GPS waypoint data from W54T to Google Maps

au's Toshiba W54T is a cellphone with GPS, and a BREW application that can get location data and save to disk is preinstalled. I took this data to show the path on Google Maps.



Here is how:

Application name is "地図ビューアー". Click on "簡易ハンディGPS" and location data will be displayed. Click on "アプリ設定" , then select "あしあと設定" then use menu "あしあと保存" to save GPS data taken up to that point. The data is like this:

本ファイルは、地図ビューアーにより出力されたGPS情報ファイルです。

出力日時:2008/02/28 11:49:51 +0900

+++GPSログ+++
888234473,130.682362,33.660194
888234490,130.682271,33.659990
888234502,130.682474,33.659684
888234510,130.682458,33.659749
888234522,130.682501,33.659808
888234529,130.682389,33.659781
888234540,130.682265,33.659781
888234552,130.682120,33.659845
888234560,130.681890,33.660124
888234572,130.681890,33.660027
888234580,130.681745,33.660027
888234592,130.681804,33.659968

In order to display this as path on Google Maps, this data needs to be converted to KML. GPSBabel, which also has Mac binary, is said to be able to do this. But, it always failed to convert the above formatted file for unknown reasons. When the above file is opened from GPSBabel, it is recognized as "DeLorme XMap/SAHH 2006 Native .TXT" but GPSBabel tried to read the first item as latitude not timestamp. Websites mentioned that the above format is "NMEA 0183 sentences", so I tried converting it to KML and conversion finished, but resulting file does not contain any coordinate. Finally I manually converted it to KML by putting the latitudes and longitudes in between as follows:

ff0000ff
5

#myStyle

130.682362,33.660194
130.682271,33.659990
130.682474,33.659684
130.682458,33.659749
130.682501,33.659808
130.682389,33.659781
130.682265,33.659781
130.682120,33.659845
130.681890,33.660124
130.681890,33.660027
130.681745,33.660027
130.681804,33.659968

This KML file can be opened from Google Earth for viewing, or put somewhere and feed the URL to Google Maps, e.g., as follows:

http://maps.google.co.jp/maps?q=http://bp.maltech.jp/gpstest/2008_0228_134831.kml

After lunch walk

My usual working time at the office is about 8:30 to 20:30, and when desk work takes much of this time, and often I continued at home, my back hurts. Walking is the best cure, and here is my route back home to get the car (walking back home at night is too cold...) from GPS data taken by my cellular phone (au W54T):

Software list

Here is software list for Mac (for Windows is here: http://arnold.siboro.org/blog/notes/?p=29)

BibleDesktop
BluePhoneElite 2
Camino
CrossOver
Cyberduck
EMP NS Connection
EPSON Scan
ffmpegX
Flip4Mac
Freemind-0_8_0
Gizmo Project
Google Earth
iSquint
JDiskReport
MarsEdit
NeoOffice
Picasa Web Albums Uploader
PsyncX
Remote Desktop Connection
Skim
Skype
Smultron
Thunderbird
Tooble
Transmission
Vienna
VLC
VMware Fusion
Wireshark
XMeeting
xTime Project 4
Yahoo! Messenger

Better poor man’s blackberry

I found a better solution to my previous post. This requires a phone that supports IMAP and IMAP's IDLE. As always, a Japanese-capable phone is necessary for my case, and this time I resorted to using 702NKII (Vodafone KK's version of Nokia 6680). Some sites such as this says that built-in email application on S60 phones could not retrieve email from Gmail for lack of support of SSL, but it's not true, at least for this Nokia 6680. Here are the steps toward a better poor man's blackberry:



1. Create a Gmail account dedicated for this purpose
This is necessary since I have gigabytes of mails on my Gmail account and it seems that as is with Thunderbird this Nokia 6680 will try to get headers of all of these mails... So I created a dedicated address and I am going to forward only necessary mails and I am going to delete frequently.

