Help Is Google Sky Map totally unusable for everyone else, too?

[Tinyboss]

The stars just jerk all over the place--it's completely unusable. Is it happening to all Captivate users, and if so, what's the problem? I don't think we can blame this one on GPS can we?

 

[Vee]

I they can't get working GPS here on earth, what makes you think they can control the stars with any accuracy?

 

[Swamp Ape]

This is my first post, but I thought I would add my $.02.
I had a Cappy for about 5 days and fought with the GPS and the media player. I went back to the dealer and traded it in on another one. I have had no issues with the gps or anything else on this new one. I have found with the google sky that it really depends on how zoomed in you are. I lay it on my bedside stand and it is steady as can be.

 

[Terrigno]

hahahhhahahaha

 

[jeremytanner]

I just went out and tested it. I did not enable GPS, just used the location from the nearest tower, and found it to be very accurate and smooth. I was going to check for the functionality with the GPS, but the mosquito population drove me indoors.

 

[Tinyboss]

I just went out and tested it. I did not enable GPS, just used the location from the nearest tower, and found it to be very accurate and smooth. I was going to check for the functionality with the GPS, but the mosquito population drove me indoors.

Just to clarify, when you say it's smooth, you mean that as you move the phone, the onscreen display changes smoothly and tracks the orientation of the phone correctly? That's what mine does not do.

 

[jeremytanner]

Yes, mine tracked correctly, was very smooth in its movements. I rotated around the night sky, up, down, all over, it tracked very well.

One thing I did before I started, was reset the compass. I guess I've gotten used to doing this anytime I open something that uses the compass. Basically requires you to flatpalm it and make a figure-8 motion. Kinda hard to describe, but some of the other compass-based apps will give a visual aid. I don't know if doing that helped or not, but it's possible. Might be worth a check.

If it's lag that is causing your issues, I guess I'd be interested to see what your open task list looks like, and whether cutting off background data apps might help.

 

[Tinyboss]

Hmm...I notice basically the same behavior in the compass application, too (Snaptic): the motion is very jumpy, and tilting the phone up/down or left/right drastically alters the reading as well. Check out this video of a guy calibrating his iPhone4 compass:

YouTube - ‪Best Compass Calibration Method (iPhone/G1/etc.)‬‎

Does your Captivate's compass work as smoothly as that? (Look how it works toward the end of the video).

 

[jeremytanner]

Roughly as well. I notice the occasional little jump, but not often, and not in a way that affects my ability to use it.

On a side note, I have not been plagued by all the GPS problems and such. I was fortunate to get a phone that worked well. So it's possible I'm in a minority on this one, as well.

 

[Tinyboss]

Thanks for the replies, Jeremy. Could I ask you one more thing: when you have a compass app up, does the displayed direction change when you tilt the phone left/right or up/down?

 

[jeremytanner]

I had not really played with it that way before, so I loaded it up here and messed with it for a minute. Here's what I found:

Rotating up from horizontal (top of phone up): Compass moves a little, about how I'd expect an actual compass to move.

Rotating on the horizontal axis, right side of phone down: Moves a bit, not much movement until I went upside-down.

Rotating on the horizontal axis, left side down: Interestingly, the movement sent it spinning around twice very quickly, then it settled down and behaved like the other two. Now I can't reproduce it, though.

 

[pjs2004]

The stars just jerk all over the place--it's completely unusable. Is it happening to all Captivate users, and if so, what's the problem? I don't think we can blame this one on GPS can we?

It's not totally unusable for me, but it definitely jerks from left to right or right to left, as you move it any direction. So, it's not smooth, and I tried the compass calibration. Smooth is somewhat relative. If you've never used Google Sky before, you might think it's OK, but about 2 months ago I used it on my sister's moto droid and it was much smoother.

 

[CaCHooKa Man]

i dont even know how it works so i cant say whether or not its unusable. it just looks like a novelty you can show off to people anyway.

 

[begalund]

I seem to have a different problem. The app seems to be off by about 90 degrees from the true position in the sky. For example, it should show the sun (as judging by moving the phone around and finding a location for the planets, moon and sun). But when I hold the phone directly between myself and the big glowing yellow ball, the app does not show the sun... If I turn the phone so it is aimed in another random direction I can find the sun on the display, but it obviously isn't pointing in the right direction.

Anyone got a suggestion?

 

[Dlux]

I like the program, but my compass is always off by a ton and I can't get it to orientate correctly. No amount of figure 8's or calibrations seem to get it to work.

 

[mratlndmrk]

I seem to have a different problem. The app seems to be off by about 90 degrees from the true position in the sky. For example, it should show the sun (as judging by moving the phone around and finding a location for the planets, moon and sun). But when I hold the phone directly between myself and the big glowing yellow ball, the app does not show the sun... If I turn the phone so it is aimed in another random direction I can find the sun on the display, but it obviously isn't pointing in the right direction.

Anyone got a suggestion?

Mine is only accurate if I point the camera lense at the object. It took me a while to figure this out. I do notice however that the app tends be behind time-wise by an hour or so. I wonder if it doesn't take into account DST.

 

[vilamonster]

Am I missing something? Do we have to calibrate the compass? How do you access it?

 

[jeremytanner]

Mine is only accurate if I point the camera lense at the object. It took me a while to figure this out. I do notice however that the app tends be behind time-wise by an hour or so. I wonder if it doesn't take into account DST.

In reply to both questions about the directions, go into the skymap settings and make sure you either have it automatically set your location, or manually set the correct location. I had this issue at one point, was really frustrated that the moon was on the wrong side of the sky (after all, couldn't possibly be a problem with my captivate) -- but when I checked my location, Skymap was set to think I was in Pisa, not Texas. Changed to the correct location, and suddenly everything lines up.

 

[RedRyno]

Mine works fine...I've been using it for a while.

 

[sremick]

Am I missing something? Do we have to calibrate the compass? How do you access it?

There's a feature in the Compass app to recalibrate the magnetometer. You could try that.

Compass - Android app on AppBrain

 

[CASUAL]

My skymap works fine Its smooth I had the compass app before I had the skymap app. The best compass app is just simply called "compass" it has a picture of a blue compass in the icon. Its free, after you install it open the app and press the menu soft key and click calibrate and follow the on screen instructions. The compass app is cool you can even change thee compass type. My favorite is the night compass. I emailed the developer to add a Feature to change the color. I don't like the color red I would like it more if it was royal blue.

Hopefully this solves your problem of skymap...the skymap is awesome and for me it follows "the sky" smoothly and acurately.

Good Luck!

 

[CASUAL]

i dont even know how it works so i cant say whether or not its unusable. it just looks like a novelty you can show off to people anyway.

I go to school at night and about two weeks ago when I got of class I looked at the sky and I noticed a bet bright star. I opened up my skymap app and pointed my camera lens towards the bright star in the sky. I was AMAZED at what I found. It wasn't a star that I was looking at. It was two planets that were lined up! The planet jupiter was next to the planet uranus and that's what caused it to be so bright!

Make two fists and make the pinky of your left fist touch the tip of your knuckle of index finger of you right fist that's how the two planets were lined up!

 

[reinbeau]

Red light doesn't ruin your night vision, that's why it's red. Any other color will make it difficult to see the stars with your naked eye.