OpenAPRS for iPhone 2.3.1 has been released!

Included in this release:

• Push notification support
  
• Memory improvements
• Local storage of APRS messages
• Background support (including background beaconing support)
• FCC callsign lookup
• Improved signup and account tools
  

You will need to make sure your device is running iOS 4.2 or higher in order to get this update.

New OpenAPRS for iPhone/iPad Features

We're currently doing final testing of our push notification server and background support for the iPhone/iPad app which means in the next two weeks we should be pushing out the long await next version.

Included in this new version will be:

• Push Notification for APRS messages, based on the callsign SSID you have set in settings for messaging. Our push notification server has been written and is active, subscribing for notifications will be as easy as opening the app and answering yes to push notifications, after the first map sync with our servers you should be able to receive notifications. We'll be removing any duplicate messages automatically to prevent any ack problems. APRS message acknowledgments for registered push users will be implemented shortly on the server side but will not block this release.
• US FCC callsign lookup.
• Improved connection speeds to our servers, improved app memory management and iPhone 4 retina graphics (for interface and -some- common APRS icons we've remastered; we'll remaster more as we go).
• iOS 4 background support.

This release will require iOS 4.2 or higher to run.

iPhone iOS4 Support Coming Soon

We will be releasing a new version of OpenAPRS for iPhone and iPad with iOS4 support and the much anticipated background support soon. iPad is expected to get iOS4 sometime in November and we are waiting for that release to come out. Once iPad gets iOS4 we'll release the new version of OpenAPRS with background support.

We will be removing all iOS3 support when this happens to keep code bloat to a minimum as all phones by this time should be upgraded.

Password Reset emails MIA

We've had reports that our password reset features were not sending the reset emails. Unfortunately in the server move some of the automated email features were disabled. The issue has been corrected so password reset emails should flow freely again. This also affected our support email system so if you didn't receive an immediate reply from us, this is why. Usually our reply times are between 4-6 hours.

OpenAPRS Moving

We will be moving the OpenAPRS servers this week so there may be some outages during the move. Rest assured, we'll be back shortly...

OpenAPRS Mobile v2.1 Released! Web server Imrpovements.

I've released v2.1 of OpenAPRS mobile, the xL version for iPad is just around the corner (waiting for apple review).

I noticed that iPhone will go into a deep sleep mode when it's locked which disables GPS updates. I've researched and found a solution that plays a blank wav file every so often so the iPhone is forced to stay awake even though it is locked. Unfortunately, this appears to be the only way to prevent deep sleep since the SDK doesn't have any other options other than disabling the screen saver idle timer (which is already supported in OpenAPRS mobile). The next release will have a new option in Settings that allows you to prevent the iPhone deep sleep but the trade-off will be battery life.

I've changed the web servers and the production code to optimize things a bit which should help allow more users on at one time and improve slowdowns. You may notice now that the map no longer shows position tracks for stations on the main display. The query to display the tracks for 100+ stations at once was taking too much time so position tracks are now limited to track mode. Fortunately you can track multiple stations at one time so if you want to see the tracks for a group of stations for an event it should be pretty simple.

Also, to improve performance as a whole I have changed the web code to go into an idle mode when it detects the web browser has been left unattended. Typically the map data is refreshed every 15 seconds or on zoom change. Now, this behavior is the same as long as you have been moving the map within 15 minutes. After 15 minutes of inactivity map data refreshes are slowed down to once every 5 minutes. This means that when you return, you will still see active APRS data, it is just not updated as frequently. Once you move the map again the 15 second data refresh will resume until you are idle for 15 minutes again.

OpenAPRS for iPhone - 2.1 Is Just Around the Corner

OpenAPRS for iPhone 2.1 is in pre-release stages and will offer several user suggested feature improvements and additions.

Here is what is coming...

• 04/28/2010 - Change default Google map type from settings (street, satellite hybrid).
• 04/28/2010 - Ability to change Google map type from map console.
• 04/28/2010 - Increased console icon size.
• 04/28/2010 - Detailed information for stations on map.
• 04/28/2010 - Tracking mode will show previous stations breadcrums.
• 04/28/2010 - WX Stations show weather conditions in station detail view.
• 04/28/2010 - Object creation and deletion.