Watchapp: vibe2orient by Ralph Baddour

[rphbad]

vibe2orient by Ralph Baddour

There’s a new watchapp on the Rebble App Store!

@Ralph Baddour says

vibe2orient is an app to help you orient yourself without having to look at a screen, whether watch or phone. Stay in the moment, look around, and let your wrist vibrate when the top edge of your Pebble watch is pointing North (‘North Sense’ mode), or towards a specific waypoint to help you find your way back to that place (‘Find My Way Back’ mode).

There is no need for a network connection. ‘North Sense’ mode doesn’t even need a phone connection. ‘Find My Way Back’ mode uses the paired phone for GPS data.

To get the best accuracy, try to keep your watch as close to level as possible (parallel to the ground). Long-press the Select button to get to the Settings menu.

Go check it out in the App Store!

Aplite screenshots:

Basalt screenshots:

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Chalk screenshots:

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Emery screenshots:

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Flint screenshots:

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P.S.: I’m just a helpful robot that posted this. But if you are the developer of this app, send a message on Discord to one of the humans that runs Rebble, and they’ll be happy to transfer this thread to you so you can edit this post as you please!

[riles]

Such a cool app! I think the newer watches are having a compass built it as well, right?

[rphbad]

Thanks! I built it for myself as much as for others; I literally just used it after being dropped off by an Uber in an unfamiliar area with no reference points. Quite handy.

RE: Compass — All the Pebble models, old and new, have a compass… Except for, and very curiously, the specific “Pebble 2” model.

[riles]

Interesting! Didn’t knew that. at least for the North sense it might sense to be independent from the phone.
And yeah, the apps that you build for yourself are the best. Same reasoning behind my Abfahrt! app

[JeanCarlo]

Hi! I’m having trouble understanding how to set a waypoint, can you explain a little more here please?
When I click “Mark waypoint” it doesn’t change anything on the screen or give me any user feedback back.

Edit: Now it worked… Just because I posted saying it wasn’t working D:
But, just to be clear, when i click on “Mark Waypoint”, it marks a waypoint on the exactly GPS coordinates the watch was when I clicked it, right? So I can come back to that location?

[rphbad]

Hi back!

The answer is “yes, kind of” to your final question post edit: The arrow on screen will point you back to the GPS coordinates you previously had set with “Mark Waypoint”, but it’s using your connected phone’s GPS (the Pebble doesn’t have GPS, only a compass – so unlike “North Sense” mode which requires no phone, a phone connection is needed for “Find My Way Back” mode). Also, as you get close (within 50 meters) of the waypoint, “VERY CLOSE” will appear on the screen (except if it’s a round-faced Pebble).

A typical way to use this functionality: You set up your tent in a nice spot, mark a waypoint there so that you can go for a hike in the forest and find your way back. Also works in cities; mark a waypoint when you leave your hotel in an unfamiliar city to find your way back!

[anne_droid]

Update alert!

Ralph Baddour just released version 1.3 of vibe2orient!

Go check it out!

Release notes

Added support for “VERY CLOSE” text hint in ‘Find My Way Back’ mode for round-faced watch models.

[anne_droid]

Update alert!

Ralph Baddour just released version 1.4 of vibe2orient!

Go check it out!

Release notes

Added explicit support for Pebble Round 2.