HockeyApp provides a way to distribute betas and collect live crash reports. We integrated it with the Phonelocator alpha. You can download Phonelocator form HockeyApp here.
An alpha version of Phonelocator for Android is available here!
The app supports GPS and network location methods. You can enable and disable GPS from the settings. If GPS is disabled the network location provider will be used. It´s possible to configure how long the app waits for a GPS signal before giving up. If a GPS signal can´t be found, the app falls back to network location.
The registration process is more intuitive than the Symbian version. When you start the app for the first time, a web page pops up in the app where you can log in or register for the service. After logging in you´re returned to the app automatically.
So far we´ve used 55 hours creating Phonelocator for Android (a tiny fraction of the time spent on the Symbian version). There´s still loads of features to add:
Update version IMEI/IMSI to server
Prettiness – icons, nicer lists etc
Passcode protected settings and uninstall
Buddy message – a message that is sent to a known “buddy” number when the SIM card in the phone is changed.
Most of the settings on the web site releate to the Symbian version. However, it is possible to enable and disable updates from the web site and change the update frequency. The phone´s IMEI and IMSI numbers (and the app´s version number) are not updated to the web site and consequently is currently only possible to have one Android app per account.
Phonelocator for Android is free and open source. The source code is hosted on Github here. If anybody wants to get involved in the development please get in touch
The app has been tested on a Samsung Galaxy S2. I´ve been updating every 10 mins and running the app has not made any perceivable difference to battery life. Please let us know your experiences with it.
In an attempt to increase the number of users that complete the Phonelocator Periodic sign in process, we have created this video that runs through the sign in process that needs to be completed after Phonelocator Periodic is installed on a phone.
This process is the same for both Phonelocator Periodic versions 0.9 (free) and 1.0 (paid)
The new version of the Phonelocator Periodic web app was rolled out today (20. February). The new version adds a ‘My Account’ page that allows the user to edit their account details and delete their account. Deleting individual location updates is now also possible. Behind the scenes we’ve upgraded the web app from Rails 2 to Rails 3 and fixed some defects in the Java Daemon process that communicates with the clients. Gzip context encoding has been enabled in the web server to reduce the amount bandwidth used to view the web page. This is especially beneficial for users connecting wirelessly over slower 2G links and those who pay for bandwidth by the megabyte.
We intend to upgrade the phonelocator webapp, http://periodic.phonelocator.mobi, on 19 / 20 February. Please expect service disruption during that time.
A new version of the Phonelocator web application is available for testing here.
Most of the changes are not visible to the user, we’ve upgraded from Rails 2 to Rails 3 and moved from restful-authentication to authlogic. The app has been given a visual referesh and the following new features added:
My account page
It’s possible to view and edit your login and email address. Account deletion is now possible without emailing support too!
Delete updates
It’s now possible to delete individual updates.
Testing the app
The app is not yet production ready, but it is now possible to test it. You will need Phonelocator 1.0 mobile app from the Ovi store. After installing and starting the application, switch to the settings pane and set the host name to stage.phonelocator.mobi. Then switch back to the status pane and sign in as normal. You will need to create an account on stage.phonelocator.mobi even if you already on perioidc.phonelocator.mobi. If you already have Phonelocator 1.0 installed on your phone, you’ll need to remove it and re-install using the Ovi store.
Bruce Hatton has successfully used Phonelocator Periodic 0.9 to recover his daughters stolen E71 in Nambia. “Setting the Buddy Number was crucial in regaining the phone”, said Lesotho born Bruce.
The phone was stolen at 7:00PM on Jan 6. Bruce was able to track it to a point in a Windhoek suburb called Khomasdal. Despite the limited GPS accuracy of version 0.9 Bruce was able to place the phone within 3 houses on each side of the street. (The GPS accuracy has been improved in version 1.0)
At about 8.30 PM the thief swapped SIM cards which is when Bruce received the SMS notification. (Bruce’s number was set as the buddy number on his daughters phone) The SIM card inserted was not GPRS enabled, which prevented further location updates from being sent. Despite this setback Bruce took the last know location of the phone and it’s new number to the Nambian police. They obtained the new numbers telephone logs from the mobile operator, MTC. The police then questioned some people who had called the new number who revealed the identity of the theif.
Bruce concluded, “The bottom line is that the Geo-locating function was useful up to a point, but it was the buddy number, phone IMEI and MTC logs which were the prime reasons in locating the phone.”
