Free aviation software for mobile phone/pda
 

For those of you who are interested (don't read the forum in The Other Place), I have put together a couple of software programs that should work on any mobile phone or pda that is Java-enabled.

The first is a flight computer that contains most of the functions that you would find on a manual flight computer, such as a CRP-1.

The second is a weight and balance calculator that allows you to enter the moment information for your plane and it calculates and plots the weight and balance information.

All the programs are free. All I ask is for (constructive) feedback.

To get more information goto: http://www.olivineltd.co.uk/products.htm

Hi Carbar

I tried to download the software with my phone, it installed it ok, but the many things ive tried with my phone it never works! :}

Sent you a private message

Following some very constructive feedback, I have produced new versions of the applications, which fix a couple of problems which meant that they wouldn't work on certain phones.

The new versions also allow the use of the pointer/touch-screen, if the phoneo rpda is fitted with one.

The new versions are at the same place: http://www.olivineltd.co.uk/downloads/downloads.htm

Enjoy!

Hello Carbar,

Thanks for a few great applications! I've installed them on a Nokia 6230 and at first glance they seem to work fine. A few items though:

- It might be worthwile to provide a link to the .JAR file also as having both files available will enable installation without access to the internet through your phone/PDA, but via cable/IR/Bluetooth connection from a PC.
- I had a quick look at some of the conversions in AvCalc, and at one point managed to crash the application by trying to insert a decimal point into a numbers only field, I'd have to try this again to find the exact field if you're interested. Perhaps it might be possible to disable entering disallowed characters in such fields.
- On this type of Nokia (perhaps on others too) selecting an option in one of the menus is done with the green connect button, instead of via the more usual center navigation button. This is not a major problem but it might be worth considering switching this if it doesn't clash with the functionality on other types for the sake of commonality with other applications on Nokia phones.

PM if you want more info, I'll surely be using this more often!

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback.

Regarding your points -

- I did consider putting links to the jars, but I thought it might complicate matters, since most phones use (and indeed require) the jad. In some cases, the applications won't work if installed just from the jar, since the jad contains important information (such as persistant storage size). Admittedly this information is duplicated in the jar file's manifest, but some phones don't look in there. Such are the joys of trying to develop for multiple phones.

- I would be grateful if you would let me know how you did that, because in theory you shouldn't be able to enter decimals into an integer field.

- Can you let me know which menus that comment applies to, because it may be that the menu is actually generated by the phone rather than the application directly. If this is the case, the application has no control over which key controls it.


Thanks,

Cal

Hello Cal,

Indeed when installing from my phone I only need the link to the jad, but since I don't use WAP all that much, I prefer to download both the jar and the jad and install them through the Nokia software and my datacable. It worked well through WAP though!

I haven't tried all the options yet but I got that error when using the Crosswind calculation. The error appears when I press the '*' key when in the windspeed box. I then get the following error: 'Number Format java/lang/NumberFormatException .'

The situation applies to the menu screens of the software. For example in AvCalc when choosing between Conversions and Calculations, and then from the list: Crosswind, Wind triangles etc. In those screens the green connect button on my phone acts as the select button, while the normal menu behaviour of the phone is to use the center of the navigation button for this. Instead this center button goes to 'options' when in the main menu screen (Conversions/Calculations choice) of Avcalc.

This type of Nokia has two multi function buttons (right and left) a left/right/up/down navigation button with a center 'select' button incorporated in it. Next to this it has a green 'connect' button and a red 'disconnect' button. The red button always closes the active program, the right function button is used in the program to go back one screen, the center of the navigation button goes to options. The left function button remains unused, while the green button (which is normally not used exept for making calls) acts as the select button. It would be more in keeping with the normal behaviour of this phone to have the center button as the select button, leave the green one alone and use the (now unused) left function button for options and such. Hope this makes sense! All this applies to AvCalc. I've got to play some more with the other programs to see how they work. For more info on this type of phone see the Nokia site.

Hope this helps! If I find anything else that may be of use to you, I'll let you know. PM/e-mail (mine is on my site) is probably easier to find me as I don't check this forum every day.

Cheers.

Hi.

Looks like you have spotted a bug - fields that should not have been allowing decimal points have been. Oops.

I suspect there may be more of those still lurking, since I tend not to put decimal values in.

Regarding the button usage, unfortunately that is out of the control of the application. It is up to the phone to assign which button does what.

Thanks for your feedback.

If you spot any other bugs, or have any ideas how the applications could be improved, please let me know.

Carl