[android] Maps application

Cédric Berger cedric.berger74 at gmail.com
Mon Dec 8 17:13:33 CET 2008


On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 21:45, Jim Ancona <jim at anconafamily.com> wrote:

> IANAL, but the SDK license agreement says "Except to the extent required
> by applicable third party licenses, you may not load any part of the SDK
> onto a mobile handset or any other hardware device except a personal
> computer, combine any part of the SDK with other software, or distribute
> any software or device incorporating a part of the SDK." I would read
> that as prohibiting even installing anything from the SDK on your own
> phone, never mind distributing it.
>

Yes, the point missing here is the "applicable third party licence".
(and it is not even really third party !).
I see no reason why google would not allow the use of this API. Not
open sourcing it is one thing, but it is an important piece of their
framework, and their goal is to spread the use of android and its
applications...


> Even if the API were available, Google's TOS are fairly restrictive (see
>  http://code.google.com/android/maps-api-signup.html). In particular,
> you may not "use the Service or Content with any products, systems, or
> applications for or in connection with (a) real time navigation or route
> guidance based on position input from a sensor (including but not
> limited to any visual or audible turn-byturn route guidance)". That
> seems to prohibit even using the GPS to indicate the direction to your
> destination.
>
> To avoid all these issues, one alternative is OSMdroid, a
> reimplementation of the Maps API using Open Street Maps data. It's at:
>
> http://code.google.com/p/osmdroid/
>

I have installed Andnav 2. Looks really promising. I do not know if it
can run without google.map API (since I did add the library for other
tests....)
Andnav1 was depending on it and its data. But due to licence issues,
(for advanced use as navigation, offline cache,...), version 2 uses
OSM.

I will try the GPS tracking soon. For now, I could not test much
because I cannot get internet connectivity with Android on my neo.
But I cached some maps within Andnav2 in the Emulator, then copied
them onto my neo, so I can navigate the maps now.

(to try Andnav, you have to register on their site, but for I think it
is not yet opened to the US)
http://www.andnav.org/
http://www.andnav.org/index.php/community-forum?task=viewtopic&id=12




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