It has been a while since MapDiary saw any updates but since Twitter recently announced that they would be stopping support for basic authentication (logging in via username/password which MapDiary was using) and switching entirely to oauth, I took the opportunity to release a new, redesigned version of the iPhone app.

The way oauth works is that before logging in you are taken to your Twitter page and asked to grant access to MapDiary. This means that you never have to type your password into MapDiary again – as long as you are logged into your Twitter account you will be able to access MapDiary and only have to worry about keeping your credentials in one place!

Other new features include:

• New redesigned interface
• Updated super-crisp high resolution graphics for iPhone 4
• Support for multi-tasking (iOS4+)
• New native map shows and updates your position in realtime

PS: Once Twitter stops supporting basic authentication you will no longer be able to post using the old version of MapDiary, so existing users should upgrade to the new one as soon as possible (it’s free!)

Version 1.2.2 of MapDiary is now available in the iTunes App Store. This is a maintenance release that resolves some memory issues that could otherwise cause trouble for people running iPhone OS 3.1.

MapDiary now correctly calculates and displays local times based on the actual geographical location of your posts. This feature currently relies on the free Geonames web service which can be a bit unstable at times (a fact I found out the hard way…), thus when this service is unavailable the application falls back on the time zone set in your Twitter settings.

Thanks to everyone currently using MapDiary! Seeing posts pop up from all corners of the world on my little app is great fun.

The newest update to MapDiary has finally been approved by Apple and is now available for existing users as a free download from the iTunes App Store.

New in this version:

• Fixed problem preventing some devices from connecting to the net
• iPhone OS 3.0 compatability

MapDiary 1.2.1 is currently awaiting approval for release in the iTunes app store. Apparently the previous version had some trouble connecting to the internet – sorry for any inconvenience this might have caused! The new version fixes this problem and also ensures compatibility with the new 3.0 iPhone OS so here’s hoping Apple will be quick with their review process.

Scheduled for the next release is:

• Realtime maps
  Taking advantage of 3.0’s new map functionality to make tracking your location work more smoothly.
• Embedding
  Show MapDiary entries within your own blog posts or site.
• Dates ranges
  Show logs for a range of days rather than one day at a time, for looking back at say, a longer vacation. (see a screenshot of this work-in-progress functionality below)

MapDiary works best when used in combination with one of Apple’s sleek little touch screen devices, since they come equipped with all the basic functionality that makes updating a breeze.

Using the application is a simple as it gets: When running the app for the first time, you are prompted for your Twitter name/password. After logging in the main screen is shown consisting of 3 basic elements:

1. A map, showing your current location as determined by the iPhone/iPod Touch’s GPS and triangulation system. You can update your position by clicking the top-left button or the map itself.
2. An empty frame, that when clicked give you the option of selecting a picture from your archive or taking a new one using the built-in camera to upload along with your message.
3. A text input box, for typing a short message.

Upon pushing “Send”, your location, text, and picture (if one is selected) is uploaded to www.mapdiary.com and subsequently posted to Twitter. The results can be seen instantly:

That’s it! Should anyone be interested the app can be found in the iTunes App Store.

I guess it’s high time I formally introduce one of my small “for fun” projects that I have been working on in my spare time:

MapDiary provides a simple way to upload small messages and pictures from your GPS cellphone as you move about during the day, track the route you took, and see your posts plotted on a map. The way I originally envisioned it was as a tool that you could use for example when traveling in order to see where you experienced what and for friends to be able to follow along in real time (below is a shot showing a recent trip I went on to Tochigi and Ibaraki).

The reason for making this was basically that it was something I wanted to use myself, but at the time there was nothing around that did quite what I had in mind. Thus, I decided to make it myself. I imagine there are loads of apps with similar capabilities around by now though, but I guess I still kinda like the simplicity of mine!

The application works as an extension of Twitter (a Twitter account is required – anything you post to MapDiary is also automatically shown on Twitter) and runs on a number of platforms:

• Using a web browser by selecting your position on a map manually: Not much fun but what else are you going to do without a satellite in space keeping track of where you are!
• Using a native iPhone/iPod Touch application: This is probably the smoothest way of doing it and the way I originally intended it to be used (I’m an iPhone user and therefore biased…)
• Using a 3G cellphone. Currently only Japanese models from AU and Softbank are supported, but I would love to add support for more types of phones in the future. If anyone is willing to hook me up with the GPS  documentation for their particular phone and help out with testing please do let me know!

Using the service is free, although I do charge a small fee for the iPhone version (I had to shell out on a Mac to create it after all! ).

I would like to go into more detail about the different functionalities of the application in a subsequent post, but for now you can have a look for yourselves at www.mapdiary.com.