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Help How to Access Paid Apps

tbod said:
Hi dart / 3b,

As a matter of curiosity I perused all the config files and dumped all the databases associated with the GPS Status 2 app and the only reference to the Shanghai coordinates was in gps.conf where they appear as the Target Longitude and Latitude.

After an initial 'Yay!' my enthusiasm was unfounded as changing these values either: using the GPS Status / Menu / Radar / Set Target function or directly in the gpsstatus2_preferences.xml file made zero difference to the initial coordinates displayed by the app.
Additionally, if the gps.conf file is deleted or the default_values_set variable in the other file (can't remember the full name, begins with an underscore) is set to false, the Long and Lat are reset to Shanghai.

My conclusion is they are hard coded into the app.

Regards
tbod
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Can't be TB, other apps also start in Shanghai in the absence of other positional data.. it must be residing in the operating system somewhere
 
Heres something else thats interesting...
Sometimes, but not everytime, when I start GPS_Status and it takes me to the start gps screen and when I select use gps I get a message saying downloading gps assisted data. When the main gps status screen starts it indicates several signals, all low intensity, which vanish after a few seconds. I am inside without the antenna attached so they are not real signals.

Also, after disabling the aquisition of A-GPS data the gps status app no-longer shows this low signal at startup..so the conclusion is it is the a-gps data being processed by the app and that it is expecting those signals on those frequencies at your location...

Told you it was interesting:D:D
 
dart16 said:
Can't be TB, other apps also start in Shanghai in the absence of other positional data.. it must be residing in the operating system somewhere
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I seem to recall recently reading a post [possibly by yourself(?)] earlier today about data being stored persistently inside the GPS chip itself.

Ah yes, that's right, it was in a comment to one of my blog entries;
"(Please note that even a phone restart and battery removal cannot reset your GPS correctly because the data is stored persistently inside the GPS chip.)"
​
which, I believe, would also account for other applications getting stuck in Shanghai...Anyway, I will scan though my filesystem and dump any relevant databases I come across and see if I can find any trace of that most populous city in the PROC.
 
Try starting at /etc/firmware/gps

There's a bin file in there that could be interesting. I'm purely speculating, but it'd be a sensible place for the GPS config to be stored. That hidden menu that I mentioned earlier includes the choice of cold or warm start, maybe that setting is in the bin file?
 
2 other things to throw in the pot. As well as the bin file, there's a library one too - libigps.so that contains the line "init_location my_lat my_lon". If you can de-compile that, maybe there's a clue to the mechanics. Also, is it worth having a look at alogcat to see if it logs each step taken when you fire a GPS app up?
 
bigbaldbloke said:
2 other things to throw in the pot. As well as the bin file, there's a library one too - libigps.so that contains the line "init_location my_lat my_lon". If you can de-compile that, maybe there's a clue to the mechanics. Also, is it worth having a look at alogcat to see if it logs each step taken when you fire a GPS app up?
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Sorry guys but this is above my pay grade.... I'm a nuts and bolts man!
But one piece of info I have discovered is that the shanghai data is only available to applications when the 'use gps for location' button is selected, otherwise co-ordinates of 0 - 0 degrees are returned and displayed in the absence of valid GPS data
 
Mate, believe me..... that sounded a LOT more technical than it meant to! I'd guess that I'm about your level.

I still think that the "warm start" setting is key to it all. Cold starts are going straight to the GPS chip to get the co-ordinates, hence Shanghai rather than last known location.

A quick google shows this from the Garmin website (although it might just be their definition):

Cold Start - Time and position known to within some limits, almanac known, ephemeris unknown
Warm start - Time and position known to within some limits, almanac known, at least 3 SVs Ephemeris are known from previous operation.

Now to me, the ephemeris sounds like a membrane in your ear, but I guess it's saying what I put at the start of this post.
 
bigbaldbloke said:
Mate, believe me..... that sounded a LOT more technical than it meant to! I'd guess that I'm about your level.

