01-16-2004, 06:30 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 222
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@Sat Orbiter Locator+ Reviewed
I don't know about you, but I have been obsessed with the recent Mars space missions. When I saw that Survivorsoft had an app to help you track these missions, I was ready to explore. Join me on that adventure as I review @Sat Orbiter Locator+.
@Sat Orbiter Locator+ by Survivorsoft lets you easily track space missions from the palm of your hand.
Overview
@Sat by Survivorsoft is a nice piece of software that quickly lets you check up on your favorite space missions. With it, you can check the position of various manned and unmanned missions. It will also give you the latest news and pictures from those missions. The Survivorsoft Web site states that you will need to have Windows Mobile 2003 to run currently run the app since it's based on the .NET Compact Framework (SP1). I have tried the program on my iPaq 3765 with Pocket PC 2002. There are some problems and it is quite slow. I'd recommend this only to Windows Mobile 2003 users at this time.
Figure 1: The main selection screen. Pick your favorite mission.
Here are the missions you can track:- Mars Rovers (Spirit & Opportunity);
- International Space Station;
- Hubble Telescope;
- Soyuz (ISS return transport);
- Space Shuttle.
@Sat has a very simple interface that's a nice change of pace for anyone who has ever tried to track satellites on the Pocket PC. All you do is pick from the five main missions and you're taken to the Tracking Screen which shows the location of that object. (If you pick the Mars Rovers, you first pick which rover to focus on: Spirit or Opportunity)
Mission to Mars
I must say, I truly have Mars fever right now. I even stayed up late to watch the landing of the Spirit rover. It's just great to see NASA get back to what it does best: exploration. That's what I love about this app. It lets you get in on the action of the Mars missions while they happen. It's like being a NASA insider.
Figure 2: The Tracking menu for the Spirit Rover.
As you can see, the Spirit rover is currently located in the center of the Gusev crater. To the West, you can see where Beagle 2 was supposed to land. You can get more info about the mission by choosing either News or Images from the menu.
Figure 3: The latest news on Spirit.
The News is just a simple text file with the latest info. It gives you a quick overview of the latest accomplishments of the mission. The data so far has been updated about once a day. Very nice. Of course, you do need to have a network connection to get the updates. I've been using ActiveSync and it has worked great. This should work with a wireless connection as well but I can't try that out with my current set up.
Pictures Mars
If all this app had was the tracking and news features, it would be a good program. But, @Sat has more to offer. For each orbiter, you can view the latest images from space. Since Spirit is an active mission, there are plenty of images to view.
Figure 4: List of current images for Spirit.
When viewing images, you start off with a set of thumbnails. Clicking on them brings up the full images. Once the full image is displayed, you can get info about that image. The info works just like the News on the orbiters, it's a recently updated text file.
Figure 5: Spirit's first color picture of the red planet.
The full images fill the Pocket PC screen. The resolution is a bit low but the pictures look great. I'm sure this depends on the quality of the original images. Once you've downloaded Images and News through you Internet connection, that data is saved on your Pocket PC. You can then view them offline. This is a nice feature for those of use who are not using wireless devices.
Overpasses
The last feature of @Sat is the Overpass calculator. For the orbiting missions, you can track when you can see that object in the sky. The app comes with a list of 473 different cities for you to choose from. Pick the one closest to you (by clicking the up/down arrows) and @Sat will calculate the next opportunity for you to see that orbiter yourself. I'll admit, I haven't confirmed the accuracy of this yet. My next opportunity is in a few days so I'll try then and provide an update.
Figure 6: Calculating the next ISS Overpass.
Once the calculations are complete, you'll get details on when and where your next Overpass opportunity is. All you have to do then is look up in the sky and find your object. The ISS has always been pretty easy to spot around sunset/sunrise. With this app, you'll be able to pinpoint the best times for you to view it.
Figure 7: My next ISS viewing opportunity.
Gotchas- Currently requires WM 2003;
- Selecting a city for the Overpass mode is tedious;
- Need at least an occasional network connection for most features;
- The startup sound can't be turned off.
Where to Buy
@Sat Orbiter Locator+ by Survivorsoft can be purchased for $12.95 from Handango. [Affiliate]
Specifications
@Sat is available for Windows Mobile 2003 devices only. But, there are Smartphone 2003, and other devices that are planned shortly. It requires 2248K of free space.
Conclusions
@Sat is an excellent piece of software and a welcome addition to any Pocket PC. If you have space fever like I do, you'll want to get a copy of this. It's simple, easy to use, and has some great features.
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01-16-2004, 06:57 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 251
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Great review!
How much space do all of those wonderful pictures take up?
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01-16-2004, 07:15 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 222
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by ucfgrad93
Great review!
