Comments on: Star Droid: Star Gazing Android Application By Google

By: Michel

Michel — Wed, 13 May 2009 23:54:56 +0000

Yes, it’s the same app.

If you look at SkyMap, the author already used a google address. From what I understand, the intention always was to end up with a google app, and SkyMap was just an early release of that.

By: Google Sky Map Now Available In Android Market! | Android Phone Fans

Google Sky Map Now Available In Android Market! | Android Phone Fans — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:10:28 +0000

[...] we posted an article about Star Droid, an Android application being developed by Google that will allow you to use your Android Phone to [...]

By: Jennye

Jennye — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:54:26 +0000

Not just out – but it *is* SkyMap Looks like Google acquired it. Awesome, because I am a huge SkyMap fan and was upset at the slight.

By: Utz

Utz — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:32:25 +0000

It’s out now!

By: Sandor

Sandor — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:25:18 +0000

Wildstar is correct. The application will need both the accelerometer and compass (and GPS) to pinpoint the phone’s exact location and direction.

Now, let’s get off to outer space… )

By: wildstar

wildstar — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:00:34 +0000

Btw it’s worth mentioning that the sky map (and googles version) require both the compass and the accelerometer. Which is why i use this app to show off to my iphone buds because they dont have the compass.

The accelerometer is for the vertical axis and the compass for the directional facing.

Also one thing that stardroid might add over the sky map is actual hubble reconstructed sky map (not just constellations) and it might allow pause and zoom on an area

By: David

David — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:45:00 +0000

Just use the G1 camera to take a video of the G1 while it … um …

If the G1 video’s itself, does the video exist? Is this the first case of Schrodingers G1?

In all seriousness, does the preview suggest that it uses the camera and overlays the location of constellations, etc, using the viewfinder? That’s what it sounds like, just not exactly sure.

By: Rob Jackson

Rob Jackson — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:19:42 +0000

Thanks for everyone’s concern in pointing out the Sky Map application. I thought this was significant in that Google themselves were developing it but I agree – not mentioning Sky Map at all was an oversight. I’ll give the application a search/download and whirl and make sure to dedicate an article to Sky Map this upcoming week (assuming I get my video camera back from the person I lent it to!).

By the way, in the Scoreboard article I mention how it begins the era where Google competes with Android’s own developers. I’m 100% fine with that… Android is Free and Open and just as Google is able to make any application they so desire, any developer can provide an offering that competes with a Google product. And unlike other platforms, developers don’t have to worry that Google will remove their product because it competes with their own offering.

Nonetheless, I appreciate everyone’s support of Sky Map here and I’ll make sure to do a writeup and if I can, provide a quick video review, too.

Thanks everyone!

By: Phil

Phil — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:31:26 +0000

I definitely feel Sky Map has been slighted here. They have had an app out for months. I don’t know if Google was behind that one but they definitely deserve the credit being heaped onto Google here.

By: Marcel

Marcel — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:00:50 +0000

Flandry, its both, the accelerometer and digital compass in use there

By: Ted

Ted — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:21:23 +0000

Theres already an app that can do this… its called Sky Map… :/

By: Utz

Utz — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:47:38 +0000

It’s probably the digital compass

there is already a very similiar app out in market for a long time , well not with that fancy special functions ;)

Oh, and don’t forget to mention ScummVM, is also from a google employee ^^

By: roy

roy — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:39:06 +0000

This has been out for months under the name of sky map.

By: Flandry

Flandry — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:33:18 +0000

Is it the accelerometer or the digital compass that does that big of magic? I see all kinds of different claims about what the sensors can do, and it has me a bit confused.

This is yet another cool convergence app, regardless. I want 1st rate hardware already for Android so i can get aboard!