Hi guys,
I wrote a guide for installing Mobile GMaps on another forum.
I'll paste it here also and I hope it will be of some help for somebody.
Problem:
I have tried Google Maps for Mobile. Gorgeous. Unfortunately requires a connection and there is no possibility so far of saving maps :-(
Solution:
Mobile GMaps. http://www.mgmaps.com
It's a java application that load maps from different providers (yahoo, Windows live, google, ask.com and some others). It has a GUI really similar to Google Maps and it runs smoothly on my tornado (sp5) even if it is a java application. It has some features that Google does not have but it does not have the positioning system without GPS based on radio cell tracking (whereas Google has it).
Here it's the guide. As always I'm not responsible for any loss of data, for any fees you might pay for air data connection and for any alien invasion.
I do suggest to take a look to the step by step guide.
Quick start
Install Application
1. Install a java virtual machine (j2me) on your smartphone. I used JBed: http://www.winmobiletech.com/092007MidletBible/Jbed.rar
2. Download the application: http://wap.mgmaps.com/mgmaps-signed.jad and http://wap.mgmaps.com/mgmaps.jad and copy them in the root of the smartphone
3. Install the application (signed) using JBed
Download the maps
4. Setup the area of the map you want to download using http://www.mgmaps.com/create/
5. Install gMapMaker on your PC: http://www.mgmaps.com/cache/gMapMaker-setup.exe
6. Download the maps on your PC using gMapMaker and the map file you created in step 4
7. Copy the maps on your smartphone.
8. Setup Mobile GMaps in order to pick up the stored Map ("Settings" -> "Map Browsing", enable "Stored Maps", enter the path to your maps in "Storage Path", enable "Offline mode")
Step by Step
1. You need a java virtual machine. I followed this guide
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=339577
You can choose among different j2me http://www.winmobiletech.com/092007MidletB...ityAndMain.html
I ended up on choosing Esmertec Jbed. I had no problem in installing on my smartphone (wm6) on the storage card.
Here it's the link: http://www.winmobiletech.com/092007MidletBible/Jbed.rar
On the Mobile GMaps website they suggest the one from IBM but you need to register. If you wanna go with IBM's follow this guide: http://www.mgmaps.com/winset/
2. Now you need the actual application. The generic version can be found here: http://wap.mgmaps.com/get.php?version=13&a...submit=Download
Basically you need the jad file (_signed_) and the jar file. Copy both of them with Active sync in the root of your smartphone.
3. Launch Esmertec Jbed. Select "Menu" -> "Install" -> "Local Files". Then select "mgmaps-signed". Follow the installation instruction basically agreeing on everything ;-).
It will ask to launch the Midlet and it will ask for many authorizations for accessing internet. This is the first time the application is running and it is retrieving all the information on the web. Thus, I strongly suggest to have the smartphone connected with activesync on a computer with internet connection. This will avoid the use of GPRS connection.
The application now should correctly running but it does not have any map saved locally yet. Note that the jar and jad files that you have copied on your smartphone can now be removed.
4. To download the map you are interested in go to this website:
http://www.mgmaps.com/create/
Choose the area that you need to pick up (just click on the map to form a polygon). Try not to exaggerate since the more you pick the more you'll have to save on your smartphone. I chose the downtown area of a fairly big canadian city and it took me 13MB for only the map without the satellite images (not bad at the end).
In this website you can choose how many zoom levels you want (given 0 the view of the world and 17 the closest zoom). Level of detail is nothing related to the detail of the map but rather how is gonna be tiled the area you have chosen.
Click "Generate!" and this will create a file containing the coordinates of the area you have chosen.
5. Install "gMapMaker" on your PC in order to download the maps. You can find it here: http://www.mgmaps.com/cache/gMapMaker-setup.exe
For more informations about the installation refer to this: http://forum.mgmaps.com/viewtopic.php?t=1116
6. Launch gMapMaker. Choose the download folder (where your maps will be saved).
Operating mode has to be set to "MGMaps mode, use a .map file".
Pay attention that if you are downloading also satellite images your ip might be temporarily banned by google. In this case use the proxy (see guide linked at step 5).
Click on "Go!" and load the file you have generated in step 4.
