NEW MOBILELAB PROJECT

Just before my holiday's I recieved my new Nokia 5800 Xpress Music. I just love it. I must admit I was even more impressed by the HTC android phone I saw a few day's ago, but I got mine for free (that is what Dutch people base their choices on ;) ).

I immediately started to look on way's to modify it. I had a look at a few shell applications like the HandyShell, Myphone and the M1 android emulator.

Myphone is nice, and works pretty well (a tiny bit sluggish). I read it is flash based, and I dont know if that has anything to do with it, but the myphone shell emptied the battery in a day! Discarded!

I like the Handy Shell. I'm using the free version (dont ask) and really like the front screen. Especially the counters on the mailbox etc. 

I also installed some free applications and games around and found that there are stil a lot of issues. Certificates mostly outdated,  compatibility problems and so on.

I now requested a developer certificate to be able to re-sign outdated ones. Ill post here is I had any luck with that (whole process is a bit ... dodgy)

Now to the project! 

Due to the summer in Barcelona, a lot of people walk around with mosquito bites. At home, a friend told me about the Iphone app that emiots a high frequency sound, which (suposedly) scares the mosquitos away.

After a bit of online investigation, I found that the tone should have the folowing specifications:

About 108 Decibels at 17.4 Khz Frequency

I tested a few tones I found online, and after having some fun with a collegue at work, who somehow goes crazy with even higher (or Lower) frequency sounds (he could hear a 22 Khz tone! I got the right tone. I copied it on my mobile, and thought about how I could make this more like an application (dont want to leave the mp3 player on all night).

Nokia has a very good forum site, in where they explain several ways of "packaging" an application for installation on the simbian OS.

Since there are a few platforms in which you can build mobile apps, I had to choose one:

• - Java ME 
• I am not a Java programmer. It should not be too difficult, but I dont have the tools etc.
  
• - Open C/C++
• Same
  
• - Python
•  Pyton was an option. I didsome small things in pyton, and have a collegue that could give me a
• - Symbian C++
• Hmmm... learing a new language, only to play a wav file....
• Flash Lite
•  This one, I found interesting. I used Flash a lot, and thought it would be easy to make a small SWF file with a few buttons that plays a sound. (the downside of just makeing an swf file is that youll have to open the app through the media or file browser :( I would like a shortcut in my app menu!)
  
• WGZ (way to package a widget)
• This is really nice. You can build a widget using HTML, add css and javascript to it. Zip it, rename it, and it can be installed. Even with an Icon! (if you include a PNG icon file)

I decided to mix the last 2. I have made a swf to test (forgot an off button... very annoying)  and embedded it in an HTML file. Created a very simple css (based on an example from Nokia), the the Manifest file info.plist, zipped all of them, renamed the zip file to .wgz.

I then transferred the files to my phone, and double clicked tapped the file in the file explorer. It asked I Id like to install the new app!!! 

I did not, as I first want to make the SWF a bit nicer, adding an on/off button, some more graphics maybe... then Ill install.

For the moment, I am really happy with the way it all works and I am allready thinking about the next wisget Ill make.

Stay Tuned!

MAPLAB KITEMAP PROJECT

The kitemap is a now allready very advanced project. Completed features are:

Loading Kitesites from an external  XML File containing graphics fro the windspeed, wind direction and (when available) a webcam

• Form to upload new sites
• Windspeed converter finished
• Extended weather report for Bcn Airport, Bcn Barceloneta and Mataro

Barcelona Aeropuerto 7 day forecast | Superforecast
Local date Thursday, Aug 06 Local time 08 11 14 17 20 Wind direction Wind speed (Bft) 1 2 3 3 3 Local date Friday, Aug 07 Local time 08 11 14 17 20 Wind direction Wind speed (Bft) 2 3 3 3 2

And Im still working on:

• site upload form. I'd like to be able to delete a site, or modify one. Since it is an XML file, this is less easy than I thought :(
  

Because its summer now here in BCN, it'll take me quite some time to finish this. The heat is just too much to spend a lot of time at the PC.

If you'd like to have a look, here you go:

http://www.studiokoppelman.nl/LAB/Kitelab.htm

NEW MAPLAB PROJECT

The next MAPLAB map will be themed completely around Kite flying in the Barcelona Province.

Firstly we wil gather a list of resources from which we will get the basic information for the info balloons. Then, afterwards, place them on a map. The most important items I would like to display here are:

• Windspeed
• Wind Direction
• Webcam
  
• Any other comments

If you happen to find this post, and think you can add some interesting links or information, please drop me a mail at alex dot k dot bcn at gmail.com.

The full listing of info I have at the moment is here .

Also, if you are called Deividas, Chris or Mathias... Guy's Gimme a hand!!

MAPLAB BICYCLE MAP WORKING

The first version of the MAPLAB Bicycle map is working now. It depends mostly on the Geode Firefox plugin, but when you've got that working the map should have the folowing functionality:

• Pinpoint your location, and focus the map on that
• Allow you to add a layer with Wikipedia Articles about the surrounding area
• Allow you to add a layer with the nearest Bicing Bicycle stands
• Allow you to add a layer with the Barcelona bicycle lanes

Give it a try:   maplab.htm

CURRENT HOT-BUN!

 Still in the oven, but you can have a peek. I have been playing with google maps, and to be honest, have the feeling I know less about it than when I started.

Here is a link to my map: maplab.htm