Yes folks, it's that time again for me...time to spend way, way too many hours in front of the computer...I found a couple of websites that do reverse geocoding, they take a latitude and longtitude and return a postal code and the result is an experimental GPS enabled version of BBWeather.

Caveats...
1) Only works in the US, atleast for now...The reverse geocoding seems to work for other countries but the postal code value it returns is not compatible with the LocationID needed by the weather server.
2) Currently only compiled for OS4.3 and above. Also, the specialized Storm version is not available (this version might work, though). These will probably be available...sometime...
3) Currently only available as an OTA download.

To use GPS:
1) Add a new location -- Options - Current Profiles - Add
2) Set Location ID: @gps
3) Set the other fields to whatever you want
4) Press "OK" to save it
5) Under Options, look for the first "GPS Type"
6) The default type is "Autonomous + Assisted" but not all phones support that type. The Bold does. The Bold does not support Cellsite. You can try all four to see which one works for your model. This knowledge base article might also help you decide.
7) The second "GPS Type" option is a typo and should be "GPS Server." You can probably leave this as the default, I just put the second server in there because I could. At some point, I may take the option out and just make BBWeather try the 1st one and, if it fails, automatically try the 2nd one.
8) That's it, save the Options and go back to the current conditions screen.

The 1st line on the Weather screens says BBWeather, the 2nd line says the City and LocationID. If the end of that 2nd line says "GPS" it means the GPS coordinates were just updated right now. If it says "GPS*" it means it is using GPS coordinates obtained sometime in the last 10 minutes. If it says "GPS**" it means BBWeather was unable to obtain GPS coordinates and it is using the last known valid GPS location. The GPS Coordinates are normally only refreshed if they are older than 10 minutes but you can force a refresh at any time by choosing "Update" from the menu.

So far, it's only been tested on my AT&T Bold.

http://www.tateu.net/software/dl.php?f=BBWeatherEX

Another sweet development... downloading now and will play with it... Tateu, you are STILL the man...

Edit Update:

Test findings:

Got the software downloaded and installed. When I started BBW, it prompted me for a setup location, but would not accept @gps... so I cancelled and went back into the menu via OPTIONS / (menu) / ADD and I was able to add the @gps location.

After the initial refresh of weather data, the display shows only the city and zip - Peoria, AZ (85345) instead of the Peoria, AZ (85345) GPS location. Switching between the @gps location and Peoria via shortcuts (g and p) causes NO change on the weather screen.

But if I close the app and return to the icon screen, I see that the locations are, in fact, changing because the shortcut letter is displayed in the application name text...

If I exit BBWeather (actually closed the app down) and then restart it, it shows the GPS* indicator again, until I swap back to Peoria using the short cut key. At that point it behaves as described above.

I cannot confirm this...I was able to add @gps when the app first loaded and automatically opened the Profile dialog. Did you leave the description empty the first time? It won't let you save a profile without one.

I can confirm this. It is actually switching to the GPS profile, it's just a bug that keeps the "GPS" text from displaying once you load a non GPS profile. If you choose Update from the menu, after pressing the shortcut key for the GPS profile, you will see that the "GPS" text comes back, proving that you are actually on a GPS profile. I haven't figured out how to fix it but I know what's causing it so expect that, at some point, it will be fixed.

Device: 8900

No @gps locations

I wonder how a semi-GPS locked Verizon phone will do with this?

I'm not sure exactly what that means. It won't allow you to enter @gps in the LocationID?

I was hoping the "Cellsite" gps type would handle this but I don't know.

Aah I see, I manually typed in "@gps" for the Location ID and typed in "gps" for the Description.

Testing now..

Yes, sorry about that..."manually type in @gps for the Location ID" is a much better way to word it...Lack of sleep slows my brain down and I wasn't too clear...it's 7:30am and I still haven't gone to bed.

I will test

I inputted @gps and received back after attempting to retrieve for @gpsnull
invalid location provided

Wirelessly posted

And you tried all 4 GPS Types? Then I venture to guess that it doesn't work on a Verizon phone. Either that or I screwed something up.