The maps now are going to be downloaded.
7. Copy the maps with Active Sync in a folder on your smartphone.
8. Launch again Mobile GMaps. Click on "Menu" (left soft key). Select "Settings" -> "Map Browsing". Enable "Stored Maps".
Choose a folder from "Storage Path". The application will ask again for authorization for reading local files. You should give the authorization and tell him not to ask anymore. Note that if you have not installed from the signed application there is not possibility to tell him to shut up ;-)
You might want also to enable "Offline mode": "the phone will use the internet connection only for searches or GPS tracking, and never for retrieving any map tiles" (read second post here: http://forum.mgmaps.com/viewtopic.php?p=3162 ).
You will be asked to restart the application. Done!!!!
Hope you will enjoy it!!!!
[Damn!!! I hoped the guide would have been shorter!!!]
Thanks for the guide! I have also been playing around with MGMAPS for a while and got it to work with IBM's J9 decently. Unfortunately it doesn't give highres output for some reason, but GPS is working with that midlet manager. Did you somehow manage to connect a GPS unit with JBED? Mine keeps telling me that no GPS is abailable.
I'm sorry but I don't have a GPS
If with highres output you mean QVGA then JBed does the job. It does have only a small problem (as pointed out here: http://www.winmobiletech.com/092007MidletBible/CompatibilityAndMain.html) _before_ launching the application:
http://www.winmobiletech.com/092007MidletBible/GmailVoxInvisibleBottom.png
how do i uninstall gMapMaker from my PC? there isnt an uninstall option and it isnt located in add/remove programs under control panel.
@NguyenHuu: You don't need to uninstall it - it never registers anything outside of the folder where you put it and you can just delete all the files to completely get rid of it.
@soalle: I meant 640x480 resolution which JBED does fine, but with IBM's J9 something seems to go wrong as the maps are indeed QVGA. The difference is quite visible and so I hope that I can get it to run in the higher resolution with GPS. QVGA + GPS is second choice as with being able to track your location the program becomes a true lifesaver (I'm in Japan right now and mobile data is expensive as hell for WM devices). ANd thank you for the great overview - I didn't know that page yet. Seems as if there's not much hope for now... Nokia sure shows how midlets should be run with the N95 - shame on MS for not including a decent midlet manager.
Thanks. That is what I figured and deleted it before you responded, haha. Just to be safe I kept a copy of the install incase I needed to reinstall before I can uninstall again if that caused any problems.
The program itself has great potential, but it requires a good amount of work to map out everything precisely. Even though, I will keep this as a backup for future use. Thanks for the tutorial.
I usually stick with roughly sketched city maps (zoom level 17) as everything larger above zoom level 16 gets too big anyway. No need to see FAT32 choke with 200.000 files It would be great if they could find a way to store multiple tiles in larger container files, but it seems to be impossible as the developer stated in a forum post on his page.
Falk said:
@soalle: I meant 640x480 resolution which JBED does fine, but with IBM's J9 something seems to go wrong as the maps are indeed QVGA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does JBed work for GPS + highres? Have you tried it?
does it work on ppc phones? i have xda orbit [ htc p3300 ] with inbuilt gps receiver and it always throws no gps error.
does anyone know how to overcome this issue?
i am having my device running on WM6.
thanks
I don't have a ppc with GPS so I cannot really help you sorry... try to look for the answer on the forum of mobilegmaps...
so with this do you need GPS ?
or have i been reading it all wrong ?
sorry for the late reply... i have been in vacations for a while ;-)
So no need of GPS, but clearly it won't give you your position ;-) Obviously you can still use it for browsing maps.
didnt work for me
it doesnt even detects my gps (
MGMAps and Internal GPS
Hi,
My internal gps does not work with MGMAPS. Is there any workaround to the same. I have a HTC P3300 with Windows mobile 6 and internal GPS. It works on COM4 port Kindly help
Regards,
Kailash
Do we have to copy cache folder in a memory card. My cache folder is now 980 mb size on disk and it contains 242946 files and 701 folders
This worked for me.. I tried it several months ago. However, it seems the maps get saves in SOOO many small files that the file nodes take up much more space than the actual data. Storing the whole US at any reasonable zoom level is impossible on my 6Gb card, and would take forever to download anyway.
gmap
this is seriously very very good. Just love it.