I still think that the "warm start" setting is key to it all. Cold starts are going straight to the GPS chip to get the co-ordinates, hence Shanghai rather than last known location.

A quick google shows this from the Garmin website (although it might just be their definition):

Cold Start - Time and position known to within some limits, almanac known, ephemeris unknown
Warm start - Time and position known to within some limits, almanac known, at least 3 SVs Ephemeris are known from previous operation.

Now to me, the ephemeris sounds like a membrane in your ear, but I guess it's saying what I put at the start of this post.
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I believe the way it works is like this -
You switch the gps on, if it has valid empirical data (what satellite frequencies it should be able to hear in the presently held location at the present time) then the receiver tunes to those frequencies and listens for the timing data from those satellites. This is a warm boot, it should take between 15 seconds to 2 minutes to lock enough satellites and work out a fix, depending on several factors. If, after a set time it is unable to decypher any signals, because of poor signal strength, or you have moved a long way from the last fix it had, or possibly because the time it has is wrong so the wrong satellites are visible, it deletes all its currently held data and begins sweeping the band looking for a signal. It will continue until it has swept the band and it can work out its position. This is a cold boot and it takes a lot longer, perhaps 2 minutes to decide it needs to start from square one and a further 15 minutes to fully sweep the band and work out where it is. If a-gps data is available to download then the gps should not have to perform a cold boot as the correct empirical data is supplied from the internet, providing the internet knows where you are (- those of us with vpn's beware!).

The reverting to Shanghai position is peculiar to these tablets, and therefore most likely it is held in the firmware, not the gps..... the 'faulty' tablets (please don't take offence in this term) appear, for some reason, to be going to the default data rather than the gps data for the startup location...Thats what I think!
 
Sounds valid. There were a whole bunch of other settings in that hidden menu that might make sense to you but sounded like gobbledigook to me: Setup/Position Mode/ Operation Mode: (Standalone/MSAssisted/MSBased) Starting Mode: (Cold Start/Warm Start/Hot Start) Session Type: (Single Fix/Navigation)
 
BBB, Dart, tbod et al. There must be somone out there with an intimate knowledge of the system architecture who knows the answer. This can't be rocket science. It makes me crazy that the manufacturer doesn't have tech support or at least someone assigned to watch these forums and deliver answers. You would think that somebody out there would see a business opportunity - especially the Chinese!
 
You'd have thought! I still (again) think that the hidden menu holds the key, maybe Tim can add it?

Might be an idea, if a moderator is reading this, to split this thread too. I wanna go back to talking about paid apps!
 
bigbaldbloke said:
You'd have thought! I still (again) think that the hidden menu holds the key, maybe Tim can add it?

Might be an idea, if a moderator is reading this, to split this thread too. I wanna go back to talking about paid apps!
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I agree BBB. That said, I find it frustrating to read posts that contain references to hidden files, obscure parameters, and the like. Is there any documentation available that describes the structure of the system firmware/software that will help me understand what you genii are talking about?
 
Probably mate. I've learnt the small amount that I know from googling and exploring - believe me this place is making me sound FAR more competent than I am!
 
Doesn't help me with getting paid apps from China though, does it? Seriously, all i want is to play cribbage pro online :p
 
dart16 said:
I sometimes wonder what all the fuss about 'Market' is all about.....

For the newbies, Market seems to be the only place to get apps, so it is important for them. After a while, curious people with too much time on their hands will find alternatives to Market, but Market is the choice for most people, and it is the most efficient way to get apps.

I have an Androiid 2.2 phone that is Google-licensed. Apps I can't get on my FT3 from Market, I download to the phone, upload to DropBox and then download to the FT3.
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Oyjord said:
mburwen said:
This sounds promising. Mind my asking where you find the apk on your phone to upload to DropBox?

Thanks!
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ummmm....Market!

Because the Flytouch is not approved by Google it has a very limited access to Market that most phones do not suffer from so look for the apk on your phone in Market and upload it to your dropbox account and then you can download it from there to your tablet
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