I'm sure my Verizon 8130 won't be able to use the GPS option--I'll try it out with the cell-site option. Thanks, tateu.

I honestly don't recall. When adding a new location, typically I enter the zip code and hit MENU / LOOKUP LOCATION ID. It is possible that when I entered @gps in the location ID that I did the same thing and that was what caused the error. I don't recall (it was late)... but I just retested and the LOOKUP LOCATION ID does fail if location is @gps... so that that makes total sense... this was most likely a PEBCAK error.


Thanks for the information, and I have confirmed that doing as you suggest does resolve the display issue.

Looks like the start of something good!

Here's what I set:
Location ID: @gps
Description: GPS
Forecast Days: 10
Hourly Forecast Count: 24
Units: Standard
Shortcut Key:

Pressed OK and now I have a profile called "GPS."

I set GPS Type to Cellsite (I tried all of them but I'm sure Verizon would only work with the cell site)


After trying to retrieve the weather I get the following:
Error - Current Conditions
Thread (@gpsnull):
Invalid location provided.

I added my location by ZIP (27410) and that profile works as expected.

Same issue

Its now working on my Tour. Verizon Tour users can use this app. I get ** to show its the GPS field

Hmm...GPS** means that it was unable to get a GPS location at this time and is using the last known good GPS location...which means it was atleast able to get a good value sometime previously.

I did a previous run from the highway. I know it will be a work in process but it is doing what you intended it to do. You are brilliant.

I just wanted to say that the GPS function works great while "on the move". I had several stops today while out and about... and each time BBWeather updated, it selected the correct location via GPS as I moved around the city.

Excellent job, Tateu...

I'd also like to make a request... several releases back, you added the Homescreen Text Color... could we also get a Homescreen BG Color?

I guess the Verizon Tour supports GPS in some fashion. My Pearl can only use the cell site method. I still get the error I mentioned above.

Is your Pearl running 4.5?

Yes, it's running 4.5.0.160.

Because of the GPS thing, you may be out of luck with that device. I am curious if any 8330 users were successful. I hope you may up grade soon

Problem is, I don't want a different device. I love the size and light weight of the Pearl. Maybe a flip pearl will work--they run OS 4.6 right now and are about the same size and weight when closed.

However, Google maps works with the cell site location--hopefully tateu can get that working. Poynt uses cell sites too.

I have started integrating an option to use data from Weather Underground (wunderground.com) for the current conditions and, eventually, the daily forecast. Some of the parameters available with the current weather feed (weather.com) are not available through Weather Underground, such as sunrise/sunset and a few others, but it's still nice to have options. The main reason I added it is that GPS will work in locations outside the US because Weather Underground directly accepts latitude & longitude coordinates and returns weather data for that region (I've tested it in the simulator with locations in Russia and Canada). It also doesn't provide hourly forecast data but it does provide weather alerts so that is another thing I started trying to implement.

I also spent a short while looking into radar but don't have a solution yet. I need something that takes a latitude and longitude and LocationID and returns an image instead of an entire web page. Something like this from Google Maps:
http://maps.google.com/mapdata?tstyp...-internal&zl=6

Are you talking about the blue, squarish icon that the temperature gets written on top of? If yes, that is a png image that has to be created and compiled into BBWeather. The best I might be able to do is give you an option not to use a prebuilt image background and instead just use a solid color. I have also been trying, unsuccessfully, for a long time to write the temperature text onto a transparent background so it appears directly on the homescreen background.

I don't think the device simulators are a good judge...but it works in the 8130 and 8330 simulators.

The GPS option works with my Verizon 9630 (aka Tour) with OS v4.7.1.40 -- GPS Type is set to Autonomous.

Excellent work as always!

Understood

Tateu

This app installed and works flawlessly on my 8310. I have now deleted my Weatherbug Direct, which I REALLY liked and am using your app.