I have just done some testing with googlemaps and yahoo.
This application is very good indeed, it works very well, it is also rather fast.
You can also spare a lot of money on traffic with it.
Thank you very much
I have downloaded the Maps perfectly fine and have everything sorted out but I just cant get the actual application installed.
I have downloaded both of the Jar and Jad files, and I am attempting to run the Signed-Jar file however when I get so far through the installation on my XDA Orbit it comes to the error message: "File Error ???".
Is there any way of getting by this?
Any help is appreciated
A solution for the internal GPS issue (For example P3300) which couldn't be used with mgmaps has been made. Found it out yesterday. You can find it on the mgmaps forum at http://forum.mgmaps.com/viewtopic.php?t=1829&highlight=p3300 .tried it out on my P3300 and works as a charm!
I have noticed that over certain period the performance of my Kaiser degrades. Considering that it works great even after I install additional software and configure it to sync with exchange 2007, over time it start to act flaky. Could somebody tell me what causes this and how to resolve it?
My guess is it has to do with temporary and cache file used by different applications and os. If so, what should I be getting rid of?
Thanks in advance
rgelfand said:
I have noticed that over certain period the performance of my Kaiser degrades. Considering that it works great even after I install additional software and configure it to sync with exchange 2007, over time it start to act flaky. Could somebody tell me what causes this and how to resolve it?
My guess is it has to do with temporary and cache file used by different applications and os. If so, what should I be getting rid of?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u need to use some "cleaning tools" like sktools or memmaid. There are options to clear some files(temp. internet, ...) and to free up your ram. Thats the main problem, your ram memory is decreasing over time and the phone is acting slover. To make it quicker is to make softreset after some time or use this tools and free up your ram.
You also can use some tools (apps) which will automatically and periodically do the soft-reset for you,
e.g. during the night your device is unused etc...
You can use tools, I like Sk Tools as it is the most comprehensive tool period. But there are many things you can do manually as well.
Delete the files in: \Application Data\Volatile, also in: \Windows\Profiles\Guest\Cookies; History; & Temporary Internet Files; as well as files in \temp.
GSLEON3 said:
You can use tools, I like Sk Tools as it is the most comprehensive tool period. But there are many things you can do manually as well.
Delete the files in: \Application Data\Volatile, also in: \Windows\Profiles\Guest\Cookies; History; & Temporary Internet Files; as well as files in \temp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree with GSLEON3. SKtools was by far the best piece of software I have purchased for my kaiser. It allows easy cleaning, sip changes, today changes, registry editor, and nearly any tool or tweak you can think of.
I suggest you check out their trial and see what you think.
Hi!
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I'm a noob... Well, sort of actually coz even if it's my first public message I've been roaming this forum for quite a while. And thanks to you guys I understood how to root, how to flash a CD Rom and so on. Without disturbing anyone, ain't it nice?:good:
But now I have a question, I couldn't find the answer anywhere on the web hence this post.
I'm rooted on both my Galaxy Mini and my Galaxy Tab P6210 and I noticed that some apks leave files like webview.db, googlestats etc. on the data/data/whateverapk/databases folders.
On the Mini I found how to prevent those annoying files from polluting my system(yep, I don't like cookies and similar spying stuff) by changing the databases folder's perms to --x --- ---, or even sometimes -- --- ---. For the most stubborn apks I rwx --- --- the databases folder, then I erase all the text in the unwanted file and finally I lock the file's perms to --- --- ---. It works with most apks including Dolphin Mini and Opera Mini, cool. Only one or two resist and FC if I attempt to modify too much the perms but it's OK, I don't use then that often and I don't mind to delete the trash manually.
The problem is that on the Galaxy Tab it doesn't work on most apks, it makes them FC. I've tried all the possible perms combinations but nope, FC.
I guess, since the concerned apks are the same on my Mini and on my Tab, that it has to do with the OS, Gingerbread for the Mini, Honeycomb for the Tab. I noticed as well that some of the files on the Tab are different, on the Mini it's mostly googleanalytics.db, webview.db and webviewCache.db files, whereas on the Tab I have, apart from the above mentioned ones, some webview.db-shm, webview.db-wal, webcookieschromium.db and webcookieschromiumprivate.db files.
