phones either, and would rather not use one if I didn't have to, but I do - as an IT director my job depends on it unfortunately. I don't want a silly camera in my phone, and I don't listen to music from anything other than my very decent HiFi sysetem, but you can't deny that these guys have just done a better job for the rest of the population who think that these trinkets are necessary. The success of this device overseas is already proof of that. I can't remember any other device getting the same level of fanatical attention that this one has - so why? I can't see myself chanting over it, but a lot do. Go figure.

For now I have to battle along with my N-95, as much as I really dislike the fiddly nature of the mechanics, and ill-conceived user experience. I bought it to replace my even-worse JasJam - which, with Windows Mobile 5 & 6 was just a GUI disaster. I can't begin to tell you how much I loathe its design execution. What a mish-mash of ill-connected applications and tools. It should still be in beta.

davewaldo · #15 08-08-2008, 11:03 AM

The iphone does indeed have a genuine GPS radio built in and Tom tom are working on turn by turn software for it. Apple engineers have said that the hardware is just as capable as a normal incar GPS guidance system.

Assisted GPS is not a bad thing, its a good thing. It doesn't mean it "needs" the assistance, it just means it has that as well.

Here is a link to Apple denying that the GPS is limited: http://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/14/...ng-directions/

Here is a link showing the GPS radio and other componants: http://www.intomobile.com/2008/07/14...omponents.html

davewaldo · #16 08-08-2008, 11:10 AM

The GPS was one of the main reasons that sold the iphone to me. I was thinking of buying a cheap Garmin to help when I setup my Goto mount in different locations. The iphone worked out much cheaper, and it has the possibility of running astronomy software at the same time.

Heres another link saying the GPS radio is accurate to within a few meters.

http://gpsobsessed.com/gpsdevices/ap...-not-broadcom/

White Rabbit · #17 12-08-2008, 08:33 PM

Theres a lot of posts here that I havent read so excuse me if someone has said this before me.

I have the Ipod touch, same deal but with out the phone, I also have starmaps installed on it. It's ok but not great, refresh is slow... but check this out.

If you download an app called Mocha VNC server or Portal, you can connect to your pc wirelessly, when I say connect I mean you see your desktops screen on your itouch/iphone. You can control any aspect of you pc or mac just as though you were sitting infront of it. If you have the iphone you can do it from anywhere in the world.

I have starrynight 6 on my desktop and when I'm doing an alignment and a star comes up that I'm not sure I connect to my desk top, start starry night and enter the star name in the search field and bingo, I can see where the star it. You can increase the area you are looking at to what ever is comfortable for you or can zoom out to see your whole desktop.

Pretty sweet, I'm very impressed with what the itouch can do.

Sandy

Wavytone · #18 10-09-2008, 08:37 AM

Looks like the developers are keen.

Uranus has had a major update - it now looks quite useable in the field, far more responsive to swipes and pinch gestures, and a lot of refinements added starting with a night mode, turning the legends around if you are in the southern hemisphere, being able to limit what objects it does/doesn't draw and the limiting magnitude, many more things. I'll give this a serious workout on the weekend. No need to use the PDF maps anymore or Starrynight on my desktop via VNC.

Emerald chronometer has also been uprevved, the outer dial shows siderial time and some other tweaks.

Quack24 (Guy) · #19 16-09-2008, 11:02 AM

short ad sweet I have the iPhone and have purchased almost all of the astronomy apps. StarMaps is by far the best.

Wavytone · #20 17-10-2008, 12:32 PM

New iPhone app showing the phase of the moon. It appears as seen in the northern hemisphere though (upside down for Terra Lostralis).