2. Set up email client on Nokia 6680
Go to "Messages" then create a new mailbox. On Mailbox settings, set the access point to the one known to work (in my case I am already able to access Gmail via Java client using Indosat Matrix access point so I am using this), set "My e-mail address" to the address created above, set outgoing mail server to "smtp.gmail.com", set "User name" to the mail address created above, set "Incoming mail server" to "imap.gmail.com" and "Mailbox type" to "IMAP4", set "Security (ports)" to "On (993/995)", and set the rest appropriately. On "Automatic retrieval", set "Header retrieval" to "Always on", set "Retrieval interval" to "Every 5 minutes" to get the effect of push mail, and set other parts as prefered.

That's it. I have tried and the phone plays the sound to notify new mail a few minutes after I sent mail to the above gmail address. I didn't do much testing because I am using Matrix's GPRS on international roaming...

Leopard upgrade

Though the machine was bought after October 26 (the date Leopard's sales started), I had to resort to "update" by the Mac OS X Leopard Upgrade DVD. Here are my steps:

1. Boot from Upgrade DVD and install Leopard afresh
I originally made 3 partitions, one is boot partition, one is for data, and the last one is for Windows. But Bootcamp refused to use these partitions.. and Disk utility could not remove the extra partitions, so I did this:

diskutil mergePartitions HFS+ disk0s3 disk0s5

to merge boot partition (disk0s3) with disk0s4 and disk0s5. Then Bootcamp is satisfied.

2. Use MBP bundled DVD and install bundled application
Upgrade DVD does not come with iLife, since iLife came not with Tiger but bundled with

3. Install Windows Vista Ultimate via Bootcamp.

Hi, I am a Mac (switcher)

I can't really say I switched to Mac, since I used Mac for the first time in 1987, and even since I replaced my last Mac (a PowerBook 520) with a Sony Vaio in 1999, I still used public Macs at school (and at work I regularly use iMac and Xserve). But since 1999 my main machine has always been a Windows machine, so let's just consider I just switched (back) to Mac, which is a MacBook Pro.
So first, my complaints:

1. The screen could not be tilted away deeper.
This is quite annoying, since when I put a notebook computer on my lap, the screen needs to be tilted low for clear viewing.
2. The power adaptor is bulky
It's not just bulky but also heavier. And oh, it hasn't changed since the 90s, the cable is thick! I am not sure if there is benefit of making power cable this thick, but it really is a nuisance.
3. Apple Mail can't use vertical orientation
I can't believe Jobs really thought users would be happy with horizontal orientation while current Apple notebook's screen is wide. Fotunately, macnoto shared me this link that would just solve this problem.
UPDATE 2007/11/11: Letterbox has not been updated to Leopard yet, but there is an alternative here.
4. MagSafe power connector keeps disconnected
Am I too obsessed with using a lap-top PC (i.e., putting it on my lap)? The MagSafe power connector on the left side keeps getting knocked out by my lap.
5. Mac can't hibernate
You may say there is "deep sleep" on Mac, yeah but it's not deep enough. I like to preserve my workspace so I rarely shutdown my notebook computer. On Windows, putting it to hibernate cut power totally (thus saving battery power) and the notebook will never wake up on its own. But Mac only has sleep, no hibernation, and I have experienced twice already putting Mac to sleep and then put it into my bag, only to find it became very hot when I pulled it out since it woke up inside my bag!
UPDATE: Yes there is hibernate on newer Macs including this MBP, but still I can't put the Mac to hibernate immediately using supported method. There is utilities like "Deep Sleep" but this is not using officially supported feature and not always worked in my situation.

Well, there are more, but that's it for now. I am waiting for the Leopard disk to come to try the "300 new features" :P
(BTW, though I am new switcher, I have been a Tiger user;) )

Softwares for the switcher…

After I stopped using Mac as daily personal machine in 1999 (when I bought Sony Vaio 505 to replace my PB520), today I returned to Mac as daily machine. Here are the softwares to make life as switcher easier:

Make Mail vertical oriented
http://harnly.net/software/letterbox/