I guess .db has something to do with dropbox, but I don't use any dropbox, and I even deleted the (empty by the way) folder in my system. When I open those files I can see that they have something to do as well with sqlite, but I don't have any built in sqlite. I have one that has been installed by an apk in the /xbin folder but I erased it and it didn't change anything (don't worry, I put the sqlite back afterwards). It's very annoying, those files spy on us guys, they record all the web sites we visited, the email(s) or facebook accounts we use etc.
For now I have put bookmarks on my home screen and I delete manually the troublesome files just after I opened the relevant apk but hey, it's not very convenient!
Anyone knows how I can prevent them from coming back everytime I use an apk?
Thanks a lot for your help, and sorry for the long post:angel:
Already 3 days and over 50 views but no answer yet, what's wrong?
Is it that my question is of absolute no interest?
Or that the way I explained my problem was not clear?
Or that no one knows how to do it?
Or a bit of the 3?
It seems that you want to remove unnecessary garbage files that have been left out by some applications. I recommend that you use SD Maid, free is good enough, but of course PRO is better.
Anyway, SD Maid can clean File Corpses and clean the system files like the ff:
/data/log
/data/tombstones
/data/system/dropbox
/cache
Temporary Files
Log Files
Gallery Thumbnails(This one can really build up even with just the same files. I'm not exactly sure as to why it adds again and again but it saves me a lot. Like 300~600MB)
Empty Directories
LOST.DIR Directories
It can also optimize DBs. All of these are available on the free version.
As for cookies in browser, you can uncheck "accept cookies" but this might cause some websites to malfunction or not work.
Other things like cache you can use History Eraser, One Tap Cleaner and etc.
Hope I helped.
I think most don't want to delete them because they are normal caches and cookies, also some apps' settings are stored on those database files. I don't see any advantages in deleting those files (apart from saving couple of MBs storage space...) They aren't any "bad" or "spying" files.
By the way, the .db means database, not dropbox.
Sent from my GT-P6210
miksumortti said:
I think most don't want to delete them because they are normal caches and cookies, also some apps' settings are stored on those database files. I don't see any advantages in deleting those files (apart from saving couple of MBs storage space...) They aren't any "bad" or "spying" files.
By the way, the .db means database, not dropbox.
Sent from my GT-P6210
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct me If I'm wrong but it is necessary to clean caches and cookies once in a while because it can hog the device. Sometimes old caches are stored even if they are of no use anymore. It's like the principle of filling up your internal storage too much that you can see a dramatic decrease in performance. These kind of files updates a lot and does not seem to overwrite existing files or at least delete those that are unnecessary. It is not needed however to clean it every after use. Just once or twice a week is good enough.
Thanks for your answer but it's not what I was meaning, let me explain more clearly.
Take any app, say a mp3 cutter. It doesn t need any internet connection to work but when one downloads it one sees that it requires internet access permission. One thinks it s ok and one downloads it. But then in the mp3 cutter databases one finds those webview.db files, and this is why I say that it spies on us coz why this mp3 cutter needs such databases? The same with offline dictionaries, or one tap cleaner (a very bad one by the way, put it through privacy blocker and you ll be amazed of all the infos it takes from you), or mp3 players etc. On browsers like dolphin it s the same story, and when one views those files one sees that they record all the sites one has been through although the apk doesn t need it (I know it for sure coz I delete the files before my browsing cession and it still works). Disabling the cookies doesn t help, it just prevents you from accessing web sites that need cookies like gmail, yahoo and the like. Apps like LBE or privacy blocker show partly what those apks do in our back, taking our IMEI number, our contacts, reading our sms and sending everything to who knows where and for who knows what purpose. But they don t show the databases leaks...
As I said in my first post another parameter is that for a same apk, with the same version, let s say dolphin 2.3, on my Galaxy Mini running GB I managed to block the perms and thus to prevent those files to pollute my system but on my Tab running HC it doesn t work and FC the apks. Plus the files are not the same, there are more of them and with different extensions on HC (again using the same apk on both GB and HC).