How much space do all of those wonderful pictures take up?
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Sorry, I don't have the app installed on my iPaq so I can't check right now. But, they are pretty small. They are just 240x320 jpegs so they can't be too big.
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01-16-2004, 07:55 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,616
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One thing I'd add to this software is the ability to export the overpass dates/times to Pocket Outlook.
__________________
iPhone 4! ☠☠☠ Mid-2010 15" MacBook Pro! ☠☠☠ Gateway LT2102h! ☠☠☠ Dell XPS M1210!
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01-16-2004, 11:44 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 7
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Comments from SurvivorSoft
Hi guys,
Some info from SurvivorSoft:
The full-screen images are anywhere from 17k to 140k each. We try to optimaze them as much as we can with out affecting the resolution too much. However, keep in mind that you can delete these images from your device. You have two options to do this: You can completly delete the image and associated thumbnail, (so you will never see that image again, or be able to dowload it) or you can just remove the actual full-screen image and keep the thumbnail so you can quickly re-download the image whenever you like. In this way, you can keep a small collection of your favorite images on-hand for online viewing, and keep the rest offline.
ctmagnus: We're on it! We're working hard to come up with upgrades to make the application better as people come to us with suggestions and ideas. We agree an automatic Outlook task reminder would be a great addition!
fhunter
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01-17-2004, 12:02 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 437
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hehehe this is one of the things that I absolutely LOVE about pocketpcthoughts.com... we start talking about an application, knocking around suggestions and constructive (usually) criticism, and then BAM! Heres the developer right here in the forum with us! I've seen this happen with numerous apps in the past and its always cool. Welcome fhunter!
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01-17-2004, 07:59 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 24
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"Selecting a city for the Overpass mode is tedious"
Just open the Citylist.txt file and put the name of your preferred city and it's coordinates first in the list, then it will show up first in overpass mode. I also deleted a ton of cities I'll never use.
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01-19-2004, 03:19 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 222
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by KC
"Selecting a city for the Overpass mode is tedious"
Just open the Citylist.txt file and put the name of your preferred city and it's coordinates first in the list, then it will show up first in overpass mode. I also deleted a ton of cities I'll never use.
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Yeah, that's what I figured I'd try. But, I'd like to see this an easier-to-use scroll control. Not a deal breaker though, just a minor gripe.
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01-20-2004, 07:34 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 20
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Comments on product.
Since the original review, which made me go buy the product, I would have to say I am disappointed. I too am an avid space fan, and the excitement of having a piece of software that would be very Avantgo-ish in news and pictures, plus the ability to track the space station etc, interested me. Some of the problems I have with this application is:
1. SLOW. I have an IPAQ 5550, and it tedious at times.
2. Crashes. Have had the application die on me numerous occasions. Try to click too fast usually is the biggest reason.
3. News. The news items have changed once since I purchased the product (in regards to specifically the Mars mission). Add to that they are not archived on your PDA is another annoyance (you get one article). I really do not like that if you don't read the news, you loose it. I don't mind storing a small text file on my PDA to make sure I do not miss anything.
4. Pictures. The pictures have not been updated since I purchased the product.
5. Scroll Bars. Very hard to use, if they work at all.
6. City Location. When you select the city you are in from the list provided (to track space station flyovers), it never saves. You have to scroll to your city each and every time. Yes I see the advantage in being able to select another city should you need to, but that is going to happen very infrequently.
I mean to me it comes down to this. The application is a way to gather content and deliver it to you in a way that is both easy and pleasant to look at. It adds the functionality to see where the space station, and shuttle are, but really it's about the content. And this product does not deliver.
Can these items be fixed? Yes I am sure they can be. Would I have purchased this product if they had a demo available? No. (Maybe that�s why they don't have one?).
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01-21-2004, 12:54 AM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 7
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New Version (1.0.3) available
We've just uploaded a new version that resolves a lot of the issues brought up in this forum:
1. The scroll bars have been fixed.
2. The last city selected is automatically saved and loaded as the default the next time you do an overpass check.
3. We resolved a bug in the overpass calculations that could affect users on the east coast.
4. Other small cosmetic and performance fixes.
We're still working on the demo, and hope to release it soon. We're still dedicating most of our time on the feedback we're getting from users, and are working hard to integrating their suggestions.
To obtain the upgraded version:
1. If you purchased the application through Handango you can dowload the application again using the reference number sent to you via email when you purchased the application. When you re-dowload the application, you will have the latest version. To verify that you have the latest version, click on "?" in the main menu and browse to the bottom of the screen. The version number should be v1.0.3.
2. If you did not purchase the application through Handango or you deleted your email, email us at [email protected].
Thank you very much for your support. We can't tell you how much we appreciate it!
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Linear Mode