You absolutely ROCK! Thanks!


David

Same here when trying cellsite on my Pearl 8100 on Tmobile with OS 4.5.0.124.

The other settings work with the GPS puck though, although then I get the weather for Pasadena, which is probably 3 miles or so away from where I am in Houston (77062).

v0.91 http://www.tateu.net/software/dl.php?f=BBWeatherEX

* Added GPRS and CDMA CellID lookup via Google as an alternative for those who do not have GPS.
* Added Weather Underground as a data source for Current Conditions
* Fixed some bugs (and probably added new ones)

GPRS and CDMA mode can be set on the Options screen under "GPS Type". These are not really GPS at all. They grab the CellID (BID) and LAC (NID) codes from the phone network info, then send those off to http://www.google.com/glm/mmap which returns the latitude and longitude of the cell tower. You need to know which type of phone you have. The Bold is GPRS, the 8703e is CDMA. You'll have to figure out the rest...or try both options.

Only GPRS mode has been tested because I have a Bold. I do not know if the CDMA mode works.

When switching back and forth between Weather Servers, Weather.com and Weather Underground, it is best to exit and reopen the program immediately afterward. There are a few bugs if you don't.

Weather Underground only works for the Current Conditions. And if you are outside of the US and want GPS to work for the Current Conditions, then you should use Weather Underground. Weather.com does not work with GPS outside the US.

Yes, that was exactly what I was talking about.

There is a whole discussion thread in the forums at BellShare.com (the makers of BerryWeather) about custom radar map animations ... I don't know if anything there would help or not...

www.bellshare.com • View topic - Customize Radar link

One problem with the Weather Underground feed... the current time in Arizona is 10:55 PM and the icon that shows is the SUN rather than the moon...

Yes, Weather.com differentiates between night and day icons but Weather Underground does not. And Weather Underground does not provide sunrise/sunset data so the best I can do is make some hard cutoff times such as to show sun icons between 6am and 8pm and moon icons between 8pm and 6am. Well, I guess I could simultaneously grab data from weather.com to get the sunrise/sunset data but that just seems like it will make things way to messy for me.

Understood.

Ok, so here are two options I can think of:
1) A Solid color square (maybe a circle?) that the temperature can be written onto.
2) Copy a 32x32 png image file onto your device, either onto the SDCard or system memory, and select it in the BBWeather options. BBWeather will then try and use that as its temperature icon. If it fails it can go back to the current blue square looking icon or option 1 above.

Do either of those sound ok? Or do you have something else in mind?

Update - Still no joy here with Verizon/8330 as far as location by cell tower (or GPS). Tried all available combinations. Most return the following:

'Error - Current Conditions Thread
(@GPS16.879531,96.128788):
Invalid Location Provided'

The only one that didn't return the error message was WeatherUnderground/Cellsite/Geonames.org. That returned weather for Yangon, Myanmar (00000) GPS**. This was interesting, but not very helpful (since I'm in the suburbs of Detroit!). All the 'normal' profiles work marvelously, as they always have. This is a great app - and when I pick up my new 9630 tonight, I'll probably like it even better! Keep up all the good work. This is a great app, and I know Verizon has not made it easy.

Finally started to work on my verizon tour on autonomous everything else default. I changed permissions to allow everything but I'm not sure if that did anything to attribute to its success.

Similar results here.

Either of the above would work. However, it would be great to try to display the temp, on the background, on top of the home screen icon. If the temp background imagecan be made smaller than the icon, we could give it some transparency and have the home screen icon show through a little. This is how it's done in BerryWeather and it works well with the right size and transparency. If possible, give the user the choice of temp font and size, as well as the image. That way you don't have to do the work (unless, of course, you want to

That's strange, because if you use the wudnerground mobile site it shows you when sunrise/sunset will be, along with moon phase, etc. You'd certainly think it would be available in the background for you use as well.

I currently use wunderground, but will give your updated GPS weather app a test shortly.

It is very much appreciated!