So the answer lies somewhere in the OS but I couldn t find where due to my limited knowledge and that s why I m here
Any hint or idea on how to eradicate those files from their source? Of course one can delete them manually and that s what I do but it would be so nice not to have to do it all the time. It s not about saving space, those files weight next to nothing, it s about privacy.
By the way I deleted most google apks and this is already a big relief. Other setting I did include blocking all the perms of the usagestats folder, of the throttle folder (well I just left r--, ---, --- otherwise it bootloops). Download testlogging and you will see for exemple of many spying stuff the google apks put on your tablet...
Anyway, back to the topic:
how can I permanently block those files? Many people on this forum and elsewhere are very concerned with their privacy, to the extend that some create privacy watching apks, but to my knowledge nobody ever bothered about those databases files although they represent a big privacy hole in our systems...
Thanks a lot for your help!
Send from my barebone Galaxy Tab P6210, 34 system apks left and counting down
Apart for some real serious stuff, apps need some way to persist information. If you prevent them to, you should expect fc when they try, no?
That's too much paranoia for me.
Enviado de meu MB525 usando o Tapatalk 2
Graffiti Exploit said:
Correct me If I'm wrong but it is necessary to clean caches and cookies once in a while because it can hog the device. Sometimes old caches are stored even if they are of no use anymore. It's like the principle of filling up your internal storage too much that you can see a dramatic decrease in performance. These kind of files updates a lot and does not seem to overwrite existing files or at least delete those that are unnecessary. It is not needed however to clean it every after use. Just once or twice a week is good enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the caches can get bloated if the app doesn't remove unnecessary things automatically. In that case a clean is ok.
Sent from my GT-P6210
@unclefab
If the mp3 cutter that you mentioned in your example has ads it needs the internet permission for them, and some ad providers make the database files automatically. They just contain some ad web address cache and only "personal" information saved is your language setting, at least from my experience.
And blocking the apps saving the information doesn't help with privacy really much because they can still access the info, they just can't save it in the databases. A malicious app can send the info without saving it too.
Sent from my GT-P6210
leodfs said:
Apart for some real serious stuff, apps need some way to persist information. If you prevent them to, you should expect fc when they try, no?
That's too much paranoia for me.
Enviado de meu MB525 usando o Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree with this one. Messing up with permissions can cause issues to certain applications and it really seems that he is paranoid.
If your concerned about such privacy, you shouldn't download the app on the first place. Although some developers get rid of such permissions because of some people's concern, this is unlikely to happen to every application. HC is a different platform from Gingerbread and so such issues that you have mentioned may occur.
Have you tried firewalls like DroidWall? I'm not sure if it really works, but it might lessen your burden from manually deleting files or privacy concerns like your data being accessed/used. Again, not sure.
Don t worry, I m not paranoid, my Tab is well protected, I have rather intricated settings between Privacy Blocker, LBE (by the way and FYI, LBE conflicts with Droidwall, both can t work together) Rom Tool Box, Logging Test and Permissions denied, so I don t think that any apk can steal any info from me!!!
Actually it s more a matter of principle, why apks like let s say Dolphin or Opera record all the sites I ve surfed, eventhough they don t need to do so (coz they still work after I deleted those files manually). And about the exemple given above, why apks which don t display adds need to have an internet permission and to put such webview.db files in the databases? Of course I m not obliged to download them, and actually I ve already erased many such apks, but for some I don t have any choice, specially for dictionaries (I travel a lot and need such stuff).
Plus it s a matter of curiosity, where the heck lies the source of those files? And why can I block those files easily on GB but not on HC? Yes, it s because the OS is different, I know, but how does it work? I don t know so much about Android OS but I like it and I want to learn more.
So back to the question, how can I tweak my system in order to prevent those files from appearing everytime use an apk? There are enough experts on thsi forum so hopefully someone knows the answer.
And BTW, when I see the difference between GB and HC, I mean more spying from the Google/Android OS, then I feel less eager to upgrade to ICS coz for sure it will get even worse, not to mention JB...
You're not saving passwords in your browsers/webview-based-apps, right?...
Do you mind explaining why webview.db databases have you concerned?
Thanks.
They are saving information from him, that's why. Nothing can save his information, I think that is the point.
Dude relax, there are spy apps, there loggers, but you are blacklisting all webview based ones.
And as some guy told before, if they want to spy you, they don't need to save anything.
But seriously, you don't need to study much on Android OS to known why what you are doing are causing fc. Take any app in any platform that have internal Conf and db files. Corrupt them and mess with permissions, you should get something similar.
Enviado de meu MB525 usando o Tapatalk 2
Thank you for explaining me why they Fc but I had understood it by myself from the very begining, I m what you call a noob but I m not brain dead:silly:
All what I want to know is what generates those files in the OS, and how to prevent it from happening, provided that it s possible.
Apart from that it s ok for me if other people don t mind having files in their databases which record their web activity, and if they don t feel uneasy to know that the more advanced the Android OS the more files there is and the more difficult it is to block them (I said already 2 times that on Ginger Bread I block all those files and that the apks don t FC, which prove that the files are not required by the apks to work normally).
Thanks
I am not calling you noob buddy, but you were trying to solve a problem with no elegance at all.
Contact developers and ask why they are using webview and that you are not comfortable with files it creates. But if you use a program that uses it you have to accept those files, simple.
A lot of details of stuff like webview are API specific so changes version to version. So access of those files may changes on each version of android, as well as file location, name or how to handle errors. So the fact that what you did worked on gb, helps you with no conclusions.
Enviado de meu MB525 usando o Tapatalk 2
I didn t mean thay you (tu) called me a noob but that you in general (vos) call newbies noobs. Sorry for the misunderstanding, it s one of the many limitations of english compated to latin or germanic languages
So it sounds like what I was asking about is impossible to do, well, well, I will see what I can do with apktool, maybe I can change something in the manifest or ressources or I don t know where. Just for info, here s what s insideone of those files when it s newly created and before it starts spying:
SQLite format 3@
-� g
�� �k �6 � ` � ��" �tablepasswordpassword CREATE TABLE password (_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, host TEXT, username TEXT, password TEXT, UNIQUE (host, username) ON CONFLICT REPLACE)/
C indexsqlite_autoindex_password_1password �+ �)tablehttpauthhttpauth CREATE TABLE httpauth (_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, host TEXT, realm TEXT, username TEXT, password TEXT, UNIQUE (host, realm) ON CONFLICT REPLACE)/C indexsqlite_autoindex_httpauth_1httpauth
�" �tableformdataformdataCREATE TABLE formdata (_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, urlid INTEGER, name TEXT, value TEXT, UNIQUE (urlid, name, value) ON CONFLICT IGNORE)/C indexsqlite_autoindex_formdata_1formdataR}tableformurlformurlCREATE TABLE formurl (_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, url TEXT)J%cindexcookiesIndexcookiesCREATE INDEX cookiesIndex ON cookies (path)�� tablecookiescookiesCREATE TABLE cookies (_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT, value TEXT, domain TEXT, path TEXT, expires INTEGER, secure INTEGER)W--ctableandroid_metadataandroid_metadataCREATE TABLE android_metadata (locale TEXT) ��en_GB
@unclefab
Even if the webview.db has always all the fields it doesn't mean they need to have a value or string. For example the "password" field is almost always emtpy.
Sent from my GT-P6210
A little old, but worth the reading:
forensicsferret.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/android-browser-forensics/
Sent from my GT-P6210 using Tapatalk 2
Why would I use such apks?
I said it already, it s because I need them. I deleted some and replaced them by similar apks more privacy friendly, but for some I don t have any choice. For exemple browser. I managed to lock the perms on opera mini and it still works but you know opera mini, on some sites it doesn t display correctly so I have to use dolphin whose perms can t be locked. Talking about it I will try boat browser, it s not as good as dolphin but if it doesn t have those files it could be a solution...
Same stories with dictionaries. I m a language teacher who lives in asia and I need far eastern languages dictionaries. Try to find a thai english or thai indonesian dictionary which can work without those files... BTW if you are interested I found a good english chinese which works without any .db garbage;-)
Thanks for the links, interesting article, some food for thoughts...